Alaska's changing face: benefiting from a variety of engineering systems.

• Author: Pielli, Brooke

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Alaska is a large state in which a relatively small community of engineering people is attempting to bring about needed physical change. Their specialties differ, but the goal is the same: consideration for the environment and the needs of residents and businesses.

"There are civil engineers working in transportation, structural, water resources, environmental, and geo-tech projects," said Dr. Robert Lang, dean of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

"They work on foundation projects and road projects," he added. "A road is basically a structure. When designing a road, you have to take into account variables such as traffic, rain, snow, water courses and run off, drainage, and oil or gas deposits on the road from leakage."

Engineers also have to keep up with the latest information. "They keep up because they are usually engaged in the practice of engineering," Lang said. "They speak with consultants and engineers they know. And there are also advisory boards, comprised of people who work in engineering. Additionally, most states now have continuing ed for engineers. Alaska has such a need for engineering that there is an open-door policy on a program of college courses and conferences."

"The University of Alaska," he added, "has three main campuses, one in Anchorage, one in Fairbanks, and a third in Juneau. Depending on how you count students, there are 750 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the field of engineering on those campuses, Lang said.

For people to be licensed as engineers, they need to take approved classes in Arctic engineering," he said.

According to Lang, a lot of practical know-how is built into the classes because "how to design in cold weather evolved out of necessity. There has developed a culture of adaptation and innovation to meet these challenges."

THEY KNOW

ENTRIX Engineering Consultants in Anchorage understands this.

"We're broadly classified under environmental engineering," said Jack Colonell, current vice president and technical director of ENTRIX.

ENTRIX was founded in 1984 when Dan Taylor and Richard Firth created what they considered to be a science-based business designed to help clients deal with environmental challenges.

"We deal with water concerns, both fresh and salt," explained Colonell. "We're working on the Knik River Bridge project and are dealing with many environmental concerns. The new crossing, will it affect the hydraulics of...