Iowa EHDI News, Fall 2011

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Spring 2010

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Spring 2011

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Summer 2009

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Summer 2010

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Summer 2011

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Winter 2009

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Iowa EHDI News, Winter 2010

The purpose of the newsletter is to communicate with parents and professionals about newborn hearing screening and follow up in Iowa. We will share information about: Hearing screenings Early intervention, including communication opportunities Resources available for parents and professionals “Best practices” by hospitals, Area Education Agencies (AEAs), private practice audiology offi ces or other health and education providers working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing National research Iowa EHDI program goals EHDI program progress, system development, evaluation Family stories Highlights from the EHDI Advisory Committee

Maintenance Asset Management Project -- Phase II, July 31, 2013

Expanded abstract: Iowa Department of Transportation (IA DOT) is finalizing research to streamline field inventory/inspection of culverts by Maintenance and Construction staff while maximizing the use of tablet technologies. The project began in 2011 to develop some new best practices for field staff to assist in the inventory, inspection and maintenance of assets along the roadway. The team has spent the past year working through the complexities of identifying the most appropriate tablet hardware for field data collection. A small scale deployment of tablets occurred in spring of 2013 to collect several safety related assets (culverts, signs, guardrail, and incidents). Data can be collected in disconnected or connected modes and there is an associated desktop environment where data can be viewed and queried after being synced into the master database. The development of a deployment plan and related workflow processes are underway; which will eventually feed information into IA DOTs larger asset management system and make the information available for decision making. The team is also working with the IA DOT Design Office on Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) data processing and the IA DOT Construction office with a new digital As-Built plan process to leverage the complete data life-cycle so information can be developed once and leveraged by the Maintenance staff farther along in the process.

The Iowa State Capitol Fire 1904, November 2012

The twenty-first century Iowa State Capitol contains state-of-the-art fire protection. Sprinklers and smoke detectors are located in every room and all public hallways are equipped with nearby hydrants. The Des Moines Fire Department is able to fight fires at nearly any height. However, on Monday morning, January 4, 1904, the circumstances were much different. By the beginning of 1904, the Capitol Improvement Commission had been working in the Capitol for about two years. The commissioners were in charge of decorating the public areas of the building, installing the artwork in the public areas, installing a new copper roof, re-gilding the dome, replacing windows, and connecting electrical lines throughout. Electrician H. Frazer had been working that morning in Committee Room Number Five behind the House Chamber, drilling into the walls to run electrical wires and using a candle to light his way. The investigating committee determined that Frazer had left his work area and had neglected to extinguish his candle. The initial fire alarm sounded at approximately 10 a.m. Many citizen volunteers came to help the fire department. Capitol employees and state officials also assisted in fighting the fire, including Governor Albert Cummins. The fire was finally brought under control around 6 p.m., although some newspaper accounts at the time reported that the fire continued smoldering for several days. Crampton Linley was the engineer working with the Capitol Improvement Commission. He was in the building at the time of the fire and was credited with saving the building. Linley crawled through attic areas to close doors separating wings of the Capitol, an action which smothered the flames and brought the fire under control. Sadly, Linley did not live long enough to be recognized for his heroism. The day after the fire, while examining the damage, Linley fell through the ceiling of the House Chamber and died instantly from severe head injuries. The flames had burned through the ceiling and caused much of it to collapse to the floor below, while the lower areas of the building had been damaged by smoke and water. Elmer Garnsey was the artist hired by the Capitol Improvement Commission to decorate the public areas of the building. Therefore, he seemed the logical candidate to be given the additional responsibility of redecorating the areas damaged by the fire. Garnsey had a very different vision for the decoration, which is why the House Chamber, the old Supreme Court Room, and the old Agriculture offices directly below the House Chamber have a design that is very different from the areas of the building untouched by the fire.

The Value of the County Engineer: Strategies to Expand the Shrinking Employment Pool, HR-338, 1993

The first phase of this research involved an effort to identify the issues relevant to gaining a better understanding of the County Engineering profession. A related objective was to develop strategies to attract responsible, motivated and committed professionals to pursue County Engineering positions. In an era where a large percentage of County Engineers are reaching retirement age, the shrinking employment pool may eventually jeopardize the quality of secondary road systems not only in Iowa, but nationwide. As we move toward the 21st century, in an era of declining resources, it is likely that professional staff members in charge of secondary roads will find themselves working with less flexible budgets for the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. It was important to understand the challenges presented to them, and the degree to which those challenges will demand greater expertise in prioritizing resource allocations for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the 10 million miles of county roads nationwide. Only after understanding what a county engineer is and what this person does will it become feasible for the profession to begin "selling itself", i.e., attracting a new generation of County Engineers. Reaching this objective involved examining the responsibilities, goals, and, sometimes, the frustrations experienced by those persons in charge of secondary road systems in the nine states that agreed to participate in the study. The second phase of this research involved addressing ways to counter the problems associated with the exodus of County Engineers who are reaching retirement age. Many of the questions asked of participants asked them to compare the advantages and disadvantages of public sector work with the private sector. Based on interviews with nearly 50 County Engineers and feedback from 268 who returned surveys for the research, issues relevant to the profession were analyzed and recommendations were made to the profession as it prepares to attract a new generation. It was concluded that both State and Regional Associations for County Engineers, and the National Association of County Engineers are most well-situated to present opportunities for continued professional development. This factor is appealing for those who are interested in competitive advantages as professionals. While salaries in the public sector may not be able to effectively compete with those offered by the private sector, it was concluded that this is only one factor of concern to those who are in the business of "public service". It was concluded, however, that Boards of Supervisors and their equivalents in other states will need to more clearly understand the value of the contributions made by County Engineers. Then the selling points the profession can hope to capitalize on can focus on the strength of state organizations and a strong national organization that act as clearinghouses of information and advocates for the profession, as well as anchors that provide opportunities for staying current on issues and technologies.

Longitudinal Joint Forming in PCC Pavements, MLR-00-05, Construction Report, 2003

In conventional construction practices, a longitudinal joint is sawed in a PCC (Portland Cement Concrete) pavement to control concrete shrinkage cracking between two lanes of traffic. Sawing a joint in hardened concrete is an expensive and time consuming operation. The longitudinal joint is not a working joint (in comparison to a transverse joint) as it is typically tied with a tie bar at 30 inch spacing. The open joint reservoir, left by the saw blade, typically is filled or sealed with a durable crack sealant to keep incompressibles and water from getting into the joint reservoir. An experimental joint forming knife has been developed. It is installed under the paving machine to form the longitudinal joint in the wet concrete as a part of the paving process. Through this research method, forming a very narrow longitudinal joint during the paving process, two conventional paving operations can be eliminated. Joint forming eliminates the need of the joint sawing operation in the hard concrete, and as the joint that is formed does not leave a wide-open reservoir, but only a hairline crack, it does not need the joint filling or sealing operation. Therefore, the two conventional longitudinal joint sawing and sealing operations are both being eliminated by this innovation. A laboratory scale prototype joint forming knife was built and tested, initially forming joints in small concrete beams. The results were positive so the method was proposed for field testing. Initial field tests were done in the construction season of 2001, limited to one paving contractor. A number of modifications were made to the knife throughout the field tests. About 3000 feet of longitudinal joint was formed in 2001. Additional testing was done in the 2002 construction season, working with the same contractor. About 150,000 feet of longitudinal joint was formed in 2002. Evaluations of the formed joints were done to determine longitudinal joint hairline crack development rate and appearance. Additional tests will be done in the next construction season to improve or perfect the longitudinal joint forming technique.

Electronic Construction Collaboration - Phase 1, 2009

Bridge construction projects are becoming increasingly complex as the demand for context-sensitive solutions, aesthetic designs, and accelerated bridge construction becomes more prevalent. In addition, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is entering a phase of design and construction of large border bridges, such as the I-80 (let 2008 for $56 million) and US 34 bridges over the Missouri River and I-74 over the Mississippi River. Compared to typical construction projects, these bridges generate more contractor Requests for Information (RFIs), Value Engineering (VE) proposals, Requests for Changes (RFCs), and shop drawings. Management of these submittals is a significant challenge for Resident Construction Engineers (RCEs) and other Iowa DOT staff. In addition, some submittals require cross-departmental and project consultant reviews. Commercially available software exists for managing submittals and project collaboration teams; in-house solutions may also be possible. Implementation is intended to speed construction submittal review time, reduce incidence of delay claims, and free up Iowa DOT staff from project management administrative tasks. Researchers from Iowa State University working with the Iowa DOT conducted a multi-pronged approach to indentify a web-based collaboration solution for Iowa DOT bridge projects. An investigation was launched to determine the functional needs of the Iowa DOT. Commercially available software programs were also evaluated to find what functionality is currently available. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was written to select a commercial web-based collaboration solution for pilot testing. In the second phase of research, a solution will be selected and implemented on two pilot projects. Lessons learned from these pilot projects will assist the Iowa DOT in developing and implementing a long-term solution to improve the management of Iowa DOT bridge projects.

1109-003 Coe Creek Watershed Final Report

The city of Elliott has had an increase in nitrate levels in their community water supply located in the Coe Creek Watershed. They have been working with the IDNR Source Water Protection (SWP) Programs to conduct site investigations and have formed a SWP Planning Team. This Team has been reviewing the investigation findings, formed an action plan and studied different Best Management Practices (BMPs). After considering the BMPs the SWP Team made a recommendation to the Elliott City Council which included native grass seeding and a shallow water wetland. The Team also held an informational meeting for the citizens of Elliott. The goal of this meeting was to inform and educate the public of the Team findings and BMPs. The Elliott City Council approved the restoration of a shallow wetland with a native grass buffer. This whole project is 27 acres and includes a shallow water wetland with native grass buffer. This would be a long term method to reduce nitrates in the city wells. Elliott is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District, Pheasants Forever, the Montgomery County Conservation Board, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors in the restoration of the shallow water wetland and native grass buffer.

1008-003 White Oak Watershed Final Report

Whit Oak Lake was listed on the 2008 Section 303(d) List if impaired waters in four categories. The first phase of the project has already helped to affect approximately 60% of the watershed. There has been an estimated sediment reduction of 609 tons per year with phase one. The structure being planned for the South end of the lake, (phase two) will affect nearly all of the remaining 40%. If we can accomplish similar results, we can expect a sediment reduction of approximately 273 tons additional per year. We have been working with the Mahaska County NRCS office, Snyder & Associates (engineers) and private landowners in the watershed to make this project a reality.