Dyan Damron, EIT

Dyan Damron EIT, a civil engineer, works for RPM Transportation Consultants, a consulting firm that specializes in transportation engineering and planning in Brentwood, Tennessee,

Damron has managed several projects including traffic impact studies, parking studies, master plans, major thoroughfare plans, and bicycle & pedestrian plans. In addition to performing technical engineering analysis and design, her work on these projects involves coordinating with clients and government officials, making presentations at public meetings and testifying at public hearings and commission meetings.

One example is the Fort Campbell, Kentucky, master plan, a redevelopment project to improve the infrastructure and residential housing. Many neighborhoods lacked pedestrian and bicycle facilities and a pedestrian-friendly environment. The challenge was to apply innovative street-design techniques to create a more livable and safe community with well-designed sidewalks and street trees. Damron conducted research of engineering and design practices used nationwide and identified appropriate techniques for Fort Campbell. Her recommendations, now being implemented, will slow vehicular traffic, reduce cut-through traffic on streets, improve walking and bicycling conditions, and enhance the aesthetic features of the streetscapes. Damron is an active member of NSPE and ITE and has participated in Engineers Week activities and Engineer’s Day on the Hill in Nashville.

dyandamron@rpmtraffic.net

Geoffrey Van Epps, P.E.

Geoffrey Van Epps, P.E., a civil engineer and Captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided electrical power expertise and services to support military operations and reconstruction in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

As commander of a US Army Prime Power Engineer Company in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Van Epps was responsible for power generation and distribution at four facilities spread across Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan, supporting over 15,000 coalition soldiers in the Afghan theater from July to October 2002.

He then led his company to Iraq shortly after the fall of Baghdad to assist in reconstruction efforts from April to October 2003. They aided British Army Engineers in restoring power to the critical port in Umm Qasr so humanitarian supplies could begin to flow into the country; repaired the power plant at Baghdad International Airport and restored power there; restored power to the Green Zone, including the Iraqi Forum (now seat of the Interim Iraqi Government) and the Palace of the Four Seasons (initially the location of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, then headquarters of Paul Bremer’s Coalition Provisional Authority, now the US Embassy in Iraq); and saved the gigantic Hadithah Hydroelectric Dam from being destroyed by sabotage.

Van Epps was recently selected as one of 17 U.S. military officers in the Olmsted Scholarship Class of 2005. He is currently undergoing Spanish language training to be followed by two years of graduate study at a Spanish university.

Geoffrey.vanepps@us.army.mil

Payam Khashaee, Ph.D., EIT

Payam Khashaee, Ph.D., EIT., a project engineer with the structural engineering firm Thornton-Tomasetti Group in Irvine, California, is an expert in seismic design and damage assessment for structures. Khashaee has served as an adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University, teaching undergraduate courses in structures and engineering mechanics. Previously at John A. Martin and Associates, Khashaee worked on seismic anchorage of non-structural systems such as emergency power generators, telecommunication systems, and liquid oxygen tanks in 24 hospitals throughout California. The data was collected through field trips and the anchorage systems were designed according to California Building Code.

Khashaee’s honors include the 2003 Young Engineer of the Year Award by Texas Society of Professional Engineers and the 2004 E. Friedman Young Engineer Award by American Society of Civil Engineers. His paper captured the top prize of the 2004 paper competition by Earthquake Engineering Research Institute where he developed a new model for earthquake damage. He serves as chairman of the Education Committee at Texas Society of Professional Engineers in Dallas and is a volunteer for MATHCOUNTS.

payam@engr.smu.edu

Corey Zachel, EIT

Corey Zachel, EIT, an electrical engineer with Buehrer Group Architecture and Engineering in Maumee, Ohio, designs electrical systems.

Zachel has designed electrical systems for educational facilities, office buildings, churches, waste water treatment plants, fire protection pump houses and bus garages. This includes lighting, lightning protection, telecommunications systems, security systems, sound/time systems, fire alarm systems, electrical distribution, and HVAC motor controls.

Recently a 240,000 square foot school with an elaborate Performing Arts Center required over 680 hours of engineering to complete. It included photometric studies for lighting, voltage drop calculations for branch circuits and feeders, and load studies for the power distribution and power consumption calculations.

Zachel is an active member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and BICSI. He serves as a trustee and the webmaster for the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers and participates in Engineers Week activities through the Technical Society of Toledo.

Corey@buehrergroup.com