Rebuilding Together Seattle
Staff Members Take Part in Rebuilding Day BergerABAM staff members, Ross French, Jake Lewing, Jose Suazo, and Veronica Vong, along with other members of the civil engineering community, took part in Rebuilding Together Seattle’s (RTS) Spring Rebuilding Day this past April. The activities on this nationwide day of service provide much-needed upgrades to local homes and nonprofit facilities, with 25 projects in the Seattle area alone.
This year’s project, sponsored by ASCE, benefited a home managed by Parkview Services, which provides affordable housing for developmentally disabled adults. The project team took on a large variety of tasks, Members of the civil engineering community come including installation of porch railing, installation of together to provide much-needed upgrades. wainscoting, removal of carpet and installation of vinyl flooring, shed rehabilitation, and painting. Ross French, in his second year of managing the yearly ASCE project, led the group through safety briefings, coordinated trips to acquire additional supplies, assigned team members to new tasks once others had been completed, arranged for a backyard lunch of burgers and hot dogs, and communicated with the Parkview representatives to minimize disruption to the lives of the residents. Jose served as assistant project manager and coordinated the estimation and acquisition of materials. Jake made multiple runs to Home Depot and provided that most critical of home improvement elements: a pickup truck. Veronica worked on handrailing for the front porch and vinyl tile installation. The work was challenging but rewarding, and everyone pitched in to provide a safer and more usable home environment. Spring Rebuilding Day is held every year, on the last Saturday in April. RTS partners with corporate sponsors and over 1,500 volunteers to repair homes on this day. For more information, visit their website at http://www.rtseattle.org/spring_rebuilding.php.
M. Lee Marsh Recognized as Outstanding Alumnus BergerABAM President Dr. M. Lee Marsh (Lee) was honored as Outstanding Alumnus at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 2014 Spring Honors Banquet. The banquet is held each spring to recognize students, faculty, and staff of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Lee Marsh
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The Outstanding Alumnus Award is given each year to an alumnus of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering who has excelled in professional practice. Lee was a stellar student at both undergraduate and graduate levels while at the University. He was supported in his graduate work by an American Institute of Steel Construction Graduate Fellowship from which he produced two articles in refereed technical journals, a practice he has continued throughout his career.