Robert D. Nichol, P.E., Dist.D.PE, Dist.M.ASCE, chairman of the Long Beach, California-based firm of Moffatt & Nichol and its former president and CEO, has died at 84. In 1975, Nichol became Moffatt & Nichol’s second president, and his vision and leadership expanded the company from a small southern California firm with one office and 50 employees into one of the world’s top maritime and transportation
Capt. James H. Blanchar, P.E., D.NE, F.ASCE, a Navy veteran and longtime U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leader whose devotion to ASCE’s Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute included a year as president, has died at 77. Blanchar served as COPRI president from 2007-2008. He remained active in COPRI until his death, serving on its Waterways Committee since 1999 and chairing it in 1999-2000. The
The Society’s 1991 President, James E. “Tom” Sawyer, P.E., Pres.91.ASCE, an influential bridge designer and infrastructure builder with works from Florida to Hong Kong, has died at 84. Sawyer joined ASCE in 1956, and was active for years with the Florida Section. He served as ASCE’s president in 1991. “Tom will be sorely missed by his many friends at ASCE, but his legacy will live
William B. “Bing” Conway, P.E., L.S., F.ASCE, principal-in-charge for eight award-winning Mississippi River crossing projects, has died. He was 84. From 1969 to 2007, Conway was a partner in the firm Modjeski and Masters, and served as CEO from 1992 to 2004. He oversaw the Greater New Orleans No. 2 Bridge, which was the second-longest cantilever span in the United States. Born in Southhampton, NY,
Donald V.N. Roberts, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, who helped integrate sustainable development principles and techniques into engineering education and practice, has died at 87. Sustainable infrastructure now stands as one of ASCE’s key strategic initiatives, and Roberts was at the forefront of the movement to stress adoption of sustainability by civil engineers. He served as a member of ASCE’s Task Committee on Sustainable Development, which was instrumental
Their high-rise building started shaking around 3 a.m. “We woke up, and I remember my mom pulling us out of the apartment,” said Menzer Pehlivan. “And I’m 13 years old, so I’m like, ‘What is going on?’” Pehlivan and her family were living in Ankara, Turkey, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook the country on Aug. 19, 1999. They were about 200 miles from the Izmit
Elizabeth Ruedas is working to make her name in the civil engineering field. She already has an audience lined up. Ruedas, EIT, ENV SP, A.M.ASCE, is a design engineer for CNC Engineering Inc. in the City of Industry, CA, a YouTube star – with 70,000 followers and more than 8 million views on her channel – and selected by ASCE as one of the 2016
Matthew McCarty claims he’s an introvert. The resume says otherwise. Through his work with ASCE and the Structural Engineering Institute, he has helped build a sense of community within Baltimore engineering circles by championing a series of hands-on site tours. “I would say I am by nature an introvert. That’s something I’ve worked very hard on over the last few years,” said McCarty, S.E., P.E.,
The children’s home was supposed to be a refuge. It was the place where children went to find safety and health. Except the home wasn’t safe, and the children weren’t healthy. Stagnant water all around the site meant mosquitoes. Mosquitoes meant malaria. With no gas stoves, the residents cooked food using large, open fires indoors – even in the nursery. There was only one tank
Growing up in the Karachay community within Clifton, NJ, most of Ece Fatima Koch’s friends and peers were first-generation Americans. The Karachay hail from the North Caucasus – a territory that is now a republic of Russia. Several generations of Koch’s family lived in Turkey before her parents moved to the United States. Language may often be a challenge. Cultural norms could get lost in translation.
