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Spring 2026 Newsletter
News • Events • Virginia Engineers
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Photos hosted on Google Drive — ensure images are enabled in your email client to view them.
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📅 2026 ASCE Virginias Student Symposium — April 9–11 at Old Dominion University
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Spring 2026
ASCE Virginia Section Quarterly Newsletter
Highlights from branches and chapters across the Commonwealth — from coastal engineering seminars
and holiday socials to hands-on STEM events, infrastructure advocacy, and leadership updates.
Visit VA Section Website
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In this issue
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🔵 Roanoke Branch — Holiday party, AI Lunch & Learn, Concrete for Kids, leadership
🔵 Norfolk Branch — COPRI seminar recap, Annual Technical Seminar
🔵 Peninsula Branch — HRSD tours, ADA training, holiday fundraiser
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🔵 Richmond Branch — Elected Officials Meet & Greet, Sporting Clay Fundraiser
🔵 Lynchburg / VMI — Outreach, student competitions, chapter activities
🔵 VA Section — Infrastructure Report Card, records management
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🍺
December 11, 2025
Olde Salem Brewery, Salem VA
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Event Recap · Dec 2025
Annual Holiday Party — Olde Salem Brewery
The Roanoke Branch celebrated the close of 2025 at its annual holiday party on
December 11, 2025, at Olde Salem Brewery in Salem, VA. With food catered
by Frank's Pizza and a turnout of 30+ professionals and students, the
evening offered a relaxed setting for networking and year-end fellowship.
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🤖
Webinar + Happy Hour
AI in Design & Construction
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Event Recap · Early 2026
Lunch & Learn: AI in Design & Construction
The Roanoke Branch hosted a well-attended webinar featuring Dr. Ruichuan Zhang,
Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering and Management at Virginia Tech's
Myers-Lawson School of Construction. The session on Artificial Intelligence in Design & Construction
drew 30+ attendees and offered 1.0 PDH. An evening happy hour followed
at Twisted Track Brewpub in Roanoke.
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Upcoming Event · May 2, 2026
🏗️ STEM Saturday: Concrete for Kids — Roanoke Branch
The Roanoke Branch is proud to host its next annual STEM Saturday: Concrete for Kids
on May 2, 2026, at Parkway Brewing Company in Salem, VA.
This event connects K–12 students across the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia with
professional civil engineers and engineering students.
Participants will have the opportunity to help mix concrete, assist with
testing the strength of concrete beams, and learn firsthand why concrete
is one of the most essential materials in civil engineering. Each student's registration
includes vouchers redeemable at Parkway Brewing and an on-site food truck.
Photos below from the 2025 event. Registration details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Photos from STEM Saturday: Concrete for Kids, 2025
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Leadership
Roanoke Branch Leadership — 2026
President
Phillip Gilmore
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Past President
Chris McBride
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Vice President
Angela Parrish
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Secretary
Lindsay Lally
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Treasurer
Trae Livick
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Outreach Chair
Cyan Belluccia
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📍 Norfolk Branch & Hampton Roads
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Event Recap · February 2026
COPRI Hampton Roads — Inaugural Annual Technical Seminar
The COPRI (Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute) Hampton Roads Chapter
held its first annual technical seminar in February 2026. Attendees enjoyed
refreshments and a two-hour short course on the newly published second edition of
MOP 130: Waterfront Inspection and Assessment, presented by
Mandy Schindhelm, PE, BC.PE.
For information about future COPRI Hampton Roads events, visit the chapter's LinkedIn page:
linkedin.com/company/copri-hampton-roads
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COPRI Hampton Roads Chapter — First Annual Technical Seminar, February 2026
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🌊
April 16, 2026
Norfolk Branch Annual Technical Seminar
Blue Horizons: Engineering the Future of Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Rivers
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Upcoming Event · April 16, 2026
Norfolk Branch Annual Technical Seminar
Blue Horizons: Engineering the Future of Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Rivers
Date: April 16, 2026
Venue: Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Downtown Norfolk
This well-attended annual event is currently seeking speaker abstracts and event sponsors.
If your organization is interested in presenting or supporting, now is the time to get involved.
Norfolk Branch Events
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📍 Peninsula Branch
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Event Recaps · 2024–2025
Peninsula Branch: A Year of Learning and Community
The Peninsula Branch remained active throughout 2024–2025 with a series of educational tours,
professional development opportunities, and community engagement events.
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OCTOBER 2024
HRSD SWIFT Research Center Tour — Suffolk
Members received a project overview and plant tour of the Hampton Roads Sanitation
District's SWIFT (Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow) Research Center in Suffolk,
gaining insight into innovative water resource recovery and aquifer recharge technology.
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APRIL 2025
HRSD Tabb Pressure Reducing Station — York County
The branch toured the Tabb Pressure Reducing Station, a project under active
construction in York County. The site visit provided members with a firsthand
look at water distribution infrastructure design and construction practices.
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AUGUST 2025
ADA Compliance Training — Newport News
VDOT hosted an ADA compliance update training session in Newport News, presenting
an overview of current Americans with Disabilities Act regulations and design
requirements. The session supported members in staying current with accessibility
standards in transportation infrastructure.
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DECEMBER 2025
Holiday Social & Food Bank Fundraiser — Newport News
The Peninsula Branch closed out the year with a holiday social and food bank
fundraiser in Newport News. The event combined community giving with professional
camaraderie, reflecting the branch's commitment to both its members and the
broader community it serves.
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📍 Richmond Branch
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Event Recap · 2026
2026 Elected Officials Meet & Greet
The Richmond Branch hosted a productive 2026 Elected Officials Meet & Greet,
welcoming State Delegates, Senators, and legislative staff for a direct conversation
about infrastructure priorities facing Virginia communities.
Legislative staff — the key individuals managing policy details and constituent needs —
were particularly well represented, underscoring the value of sustained advocacy
relationships. The event affirmed that effective civil engineering requires a strong
connection between technical expertise and legislative support.
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🎯
1st Annual
Sporting Clay
Fundraiser
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Upcoming Event
ASCE Richmond 1st Annual Sporting Clay Fundraiser
The Richmond Branch is hosting its inaugural Sporting Clay Fundraiser.
See the event flyer for full details on date, location, and registration.
This is a great opportunity to support the branch while enjoying a fun outing
with fellow engineers.
Richmond Events
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📍 Lynchburg Branch & VMI Student Chapter
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Student & Young Member Activity · Fall 2025
VMI Student Chapter: Engagement, Competitions & Community Outreach
The VMI ASCE Student Chapter and the Lynchburg Branch maintained a robust calendar of
professional development, community outreach, and student engagement activities throughout the fall semester.
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🏫
Middle School Outreach
VMI students visited Lylburn Downing Middle School on multiple
occasions to discuss engineering careers and assist with the school's design-build class.
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🏆
KEEN Bridge Competition
Four VMI chapter members competed in the KEEN Bridge Competition,
finishing 4th out of 16 registered teams — a strong showing for the chapter.
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🤝
Branch-Chapter Collaboration
Lynchburg Branch members visited the VMI Student Chapter for an end-of-semester
celebration, sharing ethics discussions with students enrolled
in Introduction to Civil Engineering.
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🎙️
Weekly Guest Speaker Series
The VMI Chapter hosted a weekly speaker series throughout the semester,
giving students exposure to diverse career paths and engineering specialties.
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🎃
Social Events & Team Building
Chapter social events included a Pumpkin Decorating contest,
a Lego competition, trivia night, and a pizza party —
fostering chapter community and morale.
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🚂
611 Steam Locomotive Field Trip
Chapter members took a field trip to view the historic Norfolk & Western
611 Steam Locomotive, connecting with the engineering legacy of
Virginia's railroad history.
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🏛️ VA Section News
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Section Initiative
2025 Virginia Infrastructure Report Card — Update
Work on the 2025 Virginia Infrastructure Report Card began in earnest
with a kick-off webinar with ASCE National Headquarters in July 2025. ASCE HQ provided
templates and a toolkit for chapter teams, and discussions were held on scoring methodology
and grading criteria.
A face-to-face kick-off meeting was held at ASCE Reston in September 2025,
chaired by VA Section President Bill Bersing. Team leaders were assigned
monthly meetings covering twelve infrastructure categories:
Roads, Bridges, Drinking Water, Stormwater, Parks, Energy (new),
Broadband (new), Dams, Solid Waste, Schools, Rail, and Transit.
Chapter files were submitted to ASCE HQ in December 2025, with HQ chapter reviews
scheduled for early March 2026. Contributing authors receive PDH credits from ASCE HQ
in recognition of their work.
Infrastructure Report Card Team
Hari Aamidala • Immanuel Samuel • Caitlin Grady • Ryan Calder •
Catalina Gonza • Victor Crawford • Chrisha Mitchell • Katie Riddle •
Susan England • Sheila R. Duwadi • Maaz Quorashi • John Harman •
Wendy Thomas • Susan Shaw • Mike Jelen • Cassidy Mullen •
Kheira Bekkadja • Fatma Sesay • Lambert Logan • Nikhil Deshpande •
Ivan Zapata • Payman Dehshanien • Abbey Kollar • Jason Lee •
McKenzie White • Tamarah Holmes • Cole McAndrews • Allison Kennedy •
VA DHCD Staff • Tatanja Kunz (ASCE Staff) •
Bill Bersing (VA Section President) •
Mike Bombaco (VA Section Treasurer)
The Section extends its gratitude to all team members for their dedication to this important initiative.
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Section Update · Records Management
Preserving Our History: Call for Historical Records
The ASCE Virginia Section has recently transitioned to a new file and records management platform
to better serve current and future members. As part of building a complete and accessible archive,
the Section is gathering historical records and correspondence that may be stored in personal files,
university servers, shared drives, or other locations.
Current and past members who possess or have knowledge of any ASCE Virginia Section historical
materials are encouraged to reach out to Section Secretary Chris Lynch to ensure
these records are preserved for future leadership and members.
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On the Calendar
Upcoming Events — Don't Miss These
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Norfolk Branch Annual Technical Seminar
Blue Horizons: Engineering the Future of Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Rivers • Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel
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STEM Saturday: Concrete for Kids — Roanoke Branch
K–12 outreach event • Parkway Brewing Company, Salem, VA
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ASCE Richmond 1st Annual Sporting Clay Fundraiser
Details on the Richmond Branch website • ascerichmond.org
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View All Section Events
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Share Your Branch's Story
Submit photos, event recaps, and member news for the Summer 2026 issue.
Send a brief summary (who, what, why it matters) with 1–2 photos to be featured.
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© 2026 ASCE Virginia Section •
ascevirginia.org
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