ASME Western Washington Section
September 2008 Newsletter
Contents:
• Sound Transit Light
Rail Tour – Wednesday, September 10th
• Port of Seattle Tour (SPACE LIMITED!)
– Tuesday, September 16th
• Biofuels Industry Presentation Dinner
Meeting – Thursday, October 9th
• AIAA Technical Symposium –
Saturday, October 25th
• FIRST Robotics Competition –
Volunteers Needed
• Call for Volunteers
• Online Job Board
September
2008
Sound Transit Light Rail Tour –
Wednesday, September 10th, 6:00 PM
You have probably seen construction underway
for the new light rail line, linking the UW and SeaTac airport,
and you may have attended last year’s dinner meeting
about the construction of the new transit tunnel downtown.
Interested in learning more? Justin Garrod, a PMI-certified
Project Management Professional, will be guiding a tour
of the new Light Rail Operations & Maintenance Facility
(OMF), and one of the new Light Rail Vehicles (LRV). He’ll
stick around for a little while after the tour to answer
your questions.
Justin has a Bachelor of Science in Professional
Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle and a Master of Science in
Intermodal Transportation Management from the University
of Denver. He has over 15 years of transportation management
and project management experience.
To RSVP, visit http://preview.evite.com/event/slr
Port of Seattle Tour (SPACE LIMITED!)
– Tuesday, September 16th, 6:00 PM
Come take a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities
at the Port of Seattle. The Chief Mechanical Engineer and
the Community Project Manager of Public Affairs for the
Port will give a brief overview of port operations. Then
we will take a guided van and bus tour of the port as far
south as Harbor Island and back.
The presentation will begin at 6:00 PM sharp,
and the tour will be complete at 8:00 PM. This tour limited
to 11 people, with a possibility of adding an additional
21 if there is enough interest. There is a $10 fee for the
tour to cover the cost of transportation along the waterfront
and onto Harbor Island.
To reserve your spot, visit http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/CTGOILTHUBVQFSLRPQUR/pos.
Space will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
You will be informed of the status of your reservation via
email.
October
2008
Biofuels Industry Dinner Meeting –
Thursday, October 9th, 6:00 PM
Dan Parker of E3 Energy Partners will give
an overview of the biofuels industry. In 1991 Mr. Parker
formed Parker, Messana & Associates to develop energy
projects, and he has recently formed a new venture, E3 Energy
Partners, to specifically focus on biofuels process development
and plant construction. E3 Energy Partners is focused on
technology scale-up from laboratory to pilot plant to full-scale
production levels. Current projects include cellulosic ethanol
biorefineries, biodiesel, biogas, hydrogen storage, and
biomass cogeneration.
“The biofuels industry is experiencing
a period of major change. Increased petroleum prices have
resulted in increased demand for alternative fuels, but
have also increased biofuels costs to an even greater extent.
Production facilities are having difficulties staying profitable
and new facilities are not being built. From this turmoil
a new generation of biofuels plants are arising, that make
use of lower grade feedstocks, better integrate byproduct
and energy use, and are closer to being true biorefineries.
The current state of the technology in biofuels production
will be reviewed, and where biofuels production for the
US and the world appears to be heading will be discussed.”
Daniel Parker, P.E. received a B.S. in chemistry
from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in electrical
engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He has over
thirty years experience as a consulting engineer for the
design and construction of biomass derived fuel and energy
production facilities. He has over 50 professional publications
and 3 patents. He was appointed by Governor Locke in 2004
to the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional
Engineers and Land Surveyors.
AIAA Technical Symposium – Saturday,
October 25th
The Pacific Northwest Section of American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is hosting
a technical symposium to provide a forum for students, professors,
and industry professionals to share what they are working
or have worked on here in the Pacific Northwest. This is
a great opportunity to hear and see what is locally occurring
in aerospace. Participation is not limited to Young Professionals
or AIAA members.
More information, including how you can sign
up to present or help with the symposium, can be found at
http://www.pnwaiaa.org/. You can also contact the organizers
directly. Penny Lora Ramirez, the Symposium Organization
Coordinator, is available at pennyinseattle@hotmail.com
or 206-335-7786; and Kim Hicks, the Symposium Chair, is
available at hickskp@yahoo.com or 765-404-3419.
Other News
FIRST Robotics Competition –
Volunteers Needed
The FIRST Robotics Competition is taking off,
especially here in Washington! The premier Microsoft®
Seattle Regional was held last spring at the Tacoma Convention
Center, and the 2009 Seattle Regional will be held at Key
Arena.
Many local teams need mentors! If you want to volunteer,
please apply through the Volunteer Information and Matching
System at https://my.usfirst.org/vims/. Those of you who
are Boeing employees have something special to offer a FIRST
team—teams with Boeing-employee mentors are eligible
for $6000 grants!
Call for Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to work on the
following Section Committees: Programs, Professional Development,
Membership, University Relations, Industry Relations, and
Government Relations. If you are interested in helping out
in one of these areas, please email Kalan Guiley at guileyk@asme.org.
Online Job Board
Our online job board, with a listing of job
opportunities we’ve become aware of, is available
through the section website (http://sections.asme.org/westernwa/).
Section members who are aware of opportunities that should
be posted can forward them to Kalan Guiley, at guileyk@asme.org.
