Kaibab Trail Suspension Bridge

Welcome to February, Arizona ASCE Members. I hope you’re into the swing of the new year.

This month is exciting for the Arizona section of ASCE as we’ll be dedicating the Kaibab Trail Suspension Bridge later this month (February 23) as a Historic Landmark. This is an achievement that has been in the works for years. This landmark joins only three others statewide (Hohokam Canal System, Roosevelt Dam and Salt River Project, and the Navajo Bridge) and only around 200 projects worldwide. No matter where you live in Arizona, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the innovation and dedication of this bridge. When this bridge was completed it was the only Colorado River crossing in the 754-mile stretch between Moab, Utah, and Needles, California. The dedication ceremony will occur at 3pm on Saturday, February 23 at the Yavapai Geology Museum in Grand Canyon Village. If you’re interested in carpooling from Phoenix or Tucson, please contact me at SmithwickTed@stanleygroup.com

Impacting Our Youth

“Why did you become an engineer?”

This is one of the more common questions I’ve been asked during my career. My answer is also common: I was good at math in high school. When I started at the University of Arizona, I planned to study general engineering. Before I finished moving into the dorm, College of Engineering staff emphasized the importance of graduating in four years, and sure enough four years later I had my degree in civil engineering.

I’ve had the pleasure of participating in the Future Cities program for over ten years as an engineering judge. It always amazes me to see 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders work together so diligently to think about our world’s problems in a different. This program is amazing and a great, low commitment way to impact our youth. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Ronnie Thevenot at ThevenotRonnie@stanleygroup.com

Each year during Engineer’s Week (February 17-23, 2019), I visit a classroom and have the kids participate in an engineering activity. I usually begin by talking about what I do, how I got where I am, answer some questions, then present the engineering challenge. This is another low commitment way for you to serve your community: try your child’s school, calling a nearby school, or email me – I have contact information to nearly 100 teachers that have expressed interest in having an engineer come to their classroom to talk about engineering.

Have you seen Dream Big? From the Great Wall of China to Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, this film celebrates engineering – it is an inspiring film that celebrates human grit and aspiration. It’s 42 minutes long AND on Netflix! Grab your nearest niece, son, neighbor, and make a night of it – you could be inspiring a lifetime of learning.

Other activities and ideas can be found here http://www.discovere.org/our-programs/engineers-week

I challenge you to take time this month to impact our youth.

We’re also updating the Arizona Infrastructure Report Card and need your help. Please see the attached flyer for more info. The kickoff meeting for this event is at 4pm at the Stanley Consultants office in Phoenix on Wednesday, January 30. Please contact Jose Aguilar for more information.

Newsletter Schedule

• February 2019 – Impacting Our Youth
• March 2019 – How to be Funny
• April 2019 – Goodness (Feeling, Recognizing, Sensing, and Giving)
• May 2019 – Winning Friends and Influencing People
• June 2019 – An Interview with an Arizona ASCE Member
• July 2019 – How to Save Someone’s Life
• August 2019 – My Thoughts on ASCE
• September 2019 – Thank you
• October 2019 – Breanna Connolly Takes Over the President’s Message