Green Infrastructure Training for Veterans
The Environmental Protection Agency launched a Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities through Green Infrastructure in April of 2011. This initiative supports local communities in using green infrastructure to manage rain water while creating co-benefits of green space, which makes communities more attractive and livable. (EPA) In the fall of 2014 the Environmental Protection Agency along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Transportation signed a federal letter of support for green infrastructure recognizing it as an important tool for building resilience to climate change impacts such as increased heavy rainfall and heat island effect. Each agency committed to taking specific action to promote green infrastructure including but not limited to: creating alliances, providing community assistance, funding, training, development of metrics to assess performance of green infrastructure, and promotion best practices. (Federal)
The City of XXXX, the Green Infrastructure Center, Inc., and X University have collaborated on a National Fish and Wildlife Federation Grant titled “Developing a Green Infrastructure Plan and Network for the X River Network”. As part of the project X University will provide a training program to prepare Veterans for the green jobs of the future. Green infrastructure projects can provide business and employment opportunities for veterans. This project includes a 20 hour educational course for veterans to educate them about the green infrastructure industry, business and employment opportunities in green infrastructure and green infrastructure storm water management techniques. Hands-on training will be incorporated in the course work. This program will develop a base level certification that will qualify recipients for more advanced and specialized programs. This green infrastructure training certificate will be coordinated with other green infrastructure education certifications and programs in a “stackable” manner to provide a transparent track for career advancement, which will benefit employers and the green infrastructure industry.
This paper will highlight pre- and post training survey results and provide insight into the progress of the veterans transitioning to this employment area.
Carol Considine is the Assistant Dean of Outreach for the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University (ODU) and an Associate Professor of Engineering Technology. She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley. She has fifteen years of industrial experience as an estimator and project manager and is a LEED AP BD+C. She is a member of the NIST Community Resilience Panel, Building and Facilities Committee, served as the Private Infrastructure Chair for the Hampton Roads Intergovernmental Pilot Project and is a member of the Resiliency Collaborative at ODU. Her research interests include engineering education, industry collaboration, sustainability and resiliency.
Michael Seek is an Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University in the Civil Engineering Technology Program. He received a Master of Science and a PhD from Virginia Tech in Civil Engineering with a concentration in structures. He is a registered Profe
Jonathan M. Lester is recognized regionally for his excellent reputation as both an educator and consulting Professional Engineer. He has served as a Lecturer for three years and as an Adjunct Professor for five previous semesters. His teaching contributions span a wide range of subjects from introductory courses, to required intermediate and upper level design electives. He has brought practical applications from consulting design and construction to the classroom that students’ have found invaluable upon graduating. Serving as Experiential Learning Option advisor for multiple students’ portfolios, Dr. Lester has successfully evaluated proposals from past work experience to grant course credit for distance students. He has served as the Civil-Site design option evaluator for Senior Design projects each semester as part of his normal teaching responsibilities. Dr. Lester has developed new courses in Civil Engineering Technology to better distribute the student load in Fluid Mechanics and the accompanying laboratory.
Dr. Lester has also taught the Professional Engineering preparation courses through the ODU Business Gateway. Dr. Lester has embarked upon the initial asynchronous modality course development and was instrumental in promoting the program forward with this initiative with the Center for Learning and Teaching. He has developed an asynchronous course for Fundamentals of Building Construction and will develop several other courses in the future.
Dr. Lester has over ten years’ experience in the design and construction of general civil engineering projects in the Hampton Roads area. Consulting assignments have included wastewater collection projects as well as potable water distribution, utility rehabilitation and relocation projects, and storm water projects. He specifically has experience with sewer pumping stations; gravity sewer interceptors; water and wastewater treatment plants. Among his past project assignments are annual engineering services contracts with the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Radford, and Salem, VA.
He is a Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and serves on the Virginia Water Environment Federation Stormwater Committee. He embodies the ‘Citizen Soldier’ concept that was instilled during his undergraduate studies at Virginia Military Institute, having served as a Marine Corps Reserve officer in addition to both his academic and professional endeavors for over twenty years.
Dr. Anthony W. Dean . His appointments include Professor of Engineering Technology and as Interim Associate Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies for the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University
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