almuhandes سدنهملا - aaaeaaaaea.org/al-muhandes/2015/10-october/almuhandes-october...hussam...
TRANSCRIPT
Dear All, I would like to start me message with a
“Thank You” note to the national
scholarship committee who completed
their review of almost 30 applications that
they received this year for our scholarship
program and selected four talented
students to present each one of them
with a scholarship award.
Thank you also to Chicago board
members for hosting me at their annual
event on October 14. The event was great
and I truly enjoyed it. It was great to see
over 300 of our colleagues and friends in
Chicago celebrate another successful
event. I was most impressed with the
number of scholarship awards that were
presented, 21 of them. This is a great way
to help the community and the young
students, our future leaders.
Our national conference is just couple of
days away. We are getting ready to
welcome over 50 of our colleagues
coming from all over the states to our
annual national conference. I would like
to thank them all for taking the time away
from their families and work, volunteering
to help with moving our organization
forward. Our colleagues in Florida have
been working hard to ensure that
everyone will have a great time. They are
also working on
having their first
annual dinner
banquet on
Saturday,
October 31st and
anticipate over
200 people to be in attendance.
The national executive board completed
their reports which were distributed to all
conference attendees. The national
nomination / election committee led by
Hussam Alkhatib and assisted by Marwan
Karaja and Basel Shehadeh solicited
nominations to the new national
executive board and is preparing for the
election of a new board to lead our
organization in 2016. Thank you all for
your commitment and dedication to our
organization.
Please continue reading this newsletter as
it includes a lot of information regarding
social and educational networking events
hosted in your area.
Together we can go much further.
Rabih Najib
From the President’s Desk...
AlMuhandes O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
PUBLICATION
COMMITTEE:
Moe Fridy
(Chair)
Bilal Almasri
Maha Alsadi
Rami Asfahani
Amjad Obeid
A L M UH A NDE S
E - M A IL
$ $ $
Monthly Publication of the National Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects
المهندس
CONTACT
AAAEA:
www.naaaea.org
AAAEA-Texas News
P A G E 2 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
THIS ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
Technical News
Jordan Solar EV Project
PAGE 23
AAAEA Central Florida
Annual Banquet
PAGE 3
AAAEA Capital Area Annual Gala
PAGE 5
AAAEA-Central Florida News
P A G E 3 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
First Annual Dinner Banquet
When Saturday October 31st, 2015
Where : Caribe Royal—Orlando
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA-Tristate News
P A G E 4 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
Ninth Annual Scholarship Gala
When Sunday November 15 , 2015
Where : Hilton Garden Inn—Staten Island
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA-Capital Area News
P A G E 5 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
Sixth Annual Gala
When Saturday October 24 , 2015
Where : Capital Beltway Marriott, Greenbelt
AAAEA-Capital Area News
P A G E 6 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
Sixth Annual Gala
AAAEA-Texas DFW News
P A G E 7 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
KEYNOTE S PEAKER: DR. COSTA MAZIDJ I , PE .
Dr. Mazidji holds a PhD and a Master in Environmental Engineering from the
University of Florida and a Master in Water Resources/Civil Engineering from
the American University of Beirut. He is a licensed PE in Civil Engineering in
the state of Texas and South Carolina and has also had more than 25 Years of
Experience in the fields of civil and environmental engineering and
consulting. During this period, he has provided program management, project
management, as well as technical design and permitting expertise on a variety
of site civil and environmental projects. The scope of his work ranges from
large site civil projects to high impact environmental projects.
Dr. Mazidji has provided consulting expertise to a variety of clients that
included municipalities, the US Army Corp of Engineers, the Department of
Energy, the US Army, and major Fortune 500 companies throughout the U.S, South America, and Europe. Dr.
Mazidji has also been involved in the academic sphere by teaching at a number of higher learning institutions and
by publishing more than 30 refereed and technical publications.
In addition to managing his company, Mazidji Group, Dr. Mazidji is also a founding member and partner of ETT
Environmental, a South Carolina Corporation. He is on the board of directors as well as a member of a variety of
organizations in the Dallas area including the French Alliance, the American Council on Germany, and Dallas
Accueil.
A L M U H A N D E S
TECHNICAL SEMINAR :
THE WIDENING OF PGBT TOLLWAY
When Saturday October 24 , 2015
Where : The office of A & M Engineering
AAAEA-Ohio News
P A G E 8 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
AAAEA - Columbus
invites you to
First Networking/Social Event
Saturday October 31,2015 at 1 PM
Lavash Cafe 2985 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43202
Please RSVP by Thursday, October 29 to
[email protected] or [email protected]
A L M U H A N D E S
NETWORKING/ SOCIAL EVENT :
When Saturday October 31 , 2015
Where : Lavash Cafe
AAAEA-Illinois News
P A G E 9 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
Project Pipeline
This summer, the Illinois Chapter of the National Organi-zation of Minority Architects (I-NOMA) hosted their 4th annual Project Pipeline day-camp, a camp aimed to ex-pose Chicago 6th-8th grade students to the architectural, engineering, and design professions. The program was held August 20th to August 23rd at the new Logan Center on the University of Chicago campus. Students partici-pated in architecture and design activities including model building and sketching workshops. This year’s theme was “Social Good through Design,” and to that end, students worked on activities relating to communi-ty spaces and urban planning. Students also had the op-portunity to tour the campus with University of Chicago campus architects and sketch famed buildings such as the Robie house.
With 70+ registered middle school students and 30+ vol-unteer mentors, the camp was a HUGE success! Be sure to check out a quick recap of this year’s project which was featured on WGN Channel 9 News! Both Arab Ameri-can Family Services and AAAEA worked to make this camp accessible to students from local schools including Aqsa and Universal. As a result, students from these schools were able to participate in the camp and learn de-sign basics in a diverse environment. A special thank you to the Khaled and Noha E. Taha Foundation for their generous financial sponsorship of this project. We look forward to similar activities to continue to promote engi-neering and design professions among the youth.
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA –Business Directory
The National Arab American Association of Engineers & Architects is working on publishing its First Business Directory.
If you would like to be included in our first Business Directory, email us the following by September 30, 2015:
· Business Name
· Business Address (Street, City, State, Zip Code)
· Business Website
· Business Telephone
· Description of Your Business
· Business Category
· Your contact information
· Business Logo in High resolution Image Format
The directory will be published by the end of the year.
Cost: FREE to AAAEA members. $50 for non-members.
Email National Career Committee : [email protected]
AlMuhandes Upcoming Deadlines
ARTICLES DEADLINE DATE PUBLICATION DATE
Thursday, November 19, 2015 Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Thursday, December 24, 2015 Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Thursday, January 21, 2016 Tuesday, January 26, 2016
P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA Online EIT/FE Review Course
Are you planning to take the EIT Exam?
AAAEA-Chicago offers online EIT/FE Preparation Videos.
The videos were previously recorded at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus. The lectures
taught by highly knowledgeable professionals and experts in their fields. These classes are designed
to help you prepare for the EIT/FE Exam and concentrate on in depth reviews and problem solving of
each of the topics listed below.
The videos are streamed online and can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
Study, learn, and review at your own pace around your own schedule.
The EIT (or FE) Exam is offered six times a year . Registration for the EIT exam is done through NCEES.
Please referrer to ncees.org for exam dates and registration methods.
Price:
Members: $100
Non-Members: $200
For More Information Email: [email protected]
Video Topics: Instructor
Mechanics of Materials I Dr. Khudeira, PE, SE
Mechanics of Materials II Dr. Khudeira, PE, SE
Mathematics I Dr. Shuaibi
Mathematics II Dr. Shuaibi
Thermodynamics Mr. Ashraf Al Hayek
Probability & Statistics Dr. Shuaibi
Chemistry Dr. Aheda Saber
Statics Mr. Grainawi, PE, SE
Engineering Economics Mr. Bou-Saab, PE
Computer Science & Mr. Baha Al-Abed
Electrical Engineering Dr. Elqaq, PE
Dynamics- I Dr. Mahamid, PE
Dynamics- II Dr. Mahamid, PE
Fluid Mech. Dr. Mahmoud Issa, PE
P A G E 1 2 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
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AlMuhandes is published on the last Tuesday of every month. Deadlines are on Thursdays
prior to the last Tuesday.
AlMuhandes is posted monthly at the National AAAEA website and emailed to over 2000
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National AAAEA - Identity Brochure 2015
P A G E 1 3
Interview of the Month– Marwan Mufleh
1- Please introduce yourself: education, background and family. As a professional engineer I work for a private consulting civil engineering firm, Kimley-Horn and Associates in Florida. I am a first generation Palestinian immigrant, married and blessed with four wonderful children, three of whom have graduated from college and the youngest has one more year to go. I have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from university of Texas and started in private practice in Florida and stayed with it, currently serving as a senior vice president. 2- As the first president of AAAEA South Florida, what is the latest
their and what are the plans for the future. The chapter has always been challenged with membership numbers and providing continuing education activities, as Florida had strict regulations on giving credit for professional development hours (PDH), which are required to maintain professional engineering licensure. The State criteria have recently been relaxed on providers of PDH while the required hours have been increased. This provides an opportunity for our organization to offer its own lectures and provide attendees with PDH credits. This will require some collaboration with National and other organizations. 3- It is continued struggle to keep members involved and connected, what ideas you can propose to deal with this continued challenge. The culture we bring with us focuses on individual success and not on team work, volunteerism or networking that may not bare fruits in the immediate future but will contribute positively down the road either to the member’s benefit or to others in the community. We need to educate people on the concept of networking and the patience needed before results are seen. For those who can’t imagine the long term and want to see short term benefits, there has to be a place where they can see a network of members with certain skills that they can reach to for advice or other reasons. We need to reach out to younger members, especially the American born, so they can become active and take it to the next level. 4- As a delegate for the 2015 national conference in Orlando, what would you like to see different in the conference or in future conferences.
A more focused networking event. A better understanding of what disciplines and services our members are
A L M U H A N D E S
Mar
wan
Mu
fle
h
P A G E 1 4
Interview of the Month– Continued involved in that would relate to other members.
continuing education sessions (PDH credits) Career guidance resources for different professions and for public vs. private
careers Career advancement and management sessions
5- Do you read ALMUHANDES, what do you think of it. Can you contribute to it in the future?
Thanks to the volunteers that put it together. It is an important piece of keeping the membership connected. I do skim through it as provides an idea of other chapter activities but it does seem repetitive. Perhaps profiling individual member’s skills would be an interesting addition. And providing updates about member companies’ activities, new projects, wins, accomplishments, awards, etc. can be interesting to readers.
A L M U H A N D E S
Mar
wan
Mu
fle
h
AAAEA COMMUNITY IMPACT
Scholarship Program
P A G E 1 5 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
AAAEA Has contributed more than
$226,000
in Scholarships Nationwide to Arab American
Students between 2000-2015
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 6 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
SUPPORT AAAEA
Support AAAEA by shopping on Amazon
If you already shop on Amazon, we invite you to use smile.amazon.com and choose "Arab Americans Associ-ation for Engineers & Architects" as your charity of choice. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to AAAEA once selected as the charity of choice. Below are the steps to do that:
1- Visit smile.amazon.com
The entire shopping experience is the same and most products available on amazon.com are available at Ama-
zonSmile
2- Sign in and choose your charity
The screen will look slightly different depending on whether your not you’re already signed into Amazon. If you’re already signed in, Simply search for "Arab Americans Association for Engineers & Architects", and then proceed to step 3
You can also click on the following link to search for charitable organizations:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/change.html/ref=smi_se_abtpo_change_cycsc
f you’re not signed, enter your regular Amazon email address and password. Then do the above step, and then
proceed to step 3.
3- Select "Arab American Association For Engineers & Architects" in Chicago, IL
4- Start shopping, and share with your friends and relatives!
Once you've selected your charity everything else functions the same. Shop for your favorite products. Most
products are eligible on Amazon Smile–if not, you’ll be notified. You can checkout normally as well. No extra cost
is passed onto you–Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to AAAEA!
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 7 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
METLIFE National Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects
Association Discount Program
MetLife’s Disability Insurance Association Discount Program offers you an opportunity to receive
high-quality coverage at discounted rates.
The program offers:
• 10% premium discount with gender-distinct rates1 and full underwriting.
• Noncancelable and Guaranteed Renewable coverage available. This means MetLife cannot cancel your coverage or in-
crease your premium before age 65 or 67, or five policy years if later, as long as your premiums are paid on time.2
• Opportunity to customize coverage with optional riders,3 such as:
> Your Occupation Rider – If a total disability prevents you from performing the material and substantial duties of your reg-
ular occupation, you could receive your full benefit even if you are able to work in another occupation.
> Residual Disability Rider – You can receive a partial disability benefit, under certain conditions, if a partial disability causes
you to lose a portion of your earnings (as specified in the rider).
> Catastrophic Disability Rider – Provides an additional monthly benefit if your condition meets the criteria of a cata-
strophic disability as set forth in the rider.4
> Guaranteed Insurability Benefit – Allows you to increase your coverage as your income increases over time, without any
medical underwriting at the time of increase. Financial underwriting is required to determine eligibility for an increase in
coverage.
> Life Event Rider – Allows you to apply for a one-time increase in coverage following a qualifying life event such as a pro-
motion from your employer; increase in the number of family members; or graduation from an accredited post-secondary
educational institution.5
> Cost of Living Adjustment Rider – Helps your benefits keep pace with inflation when a disability lasts more than one year.
For more information, contact :
Hussam Zayyad CFP® , MBA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner Financial Services Representative
Metlife 2650 Warrenville Road, Suite 100 Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone (630) 441-1268 Fax (630)725-1240
Website: www.HussamZayyad.com
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 8 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
METLIFE Guaranteed Level Term
Designed to Deliver Financial Protection When It’s Needed Most
A L M U H A N D E S
P A G E 1 9 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
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Continuing Education Programs – Gain confidence in your abilities by keeping yourself knowledgeable and relevant as a professional while also getting members-only free or reduced cost PDH certificates.
Scholarship Program – Our scholarship program is growing and we have so far awarded over $140,000 of scholarship money to students all over the United States.
P A G E 2 0 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
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AlMuhandes is downloadable and FREE through direct email to all AAAEA members & friends, and available on the NAAAEA Web site; any content in the AlMuhandes newsletters is used for informative or educational purposes only.
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AlMuhandes Notes
P A G E 2 1 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA, sustainability , inclusiveness , and credibility Over the last 19 years, different chapters of AAAEA were formed starting with Chicago in 1996, followed by Texas, Michigan, and Wisconsin in 2003-2004.The balance of the chapters were established after that. It has been noticed that chapters with standing programs earn their credibility and as a result attracted more members and become stronger. Members like to know that certain events will take place at certain time of the year and they will expect it. Also members do not like events with short notices with poor planning. These kinds of events reflect on the credibility of the chapter poorly. So for chapters who are struggling with membership retention and expansion, please consider planning your activities in advance and make them standing events where member would expect them and plan on attending them which will result in strengthen the association. Programs established by the association and recurring events are essential for the association to gain its credibility. Inclusiveness is an approach where you involve your members and not only the board. We need to make sure that no one is ignored, disrespected, or marginalized in conducting our business. It should be the opposite; the good leadership reaches out, appreciates, and values the contribution of all. This will create a positive environment and attracts others to be involved which will result in strengthen the association. The more members we include in our business, the better ideas we will get, the load will be distributed, and will create a knowledgeable team of volunteers will contribute to your sustainability. The inclusive approach to our work is part of our culture. The openness and reach out to everyone who may be able to contribute gives the members the feeling of ownership in this association. We must stay away from the exclusive approach. It will limit the opportunities and the potential of the association to sustain itself. We are not an exclusive organization, we are an inclusive association. For any association to continue its existence, it must be sustainable. The pioneers in any organization will not live forever. Their energy will not be the same forever, and their circumstances cannot stay the same. These pioneers must attract potential leaders, train them via working in committees and support them leading the association prior to their semi retirement from the organization. It must be noted that my experience has not been an easy one due to the fact its volunteer work. Some of the trained young leaders have limited their commitment due to career or family reasons and we should expect that. As a result, the sustainability duration will have to be extended to build a reserve of potential young leaders to have enough depth and reserve to sustain the association. Furthermore, I am very concerned about some chapters who were unable to attract fresh blood to join the leadership in the last 10 years. These chapters must take a serious look and examine their ability to survive. One last note, even the relatively successful chapters related to sustainability should capitalize more on the student chapters, activate them, keep them involved, and reach to all scholarship recipients to be involved.
AAAEA ! WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME ?
P A G E 2 2 V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
A L M U H A N D E S
AAAEA is going to North Carolina, and
Arizona You can help by providing
contact information of engineers
who may be relatives,
colleagues, or friends.
Forward to Mr. Bilal Almasri
National Outreach Committee
Chairman
P A G E 2 3
A L M U H A N D E S
TECHNICAL NEWS
Jordan Solar EV Project—Project Overview
By: Said Al-Hallaj
CEO– AllCell
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
P A G E 2 4
A L M U H A N D E S
Jordan Solar EV Project—Continued
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
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A L M U H A N D E S
Jordan Solar EV Project—Continued
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
P A G E 2 6
A L M U H A N D E S
Jordan Solar EV Project—Continued
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
P A G E 2 7
A L M U H A N D E S
Jordan Solar EV Project—Continued
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
P A G E 2 8
A L M U H A N D E S
Jordan Solar EV Project—Continued
V O L U M E I X I S S U E X
AAAEA Mission Statement
AAAEA is a professional Arab American association dedicated to help, strengthen, empower and inspire its
members for excellence. AAAEA promotes and advocates the Arab American Engineers, Architects and Computer
Science professionals in North America, by providing career and educational enhancement programs, technical
exchange, fellowship, and community service. AAAEA is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious Professional
Association. Membership is open to corporations, academic, professional institutions, and qualified individuals.
Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France
Added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1985, the Pont-du-Gard (translated, "bridge of the Gard") has stood over the Gard River near Remoulins in southern France since its construction was finished early in the first century, sometime between 19 B.C. and 40 to 60 A.D.
The three-tiered bridge's primary purpose was to carry water from the spring at Uzès to the homes and outdoor fountains of the Roman colony of Nemausus, today known as the French city of Nimes. Most of the 31-mile-long aqueduct actually was built underground, thanks to the hilly terrain between the two cities – the Pont du Gard is one of its few above-ground structures.
Picture of the Month