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  • April

    U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory research civil engineer David Nguyen, center, and his team calibrate and tune the motor and rudder sensors on the ERDC’s Research Vessel Martin during its commissioning in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, harbor April 1, 2021. The inland survey vessel is the first full-size, semi-autonomous craft of its kind for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Jared Eastman)

    ERDC researchers commission full-size, semi-autonomous research vessel

    Making its way through the murky waters and swift current of the Mississippi River at the Vicksburg riverfront, the Research Vessel Martin looks like any other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey boat. However, there is one major difference. The inland survey vessel has been converted into a semi-autonomous craft, making it the first of its kind for the organization.
  • Ross Alter, a research meteorologist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, spoke virtually at an event April 8, 2021, in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Alter’s paternal grandfather, pictured in the PowerPoint image, was liberated at the age of 17 from Auschwitz- Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp, where more than 1.1 million men, women and children were killed during the Holocaust. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mary Margaret Edney)

    ERDC honors Holocaust Remembrance Day with virtual event

    An employee with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor spoke at a virtual event April 8 to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ross Alter, a research meteorologist in the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, spoke to more than 100 ERDC employees who signed on for his online talk, “The Holocaust: What was it, why did it happen, and… why should I care?”
  • Workers completed the front of the Alaska District’s headquarters at the end of June.

    Army engineers celebrate 75 years on the Last Frontier

    Seventy-five years ago today, the Chief of Engineers ordered the establishment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District. With the stroke of a pen on General Order No. 6, the agency was born.
  • 30 people are in a room. A man is pointing.

    PROJECT MANAGEMENT PREP CLASS RETURNS TO CAMP ZAMA

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Japan District recently hosted the Project Management Professional preparatory course April 6-9 at their headquarters. The course was revitalized after having being last offered in October, 2018.
  • Alan Kennedy, a research biologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Environmental Laboratory ― along with National Institute of Standards and Technology researcher Elijah Petersen and University of Alberta (Canada) researcher Greg Goss — led a team of 23 international researchers over seven years to develop guidance for the testing of nanomaterials. These standards were accepted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in July 2020.

    Researcher leads development of internationally recognized nanomaterial testing guidance

    In the world of science, established standards of testing make replication of research possible, which aids in the advancement of technologies. Testing standards are vital on even the smallest of scales, and Alan Kennedy, a research biologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory, has helped to achieve such standards for nanomaterials on an international stage.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center leaders and special guests participate in a dirt turn at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6, 2021. The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Sheree Perry, Norfolk District)

    ERDC’s Field Research Facility holds groundbreaking ceremony for new annex

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at its Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6, 2021. ​The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. In collaboration with the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Field Research Facility develops methods to protect forces, conduct forcible and early entry and transition rapidly to offensive operations.
  • Christina Eddleman, environmental engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District, deployed to Lafayette, Louisiana, for 30 days in March 2021 to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary housing mission. USACE supports FEMA in emergency operations under the National Response Framework’s Emergency Response Function 3: Public Works and Engineering. (Courtesy photo provided by Christina Eddleman)

    My Hurricane Laura Deployment Experience

    Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given me a lot of opportunities to learn, grow, and challenge myself. Most recently, I was deployed down to Lafayette, Louisiana, along with several other USACE teammates, and we were assigned to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary housing mission.
  • IN THE PHOTO, a map showing the Obion Levee System protected area once all projects are executed.

    Final levee system project on horizon as MVM completes preliminary projects

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District, in partnership with the Fulton County Board of Levee Commissioners (FCBLC), is nearing completion of two maintenance projects, the Island 8 Parcel 1 Relief Well Ditch Restoration Project and the Lake No. 9 Collector Ditch Erosion Repair Project, both located along the Mississippi River Mainline Levee south of Hickman, Kentucky. Completing these projects is essential, but what's even more important is what comes after. Once finished, the district will be that much closer to executing the last and final project needed to complete the entire levee system.
  • The U.S. Army corps of Engineers, St. Paul District performs maintenance and repairs at Lock and Dam 4 in Alma, Wisconsin.

    A Winter to Remember: Corps of Engineers continues annual winter maintenance fight to preserve aging infrastructure

    The American Society of Civil Engineers 2021 infrastructure report card released in March was less than perfect for the nation’s inland navigation system. According to the report, they gave the Inland waterway infrastructure a D+. The ASCE report said the infrastructure "includes locks and dams as well as navigation channels” but added that shipping delays cost up to $739 per hour for an average tow within the United States.
  • Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller presents Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic Leader Robert Woods (left) with a service award on his 40 year anniversary. Congratulations again to Mr. Robert Woods, and many thanks for your dedicated service to the Memphis District, the Mississippi Valley Division, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    A look back: Woods’ 40 years of service

    "He is very honest, punctual, and works to improve his skills," Supply Technician Matthew Davis said. "He has a real caring spirit. He took me under his wing when I was new, made sure I had lunch, and even drove me home a couple of times when my car had broken down. He is an all-around good guy, and I will miss him if he ever leaves." Davis is talking about Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic Leader Robert Woods. Woods is the working leaderman in the Tractor Shop, performing duties as a mechanic and overseeing all other mechanics in the Yards and Docks Unit. He's been doing so for a little more than 40 years now.
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    A Captain's role in an ACF build-out

    Editors Note: April 6, 2020 was the day the Memphis District awarded the contract to build an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in Memphis, Tennessee. The article below was written by Cpt. Alex Burruss, who at that time deployed to the Memphis District to work as an Operations Officer and assist with ACF projects and operations. This is his account of what happened during his few months working here. At the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers. USACE collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for the rapid expansion of COVID-19 treatment spaces. USACE assigned each of its districts an area of responsibility, and the districts integrated into the local and state response agencies within their areas of responsibility. As local civil authorities conducted analysis and projected bed space requirements, USACE developed facility modification options for accommodating additional beds. Districts completed site assessments and provided project management support for converting existing buildings into alternate care facilities (ACFs).  In April 2020, three weeks after the President declared a national emergency, the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, deployed more than 30 Soldiers in support of the USACE response effort; Cpt. Alex W. Burruss was deployed to the Memphis District, USACE Mississippi Valley Division, Tennessee, for more than 60 days.
  • The Mayor of Malanville, accepts keys to a newly constructed health clinic from Humanitarian Assistance Program Coordinator Cosme Quenum, a local national with the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou, Benin in the village of Money, Benin in Africa at the end of January 2021. The clinic and various associated facilities also built with it comprise one of two similar clinic projects recently completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in that region of Benin through funding from AFRICOM and coordinated closely with the U.S. State Department.

    Projects in Benin increase both healthcare capacity and ability to document births

    Villagers in two communities in northeast Benin will no longer need to cross the border to give birth or receive other basic medical care with the delivery of two new medical facilities in the remote villages of Money and Godjekoara, both of which sit in the larger border region of the Commune of Malanville. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District implemented and managed the construction of the facilities. Project requirements and funding were provided by AFRICOM with onsite coordination provided by the U.S. Embassy and Office of Security Cooperation.
  • The Mayor of Malanville, accepts keys to a newly constructed health clinic from Humanitarian Assistance Program Coordinator Cosme Quenum, a local national with the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou, Benin in the village of Money, Benin in Africa at the end of January 2021. The clinic and various associated facilities also built with it comprise one of two similar clinic projects recently completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in that region of Benin through funding from AFRICOM and coordinated closely with the U.S. State Department.

    Projects in Benin increase both healthcare capacity and ability to document births

    Villagers in two communities in northeast Benin will no longer need to cross the border to give birth or receive other basic medical care with the delivery of two new medical facilities in the remote villages of Money and Godjekoara, both of which sit in the larger border region of the Commune of Malanville. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District implemented and managed the construction of the facilities. Project requirements and funding were provided by AFRICOM with onsite coordination provided by the U.S. Embassy and Office of Security Cooperation.
  • sandbag sitting on a conveyor belt

    Little Rock District conducts flood fighting technique training

    The Little Rock District recently conducted flood fighting technique training at the Greers Ferry Lake Project Office.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center's Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory uses a Heavy Vehicle-load Simulator-Aircraft system to test AM2 matting for the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon aircraft in March 2021 at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

    ERDC team uses unique tool in Navy aircraft runway testing

    Since aircraft have been used as wartime weapons, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has led the charge of creating tools that allow those planes to land anywhere in the world. Today, that mission has not changed, and the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) is using a unique machine to better understand the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon and how it distresses temporary, rapidly constructed runways.  
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    Construction complete: East Branch Lake, campgrounds to reopen fully in upcoming ceremony

    After seven years of construction at the dam of East Branch Clarion River Lake, and more than a decade of lowered water levels, the reservoir and dam will reopen in late May with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house event.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division conducted a division wide stand down March 30 to bring a more direct focus on extremism in the ranks. The extremism stand down was part of a larger effort the Army is executing to shift its attention back to people and address head-on the harmful behaviors that tear at the fabric of its force, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, suicide, discrimination, extremism. The Official Army Stand-To included a video message from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III addressing extremism in the military released February 19, 2021. Austin’s words inspired, reminded, and challenged every individual at every level to reaffirm their oaths of office and refocus our attention on people.

    TAD Stands Up – Extremism stand down begins a challenging, but essential, conversation

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division conducted a division wide stand down March 30 to bring a more direct focus on extremism in the ranks. Throughout the stand down event, participants brought questions and scenarios to the surface and had some hard discussions on what extremism looks like and how we can learn to better address issues before they become acts of violence.
  • Captured is the new Army storage warehouse staging and loading docks, which was turned over to Col. Garrett Cottrell, Deputy Commanding Officer - Transformation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District, on behalf of the U.S. government by Col. Pyo In Tae, ROK Design and Construction Agent, on behalf of the ROK government during the Acceptance Release Letter signing at USAG Humphreys, Republic of Korea, Apr. 2, 2021.

    Another project under the belt for the Far East District

    USAG HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Far East District (FED) completed its latest project, SPT060 Site 2 Building E, a support building, with an Acceptance Release Letter (ARL) ceremony at USAG Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea, Apr. 2.
  • Lisa Metheney

    8 questions with our head civilian

    Lisa Metheney has been the deputy district engineer for programs and project management since 2014. As the "head civilian," Metheney serves as the constant face of the Charleston District, as the commander and deputy commander alternate each year with their two-year terms. She has worked for the Charleston District for over two decades and has been integral to the success of the District during this time. We ask her eight questions about how the District has been successful for 150 years and what the future looks like.
  • ship in water

    Project profile: the District's biggest projects

    The Charleston District has had many influential projects over the last 150 years that continue to have an impact today. At the same time, the District is currently working on hundreds of different projects throughout Charleston, the state of South Carolina and the entire southeast. While all these projects will have a great impact on those around them, here are a few projects currently in the works that will have massive impacts on the region.

  • March

    A multidisciplinary team from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an assessment of a local site for conversion into a federally supported community vaccination center, March 23, 2021, in Norfolk, Virginia. FEMA officially opened that location today as a Type 2 center, capable of administering approximately 3,000 vaccinations a day and directly supporting President Joe Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccinations within the first 100 days of his administration.

    Norfolk District’s site assessment for FEMA assists Virginia vaccination center opening

    A multidisciplinary team from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an assessment of a local site for conversion into a federally supported community vaccination center here last week.
  • Caven Point Drone Lab

    New York District’s Surveys Team Leads The Way For Innovative Remote Data Collection

    NEW JERSEY- Anyone who knows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) mission understands the organization does a lot of remote data collection surveying. The robust and demanding USACE survey and geospatial mission can take survey technicians to some treacherous terrain, not to mention desolate locations both on and offshore. The survey teams experience a variety of challenges ranging from location to accessibility to environmental conditions. The arsenal of traditional imaging and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveying tools such as those attached to vessels, vehicles, or totable on humans have their limitations. These limitations have energized the New York District’s survey team to advance beyond traditional methods by commencing deployment of piloted unmanned aerial survey drones.
  • Army Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, Commander, 4th Infantry Division, and several VIPs cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new Ammunition Supply Point facilities on Fort Carson, CO, March 19

    Ammunition Supply Point expansion opens on Fort Carson

    The Fort Carson Army Field Support Battalion hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of new facilities at the Ammunition Supply Point on Fort Carson, Colorado, on March 19.
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    High water means high stakes for Pittsburgh locks, dams

    Rivers rise and rivers flow, but when a flood happens, somebody has to deal with the debris left behind. This is especially true at the U.S. Army corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District locks and dams, which are vital to the region.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature Program will hold a virtual Book Launch Event April 7, 2021, from 10-11 a.m. CDT, to celebrate the release of the Engineering With Nature Atlas, Volume 2.

    USACE Engineering With Nature Program announces Atlas Volume 2 Book Launch Event

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering With Nature (EWN) Program will hold a virtual international Book Launch Event April 7, 2021, from 10-11 a.m. CDT, for the release of the Engineering With Nature Atlas, Volume 2.
  • Photo of Mandy Waters

    Fort Worth District Teammate and TX Air National Guard Member: Mandy Waters - getting the job done with excellence wherever she serves

    For Mandy Waters, being an administrative officer with the Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has turned out to be a dream come true… So much so, she longed to return to her team in the Real Estate Division while she was deployed as part of the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG) to Qatar. Yes, not only does she manage the administrative responsibilities for one of the largest divisions in the district with over 150 personnel, the admin officer/Tech Sgt. recently returned from a six-month deployment to Al Udeid Air Base where she was part of the command support staff for the 379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel.
  • Construction to restore the southern shoreline of Deer Island, off the coast of Mississippi.

    Expanding Engineering With Nature – What’s New in Season 2

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Dr. Todd Bridges, senior research scientist for environmental science for the U.S. Army and national lead for the Engineering With Nature (EWN) program, kicks off Season 2 of the EWN Podcast by announcing that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District is joining EWN as its fourth proving ground.
  • IN THE PHOTO, a screenshot of the virtual Women’s History Month meeting held Mar. 24, 2021. Pictured is the Moderator and Memphis District Counsel and Senior Legal Officer Suzy Weil (top row, fourth from left). Also shown are (not in order) Equal Employment Opportunity Chief Donnell Wright, Rock Island District Outreach and Customer Relations Specialist Angie Freyermuth, Memphis District Mechanical Engineer Erica Thomas, Memphis District Readiness and Contingency Operations Chief Kandi Waller, Memphis District Procurement Analyst TiJuana "TJ" Harris, and Memphis District Government Purchase Card Program Coordinator Carla Wells, as well as the people that joined to listen in on the discussion. (USACE screenshot by Donnell Wright)

    Celebrating the valiant women of USACE

    "I can do anything I want to do," young Suzy Weil, now Memphis District counsel and senior legal officer said. “Now, looking back,” she said, "I never questioned that I could one day could grow up one day and do whatever I wanted to do. I can remember one of my father's law partners and best friend and his wife who was an attorney… and I can remember this woman who would come to my house. I would call her aunt Sherry. I just never thought it was something I could never do – becoming a lawyer." This is just one of many responses heard during the virtual meeting the Memphis District held in celebration of Women's History Month. The meeting, held on Mar. 24, 2021, featured seven of the Mississippi Valley Division's most exceptional women working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). During the meeting, with a theme aptly titled "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced!", Memphis District Counsel and Senior Legal Officer Suzy Weil acted as both moderator and participant in a captivating one and half hour Question and Answer session.
  • An artist rendering of the new 4,008-square-foot annex building to be built at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina. The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. A groundbreaking ceremony for the facility will be held April 6, 2021, at 10 a.m. EDT.

    ERDC’s Field Research Facility to hold groundbreaking ceremony for new annex

    DUCK, N.C. – The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at its Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6 at 10 a.m. EDT.
  • People outside along river fishing

    USACE opens Cooper River Rediversion Project to veterans for day of fishing

    On March 25, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, in partnership with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, hosted the 7th Annual Warriors Fishing Day at the Cooper River Rediversion Dam in St. Stephen.