2005 HAWAII STATE MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION

Page 3Hawaii Society ofProfessional EngineersA state society of the National Society of Professional EngineersP.O. BOX 3774HONOLULU, HAWAII 96812www.eng.hawaii.edu/ hspe2004-2005 HSPE BOARDPresidentPresident ElectVice PresidentSecretaryTreasurerImmed. Past Pres.State DirectorsHonolulu ChapterMaui ChapterBig Island ChapterKona-Kohala ChapterRiley SmithManny LanuevoKen RappoltNeal HerbertMarc BotticelliPeter Boucher(non voting)Queenie KomoriEric YamashigeGalen KubaDan LantermanHSPE LEGACY PROJECT COMPLETEThe HSPE Legacy home building project wascompleted on March 6 with the formal dedication and presentation of the certificate of occupancy. The new homeowners, John andMichelle Ka’aihue Ohana of Nanakuli, will bemoving in during the week of March 13.HSPE and Honolulu Chapter Officers, KenRappolt, P.E., Barry Nakamoto, P.E. and NathanYuen, P.E. attended the dedication and blessing.John Ka’aihue cuts the Maile lei at the dedication of his new home sponsored byHSPE and Hawaii Habitat for Humanity.(photo by Ken Rappolt).HSPE in cooperation with NSPE, contributedover 33,000 to Honolulu Habitat for Humanity,who constructed the project with volunteerassistance from numerous community organizations throughout Oahu.The HSPE funds were raised through contributions from Hawaii businesses, engineeringfirms and donations from NSPE membersattending the annual convention in Honolululast July.HAWAII LTAP DELIVERSTECHNOLOGY TRANSFERBased at the University of Hawaii College ofEngineering, the Hawaii Local TechnicalAssistance Program (HLTAP) is a technologytransfer program jointly funded by the FederalHighway Administration (FHWA) and theHawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT).It is one of 58 such centers in the United Statesof America (one in each State, one in PuertoRico and seven at Native American TribalGovernments). To stretch its effectiveness,HLTAP has executed partnering agreementswith eight professional groups, leading all 58LTAP centers in this respect.One of the cooperative features of partneringis the joint sponsorship of workshops and conferences. For example, in October 2003,HLTAP and several partners offered a ntLaw:ChallengesandOpportunities,” which addressed the provisions of the State’s new procurement law thathas been described as the most importantpiece of legislation to come out of that year’slegislative session.Spurred by this success, a joint planningcommittee was established to organize a follow-up workshop entitled “Design-BuildProjects: Benefits and Pitfalls.” The committee consisted of Jon Nishimura and LesterFukuda from the American Council ofEngineering Companies (ACEC), Rouen Liuand Larry Leopardi from the American PublicWorks Association (APWA), Walter Billingsleyand Westley Chun from the American Societyof Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Gail Ikeda, JuliKobayashi and C. S. Papacostas from HLTAP.The committee met almost monthly for abouta year, agonizing about how to objectively andfairly cover this complicated issue in a way thattangibly addressed the needs of owners, contractors and other stakeholders. The result wasa two-day program, presented in January ofthis year at the East-West Center. The first daybegan with an overview by Eugene Wright ofthe University of Nebraska of design-build (DB)in comparison to other delivery methods,including the traditional design-bid-buildapproach. A panel of owners with local experience, including Clyde Morita of the U.S. Navy(NAVPAC Pacific), Glenn Yasui and Gary Choy(HDOT), and Greg Hee (City & County ofHonolulu), explained and discussed their specific DB policies and procedures. Following alunch-time inspiring talk on team building byJiro Sumada of W. H. Shipman, a panel ofrespondents to DB requests for proposals(RFPs) presented the perspectives of contractor-led teams (Len Dempsey of Dick Pacificand Lani Smithson of Kiewit Pacific), A/E-ledteams (Younes Shahi of EarthTech), anArchitectural Designer (Dan Chun ofKauahikaua & Chun) and an Insurer (KarenHong of Finance Insurance). The first dayended with a lively exchange involving a panelof most of the above speakers and responsesto questions from the audience.The second day was instructional in nature:Eugene Wright was joined by Attorney AnnaOshiro (of Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert)to address, respectively, national and localissues relevant to DB. These included projectdelivery systems, contracts, bridging and payment of stipends, and design build experiences in the public sector.Judging by the overflow demand thatexceeded the venue’s capacity of 125 people,the topic was both important and timely.Moreover, attendees were generally satisfiedwith the coverage of the topic as the followingsampling of their comments shows: “for themost part, the selection of presenters was thebest possible for the subject matter,” “topicwas discussed in the public and private per(continued on page 13)2005 ENGINEERS WEEKPROCLAMATIONSOn February 24, 2005, State of Hawaii Lt.Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr. cosigned a proclamation with Governor LindaLingle declaring the week of February 20 to 26,2005 as Engineers Week in the Aloha State.Ten representatives of the Hawaii Council ofEngineering Societies (HCES) attended theproclamation ceremony at the ExecutiveChambers of the State Capitol. Lt. Governorexpressed his gratitude to engineers for “finding creative ways to address the complex anddiverse needs of our ever-changing society.”On February 4, 2005, City and County ofHonolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman similarlysigned a proclamation declaring the week ofFebruary 20 to 26, 2005 as National EngineersWeek in the City and County of Honolulu. Tenrepresentatives from HCES attended theproclamation ceremony at the Office of theMayor at Honolulu Hale. Mayor Hannemanextended his “deep appreciation for the outstanding contributions of these dedicated professionals to our community.”HCES representatives with State of Hawaii Lt. Governor Duke Aiona at the State proclamation signing.

Page 4Engineering” (specify HPV or Minim Baja orboth) and mailed c/o Dr. Mehrdad GhasemiNejhad,DepartmentofMechanicalEngineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa,2540 Dole Street, Holmes Hall #302, Honolulu,HI 96822. Any support will be greatly appreciated.Hawaii SectionThe AmericanSociety ofMechanical EngineersWebsite: www.sections.asme.org/hawaiiASME-HI 2004-2005 OfficersChairpersonVice-ChairSecretaryTreasurerDir 1 yrDir 2 yrHCES RepRaymond LiuLCDR John MarkowiczSam GillieRodney KrienkeRon FlegalChester KaitokuJames 6063254-2947HAWAII SECTION GENERAL MEETINGDate: Tuesday, April 5, 2005Time: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Place: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. WardAvenue CafeteriaProgram: Continue planning section activities for the rest of the year. The Officers andDirectors of ASME-HI look forward to seeingnew and familiar faces. Lots of free pizza andpop are always provided. Please contact RayLiu or Sam Gillie for directions and for moreinformation.2005 BALLOT AND SURVEYThe deadline for the ballots and surveys wasMarch 31. Thank you for your help in guidingthe Hawaii Section through another year. Theresults will be highlighted in the May Wiliki andon our section web site.CONTINUITY & CHANGE UPDATEPMTF Decisions Continue TransitionProcessThe Project Management Task Force (PMTF)has made several key decisions enablingthe Continuity & Change effort to move forward:– All governing units of Sectors will be calledBoards of Directors, replacing the currentcommittee/council structures;– The Center for Professional Practice andDevelopment has been renamed as theCenter for Professional Development,Practice and Ethics;– And, a new project team template“Knowledge and Continuity” has beenapproved.For the latest information on Continuity hange/IINEWSLTR0105.htm.NOMINATIONS FOR ASME-HI SECTION2005 PROJECT/DESIGN OUTSTANDINGACHIEVEMENT AWARDThe nomination deadline is April 30, 2005.You can submit nominations any time beforethat date. If you know of any unusual or outstanding mechanical engineering-type projector design that have been completed within thepast five years, please contact Ed Chang at543-4227. The nomination process is very simple, easy, and fast. Visit our section web site formore information and a copy of the nominationform.HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HONORSASME ON ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARYThe U.S. House of Representatives passed aresolution congratulating ASME on its 125thanniversary. The resolution, Senate ConcurrentResolution 13 (S.Con.Res.13), which was alsopassed by the U.S. Senate, recognizes andcelebrates the achievements of ASME and itsmembers.“ASME is proud to be at the forefront of engineering and scientific innovation. We’re honored by the congressional recognition given toASME for 125 years of setting the standard inengineering achievement,” said ASMEPresident Harry Armen. The resolution commends ASME for its “key role in protecting thewelfare and safety of the public through thedevelopment and promulgation of over 600codes and standards routinely used byindustry and people in the United States andaround the world.” It also notes ASME’s role inensuring “the provision of quality science,technology, engineering, and mathematicseducation for young people as a way to fosterand encourage the advancement of technology.” Introduced by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), amechanical engineer, S.Con.Res.13 describesASME as “one of the premier professionalorganizations focused on technical, educational and research issues of the engineering community.”REQUEST FOR DONATIONS FOR THEASME HUMAN POWERED VEHICLE (HPV)AND MINI BAJA PROJECTSThe UHM ASME Student Section HPV Teamand Mini Baja Team continue to seek supportand donations from the engineering community for expenses to design, build, and competein their respective competitions.The HPV Team plans to compete in the April29 – May 1, 2005 ASME West CoastCompetition, while the Mini Baja Team plans tocompete in the June 1 – 4, 2005 Arizona competition. Because of the high cost to participatein these annual student competitions, the students seek your help in funding. They expectexpenses to reach as high as 14,000 for HPVand 25,000 for Mini Baja for materials andtravel. Donations are tax deductible. Checkscan be made out to “UH Foundation/FUTURE TOURS AND EVENTS P.E. Study Group and P.E. Refresher Course:Chairman Ray Liu is coordinating a reviewcourse for the October exam with Dr. CharlyKinoshita and Dr. Stephen Masutani asinstructors. Watch for the dates, times andplace for the course. Tour of the Honolulu Advertiser printing plantin Kapolei. Ed Chang is waiting for theAdvertiser to specify a date for the tour.Since the presses operate only in the lateevening and early morning, the presses willmost likely not be running during the tour. Tour and Hawaii Section meeting with BigIsland member in Kona for June 2005.Possible sites to visit include cold water bottling plant, HELCO Keahole Power Plant, andthe Hamakua Partners Power Plant. Othersuggestions will be appreciated.ASME 125th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONWHALE WATCHING CRUISEWhat a great event for the ASME 125thAnniversary. Thanks to member Paul MichaelWatson, President of Dream Cruises, theHawaii Section is the only ASME Section tohave a whale watching cruise for this celebration. The price was right so many took the ride.Please keep watching the Wiliki for a futureplanned cruise, and please visit the ASME-HIweb site for photos.Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii SpaldingHouse First Lego League CompetitionDuring the months of December andJanuary, members of the American Society ofMechanical Engineers-University of Hawaii atManoa (ASME-UHM) collegiate chapter mentored a group of 6th to 8th grade girls at theBoys and Girls Club of Hawaii (BGCH)Spalding clubhouse in their first First LegoLeague Competition (FLL) held at the MidPacific Institute on January 29th. The FLL competition is a collaboration between FIRST andLEGO to promote science and technology toyounger children through hands-on experienceand experimentation using LEGO. LEGOMindstorms Robotics Invention Systems wasused to create a fully autonomous robot programmed to complete useful tasks such as flipswitches or distribute/retrieve items from onearea to another area.The idea of LEGO robotics was first introduced to the ASME-UHM students by Mr. JohnKatahira and Mr. R. Scott Simon of the Allianceand Debbie Azama-Park of the BGCH. Mr.Katahira and Mr. Simon found time in their busyschedules and approached the students thispast semester to continue their involvementwith the community service project that promoted engineering and science to young girls.The ASME-UHM students participated in theLEGO robotics program the previous year butit was their first time competing in the FLL.The FLL was an addition to the LEGO robotics program. It was introduced by AaronDengler, a Punahou science teacher, who alsofound time in his busy schedule to help mentorthe girls. Because the ASME-UHM studentswere already involved with LEGO Robotics itwas not such a far stretch to enter into a competition dealing with LEGO and robotics in amore large scale structured event.The LEGO robotics program at the BGCHwas organized and operated by the collegestudents. This was a more relaxed environment. When the competition was introducedspecific tasks were given with a deadline.Dealing with young girls in the afternoon was achallenge for the college students. ASMEUHM students started with a group of about 15girls but after time the number decreased to athird of its size. It was disappointing to see thedecline in numbers but at the same time a hidden blessing because it made the mentoringsessions more manageable for the studentswho were thought, “Was I this much to dealwith? Sorry mom and dad.”Some of the tasks that the girls had to complete was to deliver a CD from one point toanother, retrieve a pair of glasses from a pointon the field and bring them back to base, pushin chairs around a table, climb stairs, flipswitches, open a gate, deliver items from baseto a point on the playing field, and deliver ballsfrom base to a hoop. After understanding therules and tasks, the students had to teach thegirls the tools that would allow them to createtheir robots.The girls started out with a fairly simple jobby first following written directions with picturesto construct a four-wheeled robot chassis.Then the girls were introduced to the taskswhere they brainstormed ideas. Delving further, they decided on a few feasible ideas thatcould do their tasks. Their main tool was acomputer that was used to program the directions for the robot. The robot also used touchsensors, light sensors, and motors as input andoutput devices, respectively. The girls were notreceptive at first but after the ASME students

Page 5showed the girls some tricks like making therobot mimic singing and dancing they startedto try the programming themselves. After that,the girls pretty much took over. They learnedthe basic programs like moving straight, turning, reversing, and stopping. By combiningthe basic programs, the girls quickly found outthat they could do most of the tasks. That ledto the testing stage. This part tested the girls’patience because they thought that once theyprogrammed the robot that was it. They foundout that there were other factors involved whichlead to a revamping of their computer program.After all their testing and modifications, thegirls were off to the competition where they metother junior robot-engineers from otherschools. The girls were not intimidated just alittle nervous about how their robots would farein the actual game setting.The competition was an exciting event whereone could watch the children’s emotionsexpressed at every completed or failed task.There were three rounds with an intermissionbetween rounds. Creative ideas were revealedby each of the youngsters’ robots. Pride intheir work was obvious, a sign of a good engineer. Competitors were given a 2 minute 30second time limit per run to complete as manytasks as possible. Teams brought strategiesthat they had practiced earlier in the week.Some strategies were tasks that would scorethe most points were done first, the number oftimes each task was retried before moving onto the next task, and who and when wasallowed to operate the robot. As in any actualsituation, unexpected problems occurred during the competition. For example, as a teamwas about to start the match, their robotcrashed to the floor resulting in the transformation of potential energy to kinetic energy whereall their pieces were spread out on the floor.Two of the team members looked at each otherand paused for about 3 seconds but understood that they still had to try to compete sothey scurried to gather the pieces and with surprising speed recreated their robot. That teamwas able to gain some points during that roundinstead of losing control and breaking down.What composure.The competition was over after about anhour but it must have been infinitesimal for thecompetitors. The BGCH girls did not fare towell against the other schools but that wasnever the idea. The idea was to expose thechildren to science and engineering and add alittle competition to give them a little push tobetter themselves. The girls learned so much.They are now interested in a school roboticsprogram where they will share their experiencewith their classmates.ASME & ASHRAE Whale Watching TourCelebrationAs part of the yearlong celebrations of the125th Anniversary of ASME, the Hawaii sectionmembers and the local ASHRAE HawaiiChapter members attended a whale-watchingcruise on Saturday, March 5, 2005 sponsoredby Dream Cruises Hawaii.This joint event, which also served to helpcelebrate the 35th anniversary of ASHRAEHawaii, was an exciting event to promote notonly the profession of mechanical engineeringto the public, but to give an opportunity formembers of both professional societies tocome together and enjoy the sights andsounds of the whale watching season whichends in March.Choosing to embark either on the 7:30am,9:30am or 3:30pm tours on the “AmericanDream”, the members were treated to an educational whale watching tour that included anexpert narration of the types of whales found inour Pacific waters, interesting facts on theirmigratory patterns and even listening to “whalesongs” on the ship’s loudspeakers to entice thewhales to surface. But the highlight was thesighting of the whales as the membersscanned the ocean’s horizon to identify thewhite mist of the spout as the whales surfaced.On the 9:30am tour, the weather was cloudyand the seas a little choppy. But as the 50 orso members from both societies, along with thenormal Japanese and mainland tourists andlocals embarked on the tour, a total of 3 sightings were made with no one left disappointed.The sighting also included a baby whale swimming along side its mother and the characteristic “splash” of the whales as they surfacefrom the ocean – all viewed from the safe distance required of federal laws.The ASME Hawaii section would like to thankMr. Michael Watson, President of DreamCruises Hawaii for sponsoring the tour for bothASME and ASHRAE Hawaii members. Also,thanks to Mr. Victor Russell, ASHRAE Hawaiipresident for coordinating this joint event withthe ASHRAE members.engineering and explaining how it affects thepublic welfare.The ASME Hawaii section would like to thankMr. Tony Lau, HCES Chair, and Ms. CherylYoshida, Engineer’s Week Activity/DisplayBooth Coordinator, for coordination on theevent to promote the 125th Anniversary ofASME to the general public.ASME Hawaii Section Participates inEngineer’s Week Celebrations at KahalaMallMembers of the ASME Hawaii and ASME UHstudent section participated in the activitiesbooth and display on Saturday, February 26,2005, as part of the annual Engineer’s Weekactivities held at Kahala Mall during the weekof February 21 thru 26, 2005.Along with on-stage interactive activities,senior section memberSam Gillie of HawaiianElectric Company provided an activity booth showcasing a demonstrationmodel of a working solarpowered hydrogen fuelcell. Senior section member Raymond Liu ofHawaiianElectricCompany also helped outwith distributing promotional material highlightingthe 125th anniversary ofASME and its achievements.The UH ASME studentsection showed off their

2005 MathCounts National Competition in Detroit, be it known that Detroit will host the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 2006 Super Bowl, and the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. Obviously, the National MathCounts Competition fits right in with these other world-class c