• August Webinar: Integrating New Technologies in Bridge Construction
• September Webinar: Jointed Precast Concrete Pavement: Design, Specification and Installation
• November Webinar: Smarter infrastructure: A “Crash Course” in the Concept of Resilience and Designing More Adaptable Community Assets
• December Webinar: Clearing the FOG on Gravity Grease Interceptor Sizing

Integrating New Technologies in Bridge Construction

Speaker: Mustafa Mashal, Ph.D., P.E., SECB, CPEng, IntPE(NZ), CMEngNZ, M.ASCE
Assistant Professor in Structural & Earthquake Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Idaho State University

Tuesday, August 27
Noon – 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Earn 2 PDHs

Course Description

This course will present an introduction to accelerated bridge construction (ABC) in the United States and overseas. ABC has been gaining popularity in the United States among many state departments of transportation. ABC advantages include, but not limited to rapid construction, less traffic disruption, better quality and durability, improved safety, and less environmental effects. This course provides a practical guide for integrating precast concrete elements in ABC applications. The course will highlight how different DOTs and countries have made progress in developing ABC technologies and implementing them in actual bridges. The course will discuss previous applications of ABC in both seismic and non-seismic regions. Recent developments in emulative and non-emulative cast-in-place seismic connections in the United States and abroad will be presented. Several examples of actual ABC projects will be discussed. In addition, a summary of the recent and on-going research at Idaho State University on ABC in low and high seismic regions will be provided.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Define accelerated bridge construction
• List advantages of ABC
• Identify the challenges associated with cast-in-place construction in seismic and non-seismic regions
• Discover the opportunities offered by precast concrete in the context of ABC
• Distinguish between emulative and non-emulative cast-in-place ABC connections
• Apply lessons learned from the past successful applications of ABC in the United States and overseas

Speaker Bio

Mustafa Mashal received his Ph.D., MS, BS in civil engineering with a focus on structural and earthquake engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, University at Buffalo-State University of New York and Kabul University in Afghanistan, respectively. He is a registered professional engineer in Idaho, a chartered professional engineer and international professional engineer in New Zealand (buildings/bridges), and is certified by Structural Engineering Certification Board in the United States. He is an affiliated faculty at the Center for Advanced Energy Studies working on projects in collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory.

Mashal’s research in New Zealand was focused on the use of accelerated bridge construction in seismic regions and earthquake resistant technologies. His research was adopted for the design of a 315 ft. long precast concrete bridge (Wigram-Magdala Link) in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2016. This bridge used ABC technologies combined with self-centering and energy dissipation. The Wigram-Magdala Link Bridge was the world’s first dissipative controlled rocking bridge. He has been involved in several ABC related projects for Idaho Transportation Department at ISU. He is the coordinator of the nation’s first jointed NPCA/PCI Foundations Engineering Design Studio with focus on transportation products (bridges and culverts) at ISU.

Jointed Precast Concrete Pavement: Design, Specification and Installation

Speaker: Shiraz Tayabji, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
President
Advanced Concrete Pavement Consultancy LLC

Tuesday, September 17
Noon – 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Earn 2 PDHs

Course Description

This webinar will provide an overview of design, specification, and installation considerations of jointed precast concrete pavements relevant to owner-agencies and specifiers. In addition, several PCP case studies will be presented.

Jointed precast concrete pavements (PCP) are becoming the pavement systems of choice for rapid rehabilitation through intermittent repairs and corridor-wide, continuous pavement construction. The use of jointed PCP technology can provide long-lasting treatments while significantly reducing traffic impacts along roadways.

Several highway agencies including Caltrans, Illinois Tollway, New York State DOT, New Jersey DOT and Utah DOT are routinely using PCP technology, while other highway agencies have begun constructing PCP demonstration projects and are exploring a wider use of the technology. These agencies have been using JCP for rapid rehabilitation of distressed concrete and asphalt highway pavements, ramps, bridge approaches, busy intersections and bus pads/lanes, both in high-volume urban areas as well as less heavily traveled regions.

During this webinar, we will discuss fundamentals of jointed PCP technology including the benefits of these systems, the range of applications, features and anatomy of jointed PCP, and production considerations. We will also discuss critical design considerations, review specification requirements and discuss keys to successful installations.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Identify the fundamentals of jointed PCP technology including benefits, applications, basic anatomy, and production considerations
• Describe critical design aspects of jointed PCP
• Discuss key specification considerations for different types of PCP
• List keys to a successful installation

Speaker Bio

Shiraz has been actively involved in developing, improving, and implementing technologies for highway and airfield concrete pavements for over 40 years. He has been involved in several innovative pavement technologies to improve long-term performance of concrete pavements and has participated in all phases of the development of these technologies – from conceptual beginnings to field demonstration projects.

He served as the Principal Investigator for a study on Precast Concrete Pavements (PCP) sponsored by the Strategic Highway Research Program 2. The objective of the project was to develop tools for use by highway agencies to design, construct, maintain, and evaluate precast concrete pavement systems. Recently, he led a team that supported technology transfer activities under FHWA’s PCP Technology  Implementation Program.  Under this program, he has provided technical support to several highway agencies who are first-time users of the PCP technology. This support has included development of specifications and project-specific plans. As part of this project, he has been involved in the following activities:

1. Conducted 23 workshops on Best Practices for PCP for US highway agencies
2. Supported PCP implementation in several States.
3. Conducted a workshop and a webinar on PCP for the National Precast Concrete Association.
4. Provided numerous briefing on PCP technology at several highway agency/industry/academia meetings.

Also, since 2015, Dr. Tayabji has conducted several PCP Just-In-Time-Training for highway agencies and contractors. He serves in leadership roles in national and international technical organizations. He is an Emeritus Member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Past President and Co-Founder of the International Society for Concrete Pavements, Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), Past Chair of ACI 325 – Concrete Pavements, Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is actively involved in technical committees of TRB, ACI, ASTM, and ASCE.

Smarter Infrastructure: A “Crash Course” in the Concept of Resilience and Designing More Adaptable Community Assets

Speaker: Kevin Q. Walsh, Ph.D., P.E., LEED Green Assoc.
Director of Resiliency and Sustainability of Engineering Systems/Assistant Teaching Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame
Senior Structural Engineer, Frost Engineering & Consulting

Tuesday, November 19
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Earn 1 PDH

Course Description

Each year, there are significant natural and man-made disasters that occur around the world, and with each one, the challenge to rebuild and revive the affected community reveals not only rising costs for disaster recovery, but also opportunities in infrastructure design that could lead to a better preparedness and more effective recovery.

Current construction codes and standards are primarily focused on individual systems and do not consider the resilience needs of the broader community. As a result, there has been a significant increase in education, research, and advocacy toward enhancing resilience of communities to better prepare for natural and man-made hazards., impacting how we design, construct, and maintain buildings, roads, bridges, sewers, and other engineered systems.

During this webinar, we will discuss the approaches to designing resilient infrastructure systems.  We will briefly explore potential vulnerabilities and interdependencies in lifeline systems such as transportation, energy, communication and water/wastewater infrastructure.  We will identify performance-based design and assessment frameworks that can help pinpoint critical damage and help predict the impact of disasters before, during, and after the event.  We will also discuss the development of resilience-based performance standards and current resources to help assess current infrastructure resilience and design sustainable systems that protect our communities.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the critical factors of resilient infrastructure
• Recognize interdependencies amongst critical systems that will impact infrastructure performance
• Identify resources for resilience-based assessment and design

Speaker Bio

Walsh’s primary research interests are in the fields of resilient and sustainable infrastructure, inventory and seismic assessment of masonry and concrete buildings, large-scale experimental testing including the testing of in situ structures, unbonded post-tensioning strand/anchorage systems, and the professional practice of structural engineering. Dr. Walsh has more than eight years of work experience outside academia in the structural engineering and asset/facility management industries. His past projects have included the new construction, rehabilitation, or assessment of university educational buildings, residential buildings, recreational complexes, childcare centers, libraries, military buildings, convenience stores, warehouses, crane runway frames, interstate highway roads and bridges, and industrial storage and work platforms/racking. Dr. Walsh has also performed on-site risk studies in multiple U.S. states and globally (e.g., Portugal, Italy, New Zealand, Italy, and Australia).

Clearing the FOG on Gravity Grease Interceptor Sizing

Speaker: Joel Ducoste, Ph.D., M.Eng
Professor & Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Advancement
Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
North Carolina State University

Thursday, December 12
Noon – 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Earn 2 PDHs

Course Description

There are many potential causes of SSOs, including full or partial blockages due to the accumulation of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) deposits. Much of the FOG found in sewer pipes can be traced back to food service establishments, which rely on a variety of products and approaches to collect FOG and separate it from wastewater before discharging it into the sewer system.

For many years the gravity grease interceptor has been a reliable approach; however, the successful performance of this system is heavily dependent on proper sizing. There are many GGI sizing formulas out there that utilize a variety of factors to establish tank capacity. Using the most common sizing formulas for the same food service establishment can result in substantial differences in capacities.  This leads to confusion as to which formula works best for each application.

During this webinar we will discuss the factors that influence GGI size and performance. We will analyze the various sizing formulas used across the country, and identify appropriate applications for each. We will propose steps that health and environmental professionals can take to ensure that their method of GGI sizing addresses their needs.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Describe critical factors for gravity grease interceptor design and sizing
• List the most commonly used gravity grease interceptor sizing formulas and describe how different factors are used to obtain a system capacity
• Employ formulas that are best suited for their specific applications

Speaker Bio

Joel Ducoste, Ph.D., M.Eng, is a professor in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Department at North Carolina State University. He has over 20 years of modeling experience in a number of environmental and engineering applications. He is a Board-Certified Environmental Engineering member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Dr. Ducoste is a recognized expert in modeling water and wastewater treatment processes using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Dr. Ducoste currently serves as a board member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chartered Science Advisory Board, board of directors for Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, board member of the International ultraviolet association, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials standards committee, IWA CFD Working Group, and board member of the North Carolina Fulbright Association. He also serves as the ENE program representative for NCSU with AEESP.