GDSTEM ROCKET CAMP BLASTS OFF MARCH 17!

GDSTEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) is hosting an afternoon Adventures in Space Rocket Camp for students in grades K-8 on the curriculum half-day, Wed., March 17, 2010, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. in the Middle School North cafeteria.  Students will have a chance to build and launch their own model rockets!  Chaperones will be provided, but parents are also welcome to accompany their child.  The cost of the program is $25 which includes a re-useable rocket.  For details and registration, see the flyer going home in backpacks, or visit www.gdstem.org.  If you have additional questions, please contact Janet Sheffield at www.sheff170@hotmail.com or 978-448-5591.

CIVIL ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC PROJECT PLANNING

William Maher and Michelle DiBenedetto, Nitsch Engineering

25 March 2010, Middle School North Team Meeting Room, Groton, MA

Refreshments at 6:30pm,

 Presentation 7:00-9:00pm

We all see obvious parts of the infrastructure around us like roads, bridges, and storm drains.  But who decides how wide the bridge should be, where exactly the road should curve, what it should be made of, what happens to the rain runoff, and the many other details that must be thought thru before anything can be built?  Bill and Michelle will introduce you to the world of civil engineers, who are people that apply science to determine such things.  The talk will start with sustainable

site development, including the hydrologic cycle, stormwater management, and stormwater quality.  It will discuss the effect of development on water balance, hydrographs, what Best Management Practices are, what goes into designing development for low impact, and the LEED system. Example cases will be presented, including work Nitsch Engineering is doing for the Town of Groton.

The talk is aimed at interested high school students, and is free and open to the public.  There will be ample time for open discussion, and Bill and Michelle will discuss career paths in their field.

Michelle DiBenedetto graduated cum laude from Northeastern University, majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Business Administration.  After completing her first two internships in her home state of Connecticut, she began working with Nitsch Engineering in July 2007 as a co-op student.  She started as a full-time employee in May 2008.  Michelle

is currently attending Northeastern University part time for her masters degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  During her first year as a full-time employee, Michelle worked on a variety of civil/site design projects.  She is very familiar with many computer programs, including AutoCAD, HydroCAD, and GIS.  Michelle is a member of the USGBC's Emerging Green Builders group.

Bill Maher graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology with an Associates Degree in Civil Engineering, and a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well as a Land Surveyor-In-Training (LSIT).  Bill has 25+ years of professional experience in the field of civil engineering that includes land surveying, bridge and roadway design, municipal consulting, site design and local, state and federal permitting.  After several years as a Municipal City Engineer, he began working at Nitsch Engineering in 2000.  During his time with Nitsch, he has worked on a number of design projects from Maine to Virginia and has written a number of articles for the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) monthly newsletter.

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