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Winter Newsletter
www.san die go - y m f . or g
y m f s a n d ie g o @ g m a i l . c om
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
2
President’s Message
Message to Younger
Members
2
Student Chapter Updates
4
Monthly Meetings
5
Community Service
6
Conferences
8
Educational Outreach
9
Social Events
11 Featured Member
UPCOMING EVENTS
Apr 19
Monthly Meeting at Sufi
Apr 23
Creek to Bay Clean-up
Apr 29
Post PE Happy Hour
May 7
Hike & Social with UCSD
May 12
Joint Social with ASCE
San Diego Section
Jun 5
San Diego Growlers
Game (Ultimate Frisbee)
A Message from the President
By Eric Kjolsing, YMF President
As we pass the half-way point for the YMF year I’m pleased to announce that
YMF has found a new venue for the monthly member meetings. Due to the
geographic location, available space, and strong positive member responses
obtained following the November meeting, Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine will be
the home of the YMF member meetings for the remainder of the 2015-2016
YMF year. I’d like to thank all of the officers involved in the search for a new
venue - their hard work is greatly appreciated.
I’d like to take this opportunity to mention the upcoming ASCE YMF Officer
Elections. Becoming an officer is a great way to be more involved with YMF
and expand your professional network. In the coming weeks, YMF will be
soliciting nominations for five board positions and eight chair positions. If you
are interested in being an officer, please respond to the solicitation or email
myself (eric.kjolsing@gmail.com) or President-Elect Dan Nutter
(DNutter@sandiego.gov) to indicate your interest.
If you are on the fence about becoming an officer, I encourage you to come to
the April member meeting and talk with current officers about their
experiences. The available positions include:
President-Elect
Treasurer
Secretary
Vice President - Community Service
Vice President – Education
Engineering Day at the Mall Chair
Golf Tournament Chair
PE Review Course Chair
Social Chair
Membership Chair
Newsletter Chair
Website Chair
Scholarship Chair
I hope to see everyone in April!
Kevin Anub, E-day Chair at Chula Vista Center (Eday 2016)
Page 2
Winter 2016 Newsletter
President’s Message to the Younger Members
By Mark Webb, ASCE San Diego Section President
Why did you become a Civil Engineer?
There is no wrong answer and everyone’s answer is different. However, there
are a few themes that start to emerge when you ask more than 20 people. A love
of math, science and problem-solving commonly emerge.
Whatever the answer, the point of my question is to have you remember why
and how you became and engineer. It is a journey where you are always
learning.
My hope is that ASCE is a part of that journey. In the ASCE San Diego Section, or
in the YMF, you are able to learn about leadership in a friendly environment and
are able to network with other engineers, ask advice or questions or ask for help
with being a better engineer. ASCE National has many classes online and in person in the Continuing Ed
program. Many books and journals are available for purchase at the National site as well. Consider what
can make you better as a Civil Engineer, then as the Nike commercial says: “Just Do It!”
Mark Webb, ASCE San Diego
Section President
UCSD Student Chapter Update
By Gabriela Morales, SCSE Public Relations
The Society of Civil and Structural Engineers (SCSE) has been very busy this quarter! We started the
year off by going to Tijuana through the Esperanza International Organization where we helped build
the first story of a house for a family. After two days of shoveling, jackhammering, and concrete
pouring, our contribution to the project was complete. Seeing our final product and knowing that we
were able to make a difference in the family’s life was a very rewarding experience for our group.
Another volunteer opportunity our chapter participated in was helping out with sorting and organizing
the donations at one of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Centers.
Beginning of the house’s construction in Tijuana.
SCSE members with the family in front of the
completed first story.
Page 3
Winter 2016 Newsletter
Aside from the volunteering opportunities, our chapter also coordinated a few learning opportunities for our
members this quarter. One of these opportunities was the Simpson Strong-Tie workshop. At the workshop,
students were able to learn more about some of the products that the company produces and use some of the
tools that are used at construction sites today.
Through R&S Construction, a few of our members were able to go on a site tour to the new courthouse
construction site in San Diego. The students who attended the tour went through different floors of the
building to see the various states of the construction project.
If you’d like to stay updated on all of our events, please visit our website, scse.weebly.com, where we
constantly update our calendars on upcoming events and post photos of all of our activities. And stay tuned for
more updates from these events in future issues!
***
SDSU Student Chapter Update
By Emerson Revolorio, SDSU Chapter Director
The SDSU American Society of Civil Engineers chapter started off the year by hosting a retreat at Lake
Arrowhead for all of their officers and team captains. At the retreat officers and captains had the opportunity
to bond, work together and create a game plan for the Pacific Southwestern Conference (PSWC) hosted By CSU
Long Beach from March 31 to April 2. SDSU hoped to place within the top 3 schools and they worked towards
their goal by sending their Geowall team to nationals and finishing their Concrete Canoe.
In other news, the students recently attended a tour of UCSD’s Engineering Facilities hosted by the UCSD
chapter. This was a great event to learn more about the Jacob’s School of Engineering and reunite with their
fellow UCSD colleagues.
PSWC Captain’s Retreat
Concrete Canoe Pour Day
Tour of UCSD Jacob’s School of
Engineering
Other recent events include a Speed Interview/Resume Workshop with YMF and a pre-PSWC BBQ with the UCSD
chapter in March.
Stay tuned for more updates!
If you would like to help out the SDSU Student Chapter in any way please contact Andrew Coba at
asce.sdsu.president@gmail.com. We welcome alumni and new friends!
***
Page 4
Winter 2016 Newsletter
Monthly Meetings
Each month, YMF holds general meetings featuring a technical presentation with networking, dinner and drinks.
Below you’ll find a recap of what we learned about this winter. For more information on our Annual Holiday
Party in December, read on to the Social Events section.
January – Mid-Coast Trolley Extension
By Katie Baker, Newsletter Chair
On January 19, 2016 YMF hosted its first monthly meeting of the new year, featuring an enlightening overview
of the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension. Greg Gastelum and Frank Owsiany of SANDAG and Nirupa Kannan of Parsons
presented on the project and fielded questions from interested YMF members.
The Mid-Coast Trolley will extend service from Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego to the University City
community, serving major activity centers such as Old Town, the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Westfield UTC. This
new service will enhance direct public access to other regional activity
centers and improve travel options to employment, education,
medical, and retail centers for corridor residents, commuters, and
visitors.
February – Fundamentals of Utility
Coordination
By Dan Nutter, President-Elect
What happens when your roadway widening project impacts existing
power poles; your storm drain conflicts with an existing fiber optic
duct bank; or your new building foundation coincides with existing
electrical manholes? Utility coordination is an essential, and largely
unseen, part of every civil engineering project.
YMF members enjoy an interesting presentation on
engineering work abroad at Sufi Mediterranean
Cuisine
On February 17 YMF was treated to a lively presentation by Darwin
Cruz and Jena Addenbrooke of Dokken Engineering, diving into the procedures, standards, and practices for
statewide coordination of utility relocations. The presentation highlighted the distinct and specific steps that
must be taken depending on the utility type, its owner, and the complexity of projects to ensure project
schedules and construction costs can be controlled.
March – International Job Prospects
By Dan Nutter, President-Elect
YMF had its 5th general body meeting of the year on March 15th held at Sufi Mediterranean restaurant. This
meeting continued the strong attendance numbers that our meetings have garnered, showing the strong interest
and participation from the younger civil engineering community.
The March meeting featured guest speaker Rob Stroop with Group Delta. Rob provided an eye opening
presentation on international job prospects and the overseas job market. His presentation encompassed
firsthand experience that Rob received while working abroad for nearly a decade. There were roughly 40
members who attended this meeting, and their obvious interest in Rob’s personal experiences sparked
interesting questions and conversations.
Page 5
Winter 2016 Newsletter
Community Service
Contributing to our local community is a key value for YMF. Here’s a recap of our impact over the last few
months! If you’re interested in participating in any of our upcoming volunteer events, or if you have suggestions
for other volunteer opportunities, contact our VP of Community Service, Sharon Liu, at
ssliu@rickengineering.com.
Challenge Ranch Volunteering
By Sharon Liu, VP of Community Service
FACT: Challenge Ranch
welcomes volunteers every 2nd
and 4th Sunday from 9am – 1pm!
In December, more than twenty YMF members, family, and friends
drove out to Challenge Ranch in El Cajon to help out with some tasks
around the ranch. Challenge Ranch is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to providing horseback riding lessons, team building
activities, support, encouragement, and inspiration to local
underprivileged children. Our group of volunteers joined up with
other volunteers on a series of small and large tasks ranging from
replacing tree protection wiring near or within the corrals to digging
out a drainage ditch and mixing/pouring concrete. Volunteers were
able to provide over three hours of support for helping to keep the
ranch ready for the children! This was a great networking
opportunity for the YMF members and we hope to return to
Challenge Ranch to help out in the future! A big thank you to all the
volunteers who put in some hard work for a wonderful cause.
***
Toys for Tots Drive
By Sharon Liu, VP of Community Service
As part of the YMF Holiday Party, YMF members generously
donated two large boxes of toys and over $200 to benefit the
Marines Toys for Tots Foundation! The donated toys made it
just in time for distribution to the kids. YMF members donated a
variety of awesome toys ranging from basketballs to action
figures to puzzles. Thank you everyone for helping to provide
gifts to less fortunate children and bring a smile to these
children’s’ faces across the San Diego region!
FACT: Have you ever wondered what happens to the toys?
The Marines collect the toys at the Marine Recruitment Depot
and they sort the toys into categories. Numerous local
charities stop by and pick-up the toys for distribution
throughout the County.
***
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Winter 2016 Newsletter
St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen
Volunteering
By Sharon Liu, VP of Community Service
FACT: Every late January to early
February, the San Diego County
Regional Task Force on the
Homeless (RTFHSD) performs a
homeless count in the County.
Want to help with the count in
2017? Visit: www.rtfhsd.org
Based on a January 2015 count by the San Diego Regional Task
Force on the Homeless, there are 8,742 homeless individuals in
San Diego County. Additionally, St. Vincent de Paul, a partner
of Father Joe’s Villages, provides transitional housing and
services to nearly 3,100 individuals! Our YMF group has been
happy to help out at St. Vincent de Paul Village for several years
now and we were glad to be able to return again to assist with
serving a healthy and nutritious hot meal. With big smiles on
our faces, we were able to offer some joy and hope to the lives
of the residents at the village. Thank you everyone for your
upbeat attitudes and your willingness to help those who are less
fortunate get back on their feet!
***
Conferences
Annual Western Regional Young Member’s Conference
By Shannon Davis, PE
In January, four members of San Diego YMF traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for the Annual Western Regional
Young Member’s Conference (WRYMC). Our four delegates, along with students form SDSU, UCSD and a few
members of the General Chapter, represented San Diego ASCE at the event. The conference covered
leadership, club strengthening ideas, current engineering issues, and endorsement nominations for ASCE
National chair positions. Meeting awesome younger members from Regions 8 & 9, seeing moose and the
northern lights, tasting local microbrews and fresh salmon, and experiencing a 7.1 magnitude earthquake
were among some of the most memorable experiences our members brought back. We are looking forward
to implementing some of their innovative ideas!
San Diego ASCE members attended a
brainstorming session at WRYMC 2016.
Western Region YMF groups in Anchorage, AK.
Winter 2016 Newsletter
Page 7
Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) 2016
By Nicky Galloway, PE
The annual Pacific Southwest Conference was held from March 31 through April 2, 2016 at California State
University, Long Beach. The annual student conference competition hosted over 1,300 students, faculty,
and professionals from 18 universities in southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. This resulted in
making the 2016 PSWC the largest ASCE event in the nation! Several San Diego ASCE YMF members were in
attendance throughout the conference to support our local teams as well as their alma maters, which span
from the central coast to San Diego and inland to Arizona. Some of our members serve as advisors to the
student groups we support, San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. We are
proud to congratulate SDSU on their fifth place overall finish at the conference, which included a first place
win in the concrete bowling competition and third place finishes in the transportation and impromptu
engineering design competitions! We would also like to congratulate UCSD on taking second place in the
transportation competition!
Four of the five concrete canoe judges this year are members of the San Diego ASCE YMF section and
enjoyed being a part of the competition again, but from the other side of the judging table. With so many
talented students and projects, all of the competitions were very close this year, especially the concrete
canoe events. We are proud to congratulate SDSU on their fifth place finish overall in the concrete canoe
competition, which included a fourth place finish in the oral presentation. SDSU was strong on the water
and took home top five finishes in all of the concrete canoe races - including taking first place in women's
slalom-endurance race. We were also very proud of UCSD for not only taking home fourth place in the
design paper, but also showing a lot of team spirit and enthusiasm on race day! With the help of the SDSU
student group, our San Diego teams made the longest tunnel down the beach to support UCSD's paddlers!
A joint YMF alumni social was held after the conclusion of the conference at the Gaslamp Bar in Long Beach.
Several of our members attended and a few helped to host this event! The happy hour was a success and an
event that will hopefully continue each year after the annual PSWC. Be on the lookout for information
regarding next year's PSWC hosted by the University of California, Irvine!
Page 8
Winter 2016 Newsletter
Educational
Outreach
E-day at the Mall
By Kevin Anub, E-day Chair
Engineering Day at the Mall is one of YMF’s biggest and most anticipated events every year. With
the great success of last year’s event at the Chula Vista Center mall, the goal of this year was to
expand the event and establish more of a presence in the Chula Vista Community. To
accomplish this task, an E-day planning committee of 8 YMF members was put together to plan
E-day 2016. This year’s event was able to reach out to more than 150 kids with more than 100
volunteers helping throughout the day! Both SDSU and UCSD volunteered at the event, bringing
their own cool activities. UCSD hosted a K’nex building and shake table, while SDSU hosted their
Steel Bridge project. New to this year is the involvement of the MESA Alliance. The MESA
Alliance brought a new activity this year, making prosthetic fingers out of common household
items. This activity was a big hit with all the kids. Over the weekend of E-day, the event
received recognition from The City of Chula Vista’s Twitter Account, Local Newspapers, and
even the Mayor of Chula Vista’s Office. People that attended E-day had lots of fun, and the
volunteers did as well. Overall this year’s Engineering Day at the Mall event was a success.
Resume Workshop
By Bobby Sokolowski, VP of Education
YMF and SDSU ASCE teamed up to provide a mock interview and resume workshop on March 16th
at 6:00 pm on the SDSU campus. Volunteers from YMF assisted students with resume writing and
the interview process, sharing their insights with the next generation of Civil Engineers.
For more information on this or future outreach events, please contact Bobby Sokolowski at
bobby.sokolowski@tylin.com.
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Winter 2016 Newsletter
Social Events
Holiday Party
By Nicky Galloway, Social Chair
The annual ASCE YMF Holiday Party was held on December 15, 2015
in place of our December general meeting. The party was hosted
at In Cahoots in Mission Valley and included a toy drive for Toys for
Tots, a raffle drawing for members in attendance, appetizers,
drink specials, pool tables, and line dancing! Over 40 members
were in attendance for the holiday celebration. In addition, our
members donated a full box of toys and helped us raise over $200
to donate to Toys for Tots to provide toys for children in need
during the 2015 holiday season! The event was a fun way to end
the 2015 calendar year!
***
Night at the Rink with YMF
By Nicky Galloway, Social Chair
The San Diego Gulls are back in town and ASCE YMF attended a
game on January 29, 2016 to cheer on our local hockey team! The
night started with drinks and appetizers at Kristy’s MVP near the
rink for some pre-game fun, networking, and socializing. Over 60
members joined us in our reserved section for the game, which
included souvenir ball caps for each person! The Gulls may not
have pulled out a win that night, but thanks to everyone who
attended, we had a great time and look forward to more social
events to support our local San Diego sports teams!
***
Trivia Tuesday at Common Theory
By Nicky Galloway, Social Chair
Over the winter YMF kept up our new monthly tradition of Trivia
Tuesday social night at Common Theory Public House in Kearny
Mesa. On the first Tuesday of the month, trivia night has become
a fun evening socializing, getting to know one another, and
enjoying some tasty drinks. All attendees answer questions on
various topics including pop culture, geography, history, and
science and technology and pick up some new fun trivia facts
throughout the evening. Our next Trivia Tuesday will be held on
May 5 at a new location, Park N Rec.
***
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Winter 2016 Newsletter
Carlsbad Desalination Tour
By Nicky Galloway, Social Chair
San Diego ASCE YMF joined the San Diego APWA YP and Las Vegas ASCE YMF groups on March 4, 2016 for
a joint technical tour of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant that delivers just over 50 million gallons of
fresh water to San Diego County each day! The tour was specially arranged for our groups and included
a full tour of the processes and systems involved in the operations, which began in December of 2015.
Attendees were able to see first-hand the pre-treatment and secondary treatment operations, the
reverse osmosis building, the post treatment processes, and the water storage areas. Over 40 people
joined us on this tour and even got to sample desalinated water taken directly from the completed
process just prior to our arrival! After the technical tour, our groups headed over to Pizza Port in
downtown Carlsbad for some networking and socializing. The groups bonded over pizzas and brews and
shared their favorite parts of the day. The day was a fun and successful joint event between the
various groups!
***
Engineers Week Happy Hour
By Nicky Galloway, Social Chair
In honor of National Engineer's Week, members of ASCE YMF San
Diego met at the new Brew Project in Hillcrest to celebrate on
March 24, 2016. Everyone in attendance enjoyed shared appetizers
while sipping on some local craft beers. The evening even included
a free rum tasting event at the restaurant. It was a beautiful
evening to sit outside on the patio in San Diego and enjoy!
Attendees shared stories from their engineering adventures and
their social activities outside of work. It was a fun event and we
look forward to seeing everyone at our other upcoming social
events!
***
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Winter 2016 Newsletter
Featured Member
Each quarter YMF features a different member. If you’re interested in being featured or have someone to
nominate, contact our Membership Chair, Kent Cuevas, at kentcuevas@gmai.com.
Justin Mercer
By Kent Cuevas, Membership Chair
What’s your background? I am from Santa
Clarita, CA, which is a small suburb 40 miles north
of Los Angeles. I attended Canyon High School and
then went on to the University of Southern
California (USC) for a B.S. and M.S. in
Environmental Engineering.
What’s your current job? I am an Engineer at
Trevet Civil and Environmental Consultants. We are
a small privately owned Environmental firm that
has just recently begun a Civil Engineering Design
Division. We are a five person team where my role
is coordination, research, drafting, and working
under our Senior Engineer to get as much design
experience as I can.
Our most interesting project so far [is] the site
design for an ammunitions segregation and storage
facility on Camp Pendleton. One of the
ammunitions bunkers houses high explosives
magazines and is going to be sunk into a hillside,
covered with 10 feet of soil, and be sited far away
from other occupied buildings based on the
appropriate blast radius. We are producing design
drawings and calculations for the site layout,
grading, sewer piping and lift stations, storm
drains, water piping, booster pump stations, and
water storage tanks.
Website:
www.sandiego-ymf.org
E-mail:
ymfsandiego@gmail.com
What’s your proudest achievement? I’ve
been trying to donate my hair to Locks of Love
for about 10 years, but every time it gets 7-8
inches long I get sick of the long hair and cut it
all off. I finally succeeded in growing my hair to
the required 10” ponytail, which took me 19
months! I am very proud to have finally
accomplished something that will benefit
someone in need.
What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy
doing in your free time? My two main hobbies
are running and playing music. As far as running
goes, I really enjoy trail running and adventuring
through the wilderness, as well as the occasional
road race. Musically, I play the electric guitar,
classical guitar, and the drums. I’ve played lead
guitar in multiple bands through the years and
now I’m exploring song writing and expanding my
musical creativity in my spare time.
What is your spirit animal? I don’t know much
about spirit animals but a quick online quiz
(which is actually quite fun) suggests that I am a
Crow and it seems spot on! “As a Crow, you are
analytical, adaptable, and exceedingly clever.
You like solving problems, sharing a hearty laugh
with friends, and most of all, enjoying a good
meal. Your inquisitive, philosophical nature leads
you to constantly question authority and the
status quo, sometimes just for the sake of
asking, "Why?"” – The Internet
Read more of Justin’s interview on our
website, www.sandiego-ymf.org.