Welcome to 2024 and our first newsletter for the new year! We are happy to share these messages and updates to our local ASCE members and anyone else who may happen to have found us because you care about civil engineering in the Sacramento region.
A Message from Our President
Dear ASCE Capital Branch members,
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some highlights from 2023 and give you an update on what is happening with ASCE in the area for 2024. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the Capital Branch President and look forward to working with you and our dedicated
Board members.
The Capital Branch has more than 1,200 professional members, we have a healthy budget, and there are several events in the planning stages. The combination of these assets places our organization in a great position to promote the profession and support our engineers. But we need you! We highly encourage you to check out our events, get involved, and expand your professional network.
I am excited to introduce to you our current Board members. Find their names and photos below in this newsletter. Thank you very much for your support!.
Sincerely, Alma Luna
Board Installation (2023-2024)
The new Capital Branch Board was installed at our September Luncheon. Thank you all who attended and congratulations to the new board! You can see our current board members at the end of this newsletter.
2023 Year In Review
We had several great presentations in 2023 and had a great start to the new year. Our online presentations are recorded so you can access them from our blog. Follow the links to learn more and watch the video.
- Pedestrian Bridges by Douglas Frederick, PE.
- Divergent Diamond Interchanges by Mark Thomas, PE.
- Civil Engineers and the Law by Paul John Badum
- Lake Tahoe: Understanding the Coriolis Effect during Upwelling Events by Dr. Sergio Valbuena
- The Cyber Liability Trend by Calen Foster
- Bio-Inspiration for Foundation and Soil Anchors by Dr. Alejandro Martinez
- Engineers Without Borders Project by Micaela Robertson, PE, and John McMillan, PE.
- Dam and Levee Ownership – Risky Business by Stacy Vorster, PE. and Elizabeth
Landowski, PE.
We also held several-in-person events. They included a dinner with ASCE Past-President Maria Lehman, a luncheon in honor of our Life Members, and a meet-up where we experienced the Mega-City 2070 Virtual Reality experience with a VR headset.
The The Young Member Forum (YMF) organized the American River clean-up day, a Wayfinder Toy Drive, and a Halloween Cornhole Tournament. (Find the ASCE Sacramento YMF here: https://sacymf.com).
FUN FACT:
The Capital Branch was established on October 1, 1997. The boundaries include all the Counties of
Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado, Sierra, Plumas, those portions of Nevada and Placer Counties which are east of crest of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the incorporated areas of Roseville and Rocklin.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering is a great way to get involved. Consider these current and upcoming opportunities!
- YMF is looking for volunteers to serve in their Board. Find additional information on their wesbiste (https://sacymf.com), or contact their President Megan Kurtz at mkurtz@WoodRogers.com.
- April 4-6, 2024 Mid-Pacific ASCE Student Symposium is co-hosted by California State University, Sacramento and University of the Pacific. They are looking for one more judge to evaluate the Sustainable Solutions Competition on April 4 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Please contact Bryan Docto (bdocto@csus.edu) if you are interested.
- ASCE Capital Branch will have an info table at Mid-Pac. We are looking for volunteers to support this effort. Please contact Alma Luna at ascesacramentosectioncb@gmail.com if you are interested.
- ASCE Capital Branch is always looking for volunteers and guest speakers. If you have an idea for an event or a talk, please contact us. We would love to hear from you!
A look ahead at 2024!
The 2024 year is looking bright! Register for our luncheon meetings or volunteer to present a technical topic.
Major events coming up:
- The California Infrastructure Symposium (https://cais.r9-asce.org) is being hosted by the ASCE Region 9 and Sacramento Section here in Sacramento – Keep reading for additional information.
- YMF is organizing their second annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at CSU Sacramento. They already have over 100 girls registered and have surpassed their fundraising goal!!
We also have these upcoming events in the works!
February 2024
YMF Event — February 22, 2024: Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day – California State University, Sacramento
Capital Branch Event — February 27, 2024: Systems Engineering: Building the Right Solution by Simon Hughes – Online
March 2024
Branch and YMF Event — March 27, 2024: Symposium Kick-Off Social – Punch Bowl Social
Region 9 and Sacramento Section Event — March 28-29, 2024: CA Infrastructure Symposium 2024 – Kimpton Sawyer Hotel
April 2024
ASCE Student Event — April 4-6, 2024: Mid-Pacific Symposium – California State University, Sacramento
Capital Branch Event — April 23, 2024: Bridges to Prosperity Project by Carlos Ramirez- Online
May 2024
ASCE Region 9 Event — May 15, 2024: ASCE – APWA Joint Legislative Visit Day – California State Capital. Registration will open February 2024.
2024 California Infrastructure Symposium
Take a look at this sneak peak of the Symposium agenda!
- Keynote Speakers include Adan Ortega, Chair of the Metropolitan Water District Board; the Honorable Roger Niello, CA State Senator; Lee Ann Eager, Chair, California Transportation Commission
- The technical track on Water will address
- The Colorado River: Future Planning and Reallocation of Supply
- Sustainable Groundwater Management: Storage and Banking
- Off-Stream Storage for Northern CA: Sites Reservoir
- The technical track on Transportation features
- Rebuilding of California: Caltrans Asset Management and Local Assistance
- High-Speed Rail
- Alternative Contracting: Various Perspectives
- Climate and Transportation Revenue
- Rail, Micro-Transit and more!
- The NEW technical track on General Infrastructure includes
- Port of Long Beach harnessing wind
- Middle-Mile Broadband
- College Campus Resiliency
- Stockton Viaduct Replacement
- Dam Safety
- Region 9 Awards Luncheon, Fri. March 29th; including local awardees
- Lower American River Site 2-1, Flood Management
- Gilbert Cosio, Life Member
- Miner Ave. Complete Streets, Roadway & Highway
- Micaela Robertson, Community Service
- Elias Karam, Public Sector
- Technical Tour of the Golden One Arena followed by the Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA game!!!
2024 California Infrastructure Symposium (CAIS) Registration Information
Don’t miss the opportunity to join CAIS – ASCE Region 9 Infrastructure Symposium where you can learn from experts, network with peers, and celebrate excellence in civil engineering. You can choose to attend only the Symposium, the Awards Luncheon, or the Tour/NBA Game, or save and enjoy all three events!
There still might be time for you to support this event by becoming a sponsor! Look for Become a Sponsor at this website to see the different sponsorship levels and benefits: https://cais.r9-asce.org/
Your Current Board Members
President
Alma Luna, P.E., G.E.
President-Elect, Social Media Chair
Omar Lopez, P.E.
VP Membership
Keiko Lewis, P.E.
VP Education
Mohammed Khalid, M.S., P.E.
Secretary
Lauren Pitcher
Treasurer
Richard (Dick) Weitzenberg, P.E.
Technology Committee Chair
Brett Hoffstadt, PMP, P.E.
Life Member Committee Chair
Steven Freitas, P.E.
Past President
Amit Joshi, M.S., P.E.
Region 9 Governor
Sue Hida, P.E.
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