Orange County Engineering Council

August 2008

OCEC 2008 Leaders' Night
(August 28, 2008)

Each year OCEC hosts a Leaders Night event for key company executives, society chapter/section presidents and college/university leaders from Orange County to help us formulate future OCEC objectives and opportunities, and to join us for a keynote address on an exciting new engineering related topic. This year, our keynote speaker will be John Noonan, Technical Director, Show Control Systems, for Walt Disney Imagineering, who will discuss Toy Story Midway Mania! - A Look at the Technology Behind the Attraction.

This years dinner is scheduled for Thursday, August 28 at the Old Ranch Country Club, 3901 Lampson Ave., Seal Beach, CA 90740 (see link below for more information). Please confirm your participation before August 18 by sending an email to Phil Ridout , OCEC Treasurer, at pridout@socal.rr.com with your name title, affiliation, phone, email and menu choice (Chicken, Steak, Vegetarian). If you choose to bring a guest, please include the guest’s name and meal choice in your email; and mail a completed registration form and a check ($35/guest) to Phil Ridout prior to August 20. Only invitees and their paid guests will be admitted to Leaders Night.

We hope that you can join us for this important event, and look forward to your ideas and suggestions.

Leaders' Night Information

OCEC boat tour of Los Angeles Harbor
(July 11, 2008)

Come join OCEC for this fantastic two-hour boat tour of Los Angeles harbor. The Chief Harbor Engineer and his two assistants will join us as tour guides, so don't miss this opportunity to explore Port of Los Angeles operations. Water and soft drinks will be available for tour participants.

Students and guests are welcome, but tour participation will be limited to the first 38 who sign up by sending an email to Peter Kurzhals, OCEC President, at peter.r.kurzhals@boeing.com prior to July 3, 2008.
Detailed tour instructions will be sent to all successful registrants.

Note that the tour takes place inside the breakwater, so Dramamine is not necessary. However, low shoes or flats are best, and comfortable clothes and sunscreen and hats are recommended for tour guests who decide to sit outside to enjoy the tour. Cameras are permitted on the vessel, so feel free to photograph the sights.

We look forward to your participation in this great tour.

Tour Information

OCEC’s Engineers Week Tour of the Boeing C-17 assembly line and flight ramp was a great success!

Twenty-one representatives and guests from OCEC member companies took part in this exciting tour of the Boeing C 17 assembly line and flight ramp, hosted by Jaime Garcia. The tour began in the 1.1 million square foot hangar that houses multiple assembly lines for C 17 element construction and integration. Separate lines for aircraft wings, fuselage and tail sections are merged with nose sections, control surfaces and engines to produce a fully operational aircraft every 185 days. Some 15 planes are produced and delivered each year based on current budget planning. Engineering Support Centers built into the assembly lines ensure instant engineering and quality support during assembly; and LEAN and Employee Involvement teams continually optimize production flow and reduce production costs.

After touring the different assembly lines with expert Boeing guides, the OCEC group moved on to the C 17 flight ramp to inspect the 185th C 17, slated for delivery to the Royal Air Force on February 21. This beautiful cargo aircraft truly represented the best of the best in tactical and strategic capability. Configured to operate on landing strips of 120 feet or less, this superb aircraft is unequalled in the world. At a maximum takeoff weight of 500,000 pounds, it can support a wide range of missions such as air drops and parachute company deployments, large cargos including tank and helicopter deliveries, and humanitarian assistance to disaster areas. With a full fuel load of 250,000 pounds, the C-17 has a point-to-point range of 6,800 miles, which can be further extended by inflight refueling. The OCEC group toured the aircraft interior to observe its extensive load and deployment capability, and to tour the various support stations including the pallet and deployment options, survivability and offload accommodations, and the loadmaster station and cockpit.

After climbing all over the C-17, many tour members stayed behind to explored the outside of the aircraft and its many amazing features. This was truly a great experience and, as some participants said, better than a Disneyland ride.

Group Picture

OCEC’s Engineers Week Tour construction of overpass on Orangethorpe/Esperanza ave. and railroad crossing in Yorba Linda Caltrans, District-12 (March 5, 2008)

Because of rain, the tour date for this exciting engineering marvel was postponed to Wednesday March 5, 2008. Thirty-two representatives from OCEC sponsor companies and universities took part in touring the construction of the $40million project over Orangethorpe Avenue/Esperanza Road and the railroad tracks in Yorba Linda, California. The tour began at 9:30 AM and was guided by Caltrans Resident Engineer Mr. James Yii and Structural Representative Mr. Mo Rousta, who did an outstanding job in explaining the details of this enormous project to mostly civil engineering students audience, who had many engineering questions. At this time the initial construction of temporary roadways to divert traffic around the construction area was already underway. Aside from the construction of huge retaining walls starting 6 feet below ground level, the unique aspects of this undertaking is that neither the 46,000 daily vehicles nor the seventy plus trains that intersect currently can be interrupted. Upon completion, the project will support 80,000 vehicles and 128 train crossings on a daily basis. The first three pictures were taken three months ago. Sample pictures taken during the tour are attached.

Group Picture
Tour Leader
CAD Printout
Location 1
Location 2

OCEC’s Engineers Week Tour of the Caltrans Transportation Management Center (February 22, 2008, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

 On February 22nd, about ten professionals and guests participated in an informative tour of the Caltrans Transportation Management Center (TMC) organized by the Orange County Engineering Council (OCEC). The TMC is located at 6681 Marine Way, Irvine, close to the interchange of I-5 and Sand Canyon Avenue.   
     
Mr. Mahesh Bhatt, Chief of Traffic Management at Caltrans hosted the tour. He made a multi-media presentation of the facility. He explained that the TMC is the nerve center for the urban freeway and highway systems in Orange County. Traffic information is gathered from many sources, such as electronic sensors in the pavement, freeway call boxes, video cameras, CHP officers on patrol, motorist cellular calls, and commercial traffic reporters. This information is then analyzed by the TMC trained personnel who make informed decisions, that include but are not limited to, activation of the Changeable Message Signs, dispatch of Traffic Management Teams, Highway Advisory Radio, and notification to media and local agencies. These actions are key to the safe and efficient management of Orange County's freeway system. The TMC operates 24-hours a day and seven days a week. 

Following his presentation, Mr. Bhatt gave us a tour of the facility. The building is constructed on hinged foundations so the structure may sway but not be destroyed even if a severe earthquake strikes the area. The  facility also has many safety features that will automatically trigger during emergency conditions such as backup power source, retrieval of data from offsite memory bank, on-site food and shelter for operating personnel, etc.

Overall this was a successful tour and the participants got a first hand understanding of the complexities of managing and operating the complex highway systems in Orange County  

Tour Pictures:

Group Picture
Control Center
CAD Poster
Tower
Earthquake Foundation
Tour Guide

2008 OCEC Awards Banquet honors Southern California Engineers, Educators and Regents

The 2008 OCEC Honors and Awards Banquet was held at The Centre, Sycamore Plaza, in Lakewood, CA on Saturday, February 16, 2008. After a one-hour networking session of some 200 banquet attendees, the banquet was kicked off by a color guard parade followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Adam Chamaa, OCEC VP-Engineering and Invocation by Dr. Sam Sarem, OCEC Past President. Dinner entertainment included a stirring performance by the Sahara dancers who delighted the audience.

Dr. Pete Kurzhals, OCEC President, introduced Mr. Will Kempton, Director of the California Department of Transportation, who gave an inspiring keynote address on transportation improvements in California and Orange County.

Adam Chamaa, OCEC VP-Engineering and Master of Ceremonies, initiated the awards presentations. OCEC officers took their turn in recognizing the awards recipients, who received their plaques in a special presentation area. Photos of banquet participants and awardees (Click here for Images ) were captured by Don Henderson, the OCEC official photographer.

OCEC Award Categories included (Click here for slides ):

• Outstanding Student Awards
• Young Engineer Awards
• Engineering Merit and Distinguished Engineer Awards
• Outstanding and Distinguished Government Engineer Awards
• Engineering Service Awards
• Outstanding, Distinguished and Pioneer Educator Awards
• Engineering Project Achievement Awards
• Corporate Award
• Project of the Year Award
• James E. Ballinger Engineer of the Year Award
• President’s Award

with 44 engineering awards presented.

The Boeing Company received the OCEC Corporate Award; and their Orbital Express program was recognized as the 2008 OCEC Project of the Year. Bob Friend, Orbital Express Chief Engineer and Program Manager for System P6, was named as the 2008 OCEC James E. Ballinger Engineer of the Year; and his acceptance speech illustrated the many firsts achieved by Orbital Express with exciting flight videos.

The last award of the banquet was the OCEC President’s Award presented to Dr. Kathleen O’Connor Hodge, President, Fullerton College, for her leadership and advocacy of community colleges. Her acceptance remarks highlighted the importance of Orange County engineering and educational contributions, and stressed the key role of OCEC/University teaming in furthering engineering in Orange County.

Dr. Pete Kurzhals concluded the proceedings by thanking the awardees for their engineering contributions, the OCEC sponsors for their financial assistance, the student volunteers and Jack Byers for their key roles in effective banquet operations, and the audience for their participation and support.

OCEC Engineering Week Tours

Once again, the OCEC Engineering Week activities will include three exciting tours.

Visit Boeing Long Beach for a VIP tour of the C-17 assembly and flight line, and see how the most advanced military airlift in the world is built and tested.

Travel to the Orangethorpe/Esparanza Avenue overpass for a hard-hat tour of the construction activities for this major overpass which will support 80,000 daily vehicles and 128 train crossings when completed.

Check out the Caltrans Transportation Management Center, the nerve center for Orange County traffic management, and see how this major facility and its support networks enable safe and efficient operation of both urban freeway and highway systems in Orange County.

Sign up for these tours by emailing the corresponding tour contacts on the tour flyer link below as soon as possible. Note that the individual tours may have special participation and/or safety restrictions, so make sure that you meet these before signing up.

Tour sizes will be limited on a first-come first-served basis; and tours will be closed when these limits are reached. Detailed tour instructions will be sent to all successfully registered tour participants.

So act now to learn more about these fascinating engineering capabilities in Orange County…

Pete Kurzhals
OCEC President
714-896-1123

Click here for tours information.

2008 OCEC Honors and Awards Banquet

OCEC's annual Honors and Awards Banquet will be held at The Centre,  Sycamore Plaza, Long Beach on February 16, 2008 to kick off National  Engineers Week. This gala event, described on the enclosed flyer, will  feature a sumptuous dinner followed by a fascinating keynote address  on Caltrans: Connecting California by Mr. Will Kempton, the Caltrans Director. Mr. Kempton will cover key contributions Caltrans has made to establish the state highway infrastructure since its inception, and will address current plans for future improvements. 

Next, OCEC will recognize the best of the best in engineering for Southern California in 2007 by presenting awards in a broad range of categories, ranging from Outstanding Student Awards to Project and Engineer of the Year Awards. These presentations, which acknowledge outstanding individual and project achievements, are always a highlight of the year. 

OCEC Engineers Week activities will also feature three exciting engineering tours to such sites as Disneyland, Boeing and other major facilities in Orange County. Details of these tours and sign-up instructions will be provided on this website in January. Plan to sign up early, since these tours always fill up fast. 

To register for the Awards Banquet, please fill out the ticket order form on the flyer (including your meal selections), and mail the completed form with your payment to Phil Ridout, OCEC Treasurer, 6962 Los Amigos Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 prior to February 8, 2007. 

We look forward to seeing you at this premiere event. 

Dr. Peter R. Kurzhals, CM 
OCEC President

OCEC Call for Awards Nominations

OCEC has initiated its annual honors and awards process by requesting award nominations for a broad range of categories, to be presented at our annual Awards Banquet which will be held at The Centre, Sycamore Plaza in Lakewood, CA on February 16, 2008.

To review these award categories and submit a nomination, please check out the award summaries, nomination form and guidelines on the link below. Completed nomination packets, assembled per the enclosed instructions, should be mailed to Adam Chamaa, OCEC VP-Engineering, AESCO Technologies, Inc., 17782 Georgetown Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 by December 20, 2007.

Nomination Form
Guidelines

We look forward to having you join us as we recognize outstanding engineering projects and individuals for their contributions..

2007 Leaders Night - Big Success!

2007-Leaders Night Success Story

2007 Leaders Night

Each year the OCEC hosts a Leaders Night event where we invite key company executives, society chapter/section presidents and college/university leaders from Orange County to help us formulate future OCEC objectives and opportunities, and to join us for a keynote address on an exciting new engineering related topic.
This year, our keynote speaker will be Art Leahy, CEO of OCTA, who will address plans for congestion relief in Orange County.

We invite you to participate in this year's Leaders Night, which is scheduled for Thursday, August 30 at the Old Ranch Country Club, 3901 Lampson Ave., Seal Beach, CA 90740.

For more information download a descriptive flyer here: 2007OCECLeadersNightFlyer.pdf (116Kb pdf)

Please confirm your participation before August 15, as we will not be able to accomodate walk-in guests for this occasion.