Lawmakers are currently working on the next Transportation Bill. andnbsp;Getting things done in Washington is never easy, especially when other non-transportation related items are included with the bill. andnbsp;This article explains the current situation.

If you have daughters, or know someone who does, then you may want toandnbsp;have a conversation with them about considering engineering as a profession. andnbsp;Debbie Sterling of GoldiBloxandnbsp;has done a great job with her TED talk on this very topic.

It is always nice to hear about unsung heroes.

Sir Thomas Peirson Frank, a civil engineer, was the coordinating officer for Road Repairs and Public Utility Services for London from 1939 through 1945. He was knighted in 1942 for his direction of the repair services that enabledandnbsp;Londonandnbsp;to carry on in spite of heavy air raids. He is credited with having deployed teams of “rapid response” that repaired upwards of a hundred breaches in theandnbsp;Thamesandnbsp;wall, thus preventing low-lying areas of London from being flooded during German attack in World War II, an achievement that, for reasons of protecting “the public’s morale,” was kept secret during theandnbsp;war.

Nice work, Sir Frank.

Congratulations andnbsp;to Larry O’Hern, and his family, for being featured in an article on theandnbsp;USDA-NRCS website.

Maurer-Stutz agricultural engineers worked with Larry O’Hern and his family to help address resource concerns with their farming operation and take a step toward future sustainability.andnbsp; As NRCS certified Technical Service Providers (TSPs), MSI worked with Larry on development of his Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP).andnbsp; After many hours of planning and updating, the concept plan was developed through a team effort with Mr. O’Hern to include a new mono-slope beefandnbsp; barn to house cattle that previously were raised on earth feedlots.andnbsp; The barn is a hybrid including bedding pack housing with sloped scrape alleys on the ends of the barn in addition to a fully slatted below building deep pit in the center. andnbsp;

MSI designed and developed plans and specifications of the waste system for state permitting and approvals. The CNMP was submitted to NRCS and approved for cost share through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). andnbsp;andnbsp;MSI provided construction phase services for quality assurance working with Summit Livestock http://www.summitlivestock.com/ who designed and provided the mono-slope building and construction management services.andnbsp; The barn received its first calves in the fall of 2012 and closeouts continue to be great.