YOU ARE INVITED TO THE NEXT
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
NORTH CAROLINA SECTION
EASTERN BRANCH
LUNCHEON
NOTICE #1: The May 26, 2022, luncheon has been postponed until June 15. If you would like a refund, please contact Keith Rines (krines@mbpce.com) and copy Cole Melody Koffi (cnkoffi@ncsu.edu), otherwise, any existing registrations will be applied to the June meeting.
Notice #2: June 15, 2022 is on a Wednesday as opposed to our typical Thursday.
Speaker: Amit Sachan, Matt Laufer, and Steve Bourne
Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Topic: The Future of Transportation Resilience in North Carolina
Time: 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Summary: A holistic assessment of the transportation corridors and various interacting systems is required to understand the potential vulnerabilities that will be exposed by continued growth along with future weather challenges. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is studying the impact to people and infrastructure along transportation corridors which include impacts from increasing temperatures, such as from intensifying storms and rising sea levels. The presentation will offer an insight into NCDOT’s programs and tools with a case study focusing on a resiliency study on the US74 corridor from Charlotte to Wilmington.
Due to increasing global temperatures, the 190-mile stretch of US74 from Wilmington to Charlotte NC is facing more-intensive storms and rising sea levels. Given its role as an important path for people and goods connecting I-95 and major urban centers, the NCDOT recently teamed with Atkins to assess its vulnerabilities using Atkins’ City Simulator tool. Following a baseline analysis of existing conditions, City Simulator is simulating alternatives for improvements along the corridor. Results from the study will help prioritize improvements along the corridor. Study progress and findings will be presented along with a description the simulator’s configuration and animations of the simulator.
Speakers:
Matt Lauffer, PE, NCDOT: Matthew (Matt) Lauffer is an Assistant State Hydraulics Engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation Hydraulics Unit and has been with the department for 22 years. The Hydraulics Unit supports design and operations and manages the department’s stormwater and floodplain management compliance. Matt manages the Hydraulic Design and Highway Floodplain Program and takes an active role in the department’s flood resilience activities. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board committee on hydrology, hydraulics, and stormwater, and is a member of the AASHTO Technical Committee on hydrology and hydraulics. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Ohio State University. Matt is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina.
Amit Sachan, PE, Atkins: Amit Sachan is a Project Director with Atkins in the Community and Intermodal Infrastructure Business Unit in Raleigh. With over 20 years in academics and private sectors, Amit has served in engineering and business development roles. His project experience includes stormwater, flood control, resiliency and transportation infrastructure projects for municipal, state, and federal clients. Originally from India, Amit received an undergrad from IIT Bombay and graduate degrees from Virginia Tech and NC State. Amit has been on the board of directors for American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC-NC) and he is the past president for the NC Association of Floodplain Managers (NCAFPM). On personal front, Amit enjoys volunteering for STEM education programs such as MATHCOUNTS and FutureCities.
Steve Bourne, PE, Atkins: Steve Bourne is a project director with 20 years of experience at Atkins, a global engineering consultancy. He is a lead resilience modeler, climate scientist, and software engineer. He is the principal developer of City Simulator, Atkins' map-based tool for simulating communities as they evolve into a climate change-influenced future.
Location: We will be conducting this luncheon virtually in order to continue practicing social distancing guidelines as recommended by North Carolina. Instructions and a link to the virtual meeting (via Zoom) will been sent to the registered participants. If you do not receive the login information, please contact us. You will have the option to install software for a better viewing experience, but the video will otherwise play in a standard web browser. You will not need to create an account.
Fee: Please register online and provide a $10 registration fee.
PDH: To help Professional Engineers in attendance acquire 15 Professional Development Hour (PDH) units per license renewal period in accordance with 21 NCAC 56.1703, a one hour PDH certificate will be emailed to registered participants after the presentation.