VALLEY FORGE CHAPTER

PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS P.O. BOX 585 WORCESTER, PA 19490-0585

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS

THE COMPASS Volume 43, Number 7/8 – April/May 2009

(Read the COMPASS on-line at www.pspe.org/valleyforge)

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Tony Dougherty, P.E., VFC Past-President

Hello to all of you! I am writing this month’s message with mixed feelings. This month marks the end of my second term as President of the Chapter. While I am excited to move on to future endeavors, I am somewhat sad because I really enjoyed my time serving the Chapter. I think we accomplished some great things during the past two years and I know we will keep moving forward under the leadership of Karen O’Connell Danko. Please join me in supporting her as her term begins! It is important to note that Karen will be the first female president of our chapter. She has already done so much running the MATHCOUNTS Competition over the past several years, I know she will succeed brilliantly as your president.

There is not much on the schedule for the summer, as we just completed a fast and furious couple of months of events and programs. A summary of these events is provided below:

MATHCOUNTS Banquet:

Our annual banquet celebrating our MATHCOUNTS winners and competitors was held at the William Penn Inn on March 24th. Although I was unable to attend, I understand this was great event with an interesting topic regarding Mastering your Memory Power. In addition, to the participating students, we were also able to recognize our Scholarship Award Winners.

Anthony Caramagno one of our Drexel Scholarship Winners!

MATHCOUNTS Most Improved Team - Abington Junior High School

60th Anniversary Gala:

This event was very entertaining and enjoyable. Current board members, past presidents, and their families came together at Maggiano’s on April 18th for a night of great food, conversation, and Quizzo! Everybody had a wonderful time and it was great to hear how being involved in the chapter has touched so many lives throughout the years. Here is to another great 60 years ahead!

Brookes Britcher, Joe Maida, David Fleisher and their wives.

MATHCOUNTS First Place Team – Sandy Run Middle School

MATHCOUNTS First Place Individual from VFC - Alan Yang, Sandy Run Middle School

VALLEY FORCE CHAPTER PAST-PRESIDENTS

As we did last year, we “electronically” acknowledge all of the past-presidents of Valley Forge Chapter, starting with the most recent. (We’ve deleted “PE” after each name, to save space.) Including our current President, only three people have served two consecutive terms, and Joe Maida is the only member who has served two interrupted terms (a la Grover Cleveland). 2008-09 Tony Dougherty 1988-89: Brookes Britcher 1967-68: Frank Martin 2007-08: Tony Dougherty 1987-88: Stan Kemp 1966-67: Paul Zahn 2006-07: Paul Dugan 1986-87: Dave Fleisher 1965-66: Bill Guggenheim 2005-06: Rod Plourde 1985-86: Jim Carroll 1964-65: George Russell 2004-05: Mike Moore 1984-85: John Timbario 1963-64: John Lilley 2003-04: Kurt Leininger 1983-84: Joe Maida 1962-63: Dan Driscoll 2002-03: Frank Stanton 1982-83: Ross Forman 1961-62: Edward Seiz 2001-02: Frank Stanton 1981-82: Edgar Hendler 1960-61: Malcolm Brown 2000-01: Ken Ede 1980-81: Art Luthy 1959-60: Andrew Betz 1999-2000: Tom Readinger 1979-80: Jessee Ring 1958-59: Adolf Hopf 1998-99: Brian Healy 1978-79: Bob Freer 1957-58: John Fridy 1997-98: John Groseck 1977-78: Fred Eidman 1956-57: Harold Curll 1996-97: Rabindra Mallik 1976-77: Otto Gotzsche 1955-56: Walt Bornemann 1995-96: Dan Caramanico 1975-76: Alan Cohen 1954-55: Leroy Dangremond 1994-95: Rod Barnhart 1974-75: Gerald Everz 1953-54: Leroy Dangremond 1993-94: Bob Di Domizio 1973-74: Edmund Haigler 1952-53: Herbert Reed 1992-93: Harve Hnatiuk 1972-73: Charles Crowley 1951-52: Russ Greulich 1991-92: Ken Creech 1971-72: Fred Reichert 1950-51: Tom Williams 1990-91: Don DeCleene 1970-71: Frank Chaplin 1949-50: George Shaner 1989-90: Joe Maida 1969-70: Alfred King 1948-49: George Greeby 1968-69: John Pink

Frank Stanton proving he can drink wine with his eyes closed!

A photo of the Past-Presidents: Back (L to R) Paul Dugan, Brookes Britcher, Bob Di Domizio, Don DeCleene, Joe Maida, Dave Fleisher. Front (l to r) Tony Dougherty, Frank Stanton, Harve Hnatuik

Chapter Treasurer Mike Fischer showing nice form. It’s no wonder that he won the Longest Drive Prize.

1st Annual Valley Forge and Chester County Chapters Scholarship Golf Outing:

On May 14th, Approximately 40 golfers descended upon Pickering Valley Golf Club for a fun, mostly dry day of Golf to raise money for our scholarship fund. Although none of the scores that day will set the world on fire, we had fun and raised the money we needed to help students attend college for engineering. After golf, we had a nice buffet dinner and we installed the officers for our two chapters. Thanks to Frank Stanton, P.E. for handling the installation duties and thanks to the golf committee (Mike Fischer, P.E., Dan Humes, E.I.T., and Kristin Norwood, P.E.) for putting together a great day. Congratulations to the winning team with a scramble score of 72 (Even Par): Greg Richardson, P.E., Tuan Duong, P.E., and Jeff Todd, P.E. of Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. and Bryan Minner, CPA of Minner

and Company, P.C..

We also need to thank our sponsors for the day:

HOLE SPONSORS Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. Pennoni Associates, Inc. Collins and Collins Mechanical, Inc. Robert E. Blue Consulting Engineers, P.C. Ridgway’s PRIZE SPONSORS Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. Robert E. Blue Consulting Engineers, P.C. Minner and Company, P.C. McMahon Associates, Inc. Millennium Engineering Pickering Valley Golf Club Dan Humes, E.I.T Mike Fischer, P.E. Kristin Norwood, P.E.

We would also like to give a special thanks to Collins and Collins Mechanical, Inc. who contributed additional money to our Scholarship Fund!

The Winning Foursome

Chapter Director Anthony Handley at the check-in table

Before I sign-off, I need to notify you of two special announcements. First, I have received word that our Chapter’s nominee for PSPE Engineer of the Year, Harve Hnatuik, P.E., has won this year’s award. I can’t think of a better, more dedicated recipient of this honor. For years, Harve has served our chapter and the State organization. Congratulations Harve! Secondly, The Valley Forge Chapter has been awarded PSPE’s 2009 Communication Award based on our Newsletter, Meeting Announcements and communication efforts with our membership.

Well that’s all for me. As I have stated before, I had a wonderful time serving you! Stay classy San Diego!..Uh… I mean Valley Forge Chapter!

EVENTS SCHEDULE June 5-6, 2009 Celebration of Engineers Banquet and PSPE State Board of Directors

Meeting, Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, PA

August, 2009 Summer Planning Meeting – Exact Date, Time, and Location TBD

Visit the VFC PSPE website (www.pspe.org/valleyforge) often for updates on upcoming events.

Valley Forge Chapter 2009 MATHCOUNTS Competition By Karen O’Connell Danko, P.E., VFC President The Valley Forge Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition was held on February 28, 2009. Countless volunteers braved the early hours of Saturday morning to help set up, register schools and grade exams. The countdown round crew led by their fearless leader, David Fleisher, P.E., arrived early and once again provided a well run afternoon program. The Valley Forge and Bucks County Chapters hosted a total of 39 schools at this year’s competition. A total of 280 students participated in the regional competitions. Once again the competition was fierce but Sandy Run Middle School was triumphant. The team members, Alan Yang, Aleksandar Obradovik, Roger Liu and David Zeng continued on to the State MATHCOUNTS Competition with their coach, Stephanie Mutart. The top four individuals also participated in the State MATHCOUNTS Competition. These individuals are Alan Yang of Sandy Run Middle School, Eric Tan of Arcola Intermediate School, Jerry Li and Roger Liu both of Sandy Run Middle School. Valley Forge Chapter is very proud of the accomplishments of these students and their coaches. Our hope is to continue this wonderful program for many years to come. If you have any interest in becoming involved with the MATHCOUNTS program, please feel free to contact Karen O’Connell Danko at karenoconnell@gmail.com.

2008-09 Chapter Officers and Board of Directors

President Anthony Dougherty, PE 2500 E. High St., Ste 650, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-326-3100 Adougherty@trafficpd.com President-Elect Karen O’Connell, PE Villanova University karenoconnell@gmail.com Vice President Kristin Norwood, PE 2500 E. High St., Ste 650, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-326-3100 Knorwood@trafficpd.com Treasurer Mike Fischer, PE 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 215-205-2130 michaelfischer@comcast.net Secretary Lindsay Musselman, EIT PO Box 4, WP20-206, West Point, PA 19401 215-652-6649 lindsay_musselman@merck.com State Director Paul Dugan, PE 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 610-220-3820 pauldugan@comcast.net Past-President Paul Dugan, PE 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 610-220-3820 pauldugan@comcast.net Chapter Director Jim Thompson, PE 3174 Mayflower Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 610-639-8990 Jthomp9121@aol.com Chapter Director Dan Humes, EIT 1149 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422 610-277-9441 dhumes@robertblue.com Chapter Director Anthony Handley, EIT 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 610-585-5889 anthonyhandley@comcast.net Chapter Director Keith Bergman, PE kbergman@comcast.net Chapter Director Kurt Leininger, PE 920 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 610-313-3100 Kurt.leininger@atcassociates.com Chapter Director Chad Camburn, PE 2129 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-323-4040 camburn@Bursich.com SE Region PSPE Vice President Frank Stanton, PE 50 Fir Drive, Richboro PA 18954 215-497-1231 fjstanton@cs.com

2009-10 Chapter Officers and Board of Directors

At their May Meeting, the Board finalized, by vote, the officers and directors for next year.

President Karen O’Connell, PE Villanova University karenoconnell@gmail.com President-Elect Kristin Norwood, PE 2500 E. High St., Ste 650, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-326-3100 Knorwood@trafficpd.com Vice President Chad Camburn, PE 2129 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-323-4040 camburn@Bursich.com Treasurer Mike Fischer, PE 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 215-205-2130 michaelfischer@comcast.net Secretary Lindsay Musselman, EIT PO Box 4, WP20-206, West Point, PA 19401 215-652-6649 lindsay_musselman@merck.com State Director Paul Dugan, PE 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 610-220-3820 pauldugan@comcast.net Past-President Anthony Dougherty, PE 2500 E. High St., Ste 650, Pottstown, PA 19464 610-326-3100 Adougherty@trafficpd.com Chapter Director Jim Thompson, PE 3174 Mayflower Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 610-639-8990 Jthomp9121@aol.com Chapter Director Dan Humes, EIT 1149 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422 610-277-9441 dhumes@robertblue.com Chapter Director Anthony Handley, EIT 303 Valley Hunt Dr., Phoenixville, PA 19460 610-585-5889 anthonyhandley@comcast.net Chapter Director Kurt Leininger, PE 920 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 610-313-3100 Kurt.leininger@atcassociates.com Chapter Director VACANT Chapter Director VACANT SE Region PSPE Vice President Frank Stanton, PE 50 Fir Drive, Richboro PA 18954 215-497-1231 fjstanton@cs.com

2008-09 VFC Committees

Committee Primary Contact Secondary Contact Audit Jim Thompson, PE Kurt Leininger, PE Awards Lindsay Musselman, EIT Kristin Norwood, PE By-Laws Kurt Leininger, PE Paul Dugan, PE Engineers Week Tony Dougherty, PE Paul Dugan, PE Ethics Paul Dugan, PE Mike Fischer, PE Legislative/Gov’t Paul Dugan, PE Anthony Handley, EIT Mathcounts Karen O’Connell, PE Dan Humes, EIT Membership Lindsay Musselman, EIT Keith Bergman, PE Nominating Paul Dugan, PE Karen O’Connell, PE Programs Tony Dougherty, PE Kristin Norwood, PE Publications Kristin Norwood, PE Anthony Handley, EIT Scholarship Lindsay Musselman, EIT Chad Camburn, PE Science Fair Tony Dougherty, PE Jim Thompson, PE VFC Website Anthony Handley, EIT Mike Fischer, EIT Practice Division Contact Professional Engineers in Private Practice (PEPP) Paul Dugan, PE Professional Engineers in Construction (PEC) Kurt Leininger, PE Professional Engineers in Government (PEG) Paul Dugan, PE Professional Engineers in Industry (PEI) Lindsay Musselman, EIT Professional Engineers in Education (PEE) Keith Bergman, PE (Note – The above committee positions were determined by those who attended the Board of Director’s Summer Planning Meeting.)

IMPORTANT DATES IN HISTORY By Kristin Norwood, P.E., VFC President-Elect Each month we will look at some important things that happened in each anniversary decade of the chapter beginning the first year of 1948. This month it’s 1998 and 2008. The Year Was 1998: Jan 1 – All California bars, clubs and card rooms must be smoke-free Jan 1 – US Census Bureau estimates population at 268,921,733 Jan 25 – Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Superbowl XXXII Feb 6 – Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport Feb 24 – Elton John knighted Mar 2 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice Mar 17 – USA Women’s Hockey Team beats Canada for 1st Olympic Gold medal Mar 21 – Good Friday Agreement signed in Northern Ireland Apr 10 – The Belfast Agreement is signed Apr 22 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando May 4 – A federal judge in Sacramento gives “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after he accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty May 7 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for $40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history May 14 – Last episode of Seinfeld on NBC Jun 11 – Compaq Computer pays $9 billion for Digital Equipment Corporation in the largest high-tech acquisition Jun 27 – Opening of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia Jul 6 – Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport is closed and the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok becomes operational Jul 20 – 200 aid workers from CARE International, Doctors Without Borders, and other aid groups leave Afghanistan on orders of the Taliban Aug 17 – President Clinton admits to “improper physical relationship” with White House intern Monica Lewinsky Aug 20 – U.S. military launches attacks against alleged al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the Aug 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania Sep 7 – Jerry Lewis holds 33rd Muscular Dystrophy telethon Sep 7 – Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University Sep 27 – Google is launched

Oct 1 – Vladimir Putin became a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Oct 23 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat reach a “land for peace” agreement Oct 29 – Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space Nov 20 – The first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched Nov 25 – Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland’s parliament Nov 30 – Deutsche Bank announces a $10 billion deal to buy Bankers Trust, thus creating the largest financial institution in the world Dec 1 – Exxon announces a $73.7 billion deal to buy Mobil, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world’s largest company Dec 4 – The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched Dec 16 – Operation Desert Fox, the U.S. and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq The Year Was 2008: Jan 21 – Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%. Feb 17 – Kosovo declares independence from Serbia. Feb 19 – Toshiba announces its formal recall of its HD DVD video formatting, ending the format war between it and Sony’s Blu-Ray Disc. Feb 24 – Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba after nearly fifty years. Mar 17 – New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal. David Paterson becomes acting New York State governor. Mar 19 – GRB 080319B, a cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the naked eye was briefly observed on this day. Apr 4 – The raid on the FLDS owned ranch called the YFZ Ranch in Texas, 401 children were taken into custody. Apr 8 – The construction of the world’s first building to integrate wind turbines completed in Bahrain. Apr 20 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race. Apr 21 – The US Air Force retires the F-117 Nighthawk. May 15 – California becomes the second US state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional. May 31 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal 9.72 seconds. Jun 1 – A fire at the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroys several icons from movies, such as Courthouse Square, the clock tower from Back to the Future, and the King Kong exhibit on the studio tour. Jun 26 – The US Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.

Jun 27 – Bill Gates steps down as Chairman of Microsoft Corporation to work full time for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Jul 2 – Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages are rescued by the Columbian armed forces. Jul 23 – Cape Verde joins the World Trade Organization, becoming its 153rd member. Aug 7 – Georgia launches a military offensive to surround and capture the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali from Russian control, starting the South Ossetia War. Aug 16 – Usain Bolt sets a new 100m dash world record of 9.69 seconds at the Beijing summer Olympics. Aug 27 – Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party for President of the United States. Sep 5 – The unemployment rate reaches highest level in five years, 6.1%. Sep 7 – The US government takes control of the two largest mortgage financing companies in the US, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sep 13 – Hurricane Ike makes landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast of the US, causing heavy damage to Galveston Island, Houston and surrounding areas. Sep 15 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops more than 500 points, or 4.4%, amid concerns over a financial crisis. It is the worst one-day loss since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Sep 17 – The IAU named another dwarf planet, Haumea. Sep 26 – Presidential candidates Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama face off in first debate. Sep 29 – The House rejects the proposed bailout plan; the Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 778 points, its biggest point decline ever. Oct 1 – Senate passes bailout plan. Oct 2 – Vice presidential candidates, Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, hold debate. Oct 3 – House of Representatives passes bailout plan. Oct 7 – Federal judge orders that Guantanamo Bay detainees be freed. Oct 11 – North Korea agrees to give international inspectors access to its nuclear plant at Yonbyon and to continue disabling its plutonium-processing facility. In exchange, the US State Department removes the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Oct 17 – Draft agreement calls for all US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011, depending on the conditions in Iraq. Nov 4 – Democratic senator Barack Obama is the first African American to be elected president of the US. Nov 18 – Pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Somalia. Nov 20 – Congress rejects plea for bailout by US automakers, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Nov 23 – Government rescues Citigroup. Dec 10 – Congress considers bailout package for Detroit automakers. Dec 11 – Bernard Madoff is charged with defrauding clients of as much as $50 billion. Dec 14 – Journalist throws shoes at President Bush.

“GETTING TO KNOW YOU” By Karen O’Connell Danko, P.E., VFC President Since this is the last newsletter of the administrative year, we focus the spot light on outgoing president Tony Dougherty, P.E. Without further ado, here are the results:

The Compass (TC): So, who are you? My Name is Anthony Dougherty, P.E. I have no middle name. My mom told me it is because she couldn’t think of anything to go with Anthony. Anyway, you can just call me Tony. TC: Where do you or did you work? I am a Principal at Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. in our Pottstown PA Office. TC: How long of have you worked there or been in business? I have worked at TPD since I graduated from Penn State in 1995. It will be 14 years this October! TC: What do you do there? I am the Principal in Charge of the Construction Services Department. I also have Project Management responsibilities on the Traffic Operations and Permitting Team. TC: Any work accomplishments you would like to speak of? I am very fortunate to have become a part of great company working on many great projects since I have been there. A few have really stood out among them. First would be the realignment of Main Street/Township Line Road in Limerick Township and Royersford Borough. The project was done as part of the development of the Lakeview Retail Center. This one stands out for several reasons. First, it was one of my first design projects that I managed from start to finish. Second, it was a pretty big project for me at the time as it involved the construction of a relocated road on a new alignment in an area where I grew up. The second project that stands out to me is the East Marlborough Township Roundabout. This project is special because it was only the second roundabout constructed in Pennsylvania and the first constructed on a Pennsylvania State Numbered Route. I was the project manager for the design of this project. This project won the Notable Engineering Achievement Award from the South East Region of the PSPE as well as the Road and Bridge Safety Award from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. TC: Are there other notable employers in your career? As I stated earlier, TPD is the only engineering employment I have had. Prior to that, I have worked at Clemen’s Family Markets, McDonald’s, Hill Department Stores, and as a summer janitor at my old Elementary School. All of these jobs influenced me in some way and I made lasting friendships at each one.

Tony Dougherty, P.E.

TC: What is your educational background? I graduated from Perkiomen Valley High School in 1991. I received my B.S.C.E. from Penn State in 1995. I also receive a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Villanova. TC: What licenses do you have? I am a licensed professional engineer in PA, NJ, DE, MD, and VA. TC: How long have you been in PSPE? I joined PSPE in July of 2002, so I guess almost 7 years! TC: With what other technical or professional societies are you affiliated? I am also a member of MASITE (Mid-Atlantic Section of The Institute of Transportation Engineers) and ASHE (American Society of Highway Engineers). TC: Tell us about your family. I am the son of Paulette and Joseph Dougherty. I have a brother, Paul, and two half brothers and two half sisters. My wife’s name is Christen and we have two beautiful daughters, Caroline and Emily. Caroline is 8 years old and Emily will be 6 in October. I also have wonderful in-laws as well. TC: What are your hobbies? I have many. Watching movies, listening to music, golfing, and skiing are a few of the big ones. TC: What is your favorite quote? “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take” - Wayne Gretzky. Not only a great sports quote but it also applies to how you live your life or at least how I try to live mine. While searching online to make sure I got the exact wording correct, I also found another quote that made me laugh: "A hippie is someone who looks like Tarzan, walks like Jane and smells like Cheetah." - Ronald Reagan. Reminds me of a Grateful Dead concert I once went to. TC: What is your favorite equation? SSSD = 1.47Vt + V2/(30(f+g)) : This is PennDOT’s equation for Minimum Safe Stopping Sight Distance. TC: What is your favorite book? My personal favorite is A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (The Green Book) by AASHTO. This is a great book. It is, essentially, the bible of Highway Engineering.

TC: What or who inspired you to get into engineering? When I was in high school, I had a couple of architectural drawing classes. I really enjoyed them but also had a love for math. It seemed that civil engineering was a natural progression. Once in college, I had a transportation professor who was a lot of fun. I always wanted to make sure that I pursued a career that was fun, so I took more transportation classes and I was hooked. I must say, I truly enjoy my career. TC: What year did you join the Valley Forge Chapter? 2002 as noted above TC: What is your most memorable meeting event? Date/year? Almost every event has been memorable to me in some way. But I would say the most memorable to me so far was in November 2007. It was the Southeast Regional Meeting and it was a joint meeting with the Younger Member Forum of the ASCE. It was a great panel discussion regarding the PE as an expert witness. Also, it was good enough for us to win the Outstanding Program of the Year Award from PSPE. TC: How has the chapter changed/evolved over the years? Obviously, I have only been involved for a relatively short time. Therefore, I haven’t seen too many changes. I hope that in the future, we can keep the chapter membership energized and involved. It shouldn’t be too difficult since we have a great membership and great leaders. Thanks Tony for participating!!!

DELAWARE VALLEY SCIENCE FAIR By “Tony Dougherty, P.E., VFC President On April 1, 2009, members of the Valley Forge and Chester County Chapters got together to judge science projects entered into the Delaware Valley Science Fair. Once again, there were numerous projects to evaluate (Over 60!) and we awarded 1st and 2nd place prizes in each grade level. 1st place was a $25 Gift Card and certificate from our Chapters, second place was a certificate, lapel pin, and magazine subscription awarded on behalf of NSPE. Judging was Jim Thompson, P.E., Mike Fischer, P.E. and myself representing the Valley Forge Chapter and Zeyn Uzman, P.E. representing the Chester County Chapter. The winners of the awards of this years contest are shown below:

1st Place Awards

12th Grade Development of Criteria for Accurately

Predicting Passive RFID Tag Performance in Various Metal Packing Arrangements

Jefferey Hart – High Technology High School

11th Grade Evaluation of Horizontal vs Vertical Axis

Wind Turbines for Power and Recovery in an Electric Vehicle

Kelsey Wheeler – Moorestown High School

10th Grade Finding Effective Composite Body Armor

Against Tungsten Carbide Penetration Maria Oei – Charter School of Wilmington

9th Grade

Auxetic Acoustics: A Novel Insulation for Naval Applications

Andy Romine – Unionville High School

6th-8th Grade Is a Human-controlled Vex Robot Capable of Completing a Specific Task More Efficiently

than a Programmed One? Brendan Winter – St. Francis of Assisi School

2nd Place Awards

12th Grade Will the Addition of Hydrocarbons Increase

the Thrust of a Hybrid Motor? Wesley Rudy – The Hill School

11th Grade

Infrared vs. Tactile Navigation in Maze Solving

Kenneth Averbukh – George Washington High School

10th Grade

The Effect of Recycled Material as an Aggregate On the Durability of Concrete Rohan Prabhu – Abington Friends School

9th Grade

Raging Water Conner Bestwick – Woodstown High School

ASTRONAUTS GRAB HUBBLE, PREPARE FOR TOUGH REPAIRS May 13 05:20 PM US/Eastern By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Atlantis' astronauts grabbed the Hubble Space Telescope on Wednesday, then quickly set their sights on the difficult, dangerous and unprecedented spacewalking repairs they will attempt over the next five days. Hubble and Atlantis are flying in a 350-mile-high orbit littered with space junk. The shuttle already has an ugly stretch of nicks from Monday's launch, but the damage is considered minor and poses no safety threat. NASA continued to prep another shuttle, though, just in case Atlantis is hit by orbital debris and the crew needs to be rescued. After seven years of orbital solitude, Hubble looked surprisingly well. Flight controllers gasped when the telescope first came into view. "It's an unbelievably beautiful sight," reported John

Grunsfeld, the telescope's chief repairman. "Amazingly, the exterior of Hubble, an old man of 19 years in space, still looks in fantastic shape." NASA hopes to get another five to 10 years of dazzling views of the cosmos from Hubble, with all the planned upgrades, which should leave the observatory more powerful than ever. Shuttle robot arm operator Megan McArthur used the 50-foot boom to seize the school bus-sized telescope as the two spacecraft sailed 350 miles above Australia. Then she lowered the observatory into Atlantis' payload bay, where cameras checked it out. Going into the mission, Hubble scientists and managers warned that Hubble might look a little ragged because it hasn't had a tuneup since 2002. But initial observations showed nothing major. "Everybody's very excited up here, I can tell you," said Grunsfeld, who will venture out Thursday with Andrew Feustel. They will replace an old Hubble camera that's the size of a baby grand piano, as well as a science data-handling unit that failed in September and delayed Atlantis' flight by seven months. This is the fifth time astronauts have called upon Hubble. The previous overhauls went well, but those repairs were straightforward, with spacewalkers pulling equipment in and out. This time, Grunsfeld and his team will venture into the guts of broken instruments. "Don't hold us to too high a standard," NASA space operations chief Ed Weiler warned before Monday's launch. "We're trying to do two things that we've never done before, take apart instruments that aren't designed to be taken apart in space and operated on by gloved astronauts, and fix them after pulling out 110 or 111 screws.

"That's one heck of a challenge." Two teams of spacewalking astronauts—two men per team—will take turns stepping outside. Besides swapping out the old camera and science data unit, they will replace Hubble's batteries, gyroscopes and a pointing mechanism. They also will install fresh thermal covers on the telescope, along with a docking ring so a future spacecraft can guide the telescope into the Pacific Ocean sometime in the early 2020s. And in the toughest challenge, they will open up the two broken science instruments to replace fried electronics. No one will visit Hubble after the Atlantis astronauts leave next week, so NASA crammed as much as it could into the five spacewalks and poured more than $1 billion into the mission. Managers also chose two experienced spacewalkers who have been to Hubble before, Michael Massimino and Grunsfeld, who is making a record third visit. Atlantis is loaded with 180 tools; 116 were designed for this 11-day mission. "We've set the bar extraordinarily high for ourselves," said senior project scientist David Leckrone, "and nobody should consider this mission a failure or any of the crew a failure if for some reason we don't get all things done to the 100 percent level." The mission almost didn't happen. A year after the 2003 Columbia tragedy, NASA canceled the repair effort, saying it was too dangerous. The astronauts would not have anywhere to seek shelter because the international space station is in a different, inaccessible orbit. But a new NASA regime reinstated the flight in 2006 after shuttle repair techniques were developed and tested in orbit. A plan also was put in place to have a shuttle on the launch pad to blast off within days for a rescue. Since then, Hubble's unusually high orbit has become dirtier as a result of satellite smashups; even a small piece could pierce the shuttle or the suit of a spacewalker. Shuttle Endeavour will remain on standby until Atlantis and its crew of seven head back to Earth at the end of next week

VALLEY FORGE CHAPTER

PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS P.O. BOX 585 WORCESTER, PA 19490-0585

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS Page 1 of 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING MINUTES Meeting Date

April 8, 2009 Those in Attendance: Tony Dougherty, P.E. Lindsay Musselman, E.I.T.

Kurt Leininger, P.E. Jim Thompson, P.E. Karen O'Connell, P.E. Chad Camburn, P.E.

Meeting Activated 6:18 PM

Minutes from Previous Meeting

Accepted. Reports of Officers President’s report:

Delaware Valley Science Fair Awards held on April 1st. Good event at new venue in Oaks. $25 given to each winner, split cost with Chester chapter. Article for Compass needed.

President-Elect’s report:

Nothing to report.

Vice President’s report: Not present.

Secretary’s Report:

Nothing to report. Treasurer's report:

Not present. EIN/SSN issue – no update. Waiting for PSPE exemption letter. 3 payments received from NSPE dues. Mathcounts banquet reimbursement still outstanding.

State Director’s Report:

Not present. SE Regional VP:

Not present. Committee Reports:

Communications Compass: In progress, need interviewee and Mathcounts article. Notifications: Gala RSVP date extended. Webmaster: Updated.

Scholarship Send checks.

MathCounts Banquet Encourage Bucks County to attend future banquets. Went well, need to emphasize this is an awards banquet to the speaker(s).

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS Page 2 of 2

Membership: Nothing to report.

Programs:

April 18 – Gala 60th Anniversary Dinner/Past-Presidents Dinner/50-50 drawing for scholarship. o Maggiano's KOP, $50/person, $90/couple. Chapter to cover rest of cost. o Quizzo with prizes and history of chapter presentation. $50 from chapter for prizes. o Need more attendees! Send personal email to members.

May 14 – Golf Tournament/officer installation with Chester Chapter. o Pickering Valley, south of Phoenixville near Malvern. o Prizes and sponsorship needed. o Need more golfers!

Other suggestions: o Political Speaker o Rt 202 or Turnpike Projects o Non-technical Fun Gathering o Cayuga Pipe Tour o PennDOT o Helicopters o 4-H Clubs o Lockheed Martin o Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy

o Philadelphia Water Works o Spectrum Demolition (bus trip) o Sporting Event (bus trip) o Falls Township Windmill Construction o Royersford Green Roofs Project o 2009 Switch to Digital Signals o US Electric Power Grid Update o Wastewater "Class A" Biosolids Drying and Distribution

Unfinished Business:

Chapter Office nominations for next year accepted: Past President – Tony Dougherty, PE President – Karen O'Connell Danko, PE President-Elect – Kristin Norwood, PE Vice President – Chad Camburn, PE Treasurer – Michael Fischer, PE Secretary – Lindsay Musselman, EIT Chapter Director – Kurt Leininger, PE Chapter Director – Jim Thompson, PE Chapter Director – Anthony Handley, EIT Chapter Director – Dan Humes, EIT Chapter Director – Nate Zipay, EIT Chapter Director – VACANT SE Regional Director – Paul Dugan, PE

New speaker gifts. Similar prices after research. Application for PSPE Chapter Communication Award submitted.

New Business:

Adjournment:

7:18 PM Next meeting May 5 at Blue at 6pm.

VALLEY FORGE CHAPTER

PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS P.O. BOX 585 WORCESTER, PA 19490-0585

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS Page 1 of 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING MINUTES Meeting Date

May 5, 2009 Cinco de Mayo! Those in Attendance: Tony Dougherty, P.E. Lindsay Musselman, E.I.T.

Kurt Leininger, P.E. Jim Thompson, P.E. Karen O'Connell, P.E. Paul Dugan, P.E. Dan Humes, E.I.T. Kristin Norwood, P.E. Matt Szayna, P.E. (guest)

Call to Order 6:10 PM

Minutes from Previous Meeting

Accepted. Reports of Officers President’s report:

Last board meeting as president . Engineer's Legislative Day – May 12. Email from PSPE. LinkedIn Group. PSPE VFC group created. Affiliate Society Leadership Summit hosted by Engineer's Club. Share resources for all local engineering societies.

President-Elect’s report:

Nothing to report.

Vice President’s report: Nothing to report.

Secretary’s Report:

Nothing to report. Treasurer's report:

Not present. EIN/SSN issue – no update. Waiting for PSPE exemption letter. Mathcounts banquet reimbursement still outstanding.

State Director’s Report:

Nothing to report. SE Regional VP:

Not present. Committee Reports:

Communications Compass:

Good feedback from readers! "Finally worth reading." Current April/May issue in progress. Need interviewee, Mathcounts article, photos, and decade facts before distribution.

Notifications: Still sending ~37 by USPS. Webmaster: Nothing to report.

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS Page 2 of 2

Scholarship: 1 check to be sent. MathCounts Banquet: Nothing to report

Membership:

Nothing to report. Programs:

April 18 – Gala 60th Anniversary Dinner/Past-Presidents Dinner. May 14 – Golf Tournament/officer installation with Chester Chapter.

o Pickering Valley, south of Phoenixville near Malvern. o Prizes and sponsorship needed. o 40 golfers attending.

Other suggestions: o Political Speaker o Rt 202 or Turnpike Projects o Non-technical Fun Gathering o Cayuga Pipe Tour o PennDOT o Helicopters o 4-H Clubs o Lockheed Martin o Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy

o Philadelphia Water Works o Spectrum Demolition (bus trip) o Sporting Event (bus trip) o Falls Township Windmill Construction o Royersford Green Roofs Project o 2009 Switch to Digital Signals o US Electric Power Grid Update o Wastewater "Class A" Biosolids Drying and Distribution

Unfinished Business:

Chapter Officer nominations for next year accepted. Current Slate:

Past President – Tony Dougherty, PE President – Karen O'Connell Danko, PE President-Elect – Kristin Norwood, PE Vice President – Chad Camburn, PE Treasurer – Michael Fischer, PE Secretary – Lindsay Musselman, EIT Chapter Director – Kurt Leininger, PE Chapter Director – Jim Thompson, PE Chapter Director – Anthony Handley, EIT Chapter Director – Dan Humes, EIT Chapter Director – Nate Zipay, EIT Chapter Director – VACANT State Director – Paul Dugan, PE Alternate State Director – VACANT

1 vacancy: Matt Szayna, P.E. or Anwar Yafai, E.I.T. To be decided at a later date. New speaker gifts. Kristin to order by September. PSPE Awards

Harve Hnatiuk won PSPE Engineer of the Year. VFC won Best Communications for the Compass. Highlight on the website.

New Business:

PSPE Board Meeting – June 6th in Grantville. Paul will be attending. Philadelphia Chapter initiatives. Email from Fred Plotnick with ideas to combine efforts of chapters for continuing

education.

Adjournment: 7:00 PM

Next meeting: Summer Planning Meeting – August 12 (tentative), location TBD.

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VALLEY FORGE CHAPTER

PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS P.O. BOX 585 WORCESTER, PA 19490-0585

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS

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