A collaborative effort between the National Capital Section of ASCE and the ASCE Student Chapter at George Mason University made this event possible. This group celebrates excellence in Civil Engineering automation annually by recognizing projects and/or initiatives in the metropolitan Washington, DC area that have demonstrated superiority in the use of automation in planning/design, construction, and/or operations.

The event keynote was presented by Stephen Hagan of GSA and Mitch Schefcik of Optira, Inc. The keynote was an engaging discussion about the value BIM offers infrastructure builders. It was also a fascinating study of how laser data scanning significantly improved the planning process for the DHS Headquarters project that is being built where St. Elizabeth’s Hospital was in Washington, DC.

This year there were three nominees vying for the award:

• Dulles Silver Line Metro Project for the tight integration of software with construction equipment to deliver efficiencies not otherwise possible
• InterCounty Connector Project for automating the flow of environmental compliance field data to stakeholders in design and permitting agencies
• Harmony Algorithm for its unique approach to optimizing the design of water distribution networks in challenging urban settings

The award was jointly shared by the Dulles Silver Line Metro and the InterCounty Connector projects.

The photograph collage above shows (L-R) Mr. William Bergeson and Mr. Steve Barna of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) accepting the award for the Silver Line Project from Mr. Jacobo Flores (GMU ASCE Student Chapter President) and Mr. Ranjit Sahai (NCS Automation Committee Chairman); Mr. Sahai and Mr. Flores holding the award plaque for the InterCounty Connector Project on behalf of Maryland State Highway Administration; Mr. Sahai with Lucky student and Mr. Flores with the book he won at the raffle; Mr. Flores and Mr. Sahai congratulating Mr. Hagan; and Mr. Flores and Mr. Sahai congratulating Mr. Schefcik for an outstanding keynote.