"Alumni News"

Dear Alumni,

We're glad that you dropped by.  We really appreciate your past contributions and need your support now.  So, please see the alumni challenge initially issued by Mr. Kirk Biszick way back in 2001.

Charles McDowell, our ASCE Chapter president in 1994 and currently VP of KFP Construction in Birmingham, kicked off the 2002 campaign by making a very generous contribution.  Since then, our Alumni support has been steadily increasing.  So please join in and support your team.

Be sure to read my "Message From the Top" below, to see just how far we've come.  Thanks!

Annette Wilson, UAH ASCE chapter president.  


As many of you already know, we are in the process of compiling an alumni list but have only listed names for the sake of privacy.  If your name does not appear there, or it is listed incorrectly, we apologize and want to hear from you.  So, please contact us.  We would also appreciate a few sentences describing your memories and experiences with the Chapter, and/or what you're up to now.

 

Ms. Leah Tracy '98 develops and manages a specialized GIS

In 1995, devastating avalanches killed 34 people in 2 villages in Northwest Iceland.  The people were not out skiing, driving, or snow-mobiling.  They were asleep in their beds in areas that were thought to have been safe.

Following the accidents, a comprehensive zoning effort was begun by the government of Iceland to create avalanche hazard maps based not only on historical avalanches, but also on estimated extreme run-outs of possible avalanches.

For the last 3 years, Leah has developed and managed a specialized GIS (Graphical Information System) that stores avalanche outlines, model calculations, field data, and so forth in an attempt to identify risk areas.  The risk is then managed through land-use planning, evacuations, and protective structures.

Details are outlined in a paper written by her (PDF Download, 1.11 MBytes)

... Ms. Tracy was the bow paddler in the "Spirit of America."   Her team earned UAH a national title in 1996 at the concrete canoe competition held in Madison, WI.  After graduation in 1998, Leah moved to Iceland where she became involved with a group building sea kayaks.

 

 

The Chapter has become one of the university’s signature programs, contributing significantly to UAH’s national rankings.  But as we continue to grow, we need more and more funds to maintain the quality that you and other alumni fostered.  If you've helped us already, I thank you from the bottom of my heart...   John A. Gilbert, Ph.D.

Dear Fellow ASCE Student Chapter Alumni:

Ladies and Gentlemen!  It gave me great pleasure to kick off the chapter's alumni challenge by donating $100 to the UAH ASCE Student Chapter.  The students certainly deserve our support and I challenge you to match my contribution.  We realize that some of you may not be able to invest at this level.  But all donations will help.  I ask you to contribute only what you can afford.  But the more the better.  Since many companies have matching programs, please explore these possibilities.  The Chapter’s offer to provide corporate links on this web site may help in this regard.

Your gift is tax deductible and will be acknowledged.  Checks should be made out to the “UAH ASCE Student Chapter,” and sent to them at the following address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama 35899.


I would like to thank my fellow alumni who have joined me to support Team UAH at the ASCE/MBT National Concrete Canoe Competitions.  

The chapter is gearing up for the next national competition.  Time is of the essence, so please respond quickly.  Thanks!

Kirk Biszick, ‘92, '00 was affiliated with our chapter for many years, served as our chapter president in 1996, and is still active in helping us out.

Hi!  My name is Annette Wilson and I am the current president of the Chapter.  We very much appreciate your past efforts to build the organization and would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about what we have done lately.

We are one of the most active student organizations on campus and have received over 200 awards in recognition of our activities.  We have distributed $32,500 in scholarship funds throughout our history.  Despite the fact that our annual expenditures range between $18k and $30k, we have kept our local dues to $20 per year, making the Chapter one of the best bargains at UAH.  Some of our most recent efforts are listed in our Current Events section.

In 1999, we co-hosted the Southeast Regional Student Conference.  We have represented the Southeast at the ASCE/MBT National Concrete Canoe Competition thirteen times.  In our last ten appearances at the national level, we have won the competition five times and have placed second three times.

The next national competition will take place June 15th 2006 through June 17th 2006 in Stillwater, Oklahoma and we need your help to compete at the Southeast Regional Conference to be held in Gainesville, Florida, March 29th 2006 through April 1st 2006.

We are continuously improving this site and it ranks very high when the string "concrete canoe" is searched.  We are willing to provide direct links to you and your company via a logo to showcase efforts and/or provide employment opportunities.

Our project to commemorate ASCE's 150th Anniversary was to launch concretecanoe.org, and we are thinking about having a reunion.  If you're willing to help with the latter, please contact us.  Thanks!