Kids, Creativity...and Baby Jay! All in a Day at This Year’s Future City Competition™ - Great Plains Regional

The KU Student Union in Lawrence was the site of the National Engineers Week Foundation’s 2009-10 Great Plains Regional Future City™ Competition on Saturday, January 26. And according to our contacts, the designs were inspired and the future looks bright indeed!


From a city named Tomotto, where tomatoes are the primary export and the leaders are Tom and Otto, to a fanciful city on the moon named Apollo, these cities of tomorrow were envisioned, designed, and built by teams of imaginative middle schoolers.

This year’s competition attracted 57 teams, most from Kansas and the Kansas City Metro Area, although we know of at least one team from as far away as St. Louis. The challenge for these seventh and eighth graders: Design affordable housing for those most in need, while adhering to LEED recognized green building standards, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint.

GBA’s Suzanne Berkey judged the GBA-sponsored “Mother Earth Award,” which recognized team Overbrook from Leawood (Kan.) Middle School for the most innovative use of recycled materials. While all teams recycle cans and bottles, Overbrook stood out for the creativity that was shown in each detail of their model, from artfully torn printed office paper decoupage used to create building exteriors to small pine branches that served as trees to enhance the landscape. All buildings in the model proudly displayed a plaque of LEED certification.

In addition to Suzanne, GBA participants included mentors Megan Walter, Kiel Johnson, and Scott Moeder, and judges Adam Stodola, Dave Mennenga, Kim Pearse, Matt Parker, and Tait Karlson.

The National Future City Competition is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations. The first place teams in the regional competitions will travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national finals during National Engineers Week, February 13-16, 2010. More information is available at http://www.futurecity.org/.

GBA Staffers Help Design Renewable Energy Project Now Providing Power at HMHB Clinic in Haiti

Just a year ago, members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-KC) (http://www.ewb-kc.org/) started work on a renewable energy project in Torbeck, Haiti, in partnership with Healthy Mothers – Healthy Babies (HMHB) (http://www.hm-hb.org/). HMHB operates Maison de Naissance (MN) (http://www.maisondenaissance.org/), a free birthing home in Haiti, near Les Cayes, which had relied on a diesel generator to power lights, fans, and computers. Members of the EWB team designed and built a solar power photovoltaic system that is providing much needed power to the clinic. GBA staffers Keri McGill and Alan Lehman, who were part of the design team, provided updates on the project throughout the year, below.  

For those interested in donating to an organization that is on the ground and poised to assist with immediate relief efforts in and around Port au Prince, Partners in Health (http://www.pih.org/home.html) has been in Haiti for over 20 years and is actually the second largest employer in Haiti. PIH is at the forefront of providing medical care to Haitians and has an earthquake donation link set up on their website. The NY Times blog "The Lede" discusses some of PIH’s recent activities in Haiti [link]. 

Haiti HMHB Project Update – Post Earthquake, January 2010

Members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of EWB designed and installed a solar power photovoltaic system on the clinic’s roof in the Spring of 2009. We are happy to report that the system is working and MN won’t be caught in the diesel shortage. Although MN wasn’t hit directly by the earthquake, they are and will be affected for years to come. Not only does MN anticipate a hearty increase in expenses to maintain even the simplest of operations, there is currently a major urban-rural migration occurring. An influx of people into the rural areas will further tax the availability of materials that have typically been delivered via Port-au-Prince. You can donate directly to the Maison de Naissance Foundation on their website. US Office: 6247 Brookside Boulevard, Suite 224, KCMO.

Haiti HMHB Project Update, June 2009

GBA's Alan Lehman and Keri McGill worked with other members of the Kansas City Professional Chapter of EWB on a renewable energy project for a Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies (HM-HB) birthing clinic near Les Cayes, Haiti. The clinic previously relied on a diesel generator for all of its electricity. Alan and Keri assisted with the design of a solar power photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the facility. An implementation team traveled to Haiti in April and again in May to install the solar panel system.

Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies, January 2009

Local professional members of EWB-KC have started work on a renewable energy project in partnership with Healthy Mothers - Healthy Babies (HMHB) for Maison de Naissance (MN), a free birthing home in Haiti. MN is welcoming and friendly – in keeping with the hospitality of a home rather than a medical center which can be culturally intimidating. All services are free, because even the least financial expectation would be a deterrent to preventative care and early treatment of problems.

MN does not have electrical service. HMHB is currently spending $3,000 per month on fuel for a diesel generator to power lights and fans in about 8 rooms. Access to the computers and the internet allows HMHB to provide first world care in the poorest of settings. HMHB can reduce their operating costs through solar power. Members of EWB-KC are currently designing a solar power system for the facility. Members of EWB-KC will also assist in the installation of this project in early 2009.

Recommend a Student for an ACEC Scholarship!

Most of us understand the importance of building strong relationships with our young engineers and land surveyors early in their careers. We want to encourage these young, enthusiastic, and bright minds to become involved and be the best that they can be.
You know that everyone benefits from students’ hard work...our companies, our profession, and our communities.

Please consider taking the time to sponsor a student from KU, KSU, or Wichita State for an ACEC scholarship. All it takes is a little time to fill out a form and let them know that their education is important to us. Your support can make a big difference in a student’s life as she or he strives to achieve personal goals.

ACEC is looking for scholarship applicants for three General Scholarships and one Special Scholarship. General Scholarships are open to Engineering or Land Surveying students entering their Junior, Senior, Fifth, or Graduate year in the fall of 2010. National ACEC Scholarships are $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000, and must be recommended through ACEC of Kansas.  ACEC of Kansas will also consider the same applicants for smaller local scholarships of $500 to $1,000.

Aother Special National Scholarship is open to Masters students in a Structural Engineering Program in the fall of 2010. The scholarship is $5,000.

Applicants should be recommended by consulting engineering or land surveying firms if they want to score the maximum number of points. Additional information is available at http://www.acecks.org/. Please send questions to: acecscholarships@gbateam.com. Hard copies must be submitted and sent to:
GBA
Attn: Tim Ross
9801 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS  66219

The deadline for applications is March 1, 2010.

CANstruction in Kansas City, Part II

Members of GBA's CANstruction team defied expectations, logic, and gravity as they built this fantastic sculpture on the floor of Kansas City's Union Station. The unconventional art "exhibit," which is made up of thousands of cans, will be on display January 15 through February 11 for all to enjoy. The build-out took place on January 13, with teams from local architecture and engineering firms working through the day to complete their designs. At the close of the exhibition, all of the canned food used in the structures will be donated to Harvesters, Kansas City's Community Food Network!

GBA's very enthusiastic and creative CANstruction team was headed up by Molly Oller with lots of support from Jennifer Gunby, Tawn Nugent, Sam Wagner, Keri McGill, Megan Walter, Suzanne Berkey, Mike Burton, and Dave Mennenga.

Join the GBA team for the ninth annual CANstruction Preview Party to benefit Harvesters on Thursday, Jan. 14, 5:30 pm-8:00 pm, Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108. Tickets are $20 at the door; kids 12 and under are free.

CANstruction in Kansas City

GBA Revs Up Support for New Victory Junction Gang Camp in Wyandotte County

Kids come in first at the Victory Junction Gang Camp (VJGC) and we're cheering for them all the way. The camp for children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses is scheduled to open on a 71-acre campus in Kansas City, Kansas, sometime in 2011. This is the second Victory Junction Gang Camp founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, to honor their son Adam Petty, who lost his life in a racing accident in May 2000. The original camp opened in North Carolina in 2004. 

The camp will operate solely on donations from corporations, organizations, and individuals, allowing campers to attend at no cost to their families. GBA, which has pledged to support VJGC with donations over a five-year period, made our first contribution as a corporate sponsor in December.

The mission of the VJGC is to enrich the lives of these children by providing life-changing camp experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering in a safe and medically sound environment. Most of these kids would be unable to spend a week away from home, much less a week in a fun camp environment, without close medical attention. Many are also economically disadvantaged. In association with local hospitals and health care providers, these children not only experience the camp, but also receive much needed medical treatment and medications free of charge. 

To learn more about the camp and opportunities to help, go to http://www.victoryjunction.org/.