Symposium Schedule 2024
ACEA Symposium Schedule
friday, May 10 2024
Registration & Breakfast 7:00AM - 8:00AM
Check in at Registration in the Zlotnik Ballroom Foyer. Pick up your badge, swag bag, notebook, and grab a light breakfast.
Opening Session 8:00AM - 9:00AM
During the plenary in Zlotnik Ballroom, a panel of ACEA members will discuss the progression of ever-changing technology in development. Design and construction experts will share their thoughts and ideas on how technology impacts our work, daily lives, and the future.
Breakout Sessions 9:00AM - 10:00AM
Travis County Transportation Assessment Guidelines
Room: Zlotnik Salon 1-2
Description: Travis County Transportation representatives share how the updated code will impact development moving forward, and WGI shares how the private sector works on projects effectively.
Speakers: Rahul Mars - Travis County; Mannar Tamirisa - Travis County; Mehrnaz Doustmohammadi - Travis County; Ravali Kosaraju - WGI
Legislative Update
Room: Zlotnik Salon 5-6
Description: Attorney Sarah Scott will review laws passed in the 2023 Texas Legislative Session that impact construction professionals.
Speaker: Sarah Scott - The Chapman Firm
Cybersecurity Strategies for the Modern Construction Professional
Room: AT&T 104
Description: Explore how cutting-edge cybersecurity technology serves as your armor and empowers you to stay ahead of cyber threats. Discover strategies to protect your data and fortify your business.
Speaker: Ken Partain - Central Texas Technology Solutions
City of Austin's Path to Carbon Neutral Concrete
Room: AT&T 105
Description: Austin City Engineers discuss how to develop a plan for Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete requirements with industry partners. This path includes requiring Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), standard specification changes, use of performance specifications, innovative cement materials and mix designs, procurement, and legal concerns.
Speakers: Angela N. Johnson, PE, PhD - COA Office of the City Engineer; Ed Poppitt, PE - COA Office of the City Engineer
Water Technology: Aqua WSC’s Journey to a Digital Twin
Room: AT&T 106
Description: Discover how one Central Texas water utility is leveraging the latest global technology to build an improved hydraulic model of their system for planning and troubleshooting.
Speakers: Dacy Cameron, PE - Aqua WSC; Emily O’Leary, PE - Aqua WSC; Ian Toohey, PE - Garver; Michelle Dutt, PE - Garver
Session will be recorded and available on-demand starting June 3rd
Networking Break 10:00AM - 10:30AM
Take a break in the Zlotnik Foyer. Visit exhibitors, grab a snack, visit the charging station, and connect with fellow attendees.
Breakout Sessions 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Austin Water’s Residential Landscape Transformation Effort
Description: Learn how Austin Water’s Water Conservation Team is creating new residential landscape transformation code revisions, and explore the newly developed Onsite Water Reuse Program.
Speakers: Christopher Charles - Austin Water; Rebecca Batchelder, P.E - Austin Water
Morning Ethics Jeopardy - The Least Boring Ethics Seminar Ever!
Description: Earn 1 Ethics Credit with a new version of Engineering Ethics Jeopardy. Andrew Hunt’s new game will include lively and entertaining group discussions, plus new questions on the following topics: Conflicting Conflicts, Winning Work, Licensure, Hoss Helps, and Moral Dilemmas.
Speaker: Andrew Hunt - Project Control of Texas
The Secret Life of Groundwater
Description: Explore how we study groundwater, including aquifer interactions with surface water, and how humans impact our natural resources.
Speaker: Natalie Ballew - Texas Water Development Board
Dam Safety 101
Description: Learn how TCEQ regulates dams, what should be submitted for review, and explore the steps of the review process.
Speaker: Trina Lancaster - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Update on the Oak Hill Parkway Design-Build Project
Description: Receive development updates on the The Oak Hill Parkway Project which includes design and construction improvements along US 290 and SH 71 West. The transformative Austin project has been more than 30+ years in the making.
Speaker: Christiana Astarita, P.E. - Texas Department of Transportation
Session will be recorded and available on-demand starting June 3rd
Networking Break 2:30PM - 3:00PM
Take a break in the Zlotnik Foyer. Visit exhibitors, grab a snack, visit the charging station, and connect with fellow attendees.
Breakout Sessions 3:00PM - 4:00PM
I-35 Capital Express Drainage Tunnel Update
Description: Key decision makers will discuss the drainage tunnel system project, ranging in depth from 70 to 200 feet beneath existing I-35. It is a critical first step in the implementation of TxDOT’s $4.5B Capital Express Central Project which will widen and lower the grade of I-35 with a goal of improving vehicle capacity and city connectivity.
Speakers: Eric Bennett, PE - TxDOT; Glen Taffinder, PE - COA; Dan Goodin, PE, PMP - BGE; James Parkes, PE - Schnabel Engineering
Austin’s Cap and Stitch Program: Opportunities and Challenges
Description: Austin’s Cap and Stitch Program Lead will identify the opportunities and challenges of the I-35 corridor mega-project, including funding and phasing, design and engineering, and community engagement. The project can help reconnect East and West Austin after decades of division, and has the potential to create 30 acres of new public space.
Speaker: Michelle Marx - COA Transportation Public Works
Building Transtech SMARTTrack - Addressing Transportation with Technology
Description: Discover Texas SMARTTrack, Pickle Research Center’s testing track, designed for developing standards, testing, and certifying emerging transportation technologies. Also explore The Texas Accelerated Test Bed, which tests alternative road materials including asphalt, markings, and base materials, to address sustainability.
Speakers: Heidi Ross - UT Center for Transportation Research; Miguel Arellano, P.E. - TX DOT; Dan Rozycki - The Transtec Group
When Maintenance Drives Design
Description: Learn how Ferguson Waterworks supported large green infrastructure programs including Philadelphia, New York City, and Pittsburgh. Ferguson’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure Specialist will discuss the importance of pretreatment in all curb line urban green infrastructure to provide protection of stormwater assets, and share solutions to address the pretreatment need.
Speaker: Crystal Cochran - Ferguson Waterworks
Afternoon Ethics Jeopardy - The Least Boring Ethics Seminar Ever!
Description: Earn 1 Ethics Credit with a new version of Engineering Ethics Jeopardy. Andrew Hunt’s new game will include lively and entertaining group discussions, plus new questions on the following topics: Conflicting Conflicts, Winning Work, Licensure, Hoss Helps, and Moral Dilemmas.
Session will be recorded and available on-demand starting June 3rd
Closing Reception & Margarita Social 4:00PM - 5:00PM
Wrap up the day with a free margarita and snacks in the Zlotnik Foyer. Visit the exhibitor booths one last time and connect with fellow attendees.