On November 2, 2025, the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers hosted their annual Fall Kickoff and Life Member Banquet at the LeMont Restaurant on Mt. Washington.  Engineers, ASCE life member inductees and past life member inductees, professors, students, and parents and families were in attendance.  

All were greeted at the door by Nadeen Fatfat, one of ASCE’s Board of Directors, and Alma Rettinger, PE, our past-President, who provided nametags for all attendees.

The banquet started with a social hour from 430 pm until around 530 pm. At that time, Pat Sullivan, PE, our customary emcee, used his microphone like voice to ‘recommend’ that people start their trek to the dining area, complete with a breathtaking view of downtown Pittsburgh.

Pat’s 15-minute monologue discussing what he feels like talking about on that day began…..this year, it was the 128 Crayola crayon colors and a few math problems!  Do you know that 10+10 = 20 and 11+11= 20 too?   

There is never a dull moment when Pat gets a chance to talk….

As is tradition, Pat invited each of the Corporate Sponsors for the Life Member Banquet to the podium to receive a certificate of appreciation for their gracious sponsorship and to talk about whatever they wanted.   Thanks again to our corporate sponsors… Hill International and Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc! 

Also, in tradition with the Fall Kickoff theme, Taylor DaCanal, PE, the current President of the Pittsburgh Section, said a few words, thanked the life members for their career contributions and discussing her goals and objectives for her presidency.

This year’s keynote speaker was Adam Taylor from DCI/Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation.  His presentation entitled ‘The Revitalization of the Carrie Furnace Sites’ provided some unique history, design aspects and photographs of the furnaces, which were built in 1884 and operated for nearly 100 years.  Did you know that Henry Fownes, the original owner, sold the steel facility to Andrew Carnegie in 1898, and used the money to build Oakmont Country Club?  Many thanks to Adam for presenting.

Following a great sit-down dinner of filet, chicken or salmon, and vanilla cake for dessert, the induction of the life members began.  Unlike any of the previous induction ceremonies, where a “Q and A” of their life is administered by Pat, each life member stood at the podium and spoke freely about their lives, thanking everyone who influenced and supported their professional careers, the exciting projects they worked on, and their involvement in ASCE.  Thanks to the 2025 life member award winners who attended.

 Dave Briskey, PE Ken Greb, PE

 Mark Pavlick, PE

 Pat Sullivan, PE

Let us also thank the other 2025 Life Members for their contributions

John Nedley, P.E                      Carol Tasillo, PE

John Tkacs,                              Elizabeth Dwyre, PE

Leonard Casson, PE                 John Wood, PE

Following the life member ceremony, student chapter officers in attendance from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie-Mellon University and Slippery Rock University were invited to the podium to talk about their upcoming goals, objectives and events for 2026. 

The event concluded with a second thanks to our Corporate Sponsors and also to our Gold Sponsor HDR Engineering.  The event concluded with a prize raffle of 5 gifts, and was again highlighted by the annual humongous CEC food basket.

Please visit the ASCE website www.asce-pgh.org for all of the pictures from the banquet.

Thanks to everyone who attended.

        

To help celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the 1924 opening of Liberty Tunnels in Pittsburgh, the ASCE Pittsburgh Section History & Heritage Committee, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), nominated in 2024 the Liberty Tunnels Ventilation System for recognition as an ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (NHCEL). This particular feature of the Liberty Tunnels was selected for nomination after extensive consultation with the ASCE National History & Heritage Committee. The nomination was approved by the National History & Heritage Committee and final approval was provided by the ASCE Board of Direction at their March 2025 meeting. The NHCEL plaque was subsequently installed on the Fan House building entrance above the tunnels and officially dedicated on September 4, 2025. The dedication ceremony, which was covered by various Pittsburgh television and print media organizations, involved PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll, PennDOT District 11 Assistant Executive Lori Musto, PennDOT District 11 Tunnel Manager Todd Caddy, Pittsburgh Section President Taylor DaCanal, Pittsburgh Section Past President Alma Rettinger, and the members of the Pittsburgh Section History & Heritage Committee: David DiGioia, David Dzombak, Greg Scott, and Todd Wilson. In her remarks at the dedication ceremony, Pittsburgh Section President Taylor DaCanal said: “The recognition will now be a permanent reminder of the impact that the City of Bridges and Tunnels has had on infrastructure worldwide. It will also serve as an inspiration to future engineering generations to drive improvement of infrastructure forward through innovation.” David Dzombak, Chair of the Pittsburgh Section History & Heritage Committee, concluded his overview of the path-breaking features of the Liberty Tunnels and the ventilation system with: “Thanks to the forward-looking design of the Liberty Tunnels, and the committed effort of Allegheny County – the constructor and original owner – and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation – owner since 1962 – the Liberty Tunnels have provided important and safe service to our city and region for the past 100 years and are poised to do the same for the next 100 years.”

Historic Significance

The twin-bore, four-lane Liberty Tunnels opened to automobile traffic in January 1924. This was America’s first twin-bore auto-exclusive tunnel, and one of the first automobile-only tunnels. At over a mile long, the Liberty Tunnels comprised America’s longest auto tunnel upon opening. The need for new kinds of public safety systems, including cross-passages and a ventilation system, for such a long tunnel were recognized from the start of the design. As little was known about human health impacts of gases discharged by motor vehicles in tunnels, a significant research and development effort was initiated to support the design of a ventilation system that would protect the public. The tunnel design engineers, led by civil engineer Almos D. Neeld (an 1875 civil engineering graduate of the University of Pittsburgh), engaged and collaborated with the U.S. Bureau of Mines research lab, which was located in Pittsburgh. The collaborative research and design effort developed knowledge and methods that advanced tunnel ventilation engineering nationally.

Novel Design

To ventilate the tunnels, the design included a shaft with four compartments above each tunnel. The ventilation shafts extend 200 feet vertically from the top of the tunnels to the Liberty Tunnels Ventilation System Fan House building floor located in the Mt. Washington neighborhood above the tunnels. Assisted by the air flow induced from moving vehicles, fresh air is pulled in from each entry portal and pulled to the center where the polluted tunnel air is drawn into the ventilation shafts via the fan-house-induced draft flow and ultimately discharged through a tower 110 feet above grade at the Fan House building. Fans also push fresh air through a different compartment of the same shaft down into the tunnel, with discharge above the moving traffic at a point 50 feet from the location of the intake vents in the direction of the exit portal. The moving traffic induces air flow toward the exit portal, providing a second location for discharge of polluted air. Wind breaks at the exit portals reduce interference of cross currents in outside air from interfering with the air flow exiting the tunnels.

ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program: Recognizes historically significant national and international civil engineering projects, structures, and sites. For more information, visit www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks

ASCE NHCEL Plaque Inscription

Liberty Tunnels Ventilation System

The 5,889-foot-long Liberty Tunnels were the longest automobile tunnels in America when they opened to traffic January 30, 1924. The concentration of exhaust in the long tunnels from early 20th Century motor vehicles created hazardous conditions for the vehicle occupants. Tunnel design engineers, led by civil engineer Almos D. Neeld, collaborated with the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Pittsburgh to develop a solution. The pioneering Liberty Tunnels Ventilation System incorporated a unique combination of induced air draft and forced air exhaust and intake. The research on exhaust emissions informed the design of subsequent vehicular tunnels.

On October 22, 2025, EWRI Pittsburgh hosted our 12th Sustainability Conference. (Photo: 12^th Sustainability Welcome Sign – event signage was made from recycled materials.)

Day one of the event featured speakers and panelists discussing a wide range of sustainability topics including multi-modal transportation, local university initiatives, recycling & reuse, water resources, and sustainable construction practices. It was headlined by keynote speakers Dr. Costa Samaras, Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Ms. Karen Kabbes, ASCE Sustainability Committee, and Ms. Gisele Barreto Fettermen, founder of The Freestore15104. The event also included a student poster competition that celebrated innovation and awarded two outstanding university students with scholarships.

 

(Pittsburgh Sustainability Committee Chair Justin Kerns introducing the two-student poster competition winners.)

(Pittsburgh Sustainability Committee Vice Chair Noel L. Rangel moderating the sustainable construction practices panel.)

Day two included an exclusive tour of Advanced Drainage Systems’ (ADS) state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in Clarion, PA. This event offered a unique opportunity to explore how recycled materials are transformed into high-performance stormwater drainage pipes used in infrastructure projects. Attendees were able to see ADS’ sustainability initiatives and environmental stewardship firsthand. As one of North America’s largest plastic recyclers, ADS removes over half a billion pounds of plastic from the waste stream annually, repurposing it into high-performance products designed to last for decades. (Photo: A look at ADS’ recycling facility, where the sorting line ensures contaminants are removed before post-consumer plastic materials are transformed into HDPE pipe.)

As EWRI Pittsburgh, we are proud to have hosted this impactful Sustainability Conference. We remain committed to fostering conversations that engage, educate, and motivate our community to pursue sustainable pathways at work and in life—and look forward to building a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.

 After a successful round of "JeopardEngineering" at the 2024 ASCE Region 2 Assembly in Reston VA Pat Sullivan, PE, Program Director for the Pittsburgh Section, AND a Water Resource Principal with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., brought the real-life game board to CMU.   On April 15, 2025, Mr. Sullivan, with financial assistance from Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. treated 20 students with pizza and cookies, and followed dinner with the game of Jeopardy.  Following the same rules as the TV show, Pat did his best impersonation of the great Alex Trebek, divided the students into 4 teams, and played Jeopardy.  Pat brought with him 4 buzzers and with the help of CMU officers Jordyn Le and Lillian Keith functioning as judges to identify which team buzzed in first, started the show.

The Jeopardy round provided 5 categories…. UNITED STATES PRESIDENTS, WHAT I LEARNED IN COLLEGE, SPORTS, ENGINEERING MATERIALS, and ASCE.

The categories for Double Jeopardy round included “IT WAS ‘MENT’ TO BE, CIVIL ENGINEERING MARVELS, REGION 2 ASCE, FOOD AND DRINK, and EXTREMELY RANDOM CALCS.

Throughout the game, some students ignored, or bent the rules a bit.  Some answers were not made in the form of a question, resulting in the disqualification of the team’s answer.  Other teams buzzed in quickly using their answer, but in the correct form of a question.  Other teams buzzed in to provide the answer, not in the form of a question, and were quickly reminded by their team members to phrase it in the form of a question.  Pat gave them a pass on that last-second adjustment.  Some of the CMU students did not accept the official answers and went to AI to verify.  They received a stern look from me!  We had daily doubles, just like in the show, and Final Jeopardy.  The category for Final Jeopardy was US GEOGRAPHY.  If you want to know the answer….come to the next show!

Winners were presented with a championship certificate to proudly display in front of their defeated classmates, and some CEC bling items!

  

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Lilian and Jordyn and Dr. Jerry Wang for helping arrange the event.

Authored by: Pat Sullivan, PE

On February 17, 2025, the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers hosted their annual Engineers Week banquet at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania in downtown Pittsburgh.  Engineers, award winners, professors, students and student award winners and parents and families were in attendance.  All were greeted at the door by Nadeen Fatfat, ASCE’s newly appointed member on the Board of Directors (effective May 2025), who provided nametags for all attendees.

The banquet started with a social hour from 5 pm until around 6:10pm. At that time, and with the help of ESWP President Dave Teorsky dimming the lights, Pat Sullivan, PE, our customary emcee, used his microphone like voice to ‘recommend’ that people start their trek upstairs to the banquet room.

Once upstairs, Pat’s 15-minute tradition of freelancing what he feels like on that day began…this year, it was new and vintage cartoon TV shows!  Pat spent numerous hours doing research to identify 11 TV shows from his childhood days.  Then he asked the attendees under 50 years old (Pat’s decision) to quickly yell out the name of the show once it appeard on the screen, for a chance to win a gift card.  Pat was impressed by how many ‘youngsters’ recognized the characters of the shows.  How many of you remember….Underdog, The Banana Splits, Beanie and Cecil, Speed Racer, Pebbles and Bam-Bam, The Jetsons, and Yogi Bear?   

Then Pat turned the tables!  He asked the over 50-year-olds to identify TV shows that Pat’s grandkids watch.  Many parents and grandparents knew Bluey and Miss Rachel, but Pat stumped everyone who did not know ‘Superkitties’!

There is always fun to be had at the ASCE Eweek banquet!

As is also his tradition, Pat invited each of the Corporate Sponsors for the Eweek Event to the podium to receive a certificate of appreciation for their gracious sponsorship and to talk about whatever they wanted.   Thanks again to our corporate sponsors… American Geotechnical and Environmental Services, DLZ, and Alcosan!  

 

This years’ keynote speaker was Cam Baker, PE, from Sippel Steel Fab.  Cam’s presentation discussed some of the unique design aspects and construction of the new Pittsburgh International Airport Landside Terminal and Victory Heights, the new athletic center on the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus.  Many thanks to Cam for presenting.

Following a great buffet dinner of Chicken, Italian pasta, prime rib and vegetables, and chocolate AND vanilla cake for dessert (dessert selection was under a last-minute agreement between Pat and Alma Rettinger, ASCE President), the awards portion of the banquet began.  ASCE Pittsburgh Section Past President Tom Batroney, PE and President-Elect Taylor DeCanal, PE provided the introductions for the ASCE and Student award presentations, respectively. 

The 2024 award winners are as follows:

• SAF American Bridge Leadership Award                  Amber Mauer, Slippery Rock University
• SAF Italo V. (Ody ) Mackin Achievement Award       Trey Blystone, University of Pittsburgh
• SAF Honorable Mention Awards                             Kate Volna, University of Pittsburgh                                                                                    Mia Constantin, Carnegie-Mellon University                                                                             Amina Tandukar, Slippery Rock University                                                                               Jacob Singer, PennState University

• 2024 Civil Engineering Achievement Award                  Charleroi Locks & Dam
• 2024 Sustainability Award                                          Dornbush Road GSI Project
• 2024 Project Award of Merit                                       Chestnut Street Rehabilitation Project     

• 2024 Professor of the Year Award                                               Steven Sachs, PhD, EIT
• 2024 Civil Engineer of the Year Award                                         Mark Styler, PhD, PE   
• 2024 Young Civil Engineer of the Year Award                                Dan Phillips, PE          
• 2024 Young Government Civil Engineer of the Year Award              Mike Panzitta, PE        
• 2024 Government Civil Engineer of the Year Award                        Ben DeVore, PE          
• 2024 Service to the People Award                                                 Lisa Werder Brown     
• 2024 Journalism Award                                                                Ed Blazina      
• 2024 Employer of the Year Award                                                  Alcosan          

The event concluded with a second thanks to our Corporate Sponsors and also to our Gold Sponsors, Kleinfelder, the University of Pittsburgh and Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.  The event concluded with a prize raffle of 7 gifts, and was again highlighted by the annual humongous CEC food basket.

Please visit the ASCE website www.asce-pgh.org for all of the pictures from the banquet.

  

Thanks to everyone who attended, and we will see you at the next Section event, the Lifetime Member Recognition Banquet, at the LaMont Restaurant in September or October.

Author: Pat Sullivan, PE

By Shirley Tang

During the 2024-2025 program year, the ASCE Pittsburgh Section has supported educational programming events hosted by the Carnegie Science Center. These outreach events bring students from schools across Western Pennsylvania to provide exposure and connection to different STEM fields.

The ASCE Pittsburgh Section recently participated in the February and March SciTech Days, a monthly event that engages students and connects them with industry professionals. The February Theme was Physics & Engineering in conjunction with National Engineers Week and the March theme was Women+ In Stem in combination with the Carnegie Science Center’s Tour Your Future (TYF) program for girls and non-binary youth.

The ASCE Pittsburgh Section prepared several demonstrations including the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s (EWRI) enviroscape model, illustrating the concept of watersheds and discussing the role of engineers in designing and managing water systems. The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) prepared demonstrations of structural building kits and a wind tunnel, which emphasized the importance of applying physics and engineering principles in structural design. Additionally, ASCE volunteers participated in career connection panels, which connected professionals and students to discuss career questions and how students can prepare for future professions.

 

Each SciTech Day hosted over 500 students in addition to the hundreds of museum visitors throughout the day, making them a great opportunity to connect with the local community about ASCE and the field of civil engineering.

In April, the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair (PRSEF) was held to showcase the projects of over 400 6-12^th grade students. The range of topics covered by these students included astronomy, biology, computer science, engineering, health sciences, robotics, and much more.

ASCE Pittsburgh Section members participated as Sponsor Judges to award two outstanding projects across the two-day fair. Judges evaluated the projects during a poster session and had the opportunity to interview individual students to determine the standout projects. 

One awarded project was Effect of AMD and Road Salt on Plant Growth for which the student grew plants of several varieties with water collected from local sources, including a tap water control, road salt impacted, and AMD impacted water.  The growth rate and quality of growth were evaluated to compare the impact of the water source. The second awarded project was How Prepared Is the City of Pittsburgh Prepared for Climate Change? Part 2, which reviewed historical and projected changes in weather patterns and city plans to combat the effects of climate change. The student then prepared an assessment of the degree of severity that these effects will have on the living conditions of the city.

PRSEF is an excellent program to encourage students to pursue topics they are curious about – the students all demonstrated a strong connection and interest in the topics they had researched. This included a wide range of applications, from a study of which common materials are best for filtering water to a comparison of tensile strength of different materials to optimize design of a 3D printable fitness tool.  These students’ effort and creativity in developing these experiments was impressive and the event was a successful showcase of their hard work.

Pittsburgh had the distinct privilege of hosting the 2024 ASCE GeoInstitute GeoStructures Conference, which took place from November 17 to 20 at the Sheraton Hotel in Station Square. This legacy conference, held only once every 8 to 10 years, brought together engineers, contractors, and educators from around the world. In addition to numerous insightful technical presentations, the conference provided invaluable opportunities for networking and collaboration with industry professionals.

On Monday, November 18, the local ASCE GI Pittsburgh Chapter hosted a Young Member’s social event at the Hard Rock Café in Station Square. This event provided an opportunity for the next generation of leaders to network, socialize, and build long-lasting professional relationships.  With 36 attendees, the gathering was a great success and offered a fun and engaging atmosphere.

The 2025 Pittsburgh Future Cities Competition was held on January 25th at the Fed Ex Headquarters in Moon Township. Grades 6 th -8 th STEM students were tasked with designing a future city capable of floating above water that showcased innovative engineering design and that kept citizens safe and healthy.

13 Pittsburgh area schools participated in the competition and the top three overall finishing schools included Fort Couch Middle School (1 st ), Marion Center Jr/Sr High School (2 nd ), and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School (3 rd ). The Special Awards winners included Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School for the most Innovative Design of Infrastructure Systems, sponsored by the Pittsburgh ASCE Section, and Fort Couch Middle School for Excellence in Resilience Engineering, sponsored by the Society of American Military Engineers.

ASCE Pittsburgh Board members Erin Cowen, PE, (left), Connor Gibson, PE, (middle) and Alma Rettinger, PE (right) represented ASCE as judges for the Pittsburgh Future Cities Competition.

Author: Conner Gibson

On February 17, 2024, the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers hosted their annual Engineers Week banquet at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania in downtown Pittsburgh.  Engineers, award winners, professors, students and student award winners and parents and families were in attendance.  All were greeted at the door by Alma Rettinger, PE, ASCE’s President-Elect, who provided nametags for all attendees.  The banquet started with a social hour from 5 until a bit after 6; that is about when the Emcee for the event, Pat Sullivan, PE used his microphone like voice to ‘recommend’ that people start their trek upstairs to the banquet room.

Once upstairs, Pat, in what has become a tradition at this event, spent ‘about’ 15 minutes talking about whatever he had on his mind…this year it was dress attire! 

 Pat pulled out his bright red sport jacket with his red, white and blue patriotic tie!  Thinking he was the best dressed, he had to give kudos to Dr. Jerry Wang from CMU, who sported a red and black plaid sport jacket with a matching tie!  He also had to close a loose end from last years’ presentation of “Who were they before they became ASCE officers?”, by showing a picture of his lookalike, a University of Louisville quarterback from 2011.  Pat had to embarrass himself, since he wasn’t able to do it last year.  Pat also took credit for working the room during his annual monologue, noting that the Society’s President-Elect, Feniosky Peña-Mora, copied his routine at the recent ASCE Region 1, 2, 4 and 5 conference in Miami, FL!  The attendees got a good laugh from Pat’s ‘antics’!  

As is also his tradition, Pat invited each of the Corporate Sponsors for the Eweek Event to the podium to receive a certificate of appreciation for their gracious sponsorship and to talk about whatever they wanted.   

Thanks again to our corporate sponsors… Anser Advisory, Michael Baker International, Slippery Rock University, and Civil & Environmental Consultants! 

By: David A. Dzombak, PhD, PE, BCEE, BCWRE, Dist.M.ASCE

Summary of ASCE Pittsburgh Section participation in the 2024 ASCE Multi-Region Leadership Conference for Regions 1, 2, 4, and 5 in Miami, Florida, January 26-27, 2024

The ASCE Pittsburgh Section was very well represented at the 2024 ASCE Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC) for Regions 1, 2, 4, and 5 in Miami, Florida, January 26 and 27.  Representatives included Pat Sullivan,

 a Region 2 Governor and Chair of our Section Program Committee; Greg Scott, an EWRI leader and Chair of our Government Relations Committee; David Dill and David Dzombak, current Section Board members; Kaitie DeOre, President of our Younger Members Forum; and Andrew Dawson, Connor Gibson, and Justin Komp, current YMF members. 

   

The MRLC had plenary sessions for all attendees, and separate sessions and workshops for the different leader groups at the conference. 

 The plenary presentations included informative and motivational talks by ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey and ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith; a thought-provoking talk by ASCE President-Elect Feniosky Pena-Mora on “The Five Ps” for professional and personal success; and a two-part, inspirational talk on “Leader Lessons” by Colonel Aaron Hill, Professor and Head of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, and Chair of the ASCE Committee on Education. 

All attendees also experienced a preview of the ASCE-sponsored new Imax movie “Cities of the Future”, which premiered on February 16 in theaters across the country, including at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Our Pittsburgh Section representatives engaged with other ASCE section, branch, and institute leaders in focused workshop and breakout sessions, sharing what we are doing in our section and getting a lot of ideas about new kinds of activities and approaches from others.  The Pittsburgh Section is a leader in a number of ways, such as having five active local chapters of ASCE institutes (EWRI, Geo-Institute, SEI, T&DI, UESI), active engagement with numerous student chapters, and a very active Younger Members Forum.  It is the enthusiastic involvement of our Pittsburgh Section members that makes our Section so vibrant.  Please attend Section events, get involved, and help keep the vibrancy of our Section going!