2007 Issue

UTAH ENGINEERS COUNCIL JOURNAL 7 A S I DEVELOPED THE PROGRAM FOR THE ANNUAL ENGINEERS WEEK AWARDSBANQUET, I REACQUAINTED MYSELF WITH THE CHARTER FOR THE UTAH ENGINEERS COUNCIL (UEC). OUR PUR- POSE IS TOADVANCE THE ART ANDSCIENCEOF engineering and to provide a forum for com- munication between the varying engineering societies. With 15 engineering societies within the state of Utah represented, the Council cer- tainly provides the forum for communication. I encourage each of the societies to participate in your UEC by sharing your activities which may be of professional interest and continuing to select representatives who will actively par- ticipate inUEC activities and assist in recruit- ing volunteers from your societies to support the various UEC endeavors. This year partici- pating representatives continued the tradition of hardwork preparing this Journal, canvassing contributors for the various programs, enabling recognition programs, and staging theAnnual Engineers Week Banquet. As always, the Engineers Week Awards Banquet is the premier event where Utah’s best are recognized for their efforts. This year’s banquet is no exception! In addition to recog- nizing theUtah Engineer of the Year and Fresh Faces in Engineering, we continue to recognize excellence in education. Our educators are our priceless tools; whether influencing and peaking the interest of young minds to pursue opportunities in engineering and science ca- reers through programs such as MESA/STEP programs or preparing our young engineers to join the ranks of various employers and solve the challenges of the world. The UEC again Advancing The Art & Science of Engineering recognizes the Outstanding MESA Teacher/ Advisor and the Engineering Educator of the Year. This year the UEC continues recogni- tion of deserving college engineering students with three scholarships. Finally, working in partnership with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the E-Week Banquet is also the forum for recognition of the ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards. I encourage you to attend this year’s ban- quet, Friday, February 23, 2007 at the 23rd Floor Events Center, Salt Lake City and con- gratulate this year’s nominees and winners. You will find a full page flyer elsewhere in the Journal with the specifics. I look forward to meeting with you there. I challenge each of you that haven’t already donated, to donate more generously then you did last year. Because of the gener- ous donations last year, we were once again able to award three scholarships (U of U, BYU, USU) to highly qualified and well deserved engineering students. I recently read the message from the Chair and Professor of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Utah, Dr. Paul Tikalsky. In his message, he stated that the 2005 2006 graduating class graduated one of the U’s largest classes in Civil and Environmental Engineering. It is great to see these numbers rising due to the high demand for engineers in Utah. Our annual UEC Banquet this year will be held at the top of the Key Bank Building in Downtown Salt Lake. Thanks to the many hours of dedication of our Vice Chair, Michael Norrie and other board members, I believe this will banquet will rank on top of all other previous banquets (pun intended). I hope to see you there. It is my hope that 2007 becomes the best year yet in Utah’s economy for all of us! UEC CHAIR’S MESSAGE — continued Dale K. Bennett is a Utah Professional Engineer and Land Sur- veyor and founder of Benchmark Engineering and Land Survey- ing, LLC, in Sandy, Utah. He is also an active member of UCLS, ACEC-Utah and ASCE, which are all members of UEC. BY MICHAEL NORRIE MWH Americas, Inc. U EC Vice Chair 2006-2007 Vice Chair’s Message