Hi Fellow CSI Members,
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a seminar at the BP
Energy Center on the topic of darkness in design. It may sound
weird, but it is a new way of looking at lighting design that is in its
infancy. The presenter, Mr. Edward Bartholomew, is a professor at
the University of Washington in the Department of Architecture.
Mr. Bartholomew spoke quite eloquently about his topic using actual
case studies, works of art and scientific studies to illustrate his
viewpoint on the importance of darkness in design. It was quite
illuminating (excuse the pun).
Our chapter is already working hard to bring more speakers like Mr.
Bartholomew to Anchorage, except that speakers like him don’t
come for free. We would like to hear from our membership about
how you feel about paying a little bit more to attend meetings with
programs given by such distinguished speakers as Mr. Bartholomew.
Based on your response, we can pursue (or not) bringing such
speakers to our chapter meetings. Personally I think it’s worth the
extra expense, but our chapter simply cannot afford it on our own.
In February, our annual program on the topic of upcoming work in
Alaska was well attended and informative, as usual. Special thanks
are due to Member Emeritus Leo McGlothlin, who worked hard to
bring representatives of the Anchorage School District, the Army
Corps of Engineers and the University of Anchorage, Alaska to our
meeting. At the start of the program, Leo read off and distributed
a list of upcoming work planned by the Alaska Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities, who could not be in
attendance.
I am happy to announce our newest Member Emeritus, Ms. Dora
Gropp, formerly of the Chugach Electric Association. Her application for Member Emeritus status has been approved and her
change in her status is now official. Congratulations, Dora!
Congratulations are also due to Mark McAbee of Spenard Building
Supplies, who has agreed to assume the position of Chairman of our
Membership Committee. Mark also proudly informed me that he is
now a certified CDT, Construction Document Technologist, having
passed the exam recently. Mark attended our review sessions in
March and clearly reaped the benefit of preparing for the exam.
Thanks to all our presenters and congratulations, Mark! You can
contact Mark with any questions you might have about
membership. He is now listed as a leader in our chapter on our
website and in this newsletter.
I hope all of you casted your vote in the recent National election
for our next wave of leadership, and on the suggested amendment
to membership status from the traditional three categories to the
single category of “Professional.” Hopefully this will put to rest the
ongoing discussion about who of our members are “professional”
and who are not. Personally, you have all always been considered
professionals in my eyes, and assuming the amendment is approved
that will no longer be an issue. I hope we can move on from this
discussion to the bigger and better issues that require our
attention, one of which is increasing our membership rosters.
We are still somewhat wanting in the category of “Emerging
Professionals.” This new category of membership (formerly
“Intermediate,” assuming the amendment is approved), is designed
to subsidize newer, younger members who might not have the
resources to join CSI under the “Professional” category. I
encourage any new members in this category to come forward as a
volunteer and make a presentation to our chapter at our next
meeting. You would only have to talk for about fifteen minutes,
and it is a golden opportunity to meet seasoned practitioners in
your chosen profession.
Well that’s it for this month’s news. I apologize for not being more
circumspect in reporting more frequently to our membership. I will
try to do better in upcoming months.
Thanks again, to the Board and everyone who has been attending
meetings regularly for their support. We would not be able to
continue without your cooperation and efforts to bring programs to
our membership. Please continue to stay involved and I know it’ll
be a rewarding experience for you. It continues to be for me. |