2010 FWEA Central Florida Chapter Events Recap

A Technical Luncheon was held on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at the Sheraton in downtown Orlando. The topic of the Technical Luncheon was gasificiation technology. Guest speaker Dr. Mohammad Abu-Orf AECOM discussed how energy recovery from residuals and biosolids can be implemented to offset energy usage and reduce the carbon footprint from both public and private utilities treating domestic wastewater. Dr. Abu-Orf covered basic principles of gasification, requirements for gasification, two stage gasification and close coupled gasification as methods of energy recovery and power generation from syngas, basic gasification energy and mass balances, and example gasification projects in North America. This energy recovery and disposition method is being investigated more due to increased pressure on land application programs and increased difficulties in obtaining incineration permits. Attendees received an added benefit of 1 contact hour 1.0 PDHs, 0.1 CEUs. The luncheon had a good turn-out of 74 attendees, with 16 utility employees representing 7 different utility agencies. Thank you to all of the sponsors of this luncheon: AECOM, Brown and Caldwell, and CDM.

FWEA/FSAWWA 14^th Annual St. Johns River Cleanup Event

FWEA/ASCE Joint High School Outreach Event

The FWEA Central Florida Chapter teamed up with the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE East Central Branch to host “Engineer for a Day 2010” on Friday, April 16, 2010. “Engineer for a Day” is an exciting student outreach program created to encourage high school juniors and seniors to consider engineering as a career field.

Eleventh and twelfth grade students from 6 Central Florida High Schools participated in this year’s event. The program was divided into two sessions. During the morning session, the students interacted with University of Central Florida engineering faculty to learn about the academic requirements necessary to become an engineer. The morning session also included engineering trivia games and a teamwork activity to teach the students the importance of working together as a team. During the teamwork activity, a mystery design competition, the students were charged with building the tallest freestanding structure at the cheapest cost. Building materials made available to the students included popsicle sticks, tape, glue, balsa wood, paper clips, and other similar materials all with a cost value assigned. The winning team took away free tickets to the movies.

Following the mystery design competition, a series of speakers presented information about the roles and responsibilities of an engineer, including ethical responsibilities, steps in becoming a professional engineer, and technical information related to various engineering disciplines. Three scholarships were awarded to the students with the top three essays, submitted upon registration. Congratulations to the essay winners: James Strickler, Christian Amy, and Matthew Love.

During the afternoon session, the students interacted in a real engineering environment. This allowed them the opportunity to “job shadow” at an organization that specializes in their field of interest. The hosting organizations provided lunch as well as activities for the students. Whether a tour, a demonstration, or on-the-job-training, the students got a feel for the day of an engineer.

The event was supported by a diverse consortium of consulting firms, universities and municipal government. Program information was provided by the University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Florida. FWEA Central Florida Chapter would like to thank this year’s host organizations: AECOM, City of Orlando, Malcolm Pirnie, Miller Legg, RS&H, and Seminole County Public Works.

2010 Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition

Members of the FWEA Central Florida Chapter volunteered a few hours of their time on Monday, February 15th as judges at the 2010 Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition. The experience was exhilarating and all judges were passionate and proud to show their love of science and engineering to all the students they met. Please volunteer your time next year as Orange County is always looking for more volunteers!

Habitat For Humanity

On Saturday, February 6, 2010, eighteen volunteers from FWEA and 23 staff members and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity HOH donated their Saturday to complete the roofing stage on the Staghorn Villas Team Build Project for HOH. Stag Horn Villas is an $8 million, 58-townhome community. Several generous sponsors have made construction possible such as Siemens and OUC among many others. Not only is this HOH’s first multifamily development, it is also the most green and energy-efficient. Currently, 16 families have moved into the three completed buildings the fourth building is under construction. Once complete, the 3.9-acre neighborhood will provide affordable homes for 58 local families. Located on Stag Horn Drive and Silver Star Road, the community will feature 10 buildings, each of which will include four to eight townhomes surrounded by green spaces and play areas. Stag Horn Villas is slated for completion in spring 2012. Thanks goes to all volunteers from Saturday that have put the Staghorn Villas one step closer to completion.