â

AMERICAN SOCIETY

OF

MECHANICAL ENGINEERS

PITTSBURGH SECTION

2003 Annual Awards Banquet

And

Joint Meeting with American Nuclear Society

May 22, 2003

Dave & Busters

This Evenings Program

Social

Buffet Dinner

Welcome – Mike Sylvester

Introduction of Special Guests – Mike Sylvester

Welcome Remarks from the Chair – James Di Perna

Science Awards Presentation – Darrell Rapp

Future Cities Awards Presentation – Darrell Rapp

Student Award Presentation – Jeffrey Vipperman,

John Wesner, David Shaw

Industry Award Presentation – Richard Horne

Engineer of the Year Presentation – Heather DeBiase

Special Guest Recognition

Featured Presentation – Kenneth Balkey

“The Engineers Response to Homeland Security”

Closing Remarks – Mike Sylvester

Science Awards

Senior Level Winner – Mark Gordon

Instructor: Mr. Del Peterson

“What? You Built a Jet Engine?”

This project had three main parts:  First, to prove that it was possible to build a working jet engine from parts purchased in a hardware store.  Second, to prove that the thrust from such an engine could be measured.  Third, that it is possible to learn about various components of a jet engine experimentally only by knowing the basics of jet theory.

Mark is senior at Seton-La Salle High School, and is the son of David and Mary Gordon of Pittsburgh, PA. His extracurricular activities include National Honors Society, Highest Honor Roll, Drum Major, Academic Excellence Award, Band, Hockey, Who’s Who, PA Governors School Alternate, National Forensic League, Student Council, Debate Team, Newspaper, PA Math League, International Club, Scholar Program La Roche College, College in High School Program Seton Hill College, Keystone Boys’ State, National Youth Leadership Forum on Diplomacy Intelligence & Defense, St. Bernard Church, People to People Student Ambassador to England, Ireland, & Wales, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Hosanna Industries Volunteer, Eucharistic Minister, Student Tutor for Spanish. Upon graduation, he plans to attend Purdue University to study Aerospace and/or Nuclear Engineering.

Intermediate Level Winner – Jonathan Sacco

Instructor: Mrs. Dawn Finnegan

“Is It Better or Is It Worse”

This project was evaluating ball bearing cost versus quality for a typical skateboard.

Jonathan is an sixth grader at State Street Elementary School, and is the son of Vincent and Tami Sacco of Baden, PA. His extracurricular activities include Student Council, Band, Honors Band, Newspaper, Basketball, Baseball, GATE, Boy Scouts, Skateboard, playing drums, and drawing.

Future Cities

“Most Effective Moving Part” - Neshannock JSHS

James Dotson

Sean Iannucci

Jason Mirra

Mentor: Mr. Carmen Rozzi, US Army Corps of Engineers

Instructor: Mr. Gregg Micsky

Student Awards

Carnegie Mellon University

Christopher R. Antimary

Outstanding Senior Mechanical Engineering Student

Chung Hwan "José" Lee

ASME Student Section Leader

Geneva College

Lee Foltz

Outstanding Senior Mechanical Engineering Student

John Chrobak

ASME Student Section Leader

University of Pittsburgh

Carl Stapley

Outstanding Senior Mechanical Engineering Student

Drew Werner

ASME Student Section Leader

Industry of the Year

FIRST ENERGY CORPORATION

First Energy Corporation ranks as the Nation’s fourth largest investor owned electric utility with four million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Operating companies include Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Penn Power, Penelec, Metropolitan Ed, and Jersey Central Power and Light. In addition, First Energy’s scope of operations include Distribution and Transmission, Domestic Natural Gas Exploration and Production, Construction Services, and Energy Consulting in a ten state region from New Jersey to Illinois.

First Energy Corporation has adopted an ambitious Five Year Business plan to upgrade the power levels and extend the operating life of its Nuclear facilities through a major capital investment Business plan adopted by subsidiary (FENOC), the First Energy Nuclear Operating Company. In addition, First Energy Corporation recently added new and uprated existing gas fired electrical generating capacity. First Energy Corporation’s commitment assures that reliable, safe, and cost effective domestic energy supplies will be available now and in the future, to fuel the economic recovery of the Mid-Atlantic and South West Pennsylvania Region. This commitment will also reduces dependence on uncertain foreign energy sources. In addition to this commitment to assuring domestic energy supplies , First Energy Corporation is a major employer of Mechanical Engineers.

The Executive Committee’s evaluation of these previously described commitments concluded that First Energy Corporation should be the ASME Pittsburgh Section’s Industry Recognition Award Recipient for 2003.

Engineer of the Year

Kenneth Balkey, PE

Higher Education

University of Pittsburgh 1972, B.S. Mechanical Engineering

University of Pittsburgh 1980, M.S. Mechanical Engineering

Career

Kenneth Balkey is a Fellow Engineer at the Westinghouse Electric Company responsible for providing technology leadership in risk-informed initiatives – e.g., inservice inspection (ISI), inservice testing (IST), repair/replacement activities, and design. He actively interfaces with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and other domestic and international nuclear stakeholder organizations, as required, to establish the use of risk-informed technology in nuclear power plant programs. He led ASME Research efforts for 15 years and worked with ASME Codes & Standards organizations resulting in the development of more than 10 ASME Code Cases for risk-informed ISI, IST and repair/replacement activities. He provided technical direction on first-of-a-kind pilot plant trial applications of technologies associated with these ASME Code Case initiatives in close collaboration with fellow Westinghouse, WOG, ASME and industry colleagues. He heavily interfaced with the NRC to obtain regulatory approval of this work.

Mr. Balkey is currently a member of the ASME Board of Nuclear Codes and Standards, severing as Liaison to the ASME Nuclear Engineering Division. He is providing technology leadership in helping to establish the use of risk-informed technology in all ASME Nuclear Codes & Standards and to coordinate this work with NRC initiatives to risk-inform the nuclear regulations. He is also a member of the ASME Joint Council Task Force of Risk Communication that is to promote risk analysis as a technically sound and socially responsible method to facilitate decision-making by industry, government and the general public.

He has published 80 technical papers primarily related to probabilistic and risk-informed evaluations of nuclear power plant systems and components that have gained the acknowledgement of nuclear industry representatives, regulatory authorities, and professional colleagues of Mr. Balkey as an authority on these initiatives. The publications provide a continuum of first-of-a-kind solutions to a wide range of risk-informed applications. Many of the applications either address technical concerns or provide the bases for the development of risk-informed programs that enhance safety while reducing unnecessary burden and cost.

Honors Received

1983 1983 George Westinghouse Award for Outstanding Engineering Achievement for generic resolution of pressurized thermal shock issue with innovative probabilistic methods

1985 1985 Westinghouse Engineering Achievement Award for innovative patent development on Reactor Vessel Integrity Monitoring System

1986 1986 George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for leadership of engineering groups associated with Point Beach reactor vessel life extension study.

1986 Westinghouse Marketing Award for sale of Point Beach reactor Vessel life extension study and formation of BWR Structural Reliability and Risk Assessment User’s Group.

1987 1987 Westinghouse General Manager E-Award for Engineering Excellence for quality performance in successfully completing Pint Beach reactor vessel life extension study on time and within budget.

1988 1988 Westinghouse Corporate Community Service Award for supporting Junior Achievement’s Project Business Program at Linton Junior High School and for coordinating fund-raising activities to support the needy through the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese’s Parish Share Program.

1988 George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for timely technical leadership in addressing the NRC Genric Letter 88-11 requirements related to new reactor vessel-operating limits for Westinghouse plants.

1989 1989 George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for coordinating the development of state-of-art alternative fuel management and internals designs for reactor vessel flux reduction to maintain the life extension option of the Zion units.

1990 1990 George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for developing and advancing to many nuclear and non-nuclear utilities, petro-chemical, insurance, and government agencies the application of risk-based technologies for addressing complex structural integrity issues.

1992 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dedicated Service Award for dedicated voluntary service to the Society marked by outstanding performance, demonstrated effective leadership, prolonged and committed service, devotion, enthusiasm, and faithfulness in chairing the ASME Research Task Force on Risk-Based Inspection Guidelines.

1994 1994 George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for Risk-Based Technologies Initiative to generate the visibility and acceptance of risk-based in-service inspection and testing technologies as integrated industry programs for enhancing safety while reducing costs.

1996 George Westinghouse Signature Award for Risk-Based ISI Technologies Development and Application for dedicated and innovative efforts in the development and first-of-a-kind application of risk-based inservice inspection (ISI) methods to total plant piping systems.

ASME Activities

Member – Joint Council Task Force on Risk Communication (2000-Present)

Member – Board of Nuclear Codes & Standards (BNCS) (2000-Present)

Chair – BNCS Risk Management Task Group (2002-Present)

Co-Lead – Track 10 Codes, Standards and Regulatory Developments for the International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (2000-Present)

Lead – Section XI Task Group on Risk-Informed Classifications & Requirements (2000-Present)

Member – Section III Special Working Group on Probabilistic Methods (2001-Present)

Chair – Research Committee on Risk Technology (1993-1999)

Chair – Research Task Force on Risk-Based Inservice Testing (1993-1996)

Chair – Research Task Force on Risk-Based Inspection Guidelines (1986-1998)

Member – Risk Analysis Task Force (1985-1991)

Co-Developer – ASME Short Courses “Risk-based Decision-Making for Power & Process Facilities” (1991) and “ASME Risk-based Inspection Guidelines” (1996)

Member – Ad Hoc Task Group on Reliability to Main Committee (1988-1990)

Member – Reliability Subcommittee to Pressure Vessel & Piping Division (1982-1986)

Member – ASME (1972-Present) actively supporting the Pressure Vessels & Piping, Safety Engineering and Risk Analysis, and Nuclear Engineering Technical Divisions in chairing and organizing technical paper sessions & invited panels and in delivering technical papers.

Secretary – ASME Mechanical Engineering Student Membership – University of Pittsburgh (1970-1972)

Other Activities

Serve as a reviewer for proposed technical articles for the International Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Design, published by Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2001-Present)

Mr. Balkey has been a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania since 1976.

Mr. Balkey and his wife Ruth Anne reside in Churchill Borough.

Special Guests

Thomas Wendt – Regional Director, ASME Regional V

Leighton Orr - Research Scientist, PPG (Retired)

Incoming Officers 2003 – 2004

Jeffrey S. Vipperman, Ph.D. – Chair

Douglas Koebler – Vice Chair

Lori Rankin – Secretary

William P. Spohn – Treasurer

Sponsors

JUDITH A. FRIEDEL, MBA, MSCE, BSME, PE CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™

ALLEGHENY INVESTMENTS

C. Bradley Bond, CFP®, PE

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

The ASME Pittsburgh Section

Executive Committee

Maria Benner - Consultant

Eric Bono – Crucible Research

Albert R. Bouvy – LogiX - Guru

Richard Conley – Kerotest Manufacturing Company

Thomas (Rip) Curran – Monroeville Water Authority

Heather DeBiase – Westinghouse Electric Company

James DiPerna – DiPerna and Associates

Frank Faron – Raifar Associates

Bob Frownfelter – PPG (Retired)

Richard Horne – Medrad, Inc.

Joy Soto Kocar – Biomed Ink

Douglas Koebler – Automated Cell Technologies

Lori Rankin – Union Switch & Signal

Darrell Rapp – Concurrent Technologies Corp.

Marilyn Reeder – Community College of Allegheny County

Donald G. Risko – Extrude Hone Corp.

Laura Schaefer – University of Pittsburgh

Allen Selz – Pressure Sciences, Inc.

David Shaw – Geneva College

Mike Sylvester – AllTek Staffing and Resource Group, Inc.

William P. Spohn – Testo, Inc.

Nelson Tonet - Consultant

Jeffrey Vipperman – University of Pittsburgh

John Wesner – Carnegie Mellon University

The ASME Pittsburgh Section is always looking for new members. If you would like to contribute in any capacity, or to join ASME, contact any member of the Committee or visit our web page.