ACI Names Director of Sustainability, Announces Student Winners

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announces Kevin P. Mlutkowski, LEED AP, as its director of sustainability. In this newly created position, Mlutkowski will work with ACI volunteers, committee members, representatives from other organizations inside and outside the concrete industry, and fellow staff to increase sustainability content in the institute’s programs, events, documents, products and student activities. Additionally, Mlutkowski will coordinate as ACI’s sustainability activities at events and industry collaborations.

Mlutkowski joined the ACI in November 2003 as market promotion and research analyst and was promoted to manager, marketing in June 2007. Since then, Mlutkowski has been instrumental in publishing “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples” and “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Applications,” organizing the annual ACI Concrete Sustainability Forum, and representing ACI at Greenbuild and other sustainability related exhibitions. Mlutkowski will serve as ACI’s staff representative to the Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative.

Winners of student competition

The ACI announced the winners of its 2011 Student Concrete Construction Competition, which is sponsored by the American Society of Concrete Contractors.

The competition, which is open to undergraduate students, presents a project statement to each participating team. The project can comprise anything that a project manager or field engineer may face on a concrete construction project. The teams, which can have up to five members, have one week to submit a solution to the project statement. Responses are judged on the basis of clarity, technical quality, and economy.

This year, the teams were asked to provide a plan for controlling cracks in the overlay and deck placements for a bridge deck replacement project in Jacksonville, Fla. They were given specific details, such as specific bridge measurements, environmental characteristics, and concrete mix designs to work with. Specifically, teams were asked to provide what preventative measures should be taken before, during, and after concrete placement and any equipment that would be needed to enable the execution of the suggestions.

The final entries were reviewed by a panel of judges from ACI’s Construction Liaison Committee, including Luke Snell of Western Technologies Inc., Charles Nmai of BASF, John Gibbons of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, Charles Hanskat of Concrete Engineering Group, and Thomas Malerk of the Florida Department of Transportation.

· First Place – Middle Tennessee University: Matt Petree, Brandon Cornwell, Greg Schamberg, Joe Evers

· Second Place – Greenville Technical College: Brett Hahulski, Joe Redenz, Thomas Kraus, Steve Humphries, Gloria Scott

· Third Place – Arizona State University: Alexander Bertheau, Morgan Spears, Ashley Bagley, Patrick Tarkowski.

The first-, second- and third-place teams will receive cash awards of $300, $200, and $100, respectively. For more information, visit www.concrete.org.