Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter
President’s AddressBy: Robbie Lear, P.E.
Fall is finally here!!! The kids are back in school, LSU and Southern football are the talk of the town, election campaigns are heating up, and LES is in full swing. We have several items on tap that need your attention.
First, I’d like to thank HNTB Corporation for their help with the August Luncheon. The accommodations at the downtown Hilton were fantastic, and General Barry McCaffrey’s insight into US policies was appreciated by over 70 attendees.
Nominations are open for the LES statewide honors and awards. A description of the honors and awards are included in the newsletter. Please contact me at or 225-298-0800 if you would like to nominate a Baton Rouge Chapter member for any of these awards. Nomination forms are due to the LES state office by November 16.
The annual LES Golf Tournament is being moved to the spring in order to avoid conflicts with other tournaments and to make improvements to the format. (Actually, I need the extra time to work on my swing!) Alan Krouse is working hard to put together a fun filled event that will help fund our chapter scholarship program. More information will be available as the tournament nears.
The Baton Rouge Chapter will not have an October luncheon; however, the LSU/Southern Student Function is set for November 8th. This event offers a 1 hour Ethics PDH opportunity and a chance to mingle with our professional engineers of tomorrow. We need the support of our members in the form of financial sponsors to help fund the William A. Wintz, Jr. scholarship program. Any donations are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to LES Education Fund and sent to me at 10305 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge, LA70816. I strongly encourage each of you to attend.
It saddens me to announce that our Secretary/Treasurer Ken Robichaux, P.E. is resigning his post with the Baton Rouge Chapter. Ken recently has been diagnosed with cancer and is under the care of home hospice with alternative medicine treatments. Ken has been a tremendous supporter of LES and the engineering profession. I ask that you keep Ken in your thoughts and prayers in hopes of successful treatment and recovery.
Nominations and elections of a new Secretary/Treasurer will take place at our next chapter meeting, which will be at the Student Function on November 8th. Anyone wanting to serve on the board should contact me in advance for more information. I encourage our past presidents to promote serving LES to your fellow employees.
This month’s luncheon is a joint luncheon with ASCE. Mayor Kip Holden will be speaking on the future of Baton Rouge. RSVP early as seats are limited and walk-ins will not be accepted. I look forward to seeing each of you at the luncheon.
14th Annual LSU / Southern Student Function
A Call For Sponsors
The LES Baton Rouge Chapter will be hosting our 14th annual LSU-Southern Student / Faculty Jambalaya Dinner on Thursday, November 8, 2007 in the South Courtyard of the LSUCEBABuilding. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. with jambalaya and soft drinks being served. This meeting is an opportunity to explain to students about LES and what LES does for the engineering profession. It also gives students the opportunity to meet engineers and potential employers in a casual setting in order to discuss our great profession.
The Chapter is currently seeking sponsors for this event. This event will serve as our fund raising effort for the William A. Wintz, Jr Scholarship Program. The amount and number of scholarships depends on your contributions to the program. Sponsor’s names will be posted on a board at the function and posted in the November LES newsletter and LES website. The three grades of sponsorship are as follows:
Platinum$250.00 and up
Gold$100.00 and up
Silverup to $100.00
This event has proven to be very successful in the past and this year hopes to be no exception. We are expecting between 200-300 students for this event. We also will be holding a 1 hour Ethics PDH meeting prior to the function and expect a large professional turn-out. If you would like to be a sponsor for this event, please make a check payable to LES Education Fund and mail to LES c/o Robbie Lear at 10305 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana70816.
If you or any of your staff plan to attend the event, the faculty parking lot adjacent to CEBA will be reserved for attendees. If you have any questions, please contact Dave Rambaran at (318) 290-9533. The LES Board and Members looks forward to seeing you at the function.
Future City Competition Kicking Off
By: Geoff Wilson, E.I. – Baton Rouge Region Coordinator
The start of school marks the start of the Future City Competition. Schools around the state will begin signing up to participate in this year’s competition. Louisiana needs 25 schools to participate in order to qualify for the national competition. Engineering mentors will be needed to make this LES-backed program a success. The State Competition will be held on January 25, 2008. Please visit the Future City Competition website at for competition information. Feel free to call Gerald Doyle at 225-381-5895 or email at for additional information about becoming involved in the Future City Competition.
Fun Sheet -Top 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of The 20th Century
- Electrification
Widespread electrification gave us power for our cities, factories, farms, and homes, and forever changed our lives. Thousands of engineers made it happen, with innovative work in fuel sources, power-generating techniques, and transmission grids. From street lights to supercomputers, electric power makes our lives safer, healthier, and more convenient. - Automobiles
Even after Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz introduced their improved fourstroke internal combustion engine, automobiles were still poking along at a few miles an hour (a sizeable proportion of them still running on electricity or steam). They could boast no battery starter, roof, nor windows and were priced only for the rich. Then Henry Ford fine-tuned mass production and the world drove off into the age of affordable transportation—forever altering our notions of place, distance, and community. - Airplanes
Modern air travel transports goods and people quickly around the globe, facilitating our personal, cultural, and commercial interaction. Engineering innovations—from the Wright brothers to supersonic jets—have made it all possible. - Water Supply and Distribution
Today a simple turn of the tap provides clean water—a precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource—with water treatment, supply, and distribution systems—changed life profoundly, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations and providing clean and abundant water for communities, farms, and industries. - Electronics
Electronics provide the basis for countless innovations. From vacuum tubes to transistors to integrated circuits, engineers have made electronics smaller, more powerful, and more efficient, paving the way for products that have improved the quality and convenience of modern life. - Radio and Television
Radio and television were major agents of social change, opening windows to other lives, to remote areas of the world, and to history in the making. From the wireless telegraph to today's advanced satellite systems, engineers have developed remarkable technologies that inform and entertain millions every day. - Agricultural Mechanization
The machinery of farms, such as tractors, cultivators, combines, and hundreds of others, dramatically increased farm efficiency and productivity. At the start of the century, four U.S. farmers could feed about 10 people. By the end of the century, with the help of engineering innovation, a single farmer could feed more than 100 people. - Computers
The computer is a defining symbol of 20th century technology—a tool that has transformed businesses and lives around the world, increased productivity, and opened access to vast amounts of knowledge. Computers relieved the drudgery of simple tasks and brought new capabilities to complex ones. Engineering ingenuity fueled this revolution and continues to make computers faster, more powerful, and more affordable. - Telephones
The telephone is a cornerstone of modern life. Nearly instant connections—between friends, families, businesses, and nations—enable communications that enhance our lives, industries, and economies. With remarkable innovations, engineers have brought us from copper wire to fiber optics, from switchboards to satellites, and from party lines to the Internet. - Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Air conditioning and refrigeration changed life immensely in the 20th century. Dozens of engineering innovations made it possible to transport and store fresh foods and to adapt the environment to human needs. Once luxuries, air conditioning and refrigeration are now common necessities that greatly enhance our quality of life. - Highways
Highways provide one of our most cherished assets—the freedom of personal mobility. Thousands of engineers built the roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect our communities, enable goods and services to reach remote areas, encourage growth, and facilitate commerce. - Spacecraft
From early test rockets to sophisticated satellites, the human expansion into space is perhaps the most amazing engineering feat. The development of the spacecraft has thrilled the world, expanded our knowledge base, and improved our capabilities. Thousands of useful products and services have resulted from the space program, including medical devices, improved weather forecasting, and wireless communications. - Internet
Initially a tool to link research center computers, the Internet has become a vital instrument of social change. Created through a series of engineering innovations, the Internet is changing business practices, educational pursuits, and personal communications. By providing global access to news, commerce, and vast stores of information, the Internet brings us together and adds convenience and efficiency to our lives. - Imaging
From tiny atoms to distant galaxies, imaging technologies have expanded the reach of our vision. Probing the human body, mapping ocean floors, tracking weather patterns—all are the result of engineering advances. Coupled with the computer, imaging gives us incredible new views, both within and beyond the human body and environment. - Household Appliances
Household appliances dramatically changed the 20th century lifestyle by eliminating much of the labor of everyday tasks. Engineering innovation produced a variety of devices, including ranges, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and dryers. These and other products give us more free time, enable more people to work outside the home, and contribute significantly to our economy. - Health Technologies
Advances in medical technology have been astounding. Armed with only a few instruments in 1900, medical professionals now have an arsenal of diagnostic and treatment equipment at their disposal. Artificial organs, replacement joints, imaging technologies, and biomaterials are a few of the engineered products that improve the quality of life for millions. - Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
Petroleum has been a critical component of, providing fuel for cars, homes, and industries. Also critical, petrochemicals are used in products ranging from aspirin to zippers. Spurred on by engineering advances in oil exploration and processing, petroleum products have had an enormous effect on world economies, peoples, and politics. - Laser and Fiber Optics
Pulses of light from lasers are used in industrial tools, surgical devices, satellites, and other products. In communications, highly pure glass fibers now provide the infrastructure to carry information via laser-produced light—a revolutionary technical achievement. Today, a single fiber-optic cable can transmit tens of millions of phone calls, data files, and video images. - Nuclear Technologies
The harnessing of the atom changed the nature of war forever and astounded the world with its awesome power. Nuclear technologies also gave us a new source of electric power and new capabilities in medical research and imaging. Though controversial, the engineering achievements related to nuclear technologies remain among the most important. - High-Performance Materials
From the building blocks of iron and steel to the latest advances in polymers, ceramics, and composites, the 20th century has seen a revolution in materials. Engineers have tailored and enhanced material properties for uses in thousands of applications. In aircraft, medical devices, computers, and other products, high-performance materials have a great effect on our quality of life.
Source: The Greatest Engineering Achievements are copyrighted by the NationalAcademy of Engineering. The Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century is a collaborative project led by the NationalAcademy of Engineering with the American Association of Engineering Societies, Engineers Week, NSPE, and 29 professional engineering societies. The purpose of the project is to highlight the effect of engineering on the quality of life.
Upcoming CPD Opportunities
The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Surveying Board have posted on their website a list of CPD opportunities within the next few months. Click your browsers to to see what’s coming up. Remember, your membership in LES counts as 1 PDH per biennial renewal period!!!
Baton Rouge Chapter
Construction Specifications Institute
Hosts the Fall 2007 Seminar
Friday, September 28, 2007
BurdenPlantationConferenceCenter
8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
(Continental Breakfast and Lunch provided)
8 AIA/CES LEARNING UNITS/
HSW/ CEH/ PDH
Agenda:
●Updates on Code By Steve Loeb ●Spray in Foam by Chris Dawson
●Specifying Metal Ceilings presentation by ArmstrongBuilding Products
●Acoustically Enhanced Gypsum Board Designed for High STC Wall Assemblies ByKelly Rubaul
●Present and FutureLouisianaBuilding Codes: Joe Delaune, RA, CBO
●Federal Fair Housing Act,Louisiana Enforcement: Linda Burch
Reservations: $ 125 Non-Member, $ 100 CSI Member
Have a new product? Reserve a table top now! Call Melody Howard at (225) 275-6800.
Registration: Contact:Melody Howard, CSI-Baton Rouge
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1 Hour Ethics Seminar Prior to The 14 Annual
LSU / Southern Student Function
Thursday, November 8, 2007 @ 6:00
LSUCEBABuilding
More Details to Come In The Oct. Newsletter
LES Baton Rouge Chapter 2006-2007 Officers
(Left to Right): Ken Robichaux, P.E., Dan Rosenquist, P.E., Geoff Wilson, E.I.,
Robert Degeyter, P.E., Gerald Doyle, P.E, Robert Lear, P.E., LSI
LES Baton Rouge Chapter
2007-2008 Officers
September 2007 NewsletterPage1
Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter
President:
Robbie Lear, P.E., L.S.I.
225-298-0800
President Elect
Dan Rosenquist, P.E.
225-368-2800
Vice President
Geoff Wilson, E.I.
225-757-0558
Secretary / Treasurer
Ken Robichaux, P.E.
225-925-4920
1st Director
Gerald Doyle, P.E.
225-381-5895
2nd Director
Dave Rambaran, P.E.
225-368-2843
September 2007 NewsletterPage 1
Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter
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September 2007 NewsletterPage 1
Louisiana Engineering SocietyBaton Rouge Chapter
September 2007 NewsletterPage 1