valley engineer newsletter - lvpspe.org
TRANSCRIPT
Valley Engineer 2011
Valley Engineer Newsletter NOVEMBER, 2011
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Monday, December 5, 2011 – Annual Holiday
Meeting at Hotel Bethlehem
January, 2012 – Niagara Bottling Plant tour
February 4, 2012 – Mathcounts Competition
February 24, 2012 Engineers Week Banquet
March 19-21, 2012 – PSPE 18 PDH Sessions at
DeSales University
April, 2012 – Possible ASCE Joint Program
May, 2012 – Annual Meeting and installation of
officers
LVPSPE President’s Message
Exciting news: we are unveiling a new improved Lehigh Valley PSPE Chapter website. Check it out at www.LVPSPE.org. We are still developing some of the pages – and adding functionality – and we would appreciate your comments and suggestions. This new website will allow the chapter to efficiently manage our communications and events, and will also provide you (our members) with more control over which email messages you receive from the Chapter.
You can login to the website on the HOME page. The email addresses for all current members have been added to the website database, but without a password. The first time you login you should click on the “Forgot Password” link and an email will be sent to your email address for you to choose (or reset) your password. Thereafter, you can just login using the HOME page.
Once you are logged in, you can update your profile, including your email preferences. We will be using the website to announce monthly meetings and events, as well as sending out the Valley Engineer newsletter.
What pages would you like to see? We are currently planning to add a MATHCOUNTS page and a LINKS page. What links would be most helpful for you? If you have any suggestions, or are interested in helping with website development, please contact me at [email protected].
Are you ready to celebrate the season? You are invited to join your fellow members at our annual holiday meeting on Monday, December 5th in Bethlehem. We will begin our evening with a private tour of the Moravian Church, followed by a reception (with hors d’ oeuvres and a cash bar) and dinner at the Hotel
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Bethlehem. All of the details are on the website. You can register on-line at www.LVPSPE.org.
We are always looking for members to get involved with Chapter activities. Whether you can offer a one-time or ongoing commitment, volunteers like you help make the Chapter’s operations run smoothly. Several opportunities are available including: helping with Mathcounts, reviewing scholarship applications, managing the website, and serving as a Chapter officer. Please contact Al Gruenke ([email protected]) if you are interested in giving back to your professional organization!
Regards,
Peter Staffeld, PhD, PE
Annual Holiday Tour and Dinner Hotel
Bethlehem
Date: 05 Dec 2011 6:00 PM UTC-05:00
The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) cordially invites you and your guest to our annual Holiday Tour & Dinner on Monday, December 5, 2011. This year will feature a tour of the historic Central Moravian Church, followed by a reception and dinner at the Hotel Bethlehem. Tour: 6:00 – 6:45 pm at the Central Moravian Church (across from the Hotel) The Central Moravian Church is a landmark dating back over 200 years. Weaving through the venerable history of the Central Moravian Church are the themes of change, adaptability and progress. From 1742 when a handful of Moravian pioneers settled Bethlehem, Central Church and the early community emerged simultaneously and forged a unique bond that has become the cornerstone of contemporary Moravian life. Also, Central was the site of the first American performances of Haydn's Creation and Bach's B Minor Mass, as well as the birthplace for the famous Bethlehem Bach Choir.
Reception: 6:45 – 7:15 pm Hotel Bethlehem (Lehigh Room) Enjoy Hors D’ Oeuvres and a cash bar as you mingle and spread holiday cheer! Dinner: 7:15 – 9:00 pm Hotel Bethlehem (Lehigh Room) Enjoy a sumptuous buffet prepared by the Hotel Bethlehem’s award-winning chefs. Dinner includes soup, twelve-item salad station, your choice of three entrees and two accompaniments. The meal will conclude with a deluxe dessert display with coffee and tea. Cost: $30 per person (includes tour, reception, and dinner)
Please register on-line at www.LVPSPE.org by Friday, December 2nd.
More information and online registration:
www.LVPSPE.org, Annual Holiday Tour and Dinner
Best regards,
Lehigh Valley PSPE
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§ Most of us miss out on life's big prizes. The Pulitzer.
The Nobel. Oscars. Tonys. Emmys. But we're all eligible
for life's small pleasures. A pat on the back. A kiss
behind the ear. A four-pound bass. A full moon. An
empty parking space. A crackling fire. A great meal. A
glorious sunset. Hot soup. Cold beer.
-- Anonymous
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§ Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. -Muhammad Ali
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PLANT TOUR, LEHIGH COUNTY AUTHORITY
WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Members of the Lehigh Valley Chapter, Pennsylvania
Society of Professional Engineers visited the Lehigh
County Authority Wastewater Pre-treatment plant, on
15 November. Plant Manager William Haberstroh
guided us on a tour of the facilities treatment process,
located off Rt. 100 near Fogelsville, on a dark and drizzly
evening.
The $50 million dollar plant was built in 1990, and
currently averages three million gallons per day of
effluent, with a peak capacity of 11.05 mgd. Eighty
percent of its “customers” are from the various food
producing industries in the area and deliver their
wastewater through the underground wastewater
pipelines; additional wastewater enters the site is from
more distant sources that arrives via tanker trucks. Sixty
to eighty truckloads per day is normal activity.
The plant has a single purpose. It receives industrial
food wastewater contaminated with various biological
agents and solids; the treatment plant removes the BOD
(Biological Oxygen Demand) and TSS (Total Suspended
Solids), and sends the cleaned water (effluent) to the
Allentown sewage treatment plant on Kline Island via
pipelines for further treatment before it is discharged
into the Lehigh River. The plant is financially self
sustaining. The waste hauler program along with the
upstream food industries defray operating and
maintenance costs.
The estimated percentages of wastewater that flows
into the treatment plant:
Brewery - 60%
Kraft Foods - 10%
Coca-Cola - 5%
Waste Haulers - 5%
20% Municipal waste from Upper Macungie Twp
Members learned a new set of acronyms including;
(BOD), Biological Oxygen Demand, (TSS), Total
Suspended Solids, (DAF), Dissolved Air Flotation, and
(PHC), Petroleum Hydrocarbon. Additional terminology
used including anaerobic digestion, mesophilic
digestion, and A/O process, all explained by Mr.
Haberstroh,
There are no chemicals used in the treatment process;
instead microbiology “bugs” perform the real work. The
health of wastewater microbiology is maintained by the
on-site cryogenic oxygen plant that delivers 100% pure
oxygen to the aeration process. Anaerobic digesters
break down the solids and produces methane gas. Some
of this gas is used as fuel within the facility to heat
water, the excess is flared off. The site has plans to use
the excess methane gas to produce electricity.
A bi-product of anaerobic digester operations is treated
sludge which is used as fertilizer by farmers in the area.
Bill explained that the waste water process is self
sustaining, but on occasion a waste stream can harm
the biology of the treatment process. To re-establish
the treatment plants the site can call other sewage
plants in the area to send some MLSS (Mix Liquor
Suspended Solids) to restore the treatment process
again.
CH2MHILL has operated and maintained the Lehigh
Treatment Plant operations and maintenance since
1995. There are only twelve people employed which is
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amazing considering the quantity of equipment and the
duties in monitoring the treatment process. Bill, said
that this is possible because all the employees are cross-
trained and involved with operations and maintenance.
Many of the process parameters are monitored, but
bearings still have to be lubricated, and process
equipment does have a life cycle.
Most of us are familiar with chemical or mechanical
processes. This facility is different. It is an engineered
biological process, yet functions with the precision of a
petrochemical plant. There are no odors one would
associate with a sewage treatment facility. In fact, there
is a brand new hotel next door, which indicates the faith
those owner have displayed in the ability of CH2MHILL
to operate the plant in an efficient manner.
The members who attended this tour were treated to
modern wastewater treatment technology, which
serves the local industries in an environmentally
friendly manner.
Time well spent.
http://www.lehighcountyauthority.org/index.cfm?pag=
117
Alfred Gruenke P.E.
NEW MEMBERS
Lehigh Valley Chapter of PSPE welcomes new members to the
Chapter.
Please attend your first dinner meeting at no charge. (Does
not include any PDH cost).
§ Some say,
“Time flies when you’re having fun”
But should it be,
“Time is fun when you’re having flies”
-Kermit the Frog
§ There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at,
and missed.
-Winston Churchill
THANKSGIVING AWAY FROM
HOME
The modern American Thanksgiving celebration has
three features: Family, Food, and Football. Other
cultures have holidays similar to Thanksgiving, such as
harvest celebrations but the essence of this holiday, the
eating of a New World bird, the turkey, is uniquely
American.
Thanksgiving is always as major event among Americans
overseas. We are separated from our families, so it is
celebrated with our families away from home, our
fellow ex-patriots.
Planning may require months. Considerable creativity
and bending of the rules is required, since the
ingredients for the Thanksgiving meal are not always
readily available. The turkey, however, is essential.
It is fortunate for the proper celebration of Thanksgiving
that the turkey is fairly common in many parts of the
world, through some searching may be necessary. In
Egypt, a turkey could be purchased by going to the
market and ordering “dechrumie”. The price was by
weight, on the wing. Butchering was extra. Fortunately,
our guest house cook knew how to prepare it tastefully.
Trimmings such as pumpkin pie are impossible in Egypt.
To obtain pie filling, plus a few other items, everyone
going home of R&R was “required” to bring something
back. In this way, plus local purchases, the meal was a
success.
One of my Thanksgiving dinners was at the American
Embassy in Islamabad. Many American Embassies have
Thanksgiving dinner for US citizens and guests, or they
at least will advise as to where Thanksgiving is served in
the area. In Korea, we were told to try the nearest US
Army base. We opted for our own dinner.
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The customer in Korea managed to purchase for us a
rather small specimen from a farm close to an American
military base. Our guest house cook butchered it, all
the while expressing his opinion of such bird with
various expletives deleted, in various languages. The
meal was fine, however.
Because the turkey was rather small, we supplemented
it with a nice beef roast purchased in a nearby town. An
associate and I had an interesting time buying the
required spices. Since our combined Korean vocabulary
was less than ten words, we resorted to wandering
from shop to shop, opening spice containers, pinching,
sniffing, and tasting, until we found what we needed.
We were not charged for the spices, because I suspect
that the shopkeepers were not sure we were in full
possession of all of our faculties!
Once in Egypt, and twice in Ecuador, we had
Thanksgiving dinner at a hotel restaurant. Most major
hotels worldwide are aware of the significance of
Thanksgiving, and are able to serve a decent turkey
dinner. It may not be on the menu, but ask the
manager at least a week ahead of time. The trimmings
may not be the same as a “home cooked” meal, but
something is better than nothing. A major difference
with these dinners is the inability to “pig out”. The
portions are considerably less than at home, and there
are no leftovers.
Depending on the time, and if one is lucky, it may be
possible to participate in the third F of Thanksgiving,
watching football on television. With the establishment
of global television this is becoming easier every year.
A colleague managed to get himself invited to the
Marine House at the Embassy in Ankara, Turkey for
dinner, plus the Lions-Eagles football game afterwards.
It never hurts to ask.
One year, when staying at the Hotel Oberoi in
Katmandu, Nepal, I completely forgot about
Thanksgiving. My “Thanksgiving Dinner” consisted of
wild boar, rice, and asparagus. A couple of American
tourists, who had gone to the Embassy for their dinner,
reminded me of my transgression the next day. So
much for being travel-wise.
Thanksgiving away from home can be depressing. But
with ones associates, and some creativity, it can
become tolerable, and sometimes even enjoyable.
Alfred Gruenke P.E.
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§ There is a man in the world who never gets turned
down,
wherever he chances to stray.
He gets the glad hand in the populous town,
or out where the farmers make hay.
He is greeted with pleasure on deserts of sand,
and deep in the aisles of the woods.
Wherever he goes there is a welcoming hand,
he’s the man who delivers the goods.
-Walt Whitman
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FINAL WORDS FROM THE VISIONARY,
Dr. AUGUST POLINSKE This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it.
There is no substitute for genuine lack of preparation.
The other line always moves faster until you get in it.
Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for.
Friends may come and go but enemies accumulate.
It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything.
I have seen the truth and it makes no sense.
To live forever, acquire a chronic disease and take care of it.
If you think that there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.
If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
Valley Engineer 2011
ADVERTISEMENTS Please Contact the Valley Engineer Editor to Advertise for the
remainder of the calendar year 2011.
THE GIFT THAT LASTS A LIFETIME – SCHOLARSHIP
A great way to be involved in the LV Chapter is to contribute to the
SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND. The Scholarship
Committee is continually seeking contributions to the Scholarship
Endowment Fund. If you would like to contribute in any amount –
please see the form on the PSPE website at Lehigh Valley Chapter
link – http://www.pspe.org/scholarships
Your tax-deductable contribution can be mailed to our Local
Scholarship chair:
Roger A. Miller, P.E.
Borton Lawson Engineering/Arch
3893 Adler Place, Suite 100
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Checks should be made out to: “LV Chapter – PSPE”
Please note “Scholarship Endowment Fund” on the comment line.
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The Pennsylvania Engineering Foundation currently
administers the following scholarships for engineering
students:
Undergraduate
$2,000 PEF Grant
$1,000 Harrisburg Chapter PSPE Grant
$1,000 Professional Engineers in Private Practice Grant
Upperclassman
$2,000 Pennsylvania Engineering Foundation Grant
Applications and guidelines are on-line now at
http://www.pspe.org/scholarships
Any questions regarding the Scholarship Endowment Fund
and Opportunities can be directed to
Roger A. Miller, P. E.
(484) 821-0470 x 142
Internet Addresses
National Society of Professional Engineers
http://www.nspe.org
Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers
http://www.pspe.org
Lehigh Valley Chapter – PSPE
http://www.LVPSPE.org
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2010/2011 State Officers State Director Mike Basta, P.E., CSP, MS
(o) 610-909-9002
Alt. State Director Johann Szautner, P.E., P.L.S.
(o) 215-536-7075
VP Northeast: Eric Tappert, P.E.
(o) 610-282-4606
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Board of Direction Meetings The monthly Board of Direction meetings are 6:00 PM on the second (2nd) Monday of each month.
Open to all members they are held at DeSales University, Room 230 Hurd Science Center.
2010/2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAPTER DIRECTORS
Nicole Gasda, P.E. 2012 (o) 215-536-7075 [email protected]
Al Dezubay, P.E. 2012 (o) 609-577-0714
Don Kohn, P.E. 2013 (o) 610-967-4766 [email protected]
Cheryl Rishcoff, P.E. 2013 (o) 888-524-4972
CHAPTER OFFICERS
President: Peter Staffeld, PhD, P.E. [email protected] (o) 484-264-7885
President Elect: Kevin Campbell, P.E.
[email protected] (o) 610-398-0904
Vice President: Alfred Gruenke, P.E.
[email protected] (o) 610-398-0904 Secretary: Chris Williams, EIT
[email protected] (o) 610-398-0904 Treasurer: Ray Szczucki, P.E. (o) 610-614-1245
[email protected] Immediate Past President: Alan Fornwalt, P.E.