James D. Scott Professorship

James D. Scott Professorship in Civil Engineering

Description

Title of Endowment – James D. Scott Professorship in Civil Engineering
Date Established – July 10, 2000
Purpose of Endowment – The Scott Professorship was created to provide professional support for a named position in Civil Engineering. Available funds in excess of the professorship allotment are used to support programmatic development.

The Scott Center for Construction and Engineering includes the James D. Scott Professorship, the first fully endowed chair at Western Kentucky University. The Scott Professor will primarily teach in the Construction Engineering program and be the director of the Scott Center. This professorship has been filled with Matthew Dettman who has broad-based experience in civil engineering. Funds from this account were used in support of regional and national student competitions including the concrete canoe (6th place nationally), steel bridge, concrete toboggan, as well as student recruiting and outreach. Funds were also used to obtain liability insurance for professional activities within the civil engineering program.

College/Department where housed – Department of Engineering in the Ogden College of Science and Engineering.
Status – Filled and stable
Date occupied – July 2000
Occupant Information:
- Name – Matthew A. Dettman
Degrees held – BS Clemson University- Civil Engineering, MS Stanford University - Geotechnical Engineering
Papers Authored/Co-authored
- Industrial Partnerships at Western Kentucky University, Paper published and presented at the 2000 American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, June 2000, St. Louis, MO
- Professors As Practitioners: Is This Important to Students?, Paper published and presented at the 1999 American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, June 1999, Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Sinkhole Dropouts Due to Underground Utility Installation on Construction Sites, accepted for publication and presentation for the 1998 International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering.
- Engineering Technology Education: Providing More Than Just Graduates, Accepted for publication and presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education North Central Section 1997 Regional Conference, Dayton, Ohio.
- Breaking Down the Walls of the Classroom, Proceedings of the Gulf Southwest Section meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education. Presented on March 28, 1996 in San Antonio, Texas.
- Professional Registration of Engineering Technologists, Proceedings of the 1995 National Engineering Education Conference. The paper was also accepted for publication in the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice.
- Practice Oriented Engineering Education at Western Kentucky University, Proceedings of the 1994 National American Society of Engineering Education Annual Meeting.
Other Activities – Voted the Civil Engineering Professor of the year for Kentucky by the American Society of Civil Engineers-Kentucky Section.
- Presented two talks on earthquakes. One was to the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management and the other was to the Mid South Parking Structure Association. Both talks centered on earthquake risks and recognizing and minimizing potential losses due to these events.
- Helped to develop an educational video on earthquakes for KET.
- Participated in a grant development with Neil Weber of Murray State University and Lynn Minton of the Economic Development Center at Western Kentucky University. The project is titled Mitigation Planning to Reduce Risk/Loss in West Kentucky – Pertaining to Earthquake and Flooding Hazards in West Kentucky. It’s objective is to educate the community in certain parts of Kentucky on the potential for these types of hazards. Funded at $150,000.
- Four external grant contracts for approximately $40,000.
Primary research focus – The engineering programs at Western Kentucky University are not researched centered, but practice center. Focus is the application of the art and science of engineering and engaging students in that practice to better prepare them for careers as engineers.
Key contributions to field of study – Key contribution to this field of study is bridging the gap between academia and industry. Too many professors in engineering are simply engineering educators. Mr. Dettman strives to be an engineer in education. By being an engineer, it can bring those experiences to the students, engage them in the practice of engineering, thus producing graduates better prepared for professional life.
Professional organization affiliations and awards – Associated Builders and Contractors, The American Society of Civil Engineers, The Masonry Society, The American Concrete Institute, National Concrete Masonry Association, 2001 Kentucky Civil Engineering Educator of the Year.
Include a brief summary vita
Matthew A. Dettman, P.E. - Summary Vita
- Education:
  - Clemson University, B.S. Civil Engineering, 1988.
  - Stanford University, M.S. Geotechnical Engineering, 1989.
- Experience:
  - Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Western Kentucky University, 1992 - 2000
  - Project Engineer, Kaldveer Associates - Oakland, California, 1989 - 1992 (exception noted below)
  - Staff Engineer Law/Crandall - Los Angeles, California, October1990 to June, 1991
- Career Highlights:
  - Named the James Scott Endowed Professor of Civil Engineering
  - 2001 Kentucky ASCE Civil Engineer of the Year in Education
  - Appointed to The Governors Council for Earthquake Risk Reduction
  - Western Kentucky University Ogden College Award for Public Service
  - Appointed to the Mayors Select Committee of Local Government Policy
- Select Publications, Presentations, and other Scholarly Activities:
  - Evaluation of Structures After an Earthquake, Presentation to the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management, November 7, 2001, Lexington, Kentucky
  - Parking Structures and Earthquakes, Presentation to the Mid-South Parking Association, November 8, 2001, Nashville, Tennessee
  - Industrial Partnerships at Western Kentucky University, Paper published and presented at the 2000 American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, June 2000, St. Louis, MO
  - Professors As Practitioners: Is This Important to Students?, Paper published and
  - Endowment Match Program Report presented at the 1999 American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, June 1999, Charlotte, North Carolina.
  - Sinkhole Dropouts Due to Underground Utility Installation on Construction Sites, accepted for publication and presentation for the 1998 International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering.
  - Engineering Technology Education: Providing More Than Just Graduates, Accepted for publication and presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education North Central Section 1997 Regional Conference, Dayton, Ohio.
  - Breaking Down the Walls of the Classroom, Proceedings of the Gulf Southwest Section meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education. Presented on March 28, 1996 in San Antonio, Texas.
  - Practice Oriented Engineering Education at Western Kentucky University, Proceedings of the 1994 National American Society of Engineering Education Annual Meeting.
  - Pavement Distress Study for the City of Bowling Green, technical paper prepared for the City of Bowling Green, 1993.
- Select Consulting Projects in Which Professional Engineering Services Were Provided:
  - Warren County Regional Jail
  - Warren County Justice Center
  - Warren County Regional Jail
  - Kentucky Department of Transportation District Office
  - Logan County Detention Center
  - Traffic Analysis for the Proposed Bowling Green Amphitheater
  - Bowling Green Wal-Mart Supercenter
  - Bowling Green Lowes Supercenter
  - Bowling Green/Warren County Convention Center
  - Scottsville Medical Center
  - Bowling Green Kroger Store
  - Bowling Green Marriot Courtyard Hotel
  - Drury Inn Hotel, Bowling Green, KY
  - Rock Quarry Litigation - Hopkinsville, Kentucky
  - Mid-Coastside Waste Water Treatment Plant, Half Moon Bay, California
  - Double Tree Hotel, Cupertino, California
  - PGT - PG&E Pipeline Expansion, Bethel Island, California
  - Consolidated Transportation Corridor, Los Angles, California
  - Lopez Canyon Landfill, Los Angeles, California
  - Grand Central Market Parking Structure, Los Angeles, California
  - Marine Stadium Bridge and 9th Street Bridge, Los Angeles and Long Beach, California
  - BART Office Building, Pleasant Hill, California
  - Neighborhood Suites Hotel, Redwood City, California
  - Earthquake Repair - Oakland Shipping Terminal, Oakland, California
  - Fire Damaged Area Repair - Berkeley Hills, Berkeley, California
  - Landslide Litigation - Los Angeles, California

2. Program Information

Entrepreneurial Partnerships - The Scott Professor has developed partnerships with the following companies for the purpose of providing engineering consultations on construction projects:
- Alliance Corporation
- Scottys Contracting
- Scott & Ritter
- Scott & Murphy
- Cates Construction
- WKU Student Life Foundation
- Star Construction
- Sodexho Corporation
- Phillips Companies
- Beacon Construction
Collaborative Efforts - The purpose of the James D. Scott Professor is to work closely with the civil engineering and construction community as a practicing engineer and to engage students in those activities. Presently, the current Scott Professor has worked with virtually every major civil engineering, construction management, general contracting, and surveying firm in the community. These collaborative efforts included engineering services for construction quality control, geotechnical engineering design, survey field work, and materials testing. In every case, engineering students are involved as assistants on these projects, and in many cases go into the field on their own to perform inspections, test materials, and to collect data as the project requires. This is a very unique endeavor in civil engineering education. Anticipated collaborative efforts include expanding the size and scope of projects to impact an even greater number of students and to provide more diverse engineering services.
Measurable Student Outcomes – Measurable student outcomes primarily include employment, advanced study, and enrollment growth. Several students have attained employment as a direct result of working on projects with the Scott Professor. Two students who have worked with the Scott Professor went on to graduate programs at the highest ranking civil engineering graduate schools in the country. Also, since the type of activities that the Scott Professor is involved in have been standard practice in the civil engineering program, the enrollment has seen a sharp increase.
Benefits to Kentucky - The activities of the Scott Professor will contribute to meeting the objectives of the AStrategy for Statewide Engineering Education in Kentucky. @ Meeting these objectives is expected to contribute to benefits in terms of jobs, revenue growth, creation of wealth and improved standard of living by producing high quality engineering graduates.