June 14, 2000

Design Detailings: ASCE examines local water supply issues

The Seattle section of the American Society of Civil Engineers is holding a dinner discussion tonight about the municipal water supply in the Puget Sound.

Richard Palmer, University of Washington professor of water resources management, will provide a historical perspective on major municipal water supplies in the Northwest with special emphasis on Seattle. He will discuss the roles that key design engineers such as Arthur Denny, R.H. Thomson, W.C. Morse and Hiram M. Chittenden had in our current water supply system.

The Endangered Species Act, the Habitat Conservation Plan for the Cedar and Green Rivers, the Tacoma-Seattle Intertie, the Cascade Water Alliance and computer models for managing water resource conflicts will be discussed.

The event will be held at the Ballard Yankee Grill, 5300 24th Avenue N.W., Seattle. It starts at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. The talk is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. For more information, call (206) 632-2667.

Portland light rail gets national awards

The design of the $963.5 million Westside Max light rail in Portland, Ore., garnered three national awards in competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Designed for Tri-Met, the regional transit agency, the Westside Max extends the Eastside line 18 miles from downtown Portland to Hillsboro.

The project was completed in September 1998. The design team included Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas; Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership; Otak; BRW; and LTK Engineering Services.

The project was one of 11 Honor Award winners in the U.S. DOT's Design for Transportation National Awards 2000 contest. There were more than 260 entries for this competition.

The Main Street Overpass in Hillsboro, completed as part of the project, received a Merit Award from DOT as well. This overcrossing, designed by BRW, is believed to be one of the first applications of a reinforced concrete arch that supports a major transportation facility.

Designer furnishings hit the Net

The San Francisco Design Center and Seattle Design Center recently entered into a promotional agreement with UrbanDesign Online, a new e-tailer of high-end, custom-designed furnishings.

The design centers and UrbanDesign Online, http://www.urbandesign.com, will jointly develop marketing programs and activities to sell services to designers and high-end showrooms. One of the first joint marketing activities will be Design Online, an Internet forum that will be hosted by the San Francisco Design Center in July.

UrbanDesign Online expects to launch a beta version of its Web site this month, with services available to Seattle and San Francisco users.

CWU offers master's in engineering technology

Beginning this fall, Central Washington University will offer a new master of science degree in engineering technology (MSET). Administered by the university's industrial and engineering technology department, the program will be available on the Ellensburg campus, CWU Steilacoom Center in Puyallup and at The Boeing Co.'s Auburn plant.

This is the first time CWU has offered a course at a Boeing facility. All of the course work may be completed at the Auburn facility in an after-work program. Classes will be limited to 25 students.

The new program is multidisciplinary in nature and designed to broaden the technology backgrounds of those holding bachelor's degrees in engineering technology, industrial technology, or industrial or engineering education.

The program will include 30 credit hours of required course work, with students selecting an additional 15 credit hours from a list of technical electives. That list includes classes in alternative energy systems, emerging technologies, engineering project cost analysis, ceramics and composites.

To earn their degree, candidates will be required to pass a final oral examination on their thesis project and supporting course work.

To register for the new MSET program or for more information, call (509)-963-1477 or visit the Web site.