June 24 - 26, 2016
Fairmont Hotel, Dallas Texas
9:00 - 11:30 Committee Meetings
11:30 - 1:00 Lunch on your own
1:00 - 3:30 Board of Directors Meeting
3:30 - 5:00 ASTM E58 Meeting
6:00 Cash Bar Reception - Fountain Room
7:00 NAFE Dinner- Fountain Room
During the Friday NAFE dinner, NAFE Fellow James “Bill” Jones, PhD, PE will share his unique experiences as a White House Fellow and funded researcher for the Department of Homeland Security. He developed a risk-based methodology after 9/11 to help determine what infrastructure elements the US should and could afford to protect from terrorism attacks. Dr. Jones also received a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop a way to prevent radioactive materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. And he co-authored a book about these topics entitled “Weapons of Mass Disruption.” Don’t miss this talk!
Saturday: NAFE Regular Seminar - 8 PDHs
7:00 am Round Table Discussion (includes breakfast) - Oak Room
8:15 am Opening Remarks and Introductions – John Leffler, PE (2016 NAFE President) - Gold Room
MORNING — GENERAL SESSION - Gold Room
(Saturday Program Details - Abstracts and Speaker Bios)
9-9:40 John Certuse, PE (708F) – “Forensic Engineering Analysis of Heating Fuel Consumption and Temperature Setting”
9:40-10:20 William Rowley, PhD, PE (790F) and Laura Liptai, PhD (887A) – “Forensic Engineering Analysis of Cervical Spine Trauma, Specifically Quadriplegia and Other Paralyzing Injuries from Diving Accidents”
10:20-11:00 Reza Mirshams, PhD, PE (933C) – “Two Case Studies on Using Fatigue and Corrosion Analysis in Forensic Engineering”
11:00-11:40 Mark McAlpine, Esq. (921C) – “The Flint Water Crisis: A Case Study on the Engineer’s Ethical Obligation as Whistleblower and a Forensic Evaluation of the Applicable Standard of Care”
11:40 Membership Meeting, NAFE Activities Report, Recognition of NAFE Fellows – John Leffler, PE
12:30 Round Table Discussion (includes lunch)
AFTERNOON TRACK 1 — FIRE INVESTIGATIONS & PREMISES LIABILITY - Gold Room
(Saturday Program Details - Abstracts and Speaker Bios)
2-2:40 pm R. Vasu Vasudevan, PE (619F) – “Forensic Engineering Analysis of a Home Fire”
2:40-3:20 Joseph Leane, PE (524M) – “Solid Fuel Burning Appliance Fire Investigations”
3:20-4:00 John Laughlin, PE (760S) – “Forensic Engineering Investigation of Slip and Falls Using Surveillance Video”
4:00-4:40 Juan Charles, PhD, PE (695F) – “Forensic Investigation of Slips, Trips and Falls on Access Ramps”
AFTERNOON TRACK 2 — VEHICLES - Paris Room
2-2:40 pm Jerry Ogden, PhD, PE (561F) and Mathew Martonovich, EI (456C) – “Forensic Engineering Tools and Analysis of Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders”
2:40-3:20 David Gillingham, P.Eng (935A) – “The Impact of the Lack of Marine and Rail Shipping Standards on the Transportation of Large Power Transformers”
3:20-4:00 George Hall, PE (659S) – “Forensic Engineering Case Study and Evaluation of Event Data Recorder Validity in a Police Collision”
4:00-4:40 Jesse Grantham, PhD, PE (597F) – “Forensic Engineering Assessments of Defective Welds in Mobile Oilfield Fracking Tanks”
4:40-5:00 Follow-up Q & A Session for Technical Presentations
5:00 Adjourn
Saturday - Cash Bar Reception (Oak Room) and Dinner on your own. NAFE will provide local restaurant suggestions. Sunday - NAFE Educational Program - 8 PDHs
7:00 am Round Table Discussion (includes breakfast) - Oak Room
8:15 am Opening Remarks and Introductions – Robin Davies PE, NAFE Education Chair - Gold Room
8:30 William Bracken, PE - "Laws, Rules and State Licensure Updates"
This presentation is being delivered by William Bracken, current chairman of Florida’s engineering licensure board and NAFE Fellow. This presentation serves as an update to his NAFE 2015 January presentation titled: Is Forensic Engineering the Practice of Engineering? This update will provide a brief summary on how engineering licensure boards throughout the US view the practice of forensic engineering, when licensure is required and when it is not. Some of the topics covered in the laws and rules updates include; engineering documents that are required to be signed and sealed, acceptable methods of signing and sealing, and state specific laws, rules and ethics requirements. Some of the topics covered in the licensure updates will provide insights on changes occurring at a national level pertaining to engineering licensure and recent US Supreme Court rulings.
10;15 Michael Leshner, PE - "Expert Credibility and Persuasion in Court"
Mr. Leshner is a second generation Forensic Engineer who has practiced since 1982. He currently serves NAFE as Admissions Chair and President-Elect. This seminar will explore the ways juries asses credibility in a witness, focusing on non-verbal communication. The way we appear, sound, move and relate to a jury often carry more weight than the words that we speak. Video clips will be used to demonstrate strong vs. weak behavior that bears on credibility, and resources will be provided to help attendees practice the tips they will learn.
12:00 Round Table Discussion (includes lunch) - Oak Room
1:30 John Laughlin, PE - "Homicide Investigation: A Reconstruction and Biomechanical Engineering Analysis of the Events and Evidence Surrounding a Death"
Mr. Laughlin will present a case study of a homicide in which Forensic Engineering helped determine the events which led up to a deadly assault. The case involves a young man found dying in the street. Initially, this was thought to be a hit and run event. However, methodologies used in accident reconstruction, biomechanical engineering, 3D modeling and advanced investigative techniques revealed a more complex and calculated scenario. The forensic analysis techniques used to develop the evidence will be described as well as ethical considerations when working on criminal cases.
3:00 Panel Discussion: "Practical Advice for Resolving Problems That Occur in Forensic Engineering Practice" - Panelists: William Bracken, PE; Laura Liptai, PhD; Jerry Ogden, PhD, PE; Jeffrey Armstrong, PE
This session has been popular at past seminars, providing an opportunity for attemdees to bring their individual forensic engineering concerns and challenges to the group for discussion and advice.
4:30 Q&A - All Speakers - All Topics
5:00 Adjourn