March/April 2002

2002 Award Nomination Forms Now Available!

Nomination forms for the Washington, Ellet, Landmark, and Chanute Awards are now available for download in Acrobat PDF format. If you don't have Acrobat Reader (free for download at the Adobe website) please download it by clicking on the Acrobat logo above. It's a great utility to have, not only for this but for many other uses.

Know someone worthy of the high honor of the Washington Award, Ellet Award, or the Landmark Award? Want to enter a paper for consideration for the Chanute Award? Click below to get your copy of the nomination forms now.

• 2002 Washington Award nomination form
• 2002 Ellet Award nomination form
• 2002 Landmark Award nomination form
• 2002 Octave Chanute Award nomination form

Midwest Engineer wins highest award

Midwest Engineer has won the Distinguished Award, the highest award in an individual category, from the 29th Annual Chicago Technical Publications, Art, and Online Communication Competition, sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication. The judges indicated that the magazine was �clearly superior in all criteria,� and one judge even commented that the magazine was so interesting that she would buy it if she saw it on the newsstand.

As a recipient of the Distinguished Award, Midwest Engineer is now entered into the International Technical Communication Competition (ITCC).

Chanute and Ellet Awards

The Octave Chanute Award is given annually to the Western Society member whose paper on an engineering topic is judged meritorious. In 1901, during his term as WSE president, Chanute, an aviation pioneer, funded the cost of awarding a commemorative medal to the Society member who presented the best research paper before the Society each year. The following year, as retiring president of the Society, he established an endowment to fund future awards.

Today the Society bestows up to three awards each year to members for meritorious papers in all fields of engineering. A list of rules governing the Octave Chanute Award is available in the WSE office. Papers must be received by May 31, 2002.

The Charles Ellet Award is presented annually to a member of Western Society of Engineers who is 35 years of age or younger and who has made outstanding progress in his or her professional development. The award consists of a certificate, a small cash award, and the engraving of the recipient�s name on a silver loving cup.

WSE members who are eligible for nomination for the Charles Ellet Award this year are:

• Jason Cole
• James K. Flisk
• R. Cliff Galitz
• Claudia Gherlan
• Lisa A. Harbert
• Jason E. Hedien
• John A. Kerrigan
• Douglas R. Larson
• Dan Martin
• Kevin G. Miller
• Aruch Poonsapaya
• Martin A. Rave
• Peter F. Ross
• Michael J. Sheehan
• Donald G. Wittmer
• Kenneth P. Zroka

WSE�s 25th Invitational Golf Outing

Mark your calendars for July 22, 2002, to participate in WSE�s 25th annual Invitational Golf Outing at Itasca Country Club. Fee: $500.00 per foursome. This is a sellout event, so get your reservation in early. For more information, contact the WSE office at 312/913-1730 or [email protected].

January Engineers Forum luncheon: ComEd�s Upgrade of the Central Loop

The January Engineers Forum luncheon featured a panel of three speakers who have been working together to upgrade the power transmission system of the central city.

TOP: this picture shows the tight squeeze between the existing condominium to the left and the new substation building to the right. A 350-ton crane is set up in the alley between the buildings and is erecting precast walls for the substation. CENTER: this is a view of the earth retention system for one of the sites. The extensive system was required because of the loads from the CTA structure and the surrounding buildings. The contractors installing the structural foundations and underground ductbank (for power cables) had to work around the earth retention structure. The bracing was required to remain in place until the subgrade work was complete and most of the excavated area was backfilled. BOTTOM: a 138 - 13.2kV transformer is being picked off the delivery truck and set on its pad with a 400-ton crane. The plan for delivery and picking the transformer included consideration of the loads that would be placed on the existing structures under the street by the crane outriggers and also off-peak city traffic patterns in order to temporarily close off the street.

Karl Rowe, ComEd�s Director of Projects, cited a survey conducted in 1895 by an electrical engineering magazine that identified Chicago as the foremost electrical center in the country. Today, more than 100 years later, ComEd and the city face service demands and capacity requirements that tax the country�s foremost electrical center. Demand, coupled with internal management and maintenance changes in ComEd in the past few years, has led to ComEd�s development of the power optimization plan for the city.

Rowe listed the plan�s goals:

• reliability upgrades to the central business district
• increase in system capacity (using load forecasts and information from the Department of Planning and Development)
• safe completion of upgrades
• uninterrupted service to customers

These goals were to be accomplished by improving ComEd service, working closely with the city, gaining customer trust, and implementing cost savings.

The tangible results are new substations and new transmission lines.

Before these could be built, however, ComEd had to deal with several issues. Zoning questions arose when sites were selected. In addition, the utility had to deal with NIMBY (not in my backyard) issues; when ComEd needed to build a substation in an upscale residential area, the company, according to Rowe, �became very good with flowers and plants.� Architectural aesthetics also had to be considered; the new facility had to fit into the neighborhood with appropriate exterior design and attractive landscaping. Examples include the Kingsbury substation at the I-90-94 Ohio feeder ramp; it was built adjacent to a park, which ComEd renovated afterward. The State Street substation at 14th Street was also built so that the public would not recognize it as a substation from the outside.

The results of this upgrading plan have been very favorable: no major outages in the central business district in 2001, decrease in service interruptions by 35 percent and in interruption duration by 72 percent, and community approval of the undertaking.

Karl Miller of Kenny Construction outlined the construction challenges for this project. Searching for underground utilities was an enormous job that was hampered by the city�s time limits on how long a street could be torn up. Soil conditions, including shoring and retention problems as well as contamination, also presented challenges. The proximity of neighbors had to be considered. For instance, the Kingsbury station is next to a warehouse that stores rare wine that can be damaged by vibrations. Kenny installed a vibration monitoring device, and there was no spoiled wine.

Quality and safety on the job were Kenny�s main objectives. Safe work plans, ongoing training, and regular drug testing were part of the routine. Kenny also instituted numerous daily inspections since safety incentives were tied to the ComEd contract.

Marty Dore of Sargent & Lundy spoke about his firm�s role in meeting the engineering challenges of this project. Sargent & Lundy was responsible for selecting property size and location; meeting the requirements of the city, alderman, and residents; checking the reliability of the design; overseeing the safety of the operation; maintaining the schedule; evaluating risks; and keeping costs down.

Sargent & Lundy saw to it that the design, construction, and testing were a team effort. The contract with ComEd allowed selection of contractors of choice, all of whom were involved from the beginning. This led to cost effectiveness as well as to cooperation and a working atmosphere based on trust.

WSE board member wins award

WSE board member Christopher B. Burke, PhD, PE, founder and president of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd in Rosemont, Illinois, is the recipient of the 2001 President�s Lifetime Award of Purdue University�s Engineering Alumni Association.

The prestigious award is the association�s highest honor, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding contributions and loyalty to Purdue University, the engineering profession, and the community. Burke chaired the Purdue Civil Engineering Advisory Council and serves on the advisory council of the Civil Engineering Program at University of Illinois at Chicago. He frequently teaches hydraulics and hydrology courses at Purdue University, has taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1998 he received the Distinguished Engineer Alumni award from Purdue University and was similarly honored in 1995 by the School of Civil Engineering.

With the dedication in 1999 of the Christopher and Susan Burke Hydraulic Laboratory at Purdue, Burke reaches out to countless future generations of civil engineers.

�I�ve benefited a great deal from my Purdue engineering education,� said Burke. �I think young people should take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. While much of the hard work may not be immediately rewarded, it can pay dividends in character buildup. We�ve grown very attached to Purdue, and I�m happy to be in a position to give something back.�

Burke is active in professional societies, having held (or currently holding) leadership positions in Western Society of Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois, Illinois Road Builders Association, and Illinois Association of Environmental Professionals. A recognized expert in water resources, Burke and his company provide municipal, civil, mechanical, environmental, and structural engineering services to public and private sector clients in Indiana and Illinois.

Archived Society News

• January/February 2002
• November/December 2001
• September/October 2001
• July/August 2001
• May/June 2001
• March/April 2001