K-12 Outreach
Related News Archive: 2017
La Brea Jr. High School Visit
By Victor Aguirre ASCE K-12 outreach members visited three high school classes in November and December to introduce students to civil engineering through a presentation and marshmallow tower activity. See Victor's experience at La Brea Jr. High School. More »
How much do we know about what’s going on around us?
By Jeff Braun, P.E. I catch myself focusing on the task-at-hand so intently that I often blow right past the finer points of the experiences I’m lucky enough to be enjoying. Whether I’m at work, or out having a good time, I often fail to slow down and learn more about the team I’m working with and the amazing experiences, skills, and talents they offer. ... Even in my role as Branch President I am amazed at what our fellow members are doing in their roles as engineers within their firms or agencies, as dedicated volunteers for ASCE committees or institutes, or through their support of charitable organizations. More »
Balance is the Key to Long-Term Happiness and Success
By Jeff Braun, P.E. Balance is the key to long-term happiness and success. The balance that immediately comes to most adults minds is the work-life balance. While this is important, it is not the balance I’m addressing in this message. We all recognize the drive and hunger in our most successful role models and peers. They appear to never be satisfied with their current state, always looking for opportunities to learn more skills, become more efficient, and design and construct amazing projects to improve our built environment. We may hold these successful and motivated engineers in high regard for advancing our profession, but we must also take time to recognize our own achievements. More »
ASCE Welcomes new Branch President Jeff Braun
By Jeff Braun, P.E. "I am extremely proud and honored to assume the role as President of the Orange County Branch. We have another awesome group of folks serving on the board this year and we are all focused on continuing the outstanding legacy the OC Branch has developed over the past several years because of the commitment of our members and committee leadership." "If you have not had the opportunity to visit other branches or sections, or attend a regional or society-wide event, you may not have an appreciation of the amazing things our members are doing, and the dedicated leadership we have within our Younger Members’ Forum, committees, and institutes. The most exciting role I have as Branch President is to support their pursuits to provide the best experiences for our fellow members." More »
A Short 11 Years From Now
By Josue Vaglienty, P.E. With the recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granting Paris and Los Angeles the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics, respectively, the countdown has begun. Much of the preparation comes in the form of infrastructure that must be constructed or reconstructed. And prior to that (or at least concurrently) – it must be designed by the A/E industry. A good amount of that work will land on the laps of civil engineers. More »
3 Georges With a Lot In Common
By Josue Vaglienty, P.E. The 4th of July is always a great time to celebrate summer and our nation’s Independence Day, alongside our family and friends. This year, while you’re busy eating BBQ, enjoying a day at the beach, or watching fireworks – take a moment and consider this - If it wasn’t for the seven Founding Fathers, the 4th of July would be no more special than the 5th of July! More importantly, one of those Founding Fathers was a critical figure whose courage, influence, and leadership led the way in transforming 13 American colonies into the United States of America. That individual’s name was George Washington – a surveyor and civil engineer (as well as an incredible war hero and our country’s first president)! As it turns out, there are at least two other significant American civil engineers by the same name that you may or may not have known about: More »
The Shake Table Challenge
By Steven Taylor and Jenny Mital ASCE's K-12 Outreach committee has visited two Orange County elementary schools so far this spring to get the students excited about about Civil Engineering via a presentation and lego shake table activity. More »
The Platinum Rule
By Elizabeth Ruedas, EIT THE PLATINUM RULE "Treat others the way they want to be treated." Although an effective way to get small children to behave, "treat others the way you want to be treated" sets us up to be ineffective communicators in the long run. We know that communication, or the lack thereof, is at the center of all good and bad relationships, whether it be at work or in our personal life. Similarly, we all like to receive information differently and perform best when those needs are met. Therefore, tailoring our message to meet the needs of others will not only help us become effective communicators, but strengthen relationships, improve performance, and minimize conflict. More »
The “I” Word
By Josue Vaglienty, P.E. ASCE is joining over 250 other organizations and affiliates of InfrastructureWeek.org this week in huge effort to reach out to legislators and the public at large to promote Infrastructure Week (May 15-19, 2017). The US Chamber of Commerce is also promoting Infrastructure Week (#TimeToBuild) and the importance of building and maintaining the country’s critical infrastructure. The emphasis is on the benefits of improved infrastructure: enhancing trade and a better business environment, safer means of transport, and providing more reliability for all users. There’s no question it is an important topic. The difficult part is finding the right solution to securing dedicated long-term funding for America. More »
Mock Interview Workshop
By Gabreelle Gonzalez, E.I.T. On March 11th the annual OC Mock Interview Workshop was hosted at Fuscoe Engineering. Local University students (UCI, CSUF, & CSULB) were given the opportunity to strengthen their networking and interviewing skills with the help of industry professionals. The workshop was preceded by a series of Resume/Interview panels at each University, allowing students to prepare for their upcoming interviews. More »
K-12 Outreach - Engineering Day at Whittier Museum
By: Arthur Retana On December 3, 2016 a group of professional engineers and myself visited the Whittier Historic Museum to speak to a group of Boy Scouts. The purpose of the speech was to introduce these young men to the field of engineering and inform them what engineering has to offer. More »
America's Infrastructure
“Our nation and economy can no longer afford to wait to restore and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure." - Norma Jean Mattei, ASCE President By Elizabeth Ruedas, EIT America's infrastructure was a major topic of discussion prior to the recent election and has been brought to the forefront once again after the March 9th release of ASCE's 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. Similarly, it was the major issue discussed in Washington, D.C. during the ASCE Legislative Fly-In earlier this month. Let us vow to keep the discussion going, as our nation, economy and future depend on it! More »
"Ask the President'
By Josue Vaglienty, P.E. I recently chimed in with about 25 other Section and Branch leaders on a nationwide “Ask The President” web-conference call with Dr. Norma Jean Mattei, our Society President. For about an hour, we had the opportunity to submit written questions or ask a question verbally. The session was very lively and interactive... More »
Volunteering at the McPherson Magnet School Science Fair
By Nathan Forrest, P.E. On Monday, February 13th, Josue Vaglienty and I had the opportunity to volunteer to help judge students' science projects at the McPherson Magnet School science fair. We learned about this opportunity and need through the ASCE OC K-12 Outreach Committee. This committee works hard to allow civil engineering professionals to have a classroom presence in Orange County as well as helping educators to present engineering concepts in their classrooms. More »
Celebrating Engineering
By Elizabeth Ruedas, EIT It is officially awards season, and not just for the entertainment industry, but for the engineering industry too! Engineers have a lot to celebrate and we have done just that the entire month! Locally, for example, we did so at our ASCE OC Branch Awards Dinner. Worldwide, we celebrated Engineers Week and released the Dream Big Film as well. February has been an action-packed month that has been filled with events that not only celebrate engineering projects and individuals, but also share how engineers help make a difference with the rest of the world. More »
The E-Generation
By Josue Vaglienty, P.E. The “Dream Big” feature film is finally out at IMAX theatres across the country! But the event was not intended to be a single showcase event. Nor was it just for Engineer’s Week. The intent of the film is to engage a whole generation of young students by capturing their imagination and to inspiring them to become engineers…hopefully civil engineers! ... I, for one, am a believer. The future of our country’s infrastructure (both existing and future) will land firmly in their hands. Our job as engineers of today is to serve as a catalyst to help them along the way – on their way to becoming the E-Generation! More »
Local Leaders Conference Held in Puerto Rico
By: Aileen Santos-Redman, P.E. The ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Local Leaders Conference took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 14 & 15. The event consisted of the working seminar on the morning of the first day, during which the Board of Directors shared SEI updates and the various committee heads informed us on the latest efforts of their respective groups, before we separated to attend two of four breakout sessions to have an in-depth discussion and share ideas on K-12 Outreach, New Membership, Use of Technology, and Holding an Event. More »
SteppingUp Career Day
By: Jenny Mital ASCE members volunteered at SteppingUp's Career Day for middle school students. More »
Celebrating Generational Differences
"Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known." - Ronald Reagan Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial, and Generation Z ASCE OC Members make it a priority to come together to celebrate the valuable skills, traits, and knowledge that we each bring to the profession. In just the past couple of months, for example, we hosted the ASCE OC 2016 History and Heritage / Student Night, officially kicked off the ASCE OC 2016-2017 Mentorship Program, bonded over wine at the ASCE OC Annual Wine Trip, and started planning ASCE Dream Big outreach events. More »
