Th e Tennessee MATHCOUNTS

competition was held on Saturday, 13

March 2010. Forty two students from

nineteen diff erent schools competed for the

honor to represent Tennessee at the National

MATHCOUNTS competition in Orlando,

FL, during early May. Twenty four of these

mathletes were on teams representing local Chapters of the Tennessee

Society of Professional Engineers. Th e coach of the winning team serves

as the coach of the Tennessee team at the National Competition.

To assure their skills were sharp for the competition, these mathletes, 6th,

7th and 8th graders from across the state, were hosted overnight on Friday

at a local hotel by TSPE and the Tennessee Engineering Foundation.

Th ere they were treated to a demonstration of the application of

mathematics as engineering by Dr. Donald P. Visco, Associate Professor

of Chemical Engineering at Tennessee Tech University.

Th e competition began at the Tennessee Engineering Center with

registration and breakfast. Once the competitors were settled, the

Sprint Round, which is thirty written questions to be answered in

forty minutes without the use of a calculator, was held. While those

exams were being graded, the Target Round was conducted. Th is round

requires each competitor to answer eight written questions in twenty

four minutes. Calculators are permitted in the Target Round and the

problems certainly require them!

Following the two rounds of individual competition, each team of four

worked collectively in the Team Round to solve a set of ten problems

in twenty minutes. Th en the competitors, coaches, parents, guests and

volunteers relaxed over a pizza lunch.

After lunch, the top eight individual competitors participated in the

At the beginning of this year I encouraged

each of our members to be an ACE.

I challenged you to be Active in the

organization, Communicate who we are to

each other and the general public and to

Educate a student about the rewards of the

engineering profession.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity of serving as the president

of TSPE for this past year and to have worked with the professional

engineering community who responded to the challenge.

We have members in each of our chapters who are making special eff orts

advancing the benefi ts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics), making special eff orts to get our young members

involved, providing tutoring to engineering students, and being active

with MATHCOUNTS and Lego League.

Our members answered the challenge in March by getting involved

in the legislative process by getting to know their legislators. Over 70

engineers attended Engineers’ Day on the Hill to make visits to our

Representatives and Senators to express the views of the engineering

profession. Th ose visits resulted in the passing of some bills we supported

and the failure of some bills we opposed.

As I stated in my January article “Decisions are infl uenced by those who

show up.” Th anks to all who showed up at Engineers’ Day on the Hill,

at our schools, at community meetings, and all the other opportunities

that have been available this past year to our members.

Our organization celebrated its 60th anniversary this past year. Th rough

the eff orts of the professional engineers who make up our organization,

they have shown this past year that they are committed to the main

goal of the founding members: protecting the public health and safety.

Th rough the continued eff orts of our members, TSPE will continue to

be there advancing the engineering profession for the next 60 years.

PRESIDENT’S ARTICLE By Tom Needham, PE, TSPE President

continued on page 2...

INSIDE• Executive Director’s Article • New PE’s

• Lego League • New Members

• Member News

Tom Needham

MATHCOUNTS STATE COMPETITION-MARCH 13, 2010 By Harry Clark, PE, F. NSPE, State MATHCOUNTS Coordinator

Harry Clark

1

Countdown Round. Conducted in a single

elimination bracket format, two competitors

at a time competed to solve problems in

under forty fi ve seconds.

Following the Countdown Round, our

honored guest, Ms. Linda Jordan, the K-12

Science Coordinator from the Offi ce of the

Tennessee Commissioner of Education,

presented the awards.

Th e winner of the Countdown Round was

Dylan Young from the University School

of Nashville. Th e runner up was Kevin Sun

from Schilling Farms Middle School.

Th e winner of the Team Round was the

Memphis University School. Team members

were Garrett Sullivan, Richard Ouyan,

Matthew Gayoso and William Lamb. Th eir

coach, who will coach the Tennessee team, is

Loyal Murphy, IV.

Th e second place team was from the Nashville

Home School and the third place team was

from Jeff erson Middle School.

Th e top four individuals, who will represent

Tennessee at the National Competition,

were:

First Place:

Dylan Young, University School of Nashville

Second Place: Jared Schaumann, Nashville Home School

Th ird Place: Joyce Kang, Brentwood Middle School

Fourth Place:

Matthew Hays, University School of Nashville

Th anks to all the volunteers who worked

so hard this year to support these

young people!

President

Tom Needham, PEtneedham@ssr-inc.com

President Elect

Bryon Fortner, PEbfortner@seviervilletn.org

Vice President

John Cole, PhD, PEjcole@easternengineering.us

Secretary

Les Beaver, PElbeaver@cannon-cannon.com

Treasurer

Jim Currey, PE, F. NSPEjim.currey@tn.gov

Past President

Katherine Nichols, PEkathy.nichols@arnold.af.mil

NSPE Delegate

Harry Clark, PE, F. NSPEharry.clark@arnold.af.mil

President

Bryon Fortner, PE

Knoxville

President Elect

John Cole, PE

Nashville

Vice President

Jake Greear, PE

Lakeway

Secretary

Les Beaver, PE

Knoxville

Treasurer

Paul Kelly, PE

Tullahoma

NSPE National Director

Harry Clark, PE, F. NSPE

TSPE Headquarters

Tennessee Engineering Center

800 Fort Negley Blvd.

Nashville, TN 37203

615-242-2486

www.tnspe.org

Executive Director

Candy Tolerctoler@tnec.org

Manager of Member Services / Editor

Judy Loguejlogue@tnec.org

2009-2010 TSPEExecutive Committee

MATHCOUNTS STATE COMPETITIONcontinued from page 1

Th e Tellers’ Committee announced that the ballots have been counted and your new offi cers for 2010-2011 are:

Tennessee State Team

2nd Place Team-Nashville Home School

1st Place Team-Memphis University School

3rd Place Team-Jeff erson Middlle School, Oak Ridge

2

Congratulations to Harry Clark and Jim

Currey! Th ey have been recognized for

their service to NSPE and TSPE – they

are now offi cially fellows of NSPE.

Engineers outdid themselves at Engi-

neers’ Day on the Hill this year. Perhaps

it was the issues being considered by the

legislature that drew the participants... licensure of engineering tech-

nology graduates, local preferential purchasing policies, allowing a

company to use the word “engineering” in its name even though no

PEs work there, the discovery of liability insurance limits, or eff orts to

defi ne the practice of interior design. I was grateful for the assistance

of more than 90 engineers to educate their legislators on these and

other issues. As I write this article, the General Assembly is attempt-

ing to wrap up its business, with a late May adjournment projected.

I will keep you informed on the issues electronically. If you have not

been receiving my e-newsletters, please send me your email address

(ctoler@tnec.org). We can fi x that.

If you were not able to be in Nashville for the grassroots lobbying ef-

fort, it’s not too late . . . your legislators appreciate hearing from con-

stituents and welcome your input. For more information, including

legislators’ addresses, go to: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us. Th e

website is amazing – you can watch legislative and committee sessions

in real time or see what went on last month – which is why it won

national awards. It is packed with information. Check it out.

TSPE’s Annual Meeting will be August 25-27 at Embassy Suites in

Murfreesboro. Plans are under way for a great meeting – there will

be professional development available in addition to the traditional

TEF Golf Tournament and PAC Auction. If you have suggestions for

education sessions, please let me know. Mark your calendars now.

I also encourage you to attend the NSPE Annual Meeting July 14-18

at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld Hotel. Th e schedule includes

golf, ethics education, leader training, and much more. Orlando has a

lot to distract you from meetings also! Th e NSPE House of Delegates

will meet to discuss issues facing the society on July 17. Information

about the conference is at www.nspe.org.

Take advantage of these opportunities to see colleagues from across

the state and nation and participate in your professional society.

ENGINEERS RECOGNIZED AND REACHING OUT by Candy Toler, Executive Director of TSPE and ACEC of TN

Candy Toler

(L to R) Gabe Bolas (KUB), Bryon Fortner (City of Sevierville), Repre-

sentative Joe McCord, Les Beaver (Cannon & Cannon, Inc.) and Robert

Campbell (Robert G. Campbell & Associates). Joe McCord represents

Blount and Sevier Counties.

Senator Th elma Harper welcomed Tom Needham, TSPE President (L)

and Ed Hargraves, ACEC of TN President (R) during Engineers Day on

the Hill. Senator Harper represents Nashville District 19.

(L to R) Gary Tysinger, Tysinger Hampton & Partners; Pat Harcourt , Askew Hargraves Harcourt &

Associates; State Representative Jimmy Naifeh, Speaker Emeritus; Wayne Robertson, Vaughn & Melton;

and Dan Boles, S&ME, Inc.

3

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A Special Th ank you to our

2010 MATHCOUNTS

SPONSORS and VOLUNTEERS

SPONSORS

TEF

ACEC of TN, Nashville Chapter

ASCE, TN Section

IEEE

ASHRAE

CSI

SAME

Entran, LLC

VOLUNTEERS

Harry Clark, PE, F. NSPE

Jim Th weatt, PE

Jim Currey, PE, F. NSPE

Amy Spann, PE

John Cole, PE

Jeff Cundiff , PE

Chris Hammer, PE

Mark Indek, PE

Richard Dix, PE, F. NSPE

Nitaya Chayangkura, PE

Ben White

Candy Toler

Judy Logue

Tullahoma, TN – For the fourth consecutive

year, the Tullahoma Chapter of TSPE has

organized and sponsored a regional eff ort

to promote science and technology by

participating in the international FIRST

Robotics LEGO League. Th e program is geared

towards students ranging in age from 9-14.

Th is year the Chapter sponsored 5 local teams

by providing them robots, practice mats,

team t-shirts, and registration fees. Teams

were then challenged to build a robot and

program it to navigate around a 4’x8’ course

while accomplishing predefi ned tasks.

Each year the FIRST Lego League designs

the course around a theme. Th e missions are

specifi c tasks related to the current theme.

Th is year’s theme was transportation. Dubbed

“Smart Move,” teams were challenged to

design a robot that could not only navigate

the course, but also traverse some rough

obstacles to retrieve key pieces. Teams have

only 2.5 minutes to complete as many tasks

as possible. Scoring is based on the number of

missions successfully completed.

Besides the robotics competition, teams are

also required to work on a research project.

Th is project is also centered around the

theme and involves students researching

and presenting their ideas. Th is year they

had to study their community and discuss

a specifi c transportation method employed

within the community. At the competitions,

the research project counts as much as 50%

of the total evaluation when selecting a

Grand Champion.

To give teams experience and help them

prepare for the state competition, the

Tullahoma Chapter hosts a regional

competition. Th is year it was held at UT

Space Institute, and we hosted the fi ve

local teams as well as four visiting teams

from Middle TN. Of the nine teams

competing, all fared very well, and the

Grand Champion was team “Operation

Lego,” from Cookeville, TN.

Th e season culminates at the State

Competition at Tennessee Tech in

Cookeville, TN. Th e TSPE sponsored

teams all went on to the state competition

on December 5th, where one of the local

teams won 3rd place for Robot Design.

Next year’s theme is “body forward,” and

will focus on biomedical engineering and

discovering innovative ways to improve our

health. Th e season will begin September

3rd, 2010.

Editor’s Note - Brian Coate, P.E. is the robotics

coordinator for the Tullahoma Chapter. He

has served in this capacity for the past four

years, and routinely serves on the state panel of

judges. He was recently honored at this year’s

State Competition with the “FLL outstanding

volunteer” award. Congratulations, Brian! If

you would like more information on how your

chapter can get involved, he can be reached at

931.571.7108

TULLAHOMA CHAPTER HOSTS LOCAL LEGO LEAGUE COMPETITION by Brian Coate, PE

Sixth Place team, Tullahoma- Th e Transporters, Elijah Parkhurst and Nikolaus Schug

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Member News In Memory of Bob CampbellRobert Graham (Bob) Campbell, Sr. - age

70, of Knoxville, TN., passed away Th ursday,

March 25, 2010 at Mercy Medical Center

with his family by his side. He was an active

member of Norwood Baptist Church where

he served as teacher, Treasurer and Deacon.

He was a graduate of Tennessee Tech University

with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1963. He

began his career with TDOT in 1963 and

served as Regional Location Engineer for over

12 years. During that time, he received his

MS in Civil Engineering at UT-Knoxville in

1980. He founded Robert G. Campbell and

Associates. He served as Chairman of the TN

State A/E Board; President of ACEC of TN

and various other leadership positions. He

was active in the Halls community, serving as

youth sports team coach and in 1983 received

the Halls Man of the Year Award.

Tom Needham, TSPE President, observed,

“Th e engineering community has lost a

great man.”

WelcomeNEW TSPE MEMBERS

Knoxville ChapterNathan Andrew Brown PE, PEMarilyn Elaine Coff ey Paul M. Craig Garrett Ottenfeld Foster David B Harbin PEJames Edward Norris II Gary F Norvell PEDavid M Poe PEMatthew A Roach PE

Lakeway ChapterBrian Garland EIT, PE

Memphis ChapterMartrice Anderson PECarol E Dodge EITRaymond B Herndon EITHeather M Kraus PEBen N Ledsinger PEPhillip W Lynn PE, LSJon Montgomery PEMark A Randall Marvin W Webb II PEGordon Brooks Williams PE

Nashville ChapterClinton R Camp PEMatthew Aaron Crawford EIT, MBA, LEED AP

Luke Bryant Dalton EITJohn P Dooley Jr EITEmily R Fronheiser PEStephen R Lampley EITShaikh Rahman PE

Ryan A. Allen, PE

Mark Anthony Barreira, PE

Christopher M. Beres, PE

Ryan A. Bolton, PE

Matthew E. Buckner, PE

J. Keith Burns, PE

Benjamin B. Byars, PE

Phillip J. Carrol, PE

David G. Carter, PE

Bradley N. Carter, PE

Gregory Allen Choat, PE

J. Michael Cloud, PE

Sean H. Coleman, PE

Quentin E. Craig, PE

Jeremy E. Daugherty, PE

Mikhail Blandon De Long, PE

Matthew R. Dickerson, PE

David Michael Docauer, PE

Jeff ery L. Eaglehouse, PE

Marguerite A. Epps, PE

Scott. A Frazer, PE

Robert Millican Frye, PE

Brent L. Fulghum, PE

Harold W. Garrett, Jr., PE

Richard Allen Givens, PE

Leonard Shay Greer, PE

William R. Grigg, PE

James Henry Grimaud III, PE

Gary L. Hammock II, PE

J. Kevin Harr, PE

Jacob C. Harville, PE

Ashley E. Hendricks, PE

Shane L. Hollin, PE

Andre D. Howard, PE

J. Ericson Huber, PE

Douglas G. Hughes, PE

Chad A. Jacobs, PE

John A. Jenkins, PE

J. Raymond Joellenbeck, PE

John A. Jenkins, PE

J. Raymond Joellenbeck, PE

Jeff rey Todd Kepler, PR

David Carl Kraehmer, PE

Dewayne V. Lawrence, PE

Brandon Wesley Lemarr, PE

Andrew N. Lemmon, PE

H. Britton Little, PE

Khuzaima M. Mahdi, PE

Jeremiah P. Manning, PE

E. Todd Mcclanahan, PE

Karen Jackson Mckeehan, PE

Paul E. Mckinney Ii, PE

Patrick Kelly Moore, PE

Jared William Murrell, PE

Warren D. Naylor, PE

Th omas W. Northcott, PE

William Lee Palmer, PE

Steven D. Paschall, PE

Linda Noel Patterson, PE

Paul Jonathan Pearman, PE

Luke S. Platfoot, PE

Martin G. Pleasant, PE

Jeremy Heath Poarch, PE

Henry L. Porter, PE

Robert L. Price Jr, PE

Moshiur Rahman, PE

D Saunders Ramsey III, PE

George M Reagan, PE

K. Scott Reiling, PE

James David Roberts, PE

J. David Roberts, PE

Charles M. Rose, PE

Sara J. Salge, PE

Larry Randall Sanders, PE

S. Gregory Sanford, PE

Juli M. Simms, PE

J. Eric Slayton, PE

Dale L. Sperlin, PE

Andrew J. Stegner, PE

Gary Lynn Stephens, PE

Matthew R. Stiggins, PE

Trishia S. Swayne, PE

Joshua A. Th omas, PE

Daniel M. Th ompson, PE

Adrian D. Waits, PE

John K. Walker Jr, PE

Laura Nicole Wasson, PE

John Wiatt Wehunt, PE

Michael R Wilson, PE

C. Roberson Witcher, PE

Alden E. Wright, PE

Ling Zhang, PE

New PEs

Kevin L. Th ompson, PE, CPESC, has joined the Nashville offi ce of

Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. (BWSC), as Transporta-

tion Group Leader. He is responsible for all non-aviation aspects of

the transportation marketplace. Th ompson received his Master of

Business Administration, his Master of Engineering, and his Bachelor

of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisville in

Louisville, Kentucky.

RPM Transportation Consultants Receives Bicycle Friendly Business Award

RPM Transportation Consultants, LLC has received a 2009 Bronze Bicycle Friendly Busi-

ness Award from the League of American Bicyclists. Th e award recognizes RPM’s eff orts to

support and encourage its employees to use bicycles for transportation and recreation.

Th e staff of RPM are (left to right): Preston Elliott, Amy Burch, Gerald Bolden, Jeff Hammond, Daniel

Spann, Zack Murphy, Blake Turner, Drew Cullum, Bob Murphy, Teresa Neal, and Pam Pitts.

7

Tennessee Society of Professional EngineersTennessee Engineering Center800 Fort Negley BoulevardNashville, TN 37203

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDNashville, TN

Permit No. 1078

2010August 25 - TEF Golf Tournament

Location TBA

August 25-27 - Joint Annual Meeting

Embassy Suites, Murfreesboro

June 11- TSPE Board Meeting, TEC

July 14-18 - NSPE Annual Conference

Orlando, FL

October 10 - Put the Brakes

on Fatalities Day

December - Crow Friedman Seminars,

Knoxville, Nashville & Memphis

Calendar of EventsNamed the Most Livable Town in Tennessee, Murfreesboro is

the fastest growing city in the state. In 1817, “Murfreesboro”

was recognized as an offi cial city by the State Legislature and,

in 1818, was named the capital of Tennessee because of its

central location. In the early years of Murfreesboro, it was

mainly an agricultural community, with corn, cotton, and

tobacco being the main crops. By 1853, the Murfreesboro area was home to three colleges and

several academies, prompting it to be called the “Athens of Tennessee” by a visiting religious

reporter. Although education suff ered from the military occupation and the trauma of the

Civil War, by the early 1900’s it began to regain momentum. In 1911, Middle Tennessee State

Normal School, for the training of teachers, was opened in Murfreesboro, joining Tennessee

College for Women, which had opened in 1907. Today, Middle Tennessee State University is

the home of 23,000 students and has the highest undergraduate enrollment in the state.

Embassy Suites Murfreesboro is perfectly situated in the heart of Tennessee. Th e new Embassy

Suites Murfreesboro off ers relaxing accommodations right where you want to stay. Th e hotel

is adjacent to the new Avenue Murfreesboro lifestyle center with the area’s best restaurants

and shops. Th e hotel is also just a short drive from Middle Tennessee State University and

several corporate offi ces, including Nissan, Bridgestone/Firestone and many more.

2010 Joint Annual Meeting August 25-27 at the Embassy Suites Murfreesboro

8