Official Publication of the Utah Engineers Council 2023 UEC AWARDS Sliding into Summer Traffic with the ABCs of Bridge Replacement The Geospatial Crisis
This journal is an annual publication of the Utah Engineers Council. The Utah Engineers Council Journal is produced for and by the engineering community in Utah. Copies are provided to each of the 18 societies that make up the UEC, other Utah engineers, high school students and counselors, members of the Utah Legislature, and interested corporate entities. The UEC invites your interest, participation and feedback in this endeavor. Contributions and advertisements for future issues are welcome. Statements or opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the UEC, its member societies, or the publisher. Likewise, advertisements in the journal are not to be considered an endorsement of the product or service advertised. The Utah Engineers Council Journal is published by The newsLINK Group, LLC, a Utah company. A copy of the Utah Engineers Council Journal is available on the UEC website utahengineerscouncil.org. © 2023. All rights reserved. 4049 South Highland Dr Holladay, UT 84124 801-676-9722 utahengineerscouncil.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2022-2023 CHAIR Caite Beck VICE CHAIR James Couts ACTING TREASURER James Couts FIRST PAST CHAIR Paul White SECOND PAST CHAIR Jacob Browning OUR MISSION STATEMENT The UEC advances the art and science of engineering for the general welfare of the people of Utah by promoting cooperation among and beyond our 18 member societies. 3 Governor’s Declaration By Spencer J. Cox, Governor 4 Letter From the Chair Creating the Future By Caite Beck, Chair, Utah Engineers Council 6 Save the Date UEC Awards Banquet 7 UEC Member Societies and UEC Scholarship & Banquet Sponsors 8 2023 Engineers Week 9 2022 & 2023 UEC Awards 10 2022 Winners 12 2023 Winners 15 2023 Nominees 18 Congratulations UEC 2022 Scholarship Recipients! 22 Congratulations UEC 2023 Scholarship Recipients! 25 Excerpt from Article on Curating Energy Resilience Resources By Rich Houghton, F. SAME, USAF (Ret) 32 Sliding into Summer Traffic with the ABCs of Bridge Replacement By Christina R. Garrett, P.E., Michael Baker International 44 Provo City’s West Side Levee Plan Study By Provo City 46 Screening Methods in Liquefaction Analyses By Taylor Hall, Owner and Principal, Moab Geotechnical Group 48 Preventing Unsafe Public Habits with Traffic Control By Britton Tveten, P.E., Civil Engineer, Pleasant Grove City 50 Project-Based Research on Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) Their Importance, Usage and Applications to Medical Fields By Sean Bonilla, Student, Salt Lake Community College and Dr. Nick M. Safai, Professor, Salt Lake Community College 54 Utah Salt Storage Facilities Design Guidelines By Weston Bellon, P.E. 56 The Geospatial Crisis By Danial L. Perry, MBA, PLS, Professor of Surveying and Mapping, Utah Valley University Table of Contents 2
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It is clear that Utah’s engineering potential is prominent, and I look forward to seeing what the next generation achieves in this dynamic environment. 4
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR To All UEC Members, It has truly been a pleasure to lead you all in the past year as your UEC Chair. The theme of this year’s Engineers Week was “Creating the Future.” Looking around the room at our annual banquet and awards ceremony, I had the privilege to look at the future engineering workforce. There, I was uplifted to see that the demographics of the room are shifting and slowly becoming more inclusive. Young, energized engineers are establishing their presence in this world, and their unique perspective invigorates the current workforce. Despite the great strides forward, there is still work to be done to further develop and encourage diversity in engineering. One of the ways we have the privilege to address this is through the UEC’s scholarship program. Financial stability allows for the future to be more complete, as more people have the opportunity to contribute towards it in a meaningful way. I extend my sincere gratitude to our scholarship sponsors who help provide this critical financial support. We are faced with more demanding engineering problems than ever before, but I have full confidence that our next generation of engineers is prepared to take on these substantial challenges. This is illustrated by the incredible feats of engineering being accomplished within our beautiful state. The University of Utah has created a Bionic Leg, which has been featured on the cover of Science Robotics. BYU professors have created a molten salt nuclear reactor that is resistant to accidents and can minimize nuclear waste. NASA’s twin boosters for its Artemis program were developed and manufactured in Utah. It is clear that Utah’s engineering potential is prominent, and I look forward to seeing what the next generation achieves in this dynamic environment. The engineering community has a responsibility to create an environment in which our future generation can thrive. This is a daunting task. However, we can create a future in bite-size pieces, each meaningful in their own way, which CREATING THE FUTURE CAITE BECK, Chair, Utah Engineers Council cumulatively add up to larger, substantial change. This can take the form of mentoring a new employee at your company, volunteering at a career fair or simply encouraging a love for learning in the children in your life. Within a community, we each forge our own path, illuminating it and creating a brighter environment for those who follow. There is still darkness to be explored, but handing the torch to the next generation will empower them to continue this journey, and the world will be better for it. Once again, I thank you for the honor of being your UEC Chair, and I challenge you to consider how you can participate in “Creating the Future” in your own meaningful way. Sincerely, Caite Additional Information About Referenced Projects: The Utah Bionic Leg https://www.mech.utah.edu/utah-bionicleg-in-science-robotics/ The Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor https://www.ksl.com/ article/50505054/byu-professorscreate-reactor-designed-to-safelyproduce-nuclear-energy-heres-howit-works Artemis Program Twin Boosters https://www.fox13now.com/news/ uniquely-utah/uniquely-utah-localrocket-facility-involved-in-upcomingartemis-launch 5
SAVE THE DATE SATURDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2024 UEC AWARDS BANQUET More information coming soon. 6
UEC MEMBER SOCIETIES UEC SCHOLARSHIP & BANQUET SPONSORS GERALD H. PIELE FAMILY 7
2023 ENGINEERS WEEK Engineers play a pivotal role in our everyday lives and they deserve recognition. The 2023 Engineers Week was held February 19-25 and the theme was “Creating the Future.” The purpose of this year’s theme was to recognize how engineers play a vital role in innovating solutions to global challenges that impact future generations. Engineers are able to create new possibilities that make the world a better place by developing new technologies, products and opportunities. We hope that you’ll take a moment to recognize and celebrate the work of engineers and engage students in engineering. Our UEC Engineering Week Awards Banquet was held on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the Davis Conference Center. Attendees enjoyed a night of catching up with old friends and colleagues, good food and celebrating their wins and successes. A big thanks to the following individuals: KEYNOTE SPEAKER David Brandt, P.E., PMP, Electrical Consultants, Inc. UEC OFFICERS Caite Beck, Chair James Couts, Vice Chair & Banquet Lead Peter Jager, Treasurer Scott Pedler, Fundraiser and First Past Chair Paul White, Awards and Second Past Chair James Couts, Scholarships Sophie Hanson, Executive Secretary Roberta Schlicher, Journal UEC Member Representatives DAVIS CONFERENCE CENTER STAFF UEC JOURNAL Sophie Hanson and The newsLINK Group, LLC 8
2022&2023 UEC Awards 9
DR. DAN DONAHOE, PE 1000 kilometers Dr. Dan Donahoe was nominated by the AIAA Utah Section. He is the owner of 1000 kilometers, a general engineering practice with a specific focus on the western region defined by a radius of 1000 kilometers from SLC. Dr. Donahoe is an accomplished engineer with four decades of working in space, commercial and defense. He has worked for USAF, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, U of Maryland, Iomega, Compaq, Teledyne, Ford Aerospace, Motorola and Lockheed. He is actively serving on many professional society boards. 2022 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR 2022 ENGINEERING EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR DR. STEVE BURIAN, PE University of Utah Dr. Steve Burian was nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers. He holds degrees from Notre Dame and the University of Alabama. At the University of Utah, Mr. Burian is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director of the Water Center and Associate Director of the Global Change and Sustainability Center. In the courses that he teaches, he uses project-based learning to address critical local and global water problems. He was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Honor by the President of Pakistan for leading the technical assistance team for the Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water. 10
2022 MESA TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2022 FRESH FACE OF ENGINEERING DAVID CLARK Nibley Park School David has a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in secondary education, both from the University of Phoenix. For the last 17 years, he has taught middle school math and digital literacy at Nibley Park School K-8. His hobbies include singing, playing musical instruments, playing most sports, hiking and camping. He and his beautiful wife have four children and seven grandchildren. YOHHAN KARKERA, PE KPFF Consulting Engineers Yohhan Karkera was nominated by the Structural Engineers Association of Utah. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Mumbai, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah. He is a Project Manager with KPFF with over five years of experience. He has worked on a wide range of building structures, with his primary focus being K-12 school projects. He is the Chair of the Structural Engineers Association of Utah Young Member Group, providing younger engineers with practical knowledge through seminars, networking opportunities and scholarships. 11
DR. MARK EWING Northrop Grumman In addition to all of the career accomplishments listed, it is worth noting that 2022 was an exceptional year for Mark. As a Director and Senior Technical Leader, he and his group have delivered about 90% of their work on time and to commitments. He developed and implemented a career planning process for the 100+ people who work for him and spends extensive and effective energy as a mentor and coach. He personally identified customer analysis errors that would have resulted in missing commitments for a next-generation system, coordinated their correction and kept Northrop Grumman on track to deliver for our government needs. He published two journal papers in 2022. Finally, he created and leads a Northrop Grumman Corporation-wide Uncertainty Quantification Community of Practice. • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Utah State University • M.S. and Ph.D. of Mechanical Engineering, Ohio State University • Registered Professional Engineer in both Utah and Ohio • Director of multi-disciplinary analysis teams that develop large solid rocket motors in commercial and defense applications as well as the NASA SLS Booster • 30 years of experience at the Northrop Grumman solid rocket motor facility in Promontory • Hundreds of papers, publications and presentations in the field of thermal ablation and chemistry, insulation, solid rocket motor nozzles, risk and uncertainty quantification methods for analysis results • Has taught and advised undergraduate and graduate engineering students at Weber State University, University of Utah and Utah State University, among other universities across the country 2023 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR 12
2023 MESA TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2023 ENGINEERING EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR DR. KODY POWELL University of Utah Dr. Kody Powell, from the University of Utah, was nominated by the ASHRAE Utah Chapter. Dr. Powell is an Associate professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah. He has been rated as a top 15% instructor in the College of Engineering for six out of the seven years in which he has been teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. He is a champion for the improvement of students and has personally mentored hundreds of engineering students throughout their education. • Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah • Recognized by the University of Utah Career and Professional Development Center twice as a “Faculty Champion” • Published over 100 peer-reviewed academic research papers, the majority of which are led by students, on a wide range of energy topics • Mentored 14 Ph.D. students and one M.S. student • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin • B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry Minor, from the University of Utah DELIA BAYNA Davis School District Nobody embodies the importance of creating our future more than our educators. Educators regularly put their students first and work to create an environment in which students can reach their full potential. Delia Bayna is no exception. Delia is a highly skilled educator with 15 years of teaching experience. She specializes in 7th and 8th Grade Science at Davis Connect 7-12 Online School in the Davis School District. She is also a MESA Advisor and the SeaPerch Robotics Coach. She has been awarded the Best of Davis Award and has represented the U.S. in Sydney, Australia, at the 2020 Microsoft Global Educator Exchange. She has presented her knowledge of Microsoft Tools at notable conferences such as NSTA, TCEA, and annually at the Davis Technology Conference. 13
AMY VANDERHOUT Northrop Grumman Amy Vanderhout was nominated by the AIAA Utah Section. Amy is a rising aerospace engineer and an active member of the AIAA Young Professionals Group and the Space Logistics and Structures Technical Committee. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is an active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Young Professionals Group and the Space Logistics and Structures Technical Committee. Amy works as a Principal Investigator for the research and development of high-temperature materials at Northrop Grumman Space Systems. Her current project is developing a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) nose cone solution for a sophisticated national defense product, specifically guiding the design team toward a new material system and manufacturing technology that has more environmental capability than existing systems. In addition to the CMC nose cone project, Amy is also taking the lead on performing the dynamic and structural analysis for an internal cryogenic hydrogen storage tank. Prior to this role, Amy worked as a Systems Engineer for a satellite servicing project as an electrical engineer on the thrust vector control on the Space Launch System Solid Rocket Boosters and as a composite structural engineer. This award recognizes new engineers’ accomplishments in their profession and their community; everything that Amy exemplifies. 2023 FRESH FACE IN ENGINEERING 14
ROBERT MOYLE ARW Engineers Robert “Doc” Moyle of ARW Engineers was nominated by the Structural Engineers Association of Utah. Robert is a Senior Principal and Vice President at ARW Engineers, a structural engineering consulting firm in Ogden, UT. Over his 25-year consulting career, Mr. Moyle has enjoyed the privilege of working on a wide range of building projects that improve public welfare throughout the state of Utah. He is also heavily involved in SEAU, where he recently finished a nine-year tenure as the Codes Committee Chair, writing and working to get a variety of amendments and updates adopted to the Utah Building Code. He holds an M.S. from Utah State University and works to promote engineering to future generations by mentoring USU students and serving for two years as a USU adjunct professor. He also volunteers at high school STEM fairs. He has done all of this while concurrently serving 22 years in the Idaho Army National Guard. RYAN MAW Gerhart Cole Ryan Maw of Gerhart Cole was nominated by the ASCE Utah Section. Ryan Maw is a Geotechnical Engineer, a Principal and Vice President at Gerhard Cole with experience providing innovative and practical solutions to infrastructure challenges and geologic hazards as a technical consultant and practitioner on projects across the Intermountain West and West Coast. Ryan completed both his undergraduate and graduate education at Utah State University. As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Mr. Maw has been involved on a national level as a member of the Embankments, Dams, Slopes, Critical Infrastructure, Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics and Local Involvement Committees. Further recognition by ASCE includes the designation as a Fellow to celebrate his contributions and development of creative solutions that have impacted the communities he serves. Ryan strongly believes in lifelong professional development, project stakeholder partnering and the ability of committed teams to overcome challenges to do great things. 2023 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES 15
JONATHAN OLDHAM Bowen Collins & Associates (BC&A) Jon Oldham of Bowen Collins & Associates was nominated by the Society of American Military Engineers. Jon is a registered professional engineer and is currently a principal with Bowen Collins & Associates. He has over 21 years of experience on engineering teams for projects involving planning, design, construction management for new facilities and maintenance and repair of water, wastewater, roadway, communication and power utilities and commercial/ industrial buildings. He also served active duty in the United States Air Force as a civil engineer officer managing a wide variety of projects in the United States and the UAE. He has provided project design and management for projects including water disinfection and treatment, water and wastewater pipelines, booster pump stations, reservoirs, wells, well pump stations, sewage lift stations, road improvements, buildings and storm drainage. In addition to solving engineering challenges, his favorite activities involve spending time with his wife and six children. JEFF WATKINS VBFA Consulting Engineers Jeff Watkins of VBFA Consulting Engineers was nominated by the ASHRAE Utah Chapter. Jeff Watkins has served as the President and CEO of VBFA Consulting Engineers since the fall of 2021. He directly oversees the firm’s growth and operations as he and VBFA’s employees deliver outstanding mechanical design to VBFA’s clients over hundreds of projects. As the prime professional, or as part of an architectural team, the designs for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems for some of the state’s most notable projects are designed under Jeff’s direction. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Utah College of Engineering and a licensed professional engineer. He has over 30 years of mechanical engineering experience, and his areas of expertise include sustainability, energy analysis, modeling and the mechanical design of community facilities aimed at accommodating various groups and organizations. In addition to his many professional accolades, he has decades of service to ASHRAE. 2023 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES 16
DR. DUSTIN BIRCH, PE Weber State University Dr. Dustin Birch was nominated by the AIAA Utah Section. Dustin holds a B.S. and M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Colorado State University. Since 2011, he has applied real-world experience in the classroom as a Professor of Engineering at Weber State University. NESTOR CAMACHO Colvin Engineering Associates Nestor Camacho from Colvin Engineering Associates was nominated by the ASHRAE Utah Chapter. Nestor graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and began working with Colvin Engineering Associates. Nestor is responsible for load calculations and designs that deliver energy-efficient HVAC systems to laboratory and science education buildings at high schools and universities, among other clients. He helped launch the Stepwise program, a new collaboration between the IAC and Dominion Energy Utah focused on air quality and energy efficiency among large energy users. ANNA ROBERTS Ensign Engineering Anna Roberts from Ensign Engineering was nominated by the ASCE Utah Section. Anna is currently pursuing a B.S. in Civil Engineering with an Environmental emphasis from the University of Utah and is working as a Site Civil Engineering Intern at Ensign Engineering. She joined YMF in early fall of 2021 and is now the President-Elect for the organization. She has set up PE review courses and approaches her role in the YMF with a great attitude and willingness to help. She impresses all who work with her, and her involvement in the organization has led to great advancements. ETHAN GITTINS BHB Structural Ethan Gittins from BHB Structural was nominated by the Structural Engineers Association of Utah. Ethan holds a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah and has been working at BHB for four and a half years. He has been awarded the BHB Project Engineer of the Year Award and has worked on many projects, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Syracuse Utah Temple and the University of Utah DESB Impact Housing. He also served as the Project Engineer for Industry SLC. 2023 FRESH FACE IN ENGINEERING NOMINEES 2023 ENGINEERING EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR NOMINEE 17
CONGRATULATIONS UEC 2022 Scholarship Recipients! KIAN BEN-JACOBS Mechanical Engineering University of Utah INCOSE Wasatch and AIAA Utah Section Scholarship • President of the AIAA Student Chapter and Aerospace Club at the University of Utah • Member of Tau Beta Pi Honor Society • Licensed amateur radio operator and a certified private pilot • Accomplished golf and lacrosse player LEXI DEFORD Mechanical Engineering and Biology University of Utah ASHRAE Utah Chapter Scholarship • Studying Mechanical Engineering and Biology • Currently working at a research lab to improve air-temperature-sensing technology • President of the ASHRAE Student Branch at the University of Utah • For a career, Lexi wants to design engineering systems to support biological systems, perhaps in the field of indoor agriculture • Reads novels, plays soccer and tries to learn Italian ALEXIS EVANS Electrical Engineering Utah State University BAE Systems Scholarship • Electrical Engineer Intern at Northrop Grumman • Utilized various computer programs to develop and test simulations • Created a microcontroller drawing system controlled by a joystick • Volunteer math tutor • Involved in Eyes for Zimbabwe, Feed My Sheep, Helping Hands, Women and Children Justice Center, Sub for Santa and Days for Girls 18
CHRISTOPHER ROSENLUND Mechanical Engineering Utah State University BAE Systems Scholarship and Ben Van De Graaff Memorial Award • Studying Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace emphasis • Member of Tau Beta Pi • Used fluid dynamics software to analyze heat transfer effects induced by surface roughness caused in the additive manufacturing process • Involved in USU Get Away Special Passive Attitude Control Satellite (GASPACS) • Involved in the development and testing of deployable “AeroBoom” • Assisted in a high-altitude balloon launch to test software and payload • Completed satellite successfully deployed from the International Space Station CHASE NOORDA Electrical Engineering Weber State University Charlie and Nita Vono Scholarship • Studied with the Air Force Technical School • Worked with Master Craft in creating a program for the feasibility of offering a pure electric ski/surf boat option • Project includes Digital Systems for making analog and digital converters • Used 8051F020 controller with Silicon Labs to program the original ping pong game by Atari on an LCD screen • Working alongside professional engineers providing sustainment for the Minuteman III weapon system MELANIE MILLS Biological Engineering Utah State University FLSmidth Scholarship • Tutor • Research Assistant with the USU Department of Plants, Soils and Climate • Setup, manage and collect data from in-field research plots to compare water and fertilizer use • Process and analyze field data to publish information for agriculturists ALI SHAABAN Civil Engineering Utah Valley University Midgley-Huber, Inc. Scholarship • Engineering tutor • Dean’s List • Vice President’s List 19
LORENZ CUSHMAN Materials Science and Engineering University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Involved in undergraduate and industry research • Specializing in biopolymers and their applications in industry • Researching fluorine-free ski wax alternatives in the sustainable polymers lab • This area of study and research has motivated her to raise questions and engineer solutions regarding the planet’s environmental crisis DAVID VENEGAS Electrical Engineering University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • First-generation immigrant to the United States, coming from Columbia at age 19 • Studying to gain a good grasp of Signal Processing, Microelectronics, Power and Energy, Photonics and Digital Systems • Currently works at the international admissions office at the University of Utah, aiding new students enrolling from foreign countries • Community involvement included serving as a Chess Instructor at Esperanza Elementary, teaching children the game of chess JACOB WATTS Electrical Engineering Weber State University Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Works at MicroGEM International PLC, validating medical equipment for purchase and FDA approval • Designed and built a computer-controlled solver for the Perplexus Epic Puzzle Maze Game • Designed, prototyped and built a fully functional 12-hour digital clock with AM/PH indicator • Decoded NOAA satellite data using SDR Receiver • Member of IEEE • Amateur Radio Operator TOBY MCMURRAY Mechanical Engineering Southern Utah University Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Dean’s list • STIL Director of Videography, directing content creators to assist students in getting connected to SUU • As an undergraduate researcher, collaborated with Black Diamond to identify a manufacturing issue 20
KATHRYN ELLER Electrical Engineering Weber State University Gerald H. Piele Memorial Scholarship • Has shown an aptitude for Electrical and Computer Engineering and Digital Circuits • Involved with a youth group called Pathfinders, helping kids to complete honors or level work • Taught Lego Robotics Honor to the local Boy Scout group MANUEL GASPAR Mechanical Engineering Southern Utah University Van Boerum & Frank Associates, Inc. Scholarship • STEM Tutor, Writing Fellow and Mathematics Teaching Assistant • Member of Rocket Bird Club, serving on the airframe team • Worked for Cozinhas Micra, Leiria, Portugal, developing projects using AutoCAD and Solidworks • Was an exchange student to the U.S. studying in Charleston, SC • Speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish © 2020 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, LET’S DO THE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow”, the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. Contact Us Today! wheelercat.com/powersystems | 801-974-0511 WHEELER POWER SYSTEMS Ready to meet all your power generation demands—large or small, simple to complex. • Emergency Standby, Prime, Continuous and Mission Critical Power • Natural Gas, Bio Gas, Low Pressure Gas and Propane Gas Generator Sets • Diesel Generator Sets • UPS: Uninterruptable Power Supply • CHP: High Efficiency Combined Heat and Power • Renewable Energy and Microgrids • Energy Efficiency Services 21
ELLERY GRESHAM Data Science University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Majoring in Data Science and minoring in Atmospheric Sciences • Officer of the Data Science Club • Mentor for a student from Jamaica • Strong ambassador for the outdoors and wants to help preserve the beauty of the planet JONATHAN HONG Biomedical Engineering University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Third-year student studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Chinese • Passionate about applying engineering principles toward the development of medical devices and treatments • Works in a research lab developing treatments for a metabolic genetic disorder • Recently led research project over the summer — head author over research article being written on subject matter • Hobbies include tennis, music and piano, cooking and anything related to the ocean ABBIE SACCOMANNO Biomedical Engineering University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Third-year Biomedical Engineering student on the pre-med track • Undergraduate researcher in Dr. Ademuyiwa Aromolaran’s research lab at the Cardiovascular Research Training Institute • Working as a Health Care Assistant at the University of Utah Hospital • Secretary of the American Medical Women’s Association — pre-med chapter • Volunteer at Rape Recovery Center CONGRATULATIONS UEC 2023 Scholarship Recipients! The Utah Engineers Council awarded 12 scholarships to Utah-based engineering students who have completed at least the junior years of their college-accredited engineering programs. We recognize the importance of supporting and building our next generation of engineers. Hearing the accomplishments of our scholarship recipients exemplifies that we have a bright future ahead of us. 22
SAM WIMMER Computer Engineering University of Utah Northrop Grumman Scholarship • Studying Computer Engineering at the University of Utah • Loves furthering education and hopes to provide a better world to the future • Born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley • Enjoys exploring the outdoors, snowboarding and fishing • Loves a challenge, which is why he went into the field of Computer Engineering LUKE ANDERSEN Electrical Engineering Utah State University Bae Systems Scholarship • Research Assistant working at the Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE) National Science Foundation Research Center • Received undergraduate research grant for independent work to build a DC-AC power inverter • Would like to pursue an M.S. in Electrical Engineering, focusing on power electronics, and apply his expertise to his home state of Utah KAITLIN MEILI O’BANNON Mechanical Engineering Brigham Young University Bae Systems Scholarship • Working as a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Neonatal Rescue in Bluffdale, UT, testing patient circuit compatibility with their ventilators and assisting with the submission for FDA certification for their ventilators • Member of the 2ft Prosthetic Club and participated on a team researching the lack of access to prosthetics in certain areas • Avid dancer and has taken at least one dance class every semester in college • Involved in community service through her church AMBER STRICKLEN Mechanical Engineering Southern Utah University Van Boerum & Frank Associates, Inc. Scholarship • Lab Assistant for the engineering department working on wind tunnel system and process updates • Has worked as an information technology assistant, undergraduate researcher, makerspace lab assistant and grader • Would like to pursue a career in the aerospace industry, particularly spacecraft manufacturing, launch and recovery efforts • Received Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2020 for mentorship of three robotics teams at local middle school • Recipient of the Society of Women Engineers NEXT local innovator award 23
ISABELLE UMUGWANEZA Mechanical Engineering Weber State University The newsLINK Group and Gerald H. Piele Family Scholarship • Mechanical Engineering intern at Scientia Vascular • Designing a new fixture for testing and conducting labs • Goal is to innovatively design neuromedical devices such as ventricular catheters and guidewires • Junior Consultant at BAG Innovation in Kigali, Rwanda • Youth Action for Health Africa — President • Mental Health Assistant in Zimbabwe CHRISTOPHER PANTLE Mechanical Engineering Weber State University Charlie and Nita Vono Scholarship • Night Manager at Bowman’s Marketplace • Plans to pursue a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering • Inducted member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Honor Roll, Dream Weber Expansion Scholarship, Graduate of Institute with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Secretary of Service in National Honor Society in High School and Sons and Daughters of the Pioneers Scholarship • Participates in the Institute of Religion as well as activities with the ASME club FISK LUNDGREEN Mechanical Engineering Brigham Young University AIAA Utah Section Scholarship • President of the Aeronautics Club • Wants to promote the sharing of ideas and creation of project teams for events such as the AIAA Design Build Fly and the 3D-printed Aircraft competitions KRISTINA ROLLER Civil Engineering Utah State University FLSmidth Scholarship • Undergraduate Researcher at Utah Water Research Lab, where she helps the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers build an understanding of air demand behind labyrinth weirs • UWRL Ambassador, Engineering Ambassador, and Hydraulics TA • Wants to increase the quality of living for the less fortunate by working on large environmentally-focused hydraulic structures • Developed Utah State’s Timber Strong Team • Participates in outreach through Engineering Ambassadors and the Society of Women Engineers • Vice President of Engineers Without Borders • Volunteers with an aquaponics club and is a science fair mentor at Viewmont Elementary School 24
Excerpt from Article on Curating Energy Resilience Resources By RICH HOUGHTON, F. SAME, USAF (Ret) FRAMING RESILIENCE “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” — Nelson Mandela When the power goes out at an airport, resilience will be tested. In November 2021, two airport power outages on opposite sides of the country impacted thousands of travelers. The first occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, and the second event happened less than a week later at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. Both were caused by humans (Fox 10 Phoenix, 2021). Both events tested resilience. Scenarios such as those power outages highlight the need to be resilient. But what is resilience? This article explores various definitions of the term. It also discusses information sources and some case studies that demonstrate approaches to becoming more resilient. Finally, it offers some tips about managing available resilience information and tapping into those resources. Both the Arizona and North Carolina power outages can be instructive. Not surprisingly, unexpected power outage events delay flights and cause panic and frustration. Outage events highlight some essential lessons about the concept of resilience. Those lessons teach us how we can bounce back from adversity. The takeaways range from deeply personal to organizational. The stories of those outages and their inevitable stress and suffering made me think: What if there was an available toolkit that organizations and individuals could use to be more resilient? Where might one find such a toolkit? What would be in it? What would be in an individual person’s toolkit compared to the kit for an airport authority or a Department of Defense (DOD) unit? The answer to those questions sparked an information quest that led to this article. In Phoenix, the Monday Morning quarterbacks agreed that many steps could have been taken to prevent that kind of event. That idea of prevention is a concept at the heart of any resilience discussion. Looking deeper into the Phoenix event, the root cause was a problem with the maintenance process. According to Arizona Public Service, the commercial power company for the airport, “APS crews were performing maintenance on the electrical system that serves Sky Harbor in preparation for the upcoming busy travel season when a failure occurred in a piece of equipment called a switching cabinet. We’re looking into what caused that failure” (Phoenix Central News, 2021). Ironically, preventive maintenance, often a key contributor to resilience, was the culprit in Sky Harbor’s painful outage. Less than a week after the Phoenix event, it was Raleigh-Durham Airport’s turn for an unexpected power outage. Again, human error was the culprit: RDU spokeswoman Crystal Feldman said a cleaning crew spilled a large amount of water. It seeped through 25
a floor and onto an electrical box, tripping the system for Concourse C. “This was a freak accident that happened,” Feldman said. “We apologize for the inconvenience. This is absolutely unexpected.” (WRAL.com) An apology is a weak recovery tool for the weary traveler trapped at the airport. Conversely, information about the cause of adversity is a powerful component of resilience. DEFINING RESILIENCE “If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem, and only five minutes finding the solution.” — Albert Einstein Power outages at places such as Phoenix and Raleigh are rare. But they pack a punch. When an airport is impacted, there is often a domino effect across the nation. Delayed or canceled flights create a spiderweb of effects at far-away locations that have nothing to do with the root cause. We can learn a great deal about resilience by doing a case study about any power outage. The good news is that every event illustrates resilience tools that will help in the future. The bad news is problems are not limited to human error. Our energy infrastructure faces significant hazards such as weather events, earthquakes, fires and terrorism. The ugly news is that we don’t know how unprepared we are until disaster strikes. Therefore, it makes sense to maximize the number of available resilience resources. Consider the lifeboat on a cruise ship: It’s nice to know it is there, but passengers don’t pay much attention to lifeboat operations until the ship is going down. At that moment, two things are vitally important: The first is that somebody has been paying attention, and the lifeboat is ready. The second is that somebody is there to organize the lifeboat activity during the chaos. The lifeboat image hints at one aspect of resilience. But as with the blind men attempting to describe an elephant, there’s a lot more going on there. At its core, any definition of resilience involves bouncing back from events such as airport power outages. The idea is to take a punch and get back in the fight. If one applies those concepts to valuable power and water resources, a definition of energy resilience emerges. Presidential Policy Directive 21 provided an early description of what energy resilience means. In a nutshell, the document called it the “Ability to prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions.” (White House, 2013) Five years later, the National Defense Authorization Act defined energy resilience as “The ability to avoid, prepare for, minimize, adapt to, and recover from anticipated and unanticipated energy disruptions in order to ensure energy availability and reliability sufficient to provide for mission assurance and readiness, including mission-essential operations related to readiness, and to execute or rapidly reestablish mission-essential requirements.” (NDAA, 2018) Resilience is cloaked in the classic military idea of readiness. A foundational aspect of readiness is understanding threats. In the energy infrastructure world, threats range from tornadoes to terrorists. No matter your politics about global climate change, the costs are real: The National Centers for Environmental Information found that “In 2021, there were 20 weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect the United States. These events included one drought event, two flooding events, 11 severe storm events, four tropical cyclone events, one wildfire event and one winter storm event. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 688 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. The 1980-2021 annual average is 7.4 events (Consumer Price Index-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent five years (2017-2021) is 17.2 events (CPI-adjusted).” (NOAA, 2022) If the only threat were weather, resilience would demand responding to multiple punches. Once you understand what resilience means to you, the trick is to figure out how to get some. CURATING A PERSONAL RESILIENCE TOOLKIT “It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.” — Bram Stoker, Dracula My son recently watched a movie called Ready Player One. A key character in the movie was “The Curator.” The Curator provided key clues to a mystery at key times in the story. He demonstrated an enviable high-tech ability to virtually show you 26
anything there was to know about his museum. As I listened to some of the banter in the movie, I wished I had my own resilience curator. What would a curator have available for resilience seekers? Where would he start, and how would the information be organized? Those questions inspired me to build my own resilience library. Then, after seeing many available resources, I set about organizing my collection. It was then that I realized that the knowledge managers of the world play a critical role in our survival. Curators and librarians are heroes. Knowledge management heroes provide us with a venue to seek the answers to our questions. Sometimes they answer questions we did not even know we had. In an age where Google has become a verb, it helps to have somebody who can point you in the right direction. I set a goal to curate some of the gobs of energy resilience information that is out there. But I soon realized it was a massive undertaking. I am building the airplane while flying it. The upshot of that revelation is an understanding that there is always more available. If a toolkit can help one person find a resilience resource, it is worth the curating effort. Resilience information can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain. Each new information source is filled with references to other resources. The trick is to find the ones that make sense for you. This article describes some of the places to find your answers. PREPARING FOR DISASTER “Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde So what can we do to better prepare for disaster? How can we become more resilient? When one considers recent disasters, it is helpful to assess the experiences and teaching moments from a resilience framework: What worked out? What didn’t? Are there common preparatory actions that individuals and organizations can take to improve their ability to bounce back? I was intrigued by the idea that there should be a place where one can go to find the answers to these types of questions. So I did what any pilgrim would do at the start of a journey: I Googled “Energy Resilience Toolkit.” That action led to joy and frustration. Immediate joy came in the form of a resource called the “U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit,” managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office. Created in 2014, it frames resilience as a five-step process. NOAA recommends resilience seekers: 1. Explore Hazards: Identify the things that can cause you harm. 2. Assess Vulnerability and Risk: Determine the likelihood and impacts of harmful events. 3. Investigate Options: Develop potential courses of action to mitigate damage. 4. Prioritize and Plan: Evaluate the costs and benefits of your options. 5. Take Action! In addition to outlining their five steps for Climate Resilience, NOAA provides a useful list of references and some case studies. Maybe most importantly to some, NOAA provides a list of potential funding sources for improving resilience. While the focus is on climate, the approach applies to the closely related topic of overall energy resilience (NOAA, 2022). A good business practice is to find an organization that does what you do and benchmark it. The United States federal government is one of the best benchmark opportunities in the energy arena. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), hosted by the Department of Energy, provides a wide array of resources and training opportunities for energy resilience. FEMP has a large pool of experience to draw upon: “With more than 350,000 energy-utilizing buildings and 600,000 vehicles, the federal government is the nation’s largest energy consumer. Energy used in buildings and facilities represents about 40% of the total site-delivered energy use of the federal government, with vehicle and equipment energy use accounting for 60% of that energy. (FEMP, 2022) The FEMP team acts as a clearinghouse for information flow from all that experience. Mandated by law, the FEMP hosts utility working groups and various in-person and virtual events to share their knowledge. FEMP is just a few clicks away on your computer keyboard. The Department of Defense is a great place to find more narrowly focused energy resilience tools. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment has a large library of references and guidance documents. The resources are generally rooted in a scary tenet from the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) that the homeland is not a sanctuary. The 2022 NDS promises more of the same, with the word “resilience” prominently featured in the DOD fact sheet about the new document. It makes sense that defense planners would value the idea of resilience. Type “OSD Energy Resilience” into your favorite search engine to find a summary of the Defense Department’s thoughts on the topic. You will also find a timeline showing the evolution of defense philosophy from “energy security” to “energy resilience” and beyond. Of course, if the OSD team has a philosophy about resilience, the individual armed services staffs feel the need to define it better. The U.S. Army has three documents that provide insights and strategic guidance for energy resilience. The first is the Army Climate Strategy, published in February 2022. The climate strategy outlines the service’s approach to adapting to the changing climate and pursuing greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. Their approach forms a nexus where initiatives like electric vehicles could both reduce impacts on climate change and provide a resilient power source for installations. 27
The strategy includes a high-level line of effort to enhance Army installation resilience. Deeper into details, the Army Installations Strategy illustrates how the enterprise will maintain energy and water systems that will be “resilient, cybersecure and efficient.” There are 26 key references at the end of the document. Some of those references provide more insights into resilience planning and response. There would likely be more if the alphabet had more letters! The December 2020 Army Installation Energy and Water Strategic Plan is a third, even more-detailed Army resource. There are 33 reference documents listed at the end of that plan. The plan describes how the energy resilience goal ensures that the Army has the required energy and water to complete critical missions under all conditions. The U.S. Navy released an Installation Energy Resilience Strategy in February 2020. Links about Navy energy resilience are located at the website for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment. A nice feature of that particular website is a list of resources at other DOD locations. That demonstrates the importance of a joint fight, whether it be on a traditional battlefield or in the utility world. The Air Force has similar guidance documents, some of which are referenced on the Office of Energy Assurance website. AF Leaders published their Installation Energy Strategic Plan in January 2021. Like other defense planning documents, it links to the National Defense Strategy and provides a flight plan for achieving mission assurance through energy assurance. The plan pursues three goals: • Identify Enabling System Vulnerabilities • Improve Resilience Planning • Ensure Resilience Results RESILIENCE CASE STUDIES “I made it through the rain and found myself respected by the others who got rained on too and made it through.” — Barry Manilow The increasing number of events that test our resilience has a bright side. Each time we ride out a storm or recover from an unexpected threat, we learn more lessons. Wise leaders share their lessons and embrace the feedback from others. The increasing number of events that test our resilience has a bright side. Each time we ride out a storm or recover from an unexpected threat, we learn more lessons. 28
Hill AFB Calendar Year IEEE 1366 Power Reliability Statistics Metric 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Unscheduled Outages 43 42 42 21 32 25 12 Customer Minutes 153,027 121,700 88,714 31,058 50,477 70,588 19,530 ASAI 99.9667 99.9736 99.9807 99.9932 99.9890 99.9847 99.9958 SAIDI 174.89 139.09 101.39 35.49 57.69 80.55 21.95 CAIDI 73.36 80.76 60.06 65.52 66.95 49.09 79.39 SAIFI 2.384 1.722 1.688 0.542 0.862 1.641 0.276 Table 1: Power Reliability Statistics for Hill AFB from 2015-2021 Concerning DOD sites, several new microgrid projects are in various stages of development. There will doubtlessly be lessons from the construction and testing of the systems. There are also other smaller examples of tools that can be applied, such as automation and looping. Best practices in the industry reveal proven measures to reduce three significant aspects of an outage. Those aspects are frequency, duration and scope. Each of those measures contributes to reliability differently: 1. Frequency: When a system has less frequent events, the overall annual number of outages is reduced. In the case of Hill AFB, the number decreased from 43 events in 2015 to 12 in 2021. But reducing the number of raw outages alone is just one component of resilience. 2. Duration: Shorter outages translate to less impact on the customer. System automation and improved crew response times reduce outage duration times. 3. Scope: The number of customers impacted by an outage is an important resilience factor. The goal is to limit the extent of the impact from a single event. For example: If five outages affect 10 buildings each, 50 customers lose power. Compare that to three outages of 20 buildings each, where more customers (60) are affected by a lower number of events. An ideal system improvement would reduce all three components of outages. A metric that captures all of those components is “Customer-Minutes Interrupted,” or simply customer-minutes. That customer-minute value is a key component in two reliability indices tracked by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the duration index and the availability index. The mission of the power provider is to maximize the availability and minimize outage duration. A perfect system would achieve those goals by applying all available resilience tools, but that comes at a cost. Considering budget pressures, the cost of the resilience tool is almost as important as its availability. Analysis of performance indices and available improvement tools can help power distributors consider key questions about the resilience of their systems. The first question is: “How much reliability is adequate from the customer’s perspective?” The second is “Where should a utility spend its reliability dollars to optimize efficiency and satisfy customers’ electricity requirements at the lowest cost?” The following paragraphs provide an example of investments that balanced those two questions at an Air Force installation in Utah. One example of improved resilience is the electrical distribution system’s performance at Hill Air Force Base, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. The system provides an insightful case study for reducing the number and impact of power outages. In 2015, one year after taking ownership of the system, City Light & Power engineers planned projects and capital investments to renew the electrical distribution system. They introduced automation and other selected tools to reduce the frequency, duration and scope of power outages. The selected investments were based on the classic Asset Management approach. A team determined what they had, assessed conditions and developed a prioritized plan to maintain or replace components that needed improvement. Six years later, the number of outages was down 72%, and the customer downtime from outages was down 87%. While many variables affect the operation of an electrical system, outage, frequency and cumulative duration are most telling. Those two measures speak volumes about the impact of improved system maintenance and investment. Table 1 illustrates the dramatic effects that system investments can make. While there are many uncertainties with power distribution, the table shows a trend of improved system performance over time. 29
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