Virginia Tech names Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering in recognition of $15 million gift

Virginia Tech has named its Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering in honor of alumnus Kevin Crofton (left above), president and chief executive officer of SPTS Technologies, in recognition of his philanthropy. Crofton, a native of Fincastle, Virginia, has committed $14 million to the department that will bear his name and $1 million to the university’s Division of Student Affairs. “Kevin’s generosity is both humbling and inspiring,” says Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “It opens up tremendous new possibilities for one of our academic departments and will benefit all our students by funding experiential learning programs.”

Crofton aspired to be an astronaut — following in the footsteps of his heroes, Neil Armstrong, Chuck Yeager, and Chris Kraft, who is also a Hokie — leading him to study to become an aerospace engineer. He earned his bachelor’s in aerospace and ocean engineering in 1982, holds an MBA in international business from American University, and heads a global semiconductor and microelectronic device manufacturing company headquartered in the United Kingdom. “I chose Virginia Tech because it has one of the best aerospace programs in the country,” says Crofton, reflecting on his decision to attend the university. “The education I received is one that taught me to be inquisitive, data-driven, and respectful of science. The social environment exposed me to different people, cultures, and views of life.”

The 55-year-old aerospace engineer further describes his collegiate experience at Virginia Tech as providing him with the foundation to have a successful professional and personal life, in addition to a platform from which to make a positive impact on the world. During the first decade of his career, Crofton worked on U.S. Department of Defense and commercial programs in propulsion for United Technologies, including Boeing’s Inertial Upper Stage Program, which positioned satellites in geosynchronous orbit from the space shuttle.

“Kevin’s gift will heighten the aerospace and ocean engineering department’s role at the university,” says Don Taylor, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “With a gift of this size, we can enhance learning for our engineering students and allow faculty, students, and staff to collaborate on cross-cutting, complex research projects.” The Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor of Marine Propulsion and Department Head Eric Paterson added that “to be one of the few named aerospace and ocean engineering departments will increase our stature on a national and global level.”

The Kevin Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering has more than 550 undergraduate students and 160 graduate students enrolled. Its faculty and students are engaged in numerous areas of research, with annual expenditures of more than $8 million. Departmental facilities include wind tunnels, a flight-test runway and hangar, and an advanced power and propulsion laboratory.

The $1 million Crofton directed to Student Affairs is the largest cash gift ever made to that division and will benefit initiatives through VT Engage, Virginia Tech’s service-learning and civic-engagement center.

“Kevin is an extraordinary leader, alumnus, and human being, with a profound commitment to and modeling of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve),” Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo said, referring to the Virginia Tech motto. “His gift will make an extraordinary difference, allowing more students to serve and understand what it means to serve.”

“In many ways Ut Prosim is an extension of the values I live by and a humble expression of my desire to make a difference," Crofton remarks. “I have always wanted to give back to Virginia Tech in a meaningful way – one that makes a significant contribution and will impact future generations.”

Dan Parent, P.E. joins Cold Craft's HVACR engineering and design team

Dan Parent, P.E. and Cold Craft have similar philosophies regarding the design, planning, and installation of HVACR equipment; they keep many factors in mind to create a building environment that is comfortable, practical, and as energy efficient as the customer desires. Cold Craft, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration firm in the San Francisco Bay area, sought an engineer to add to the team to hit specific targets such as improving the customer experience. They would do this by bridging the engineering and fulfillment experience to achieve even more predictable project's timelines, increased budgetary control, and clarity on the project.

While most engineers lack field experience and field professionals often lack the engineering component, it is unusual to find an individual such as Dan Parent experience in both. Cold Craft sought individuals that share their firm belief that control during the design process can eliminate cost over-runs that sometimes develop as a project moves from conception to design. Parent has worked with firms such as H-Square Mechanical, Therma, and Polyaire Mechanical. Coupled with his education from California Polytechnic University, this makes him a great fit for Cold Craft.

Customers opting for the design-build concept benefit from knowing that the complete responsibility for the entire system rests solely with one company. Susan Nichol, CEO of Cold Craft, adds, "Dan joining our firm can only be good for our clients, as they will get the whole package with just one responsible party. Dan's project management, engineering, and field fulfillment knowledge means that he has the knowledge of several positions.  This means one party - no finger pointing at other parties like you see with the splintered engineering and mechanical contractor jobs."  In the past, Cold Craft, hired outside talent for the engineering, and that worked well, but the firm is looking for a more seamless process for the clients.

Cold Craft specializes in green build construction, focusing on geothermal, for example, and grocery store construction and renovation. So whether the application is design or design-build, Cold Craft is positioned to assist the client with its experienced Engineering and Design Department. With Parent on board, Cold Craft says it can provide even better all-in-one services for prompt, precise, and well-defined proposals for negotiated projects in the initial stages of planning and development. The firm realizes the significance and importance of being able to provide true scopes and dependable pricing for these projects, and Parent's experience will help them meet those customer care goals.

Established in 1991, Cold Craft, based in Campbell, CA has established itself as an HVACR subcontractor in the Northern California area. The firm offers a diverse portfolio in both commercial and residential sectors. For more information, visit www.coldcraft.com.

Society of Plastics Engineers Foundation awards 42 scholarships

The Society of Plastics Engineers has named the winners of the 2016 scholarships administered by the SPE Foundation. The list includes 42 scholarships totaling over $110,000. The foundation supports the development of plastics professionals by funding and supporting quality educational programs, scholarships, and student experiences. Scholarship applicants must be majoring in or taking courses that would be beneficial to a career in the plastics industry. All applicants must be in good standing with their colleges.

The 2017 Scholarship Application process opens Dec. 1. For more information on SPE scholarship opportunities please go to www.4spe.org/scholarships.

This year’s winners include:

Art Haas Scholarship: $3,000: Jason Sutter, a junior at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, who is working toward getting his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Automotive & Composites divisions: Jackie Rehkopf Memorial Scholarship: $5,000:Robert Hart, a Ph.D. candidate in the college of engineering at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Automotive & Composites divisions: Jackie Rehkopf Memorial Scholarship: $5,000 / Injection Molding division Scholarship: $3,000: Sebastian Goris, a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Automotive and Composites Conference & Exhibition Scholarship: $2,000: Mariana Desireé Reale Batista, a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Automotive and Composites Conference & Exhibition Scholarship: $2,000: Lu Wang, a Ph.D. candidate at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center in the University of Maine in Orono.

Automotive and Composites Conference & Exhibition Scholarship: $2,000 / Thermoset division Scholarship: $2,500: Srikanth Raviprasad, a graduate student of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Bill Benjamin Scholarship: $1,500: Logan Tate, a sophomore studying plastics and polymers engineering technologies at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.

Blow Molding division: Carrie Fox Solin Scholarship : $3,000: Seth Cook, a senior in the plastics & polymers engineering technology major at Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport.

Carl Haas Scholarship: $3,000 / Polymer Modifiers and Additives division Scholarship: $2,000 / Thermoplastic Materials & Foams division Scholarship: $2,500 / Thermoset division Scholarship: $2,500: Josey Hrbek, a senior studying chemical engineering at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan.

Composites division Scholarship: Harold Giles: $2,500: Emily Anne Vargas, an industrial and manufacturing engineering senior at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Composites division Scholarship: Harold Giles: $2,500: Siddhartha Brahma, who is pursuing a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Detroit Section: Robert G. Dailey Scholarship: $3,000: Andrew Puck, a senior studying chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Detroit Section: Thomas E. Powers Scholarship, $3,000/Product Design and Development division/Mid, Michigan Section: Robert E. Cramer Scholarship: $1,000: Christina Sheng, a fifth-year honors student studying materials science & engineering at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Extrusion division Scholarship : Ed Steward: $2,500: Troy Metz, a sophomore at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio.

Extrusion division: Lew Erwin Scholarship: $5,000: Barbara Calderon, a second-year Ph.D. student in plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Extrusion: Russell Gould Scholarship: $2,500: Alison Davidson, a junior studying at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan., seeking a bachelor’s in plastics engineering technology.

Fleming/Blaszcak Scholarship: $2,000: Miguel Sifuentes, a junior at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

Gail Bristol Scholarship: $3,000 & Ruth Neward Scholarship: $3,000: Kathleen Nicosia, a senior undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Gulf Coast Hurricane Scholarship: $6,000: Emma Adams, a senior at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, pursuing a dual degree in chemical engineering and polymer and fiber engineering.

Jade Molds Scholarship: $1,000: Nicholas Moore, a sophomore at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, majoring in plastics and polymer engineering technology.

K. K. Wang Scholarship: $2,000: Cody Langlois, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in plastics engineering from UMass Lowell in 2016 as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar.

Polymer Modifiers and Additives division Scholarship: $2,000: Glenn Spiering, a junior majoring in plastics engineering technology at Penn State Behrend in Erie.

Polymer Modifiers and Additives division Scholarship: $2,000: Stephanie Ternullo, a senior majoring in plastics engineering at UMass Lowell.

Polymer Modifiers and Additives division Scholarship: $2,000 / Detroit Section: Kakarala Scholarship: $3,000: William Miller, a senior in the plastics engineering program at the University of Wisconsin Stout in Menomonie.

Ted & Ruth Neward Scholarship: $3,000: Casey Baran a senior at Penn State Behrend studying plastics engineering technology.

Ted Neward Scholarship: $3,000/Polymer Modifiers and Additives division Scholarship: $2,000: Patrick Facendola, who graduated from the honors college of UMass Lowell with a bachelor’s degree in plastics engineering.

Ted Neward Scholarship: $3,000: Blake Heller, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Thermoforming division Memorial Scholarship: $2,500: Austin Howard, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan.

Thermoforming division Scholarship: $2,500: Vincent Chee, a senior at Rutgers University, scheduled to graduate in December with a bachelor’s in packaging engineering.

Western Plastics Pioneers Scholarship: $2,000: Alec Jobbins, a freshman in UC Berkeley’s college of engineering with a major in mechanical engineering.

Process Engineering opens regional office in Salt Lake City

Process Engineering Associates has announced the official opening of its new Mountain West Regional Branch office in Salt Lake City, UT. This is to better serve clients in the region in markets such as minerals processing and refining. Mike Sessions, P.E. will manage the office.

Process Engineering Associates is a chemical engineering company providing process design, applied chemical engineering, and process safety services to the petroleum refining, chemical production, alternative fuels, food grade products, and nuclear materials processing sectors and all other process industries.

Headquartered in Oak Ridge, TN, the firm has other regional branch offices in Gilbertsville, PA; Daphne, AL; and Richland, WA.

For more information visit www.processengr.com.

Lancaster County wastewater authority honored for using recycled glass

The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (PRMC) recently honored the Northern Lancaster County Authority (NLCA) of Denver, PA with the 2016 William M. Heenan, Jr. Recycling Markets Development Award for its commitment to creation of new markets for recycled color-mixed glass. PRMC recognized the use of recycled glass as a growing medium for the reed bed filtration system at the Authority's Beam Road Wastewater Treatment Plant. To RMC's knowledge, the plant is the first location to use sharp-free, manufactured recycled glass aggregate for this purpose in the United States.

A reed bed or constructed wetland is essentially a type of water filtration system that mirrors the way natural wetlands break down waste in water and filter impurities. Wetland reeds, specifically Phragmites austalis, are cultivated in a recycled glass aggregate filter bed where the plant roots and natural microbial processes turn wastewater solids into treated water and benign solids. Free of chemicals and odors, these beds have proven cost-effective and energy-efficient, and they significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for disposal of the solids. Reed bed systems have been shown to reduce the volume of solids by as much as 90 percent.

"Typically, the growing media for reed bed wastewater filtration is a very porous, fine aggregate such as sand," explains Jason Coyle, plant superintendent for NLCA. "Our sand was 20 years old and had broken down over time. As a planting bed, recycled glass aggregate manufactured to a uniform, sharp-free specification has been demonstrated in other countries. With technical input from the RMC, we were interested in bringing it to Pennsylvania."

Originally developed by the Max-Planck Institute of West Germany and the Netherlands approximately 30 years ago, the recycled glass process has been approved by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection and has been used in on-lot sand mound septic systems for about a decade. NLCA is currently using 800 tons of processed, crushed, size-graded and color-mixed container glass obtained from Cougle's Recycling of Hamburg, PA, an amount roughly equivalent to what a rural Pennsylvania county may collect in 2.5 years. "No one has put this into an application of this size," adds Coyle.

The NLCA wastewater treatment plant was constructed in 1979 and upgraded in 2013 in compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy. To comply with the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy, the plant diverts significantly more solids to the reed beds than in previous years. This, along with competitive pricing for the sharp-free, recycled glass aggregate, made the decision to use it realistic.

"Proper processing of solids is a major issue faced by wastewater treatment plants such as NLCA's plant, especially those who require compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy" says Robert Bylone, PRMC president and executive director. "They've taken an existing treatment method and built on its sustainability by using a recycled-content product. For these reasons, and for the courage of the Northern Lancaster County Authority to pioneer recycled glass aggregate for this use, we are proud to recognize them with the William M. Heenan, Jr. Recycling Markets Development Award."

The 2016 Reed Bed Upgrade was a win-win for all parties involved. Fred Ebert, president, Ebert Engineering, NLCA's consulting engineer; Jason Coyle, NLCA superintendent; Scott Davis, president, Constructed Wetlands Group; and Wayne Bowen, recycling program manager, PRMC, combined technical knowledge and research to bring the successful project together. Using Cougle's Recycling's manufactured recycled glass aggregate saved thousands of dollars of freight expense compared to hauling the nearest available sand from Delaware or Maryland. Donald Kellenberger, of Kellenberger Excavating in Spring Township, said final grading of the recycled glass aggregate was easier than sand.  Don observed that the manufactured recycled glass aggregate held its shape and position better than the sand. This ease of installation resulted in significantly less time to complete installation, reducing total install time to less than two (2) weeks.

The Northern Lancaster County Authority was the first reed bed biosolids treatment system in Pennsylvania. With over 80 reed bed systems treating biosolids in Pennsylvania, the authority has opened a door for using recycled glass both here and across the nation. "PRMC will continue to expand this use across Pennsylvania and potentially the nation," adds Bylone. "A win for the environment while simultaneously reducing construction costs for the residents of Brecknock Township and excelling treatment output made receiving the 2016 Heenan Award very rewarding," says Jason Coyle.

The William M. Heenan, Jr. Recycling Markets Development Award is the only award if its type given annually in Pennsylvania and is named in memory of William M. "Bill" Heenan, Jr. Heenan was a lifelong international ambassador of the recycling industry who was instrumental in supporting the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to initially vision and fund inception of the PRMC.

Organized as a non-profit corporation, PRMC develops and expands the use of recycled materials and recycled content product markets in Pennsylvania. PRMC is the keystone of economic development through recycling and to manufacturing resources for support of recycled content product development. With refined expertise in assistance for markets development, materials use, applied research, business assistance, and technical training, PRMC is headquartered at Penn State Harrisburg with satellite offices near Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The center is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. For more information, visit www.pennrmc.org.

Howard Stein Hudson selected as 2016 Employer of the Year by WTS-Boston

Howard Stein Hudson (HSH), a firm delivering engineering and transportation planning solutions for clients in Boston and throughout the region, has been selected by the Boston Chapter of Advancing Women in Transportation (WTS) as the 2016 Employer of the Year.

The firm was founded in 1987 by Jane Howard and Kathy Stein, colleagues from their work together at the City of Boston. They crafted HSH’s core mission – to create the best solutions for complex challenges in all transportation modes. From its inception, HSH has valued the enthusiasm and drive of young female engineers, allowing them the resources and tools to enhance their career while promoting and advocating for a healthy work/life balance.

HSH is now a multidisciplinary engineering and planning firm with offices in Boston and Chelmsford, MA. Currently, 42 percent of its 60 professionals are women. They provide civil engineering, transportation planning, traffic engineering, and public involvement services to public and private clients.

HSH was selected for the 2016 Employer of the Year award based on their commitment to attracting, retaining, and supporting a diverse workforce including nine women in leadership roles such as WTS member Keri Pyke, P.E., PTOE, principal of planning and public involvement; Katie Enright P.E., associate, project manager, senior civil engineer, manager of Chelmsford office; WTS member Bridget Myers, P.E., associate, project manager, senior civil engineer; and WTS member and Professional Development Co-Chair, Jackie Carver, project manager, transportation engineer. 

HSH supports all staff to continue education with professional education, tuition reimbursement, and involvement in professional organizations. Employees are encouraged to volunteer in the community and are given eight hours of volunteer time off each year. The company also encourages women students to enter the transportation field by providing internship opportunities.

The Boston Chapter of WTS was formed in 1980 by a group of 20 women working in the transportation industry. Recognizing the need for women to communicate and establish networks to gain respect within the field, they established the Greater Boston Women's Transportation Group. Their goals included creating a presence, meeting with other women professionals, networking for jobs, holding workshops, giving mutual support, and exchanging information.

“We are honored to have received this prestigious industry award and to provide a positive work environment,” says Thomas Stokes, chief executive officer at HSH.  “HSH strives to continue and strengthen its relationship with WTS.”

For more information, visit www.hshassoc.com.

ASCE names new president-elect and others to leadership positions

For the first time in its history, two women will serve in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) highest leadership roles. ASCE members have elected Kristina Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE, as the society’s newest president-elect. She is the fourth woman to serve in this prestigious office, serving alongside current ASCE president Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE.

“Kristina is a dedicated civil engineer and an ardent public policy advocate who possesses a wide breadth of expertise,” says Mattei. “As president-elect, she will bring enthusiasm and passion to the position and a clear focus of what is needed to make ASCE the best it can be.” An active member of ASCE for more than two decades, Swallow is a program manager for the city of Las Vegas, leading a team of engineers responsible for delivering public works projects and planning the sanitary sewer collection system.

In addition to her role as ASCE president-elect, Swallow serves as the first board-appointed governor of ASCE’s new Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute and is a member of the society’s Transportation Policy Committee, which develops and maintains ASCE’s official public policies related to transportation. Among many past roles, she served ASCE’s Region 8, which represents members from Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona, most recently as director from 2012-2015 and as governor from 2005-2008. She served as president of ASCE’s Southern Nevada Younger Member Forum, Las Vegas Branch, and Nevada Section and chaired the Nevada State Infrastructure Report Card Committee. In 2009-2010, Swallow was an ASCE Congressional Fellow, working in the office of Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), for whom she went on to become legislative assistant managing transportation policy.

She earned the ASCE Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement in 2008, the ASCE Young Engineer of the Year Award for the Western Region in 2000, and the ASCE Young Engineer of the Year for Southern Nevada in 1998.

In addition to the president-elect, elections were held for several other ASCE national offices:

Region technical director -- Carol Haddock, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 1 governors – John Folts, P.E., M.ASCE and Theodore Green, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 2 director—John Casana, P.E., D.WRE, LEED AP, M.ASCE
Region 2 governors —William Brittle. P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE and Jack Raudenbush, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 3 governors —Darren Olsen, P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE and Erin Woodson, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 4 governors —William Dubois, P.E., M.ASCE; John Fleming, P.E., M.ASCE; and Carol Stevens, P.E., F.ASCE
Region 5 governors —Jeffrey Earhart, P.E., F.ASCE and Katherine Gurd, P.E., F.ASCE
Region 6 director—Nancy Cline, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 7 director—Marsia Geldert-Murphey, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 7 governors —Scott Asher, P.E., M.ASCE and Erin Steever, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 8 governors —Brent Borchers, P.E., M.ASCE and Lawrence Magura, P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
Region 9 governors —Matthew Kennedy, P.E., T.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE and Thor Larsen, P.E., M.ASCE
Region 10 director—Brett Phillips, Ph.D., M.ASCE

The officers elected were installed during ASCE’s Annual Convention, September 28-October 1, in Portland, Oregon.