NMSPE wishes to salute the accomplishments of our 2023 Award Winners, which were announced during our EWeek Conference held on February 24, 2023. The knowledge, ethics, hard work, professionalism, talent, innovation, and dedication to the Engineering profession by all nominees are outstanding. The Awards Committee would like to honor all the nominees for their submissions this year and encourage your submissions for next year.
2023 Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year, Jonah Ruybalid, PE, CFM
The 2023 Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year, Jonah Ruybalid, PE, CFM, is a Licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager with 10 years of experience in civil and water resources engineering including roadway, drainage, site development, sewer line, and water line planning and design. He is an accomplished project manager having served communities across New Mexico, as well as serving as project manager for contracts with the City of Las Vegas, Greater Chimayo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association, City of Belen, Town of Bernalillo, Village of Los Lunas and Village of Tijeras. He previously spent two years with the Doña Ana County Flood Commission where he assisted with flood control projects, reviews for building permits, drainage analyses, and other applications for compliance with the most current standards. Jonah was a decorated cross country and long distance runner at New Mexico State University, which is a passion that he continues to pursue. He is active with the NMSPE Albuquerque Chapter, American Society of Civil Engineers, New Mexico Floodplains Managers Association, and the Academy of Civil, Agricultural and Geological Engineers. His academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University. He earned his professional engineering licensure in 2014.
Ashley Arrossa, PE, 2023 Outstanding Engineer of the Year
Ashley Arrossa, PE, 2023 Outstanding Engineer of the Year,is an accomplished young environmental engineer with over 12 years of experience in sampling, analysis and reporting support of environmental site investigation and remediation projects. Working for state and municipal agencies as well as commercial industry, she has supported projects involving the permitting of new mine sites and the reclamation of former sites; the operation and maintenance of landfill monitoring and groundwater remediation systems; subsurface investigations to determine the nature and extent of contamination resulting from leaking petroleum storage tank sites; environmental assessments to support Brownfields redevelopment and the construction of alternative energy infrastructure. Her recent work assignments include Staff Engineer and Project Manager for the Uranium Mine Stage 1 Abatement for the Section 27 Mine, General Electric/United Nuclear Corporation, Ambrosia Lake Valley, NM; Staff Engineer for the Uranium Mine Stage 1 Abatement for the JJ No.1/L-Bar Mine, Rio Tinto, Cibola County, NM; and engineer for the Rio Algom Lisbon Site, BHP/Rio Algom Mining LLC, La Sal, UT. She is very active in the Society of Women Engineers with a focus on the scholarship committee and currently serves as the Vice President of NMEF. She is passionate about STEM outreach and helping other young women discover great careers in engineering. She is an avid flyfisher and loves backpacking, trail running and gardening indoors. Ashley earned her Bachelor of Science at New Mexico Tech in 2006 and her professional engineers license in 2017.
2023 Project of the Year
NM Office of the State Engineer – Dam Safety Bureau
Simplified Inundation Mapping Toolset – Dam Breaching Analysis and Mapping
The NM OSE – Dam Safety Bureau Simplified Inundation Mapping Toolset – Dam Breaching Analysis and Mapping Project was awarded Outstand Project of the Year. The design team of CDM Smith Engineering’s Hui-Ming (Max) Shih, PhD, PE, CFM, Robert Fowlie, PE, Joseph Machala, PE, Grace Houghton, PE and Carlos Yvellez, EIT provided the NMOSE with consulting and engineering services to develop the new state guidance/directive of the simplified dam breach engineering analysis (SIM dam breach) and emergency action plan (EAP) preparation. The project tasks include the dam EAP compliance survey of western states, the SIM dam breach directive development, SIM dam breach workbook tools, GIS mapping toolset, and publicly support the development of EAP’s for small and intermediate size dams throughout New Mexico State with significant to high hazard potential. CDM Smith developed tools and guidance intended to simplify the EAP process for dam owners and operators while meeting the key requirements of an EAP including engineering analysis, inundation mapping and emergency action planning. In response, the National Dam Safety Review Board recommended development of guidance documents using simplified and conservative estimates to develop simplified inundation maps (SIMS). CDM Smith assisted NMOSE with research and development for a simplified EAP Guidance program.
A traditional dam breach study and mapping usually require a detailed engineering assessment, significant cost to dam owners and resources. The future value of applying the new SIM dam breach program in this project can be expected to perform a simplified dam flood risk assessment coordinated with a reliable risk to show the dam’s dam breach consequences are associated with a low-risk designation and avoid unnecessary, substantial efforts related to an emergency action plan development, evacuation plan preparation, dam rehabilitation and other associated actions.
The actual project cost was the same as the total budgeted cost and the project was completed as scheduled.