Geotechnical News • March 2012
53
ASFE NEWS
This six-month President’s Report
is also new – replacing
Doing It
– to
make the report somewhat more per-
sonal and delivering it electronically
so you can easily link to the many
resources noted. Another change – one
we instituted in May last year – is
conducting an Annual Member Satis-
faction Survey to get your comments
about what we›re doing, because,
when all is said and done, what we do
is all for you. Of course, I’m one of
you, too, except I have the great honor
and pleasure of serving as president
of our extraordinary organization;
an honor and pleasure I have you to
thank.
David R. Gaboury, P.E.
ASFE President, 2011-2012
100s of practice-management
resources listed, described in
all-new ASFE catalog
Some 750 model documents, audio-
education programs, A-V instructional
programs, guides, client-focused
educational “messages,” monographs,
practice-focused research reports,
magazine columns, newsletters – even
an instructional computer game – are
described in the new interactive
ASFE
Resource Catalog
.
According to Education Commit-
tee Chair Laura Reinbold, P.E.
(
TTL, Inc.),
“I am excited that the
electronic catalog does exactly what
we intended, making the wealth of
educational resources from ASFE’s
extensive library easier to explore and
navigate, and helping member firms
and colleagues find exactly what they
need to educate their staffs and clients.
Many of the resources focus on risk
management with emphasis on manag-
ing risk through better performance,
not by shifting responsibility and
liability to others. For other offerings,
risk management may not be their
principal concern. ASFE’s expert wit-
ness guide is a genuine classic, as is
its contract reference guide. We have
extensive resources such as proposal-
and report-insert sheets developed
specifically for those who provide
construction-materials engineering
and testing (CoMET), geotechni-
cal, geological, and environmental
services. The catalog also showcases
the popular eBrownbag A-V presenta-
tions, archived webinars, case histories
of project lessons learned, and do-it-
yourself lunch-and-learn seminars. It’s
an amazing collection.”
Ms. Reinbold noted that all of the
resources are available to members
and most associate members at no
cost, a policy that comprises a prin-
cipal benefit of ASFE membership.
Most are available to nonmembers,
too, some free of charge.
Students eligible free
membership in ASFE!
In order to start influencing the next
generation of geoprofessionals NOW,
ASFE is making an offer to our
Faculty Members: Send us a list of
your students who want involvement
in ASFE and we will gladly give each
one a free Student Membership. Stu-
dent membership entitles an individual
to obtain everything we have without
cost: newsletters,
Practice Alert
mono-
graphs, manuals, guides, texts, and
so on. These can be extremely useful
for any geoprofessional students who
have an interest in private practice.
Faculty Members: Send us a list of
those you want to have Student Mem-
bership. Identify each student’s name,
e-mail address, physical address,
major, and year of expected graduation
and the degree involved. Questions?
Concerns? Contact John Bachner
; 301/565-2733, ext.
223) or Colleen Knight
301/565-2733, ext. 230).
Johnny CAN read: ASFE
members prove it
Youngsters read significantly more and
comprehended/retained significantly
more in two pilot projects; one in
Newark, NJ, the other in Houston, TX.
Local geoprofessional firms sponsored
both projects as part of the Engineer-
ing Better Readers program devel-
oped by the Engineers’ Leadership
Foundation. According to Foundation
President (and ASFE Past President)
Gerald J. Salontai, P.E
. (
Salontai
Consulting Group
), the engineer-
ing firms work closely with school
administrators and teachers, purchas-
ing several thousand dollars worth of
toys, games, sports equipment, and
electronics that act as incentives. The
more students read and retain – as
verified by independent testing – the
more points they earn. They can then
use those points to “purchase” the
incentives. Mr. Salontai noted, “Engi-
neers are problem-solvers. Usually we
think in terms of technical solutions
to technical problems. In this case,
however, the problem is getting kids
to read, and that’s a serious problem
indeed. Studies show that kids who
fail to master reading skills by third
grade have learning difficulties later
and are far more likely to drop out
before high-school graduation.”
ASFE-Member Firm
Birdsall Ser-
vices Group
, a multidisciplinary
engineering firm headquartered in Sea
Girt, NJ, sponsored an Engineering
Better Readers Program for grades
K-3 at the Camden Street School
in Newark, NJ. From Fall 2010 to
Spring 2011, students participated
in 67 individual Accelerated Reader
program studies, each study providing
test results for an entire class, includ-
ing general education classes and
those for special-needs students. On
average, students showed a phenom-
enal 84% reading-test improvement;
in 31 of the 67 tests, students demon-
strated a 100% reading improvement
.
Additional findings, based on changes
between Fall 2010 to Spring 2011,
were:
• 96.4% of Grade 3 tests demon-
strated improvement with 70%
achieving a 100% improvement;
• 76% of Grade 2 tests improved;
• 87% of Grade 1 tests improved;
and
• 90% of Kindergarten tests
improved.
