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The American Concrete Institute has made the difficult but necessary decision to transition the ACI Concrete Convention from an in-person event in Baltimore, MD, USA, this March, to a 100% virtual event. There were many factors that led to this decision, but the most important was the health and safety of convention attendees and staff.

REGISTRATION PRICING

Registration Type	Pricing
Member	$99
Nonmember	$179
ACI Student Members	FREE

You can register for the convention here!

Please visit the ACI Current Convention page for more information on sessions and events and click the image below for a convention preview!

Please join us in congratulating the Kennedy Center Expansion Project team for winning the Overall “Excellence” Award at the 2020 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards Gala during The ACI Virtual Concrete Convention, October 26, 2020! ACI recognized a total of 12 winners around the world and this team won the highest honor!

The National Capital Chapter nominates the winners of our Excellence in Concrete Awards to compete against concrete projects around the world at the ACI National level. 

Project Details:  The Kennedy Center Expansion Project, known as the REACH, consists of three new buildings—the Welcome, Skylight, and River Pavilions—situated on the 4.6 acre campus along the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Each structure features titanium-white board-formed concrete, sweeping curves, and crisp clean lines that complement the existing monument. The Welcome, Skylight, and River Pavilions are all interconnected below-grade under a green roof where visitors can meander through the labyrinth of concrete curves. Multiple board form patterns and custom “crinkle” form liners add to the texture of the architectural concrete both above and below-grade. While the “crinkle” concrete creates a wonderful acoustic effect in the performance and rehearsal rooms, the visual effect is absolutely stunning.

Project Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rxg9v7YZM4&feature=youtu.be

Project Team Members: Owner: U.S. Government; Architectural Firm: Steven Holl Associates; Engineering Firm: Silman; General Contractor: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company; Concrete Contractor: The Lane Construction Corporation; Concrete Supplier: Vulcan Materials.

Congratulations again to the Kennedy Center team!

**Photo was taken prior to the implementation of COVID-19 safety measures**

The American Concrete Institute has made the difficult but necessary decision to transition the ACI Concrete Convention from an in-person event in Raleigh, NC, USA, this October, to a 100% virtual event. There were many factors that led to this decision, but the most important was the health and safety of convention attendees and staff.

REGISTRATION PRICING

Registration Type	Pricing
Member	$49
Nonmember	$299
ACI Student Members	FREE

You can register for the convention here!

For the ACI Virtual Concrete Convention this coming October, ACI will be expanding the number of committee meetings and technical sessions, and adding many of the other events and activities that really make ACI’s conventions stand out as the world’s gathering place for advancing concrete.

Please visit the ACI Current Convention page for more information on sessions and events.

In lieu of the cancellation of the 2020 Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference, the ELA Partners and trainers will be presenting a week-long FREE virtual leadership training for young professionals on September 21-25, 2020 from noon – 1:00 p.m. EDT. ACI is a participating partner in the Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference. 

The event will include a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions with live Q&A. 

Monday, September 21 • 12 p.m. EDT
How to Present Like an Award-Winning Actor (Live)
Brent Darnell, Brent Darnell International

Tuesday, September 22 • 12 p.m. EDT
Know Yourself, Live Your Mission, Lead Your People (Recorded, Live Q&A)
Rear Admiral Michael Georgione, CEC, USN (Ret.)

Wednesday, September 23 • 12 p.m. EDT
Global Leaders Embracing Inclusion for Success (Recorded, Live Q&A)
Doug Harris, Kaleidoscope Group

Thursday, September 24 • 12 p.m. EDT
Managing Change (Recorded, Live Q&A)
Jeffrey Cufaude, Idea Architects Managing Virtual Teams

Friday, September 25• 12 p.m. EDT
Managing Virtual Teams (Live)
Rahul Dogra, Vision to Market, Ltd.

Participants are not required to attend the entire conference but will need to register for each individual training session.

Register for Emerging Leaders Week Here

Here are some tips on who should attend:

• Industry and Government Agencies: Rising or current middle management (or equivalent) with demonstrated potential for upper level/executive management. Rising or current technical staff leaders (e.g., Associate Research Consultant, Research Specialist, etc.) with the demonstrated potential for corporate fellow (or equivalent) and/or Technical Society/National Academy Fellow.

• Universities (i.e., professors): Six or more years of experience (including leading research groups or centers) with aspirations for university leadership positions (Department Chair, Dean or higher) and/or demonstrated potential for Technical Society/National Academy Fellow.

• A Record of Achievement: This includes individual contributions (e.g., published papers, awards, etc.) and organizational success (e.g., promotions within an organization, documented success of the individual’s group, etc.). A member in good standing of a partnering professional society.

• Preference to those organizations (e.g., companies, academic institution, government agency, etc.) that do not have an internal leadership program (e.g., smaller companies or larger organizations with only management training).

• Unique opportunity to expand the Emerging Leaders Alliance (e.g., international participant).

• Typically ages 25-35.

National Capital Chapter ACI

COVID-19 Guidelines for Certification Exams

If you are registered or plan to register for a certification exam, please review the following guidelines for the day of the exam:

• If you are sick, showing signs of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, we would ask you to not attend the exam and you will be given a refund so long as 24hr advance notice is provided. Refunds will not be offered for other circumstances.
• Non-contact temperature checks will be performed by the NCCACI Staff at Check-In. If temperature is at or above 100.4°F, the person will be asked to leave and no refund will be provided.
• Each registrant will sit at their own table during the written exam.
• Masks will be required to be worn the entire time during the review and exam.
• Equipment will be sprayed down with soapy water periodically by staff.
• 6' Social Distancing is to be maintained during the review and exam.
• Hand sanitizer will be present at the Check-In table.
• NCCACI Staff will sign you in at Check-In instead of sharing pens to sign in.
• Please bring your own pencil and calculator and do not share them.
• Wear appropriate attire for the practical exam (i.e. closed-toed shoes/boots, long pants, shirts with sleeves, safety glasses, gloves). The practical exam is performed with concrete, so wear typical work clothes / clothes that can get dirty.

These guidelines will be in effect until the State of Emergency in DC, VA and MD is lifted.

Sika is hosting a FREE webinar on Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 2:00 pm.

Learn more about The History of Concrete including:

• A special focus on the importance of quality workmanship and proven materials.
• A look back at Roman concrete, ancient Chinese and Mayan concrete, as well as prehistoric concrete.
• There are thousands of years of lessons learned

Use the link here to register!

Regards,

National Capital Chapter ACI

                                                   

Did you know that ACI offers rebates to veterans for earning an ACI Certification in any program?

Honorably discharged U.S. military veterans attaining ACI certification in any program as the result of exams administered through any ACI Certification Sponsoring Group are eligible to apply for a $250.00 rebate from the ACI Foundation. These rebates will be distributed by the ACI Foundation as long as funding remains available.

Who is eligible? Honorably discharged U.S. military veterans (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), attaining ACI Certification as the result of exams administered on or after June 1, 2018.

Visit https://www.concrete.org/certification/veteranrebate for more information on how to apply and thank you for your service!

One of our Corporate Members, Olson Engineering Inc., is hosting a Webinar on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 10:00 am. The topic will be:

Seismic Site Classification

The Webinar will be presented by Dr. Ryan E. North, Principal Geophysicist, and Travis Nielson, Project Geophysicist, at Olson Engineering. Together, they have more than thirty years of experience in near-surface geophysics applications, from military sites addressing landmine, IED, UXO, and tunnel detection, to civil works addressing levee and dam seepage issues and condition assessment.

Ryan and Travis will discuss site classification as defined by the international building code, and will cover all of the methods available to determine site classifications, starting with checking the site classes at the local level on the USGS website. They will then cover the methods for measuring the average shear wave velocity in the top 100 ft or 30 m of the ground, which are denoted as Vs100 or Vs30. These methods include:

• Passive Horizontal over Vertical Velocity Soundings (H/V)
• Downhole Seismic Surveys
• Crosshole Seismic Surveys
• S-wave Seismic Refraction Surveys
• Refraction Micro Tremor (ReMi)
• Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW).

Use the Link and Meeting ID below to join them on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 10:00 am.

Regards,

National Capital Chapter ACI

Dear Members,

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent emergency actions have caused many disruptions, including rescheduling of ACI Certification education and exam sessions to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. These actions may result in an individual’s ACI Certification expiring before a rescheduled session takes place. As a result, ACI has been asked to extend certifications so that individuals may remain in compliance with project requirements as they await recertification testing. For a number of reasons, ACI has determined that extending certifications is not the best solution.

ACI believes the Engineer of Record and/or specifier is the proper individual to review a technician’s credentials and determine if a waiver is warranted/appropriate. This can then be documented in the project files along with an explanation referencing recertification difficulties due to COVID-19 disruptions.

Please direct any questions or requests to aci.certification@concrete.org

Best Regards and Stay Safe,
National Capital Chapter ACI

Congratulations to Howard University ACI Members Travis Flowers, Grace Glenn, Darien Mercado, Binaya Paudel, Sigmund Skinner, Camille Wallace, and Alfred Wallfall for placing second in the 2019 ACI Concrete Construction Competition!

The team’s proposal highlighted their conscious efforts to minimize the effects of construction and building on the local environment. The team took into consideration the climate associated with the project’s region and selected the materials that would be best suited for the scope of work. Their proposal included details on all materials, labor, supervision, hoisting, expediting, engineering, equipment, erection, shoring, scaffolds, tools, and all other items required to furnish and install all cast-in-place concrete work, formwork and flatwork, and all other related work.

Please join us in congratulating these incredible students!

http://www.civil.cea.howard.edu/node/69