Technology Century V.10 N.6 - ESD

Super Bowl 

XL

Your Future in the Making 

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• Science Education 

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D O C T O R A L D E G R E E S 

• Business Administration 

• Engineering in Manufacturing Systems 

• Management in Information Technology

DEC 05–JAN 06 

7 12 

Official Publication of The Engineering Society of Detroit 

Technology 

Century 

Vol. 10 No. 6 December 2005–January 2006 

DEPARTMENTS 

02 PUBLICATION NOTES 

03 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

04 IN THE NEWS 

07 ESD EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 

08 ESD MEMBERSHIP 

08 ESD UPCOMING EVENTS 

10 ESD UPCOMING DEADLINES 

27 SUSTAINING & CORPORATE MEMBERS 

28 COLUMN: WORKING WORLD 101 

FEATURES 

11 BY YANG ZHAO 

Virtual Yellow First-Down Line: 

How It Works 

12 BY JOHN RICHARDS et al. 

From Tires in the Turf to Beer in the Pipes, 

Ford Field Maximizes Efficiency 

18 BY ALBERT I. KING 

Concussion in the NFL 

20 BY JOHN M. TOKISH et al. 

Understanding Performance-Enhancing 

Drugs in Sports 

23 BY DAVID L. LITTMANN 

Is Michigan Stuck on Stupid 

COVER: Ford Field, site of Super Bowl XL. See article on page 12. 

www.esd.org | The Engineering Society of Detroit | 1

2000 Town Center, Suite 2610 • Southfield, MI 48075-1307 

248–353–0735 • 248–353–0736 fax • esd@esd.org • www.esd.org 

Technology Century (ISSN 1091-4153 USPS 155-460) is published six times per year by The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), 

2000 Town Center, Suite 2610, Southfield, MI 48075. Subscriptions are free to ESD members. Nonmembers may subscribe for 

$175 per year by contacting ESD at 248–353–0735. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, MI, and at additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ESD, 2000 Town Center, Suite 2610, Southfield, MI 48075. 

©2005 The Engineering Society of Detroit. 

Technology Century 

Vol. 10 No. 6 December 2005–January 2006 

ESD Publications Committee 

CHAIR: Dr. Ralph H. Kummler, FESD, Wayne State University 

Michael F. Cooper, PE, HarleyEllis 

Dr. Utpal Dutta, University of Detroit–Mercy 

Christopher D. Dyrda, DaimlerChrysler Corporation 

John G. Petty, FESD, General Dynamics 

Dr. Charles L. Wu, FESD, Ford Motor Company 

Dr. Yang Zhao, Wayne State University 

STAFF LIAISON: Dale Thomas, The Engineering Society of Detroit 

ESD Board of Directors 

PRESIDENT: David S. Meynell, Dürr Systems, Inc. 

PRESIDENT ELECT: Richard J. Haller, Walbridge Aldinger Co. 

VICE PRESIDENT: David A. Skiven, PE, General Motors Corporation 

TREASURER: Steven E. Kurmas, PE, Detroit Edison 

SECRETARY: Darlene Trudell, CAE, The Engineering Society of Detroit 

PAST PRESIDENT: Donald E. Goodwin, DaimlerChrysler Corporation 

Katherine Banicki, Testing Engineers and Consultants 

Dr. Leo E. Hanifin, FESD, University of Detroit–Mercy 

Dennis M. King, FAIA, FESD, HarleyEllis 

Thomas H. Landry, Jonna Construction Company 

Michael Morrison, Perot Systems 

August Olivier, General Motors Corporation 

Douglas Patton, DENSO International America, Inc. 

Richard F. Pearson, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 

William P. Russo, Ford Motor Company 

Noelle Schier, Original Equipment Suppliers Association 

Paul T. Sgriccia, PE, Golder Associates Inc. 

Dr. Rebecca M. Spearot, PE, Lear Corp. 

Dr. Mumtaz A. Usmen, PE, FESD, Wayne State University 

Technology Century Staff 

PUBLISHER: Darlene Trudell, CAE, ESD Executive Vice President 

PUB. COORDINATOR: Dale Thomas, ESD Managing Director of Marketing and Communication 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nick Mason, ESD Creative Director and Systems Manager 

EDITOR: Susan C. McCraven 

Publication 

NOTES 

Dr. Ralph H. 

Kummler, FESD 

ESD Publications 

Committee Chair; 

Dean, College of 

Engineering, Wayne 

State University 

Metropolitan Detroit is counting down 

the days to Super Bowl Sunday. We want 

you to catch the spirit, too, by celebrating 

the role of engineering in one of America’s 

favorite pastimes—football. 

Fittingly, this issue features the Ford 

Field story, the construction of the site of 

Super Bowl XL, by the SmithGroup. And 

what really happens to NFL linemen when 

they collide helmet-to-helmet, experiencing 

60 times the force of gravity Find 

out in the article “Concussion in the NFL.” 

The conclusions of Distinguished Professor 

Albert King may surprise you . 

Plus, an issue on the Super Bowl 

wouldn’t be complete without exploring 

the computer engineering behind 

SportVision’s now famous “yellow line,” 

the digitally imaged virtual line that 

“magically appears” on our TV screens. 

To round out this issue, you’ll learn about 

the impact of performance-enhancing 

drugs on athletics and sports medicine. 

Whereas this article isn’t directly related to 

engineering, it provides an insightful look 

at a timely topic. 

Furthermore, the Super Bowl has been 

an economic driver for other host cities. 

Therefore, this is a great segue into the 

October Construction and Design 2006 

Economic Forecast Conference summary 

by David Littmann, retired chief economist 

for Comerica Bank. 

As of this writing, it doesn’t look as 

though the Detroit Lions will be one of 

the teams playing on February 5. Regardless, 

after reading this issue of Technology 

Century, you’ll definitely be ready for some 

football—especially the Super Bowl. Enjoy. 

2 | Technology Century | DECEMBER 2005–JANUARY 2006

ESD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE | December 2005–January 2006 

Our Future Is in Their Hands 

ith all the recent 

headlines— 

bankruptcy, plant 

closings, staff 

reductions— 

southeast Michigan 

is in for some 

challenging times. 

We need to remain optimistic. Southeast 

Michigan is world-renowned for its 

depth of engineering talent, and I have 

all the confidence that we will rise to the 

occasion and succeed in repositioning 

ourselves to prosper in the years to come. 

The headline that did raise my concern 

was on the November 26, 2005, editorial 

page of The Detroit News: “America 

Refuses to Learn that Math, Science 

Matter.” According to a Trends in International 

Mathematics and Science study, in 

2003 fourth-grade students in the United 

States ranked 12th out of 15 countries 

in Asia and Europe in math and science 

scores. Eighth-grade students ranked 

15th out of 15. Singapore was number 

one in both age groups. 

The question that follows is: How 

many engineering degrees is the United 

States producing Well, the following 

statistic is no more reassuring. According 

to the National Science Foundation, 

both Europe and Asia are out-producing 

us by 30%. As an ESD member, you 

know that the engineering and scientific 

community has positively impacted the 

standard of living we have all come to 

enjoy. If we want to continually improve 

or even remain status quo, we need to 

begin improving math and science scores 

among our young students, or, as The 

News stated, “We are probably not going 

to be a country that is going to rule the 

21st century.” 

The state of Michigan and Governor 

Granholm understand the importance 

of turning these statistics around and, to 

that end, have made doubling the number 

of college graduates in technical fields a 

top a priority, saying that to have a strong 

economy, we must have the best educated 

workforce possible. Investing money to 

generate more engineers and promote 

the value of their work will go a long way 

to establish Michigan as a global center of 

new technology and emerging industries. 

A key component of the mission 

of ESD is to foster excitement in math 

and science among young children to 

produce our next generation of engineers, 

scientists and allied professionals. 

To meet that end, we proudly manage 

the Michigan Regional Future City 

Competition, where teams of seventh- 

and eighth-grade students work with 

an engineer mentor to design and build 

their version of a city of the future. This 

program not only helps young people 

experience firsthand what engineers do 

and how this impacts their lives, but it 

is also tied directly to their math and 

science studies in school. 

This year there are more than 70 

schools participating in the competition, 

which will be held the third week 

of January. Well over 1,000 students, 

teachers, mentors and parents will be on 

hand for the day-long event. It is truly a 

wonderful program. I know firsthand, 

having attended as an observer over the 

past few years. And each time I have 

come away impressed and enthused 

with the quality of knowledge being 

transferred through this program. These 

students give me the confidence that our 

future is bright. 

If you, too, would like to experience 

Future City, contact staff at ESD. We are 

looking for judges and volunteers for the 

day of the competition. It would also be 

an opportunity to see one way we are 

trying to turn our math and science scores 

around so we continue to be the leader in 

this global economy. If you know middle 

school students who would benefit from 

our Future City program, you might want 

to encourage their involvement…because 

our future is in their hands. 

Sincerely, 

David S. Meynell 

President, ESD Board of Directors 

President and CEO, DÜrr Systems, Inc. 


IN THE NEWS 

BEI Associates, Inc., an architectural and 

engineering firm, is pleased to announce 

the appointment of William C. Ellis, PE, 

to Director of Mechanical Engineering. 

Mr. Ellis has more than 30 years of experience 

in the design and operation of facilities 

and support services. He previously 

worked as the Mechanical Group Manager 

at Carter and Burgess in their Bingham 

Ellis 

Farms office. Prior to that, he worked 

at Giffels Associates in Southfield. Mr. Ellis received a BS in 

mechanical engineering from Kettering University; he pursued 

his graduate studies at Wayne State University. 

BEI Associates, Inc., is an employee-owned company 

located in downtown Detroit. Current projects include architectural 

and engineering services for the Chrysler Phase 2 

Paint Plant Shop in Windsor, Ontario; the Plant Expansion 

for American Axle in Minerva, Ohio; the Huron Valley Sinai- 

Hospital Mammography Breast Center, Detroit Medical 

Center; the Detroit Public Schools; and the city of Ecorse. 

HarleyEllis, the architecture, engineering, interiors, landscape 

architecture and construction services firm, was recently 

named one of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest 

Companies to Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional 

Association (MBPA) for the 5th consecutive year. 

This year HarleyEllis also received the additional distinction 

of being a Top 10 Elite Award winner in the category of 

Recognition and Retention. The 10 companies that received 

this distinction represent the best in innovative and forwardthinking 

human resources practices based on criteria established 

by the MBPA. 

HarleyEllis credits its ability to retain the best and brightest 

employees to the firm’s policy of recognizing and rewarding 

achievements and outstanding performance. The firm was 

lauded for its employee excellence awards program and other 

employee-focused events held throughout the year, as well 

as its employee communication efforts through daily online 

informational news items and an online Intranet newsletter. 

The HarleyEllis Chicago office also received Elite Award 

distinction in the category of Recognition and Retention this 

past June. 

Jim Page, principal and corporate executive, Detroit office, 

said, “We never lose sight of the fact that our people come first, 

because it’s our people who are ‘the company.’ We want to be 

the employer of choice in our industry and we know that to 

attract and retain talented people, we must continuously strive 

for the best in our human resources practices—for it is both 

financial and non-monetary benefits that make the difference 

in today’s competitive environment. 

Lansing Community College Health & Human Service Career Building 

Ruby+Associates is the proud recipient of the 2005 

Outstanding Project Award for its design of the Lansing 

Community College (LCC) Health & Human Service Career 

Building. The National Council of Structural Engineering 

Association (NCSEA) Excellence in Engineering Awards 

competition was held at the NCSEA Conference in Kansas City, 

Missouri, on October 29, 2005. 

The award-winning $2.7 million modern structure was originally 

designed as a three-story building, with a future fourth 

floor expansion. Partnering with Douglas Steel to deliver the 

steel structure of the building, Ruby applied constructibility 

principles and completely redesigned the structural steel 

component of the building. This redesign saved enough money 

to enable LCC to construct the fourth floor and still bring the 

project in several hundred thousand dollars under budget. 

Specializing in structural steel, Ruby+Associates provides 

full-service structural engineering to the building design and 

construction industry. 

Wayne State University is pleased to announce the 2005 

inductees into the Wayne State College of Engineering Hall 

of Fame: Lushman Grewal, West Bloomfield developer; 

Priyaranjan Prasad, Ford research engineer; Athanacios 

Nasr, Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers Vice President; Grace 

Bochenek, U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development 

and Engineering Center (TARDEC) Research Director; 

Paul Gill, retired Visteon Vice President of Glass Systems Division; 

and Robert Ryan, former Medtronic Vice President and 

CFO. These six new prestigious members, who join 94 engineering 

alumni, were honored for their outstanding professional 

accomplishments on November 17 at Night of Stars, 

the college’s annual celebration of achievement at the Detroit 

Science Center. 


IN THE NEWS 

From left: Oakland 

Community College 

Vice Chancellor George 

Keith, Chancellor Mary 

Spangler and Lawrence 

Tech President Charles 

M. Chambers and 

Provost and Executive 

Vice President Lewis N. 

Walker sign the articulation 

agreement between 

the two schools. 

University leaders from Lawrence Technological University 

(LTU) and Oakland Community College signed a unique 

articulation agreement recently that will ease the transfer of 

students from one of 16 Oakland Community College associate 

degree programs to LTU to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. 

“This new agreement details what courses and content 

match our programs and will help students prepare for Lawrence 

Tech’s rigorous curricula,” said Charles M. Chambers, LTU 

president and CEO. 

The new partnership codifies and raises the maximum 

number of credits that transfer to Lawrence Tech from 60 to 

70–75. According to OCC Chancellor Mary Spangler, “It 

also shortens their (the students’) path to a baccalaureate 

by permitting the transfer of an unusually high number of 

credits—a beneficial arrangement for all involved…most of 

all, our students.” Under this agreement, graduates of OCC 

will receive priority consideration with other students seeking 

admission to the agreed upon programs. 

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IN THE NEWS 

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) receives accolades 

for its successful partnerships with ESD and its 75 Aliate Societies 

during the seminar “Successful Partnerships with Non-IEEE Technical 

and Professional Groups” at the 2005 IEEE Sections Congress in Tampa, 

Florida, October 16, 2005. Speakers are (from left): Russell Lefevre, PhD; 

Don Bramlett, PE, IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section Advisor; and 

T. W. Hissey, IEEE Director Emeritus. Photo courtesy of Mark Ciechanowski, PE 

In November, ESD’s Ron Smith presented a program on the ESD 

Michigan Regional Future City Competition to the Benjamin Banneker 

Association (BBA) at the Metropolitan Math Teachers Association. The 

presentation focused on fun and practical applications of math and 

science principles learned in the classroom. The Future City Competition 

will take place on January 18, 2006. If you are interested in volunteering, 

contact Nancy Strodl at nstrodl@esd.org or 248–353–0735, ext. 4152. 


ESD EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 

E-CONSTRUCTION III: DREAMS AND REALITIES 

On November 9, 2005, over 100 members of the construction industry gathered at 

e-Construction III: Dreams and Realities to learn about the latest IT innovations in their field. 

Building on the foundation laid by two previous conferences, speakers presented an overview 

of emerging technologies in the construction arena, and vendors exhibited the latest IT tools. 

Above: Building Information Management Systems panelists included (from left) Phillip Colletti, 

Bentley Systems, Inc.; David M. McKowen, Spectrum Strategies; Randall Ray, Copper Range; 

David Pacifico, RA, Pacifico Associates; and Alex von Svoboda, Autodesk. 

2006 ECONOMIC FORECAST FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION 

Above: Carol Rademacher, Manager, 

Construction Contracts Division, Michigan 

Department of Transportation, spoke at the 

conference. E-Construction III was sponsored 

by AEC CADCON, Inc.; Bentley Systems; 

Critical Business Analysis, Inc.; DTE Energy; 

and Washington Group International. 

The 2006 Economic Forecast for Design and Construction Conference 

on October 26, 2005, provided the 185 attendees with the information 

necessary to take the guesswork out of preparing their 2006 marketing 

plans. The first Annual Design & Construction Industry Summit Award 

was presented to noted economist David L. Littmann, retired Comerica 

Bank Vice President and Chief Economist, in recognition of his outstanding 

contributions to the development of our region. He is shown (right) with the 

conference moderator Dennis M. King, FAIA, FESD, Corporate Chairman 

of HarleyEllis. Pictured above are attendees Diana Morning (right) of 

General Motors Corporation and Pamela Lemme of C & S Engineers. 

Sponsors included the Construction Association of Michigan and The 

Construction Financial Management Association, Detroit Chapter. 


ESD MEMBERSHIP 

ESD UPCOMING EVENTS 

ESD’s Newest 

Individual Members 

Randy Abdallah 

Group Vice President 

Walbridge Aldinger Co. 

Selim A. Alpmen 

Senior Scheduler 

CTE Engineers 

James Antal 

Assistant Chief Engineer 

Ford Motor Company 

Rifat Ayyar 

Senior Electrical Engneer 

IDS 

Hal Ballenger 

Account Representative 

Cawson Concrete Company 

Thomas Barry, PE 

President 

T.F. Barry Company 

Jeffrey A. Bowers 

Business Analyst 

Borders Group, Inc. 

Huiqin Chu 

Senior Product Engineer 

BorgWarner, Inc. 

Timothy Mark 

Cinader 

Vice President 

Trojan Development Corporation 

Stephen P. Czerniak 

Manager, Engineering Resource 

Development 

General Dynamics Land Systems 

Kathleen De La Garza 

Panel Inspector 


Rajesh P. Dixit 

Service Manager 

Thermax Inc. 

Karl Eberle 

Vice President & General Manager 

Harley-Davidson Motor Company 

Donald R. Ferguson, 

PEng 

Senior Vice President 

Giffels Associates Limited 

Steven James Fox 

Resident Electrical Engineer 

Beaumont Services Company, LLC 

Derek Fraser 

Product Engineer 

Lear Corporation 

Marc Hammond 

Material Planner 

Jabil Circuit, Inc. 

Chris Hoglund 

ISD 


Amy Huffman 

Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. 

Mohammed F. 

Hussain 

Senior Consultant 

EDS Corporation 

Robert Korey 

Hudson 

Tong L. Luo 

Jackie Mack 


Mark Mieloch 


Kathleen Nauer 

President 

Financial One, Inc. 

Arinze Nwamba 

Student 

Wayne State Univ.-Student 

Timothy John Olind, 

PE 

Sr. Vice President & COO 

Karmann USA, Inc. 

Ali Omer 

Graduate Student 

Eastern Michigan University 

Daniel J. Plantus 

Vice President, Design 

The Garrison Company 

Mary Ann E. Plaza- 

McNamee 

Design Engineer 

General Motors Corp. 

Chris Saltz 

General Sales Manager 

Trane Detroit 

Dale Andrew 

Schmatz 

Vehicle Development Engineer 

DaimlerChrysler Corporation 

James R. Sears 

Associate Vice President for 

Facilities Planning & Mgmt. 

Wayne State University 

Michael E. Smiley 

Estimator 


Fady Tarazi 


Kevin Taylor 

Treasurer 

American Institute of Chemical 

Engineers 

Phillip Thorpe 

Engineering Technologist 


Shyam 

Veeramachineni 

District Manager 

Professional Service Industries, 

Inc. 

Lewis N. Walker 

Executive Vice President & 

Provost 

Lawrence Technological 

University 

Kevin James White 

Gage Engineer 

Air Gage Company 

Nathan Willis 

Application Engineer 

Motorola Inc. 

James R. Wilson 

Director, Bureau of 

Environmental Health 

Ingham County Health Depart. 

Lev Wood 

Business Development 

Midwestern Consulting, LLC 

ESD’s Newest 

Corporate Members 

Financial One, Inc. 

Rep: Kathleen Nauer, President 


Rep: Karl Eberle, Vice President & General 

Manager 

Newman Consulting Group, LLC 

Rep: James L. Newman, Managing Partner 

For Corporate Membership information, 

contact Cynthia Hahn at chahn@esd.org or 

248–353–0735, ext. 4112. 

In Memoriam 

With deep gratitude for his 

membership and service, The 

Engineering Society of Detroit 

acknowledges the death of the 

following member: 

Daniel L. Hanson, PE 

Principal Engineer, Hanson Engineering, 

P.C. 

Member since 1981 

E S D L E G A C Y 

S O C I E T Y 

The Engineering Society of Detroit is 

committed to serving this generation 

of engineers and fostering the next. To 

ensure that we achieve our mission, we 

have created the ESD Legacy Society. 

As leaders who know firsthand what 

it takes to meet life’s challenges, we 

invite you to become a member of this 

program. To join, you need only pledge 

a gift in any amount to ESD from your 

estate. For more information, contact 

Dale Thomas at dthomas@esd.org or 

248–353–0735, ext. 4123. 

Winter 2006 FE/PE 

Review Courses 

You’ve reached 

a point in your 

career where 

your education, 

training and 

experience make 

you a valued part of your employer’s 

team. You’re respected for your ability 

and skills, but you still want more 

out of your career. Now is the time to 

take the next step and join the highest 

level of engineering professionals. 

Get your Professional Engineer (PE) 

license. If you have any questions 

about becoming a licensed Professional 

Engineer, please contact us at 

the number below. 

FUNDAMENTALS OF 

ENGINEERING (FE) PART I 

Dates: January 31–April 6, 2006 

Times: 6–9 p.m., Tuesdays and 

Thursdays 

Location: Southfield, Michigan 

State Exam Date: April 22, 2006 

PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE OF 

ENGINEERING (PE) PART II 

Disciplines: 

Chemical, Civil, 

Electrical, Environmental, 

Mechanical 

Dates: February 

18–April 1, 2006 

Times—Electrical, Chemical & Civil: 

8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Saturdays 

Times—Mechanical & Environmental: 

1–5 p.m., Saturdays 

Location: Southfield, Michigan 

State Exam Date: April 21, 2006 

For more information and to 

register for courses, visit 

www.esd.org or contact Fran 

Mahoney at 248–353–0735, 

ext. 4116, or fmahoney@esd.org. 


ESD UPCOMING EVENTS 

2006 ESD Engineering and 

Technology Job Fair 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2006 

With over 800 attendees 

in 2005, you won’t want 

to miss ESD’s 2006 Engineering 

& Technology Job 

Fair, presented by the ESD 

Young Engineers Council, on 

Thursday, February 16, 2006, 

2–7 p.m., at the Southfield 

Town Center Atrium, 2000 

Town Center. 

The job fair will showcase some of Michigan’s largest engineering, 

technology, and management corporations. Companies 

will be recruiting in all disciplines including: chemical; 

civil; computers; design; electrical; architects; environmental; 

manufacturing; mechanical; technical and other technologyrelated 

fields. If you’re looking for a job in any engineering or 

technology discipline, this is the job fair for you! 

For more information and to register for this event, visit 

www.esd.org, or contact, Ramona Spencer at rspencer@esd.org, 

248–353–0735, ext. 4114. This event is sponsored exclusively by 

On Assignment. 

2006 DTE Energy Conference and 

Exposition in Partnership with ESD 

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006 

DTE Energy and ESD will 

hold a one-day conference 

and exposition on the latest 

innovations in alternative 

energy sources and energy 

efficiency. One of the largest 

energy conferences and expositions 

held in metropolitan 

Detroit, the 2006 event is 

expected to have 100 exhibitors 

and attract 1,000 attendees. The event will take place at the Rock 

Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich. Targeted for energy issues 

affecting facility management and planning, speakers include 

executives from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, health 

care, banking, the State Department of Environmental Control, 

energy distribution and sustainable development. 

For more information on exhibiting or attending, contact 

Tim Walker, Phone: 248–353–0735, ext. 4115, E-mail: 

twalker@esd.org. 

35th Annual ESD Affiliate Council 

Gold Award Banquet 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006 

Mark your calendar for 

ESD’s 35th Annual Gold 

Award Banquet to be held 

Wednesday, February 22, 

2006, at The Dearborn 

Inn Marriott. Celebrate 

National Engineers’ 

Week with ESD as we honor the engineering profession. The 

gala evening provides a forum for the Affiliate Council of The 

Engineering Society of Detroit and the Affiliate Societies to 

honor and congratulate members who have distinguished 

themselves through outstanding achievement and service 

within their respective societies. 

Also that evening, the ESD College of Fellows will 

perform the Order of the Engineer Ceremony in which 

engineers may receive their Engineer’s Ring after taking the 

Oath of the Engineer. 

See ESD’s Web site (www.esd.org) for more information 

on the Affiliate Council. For more information on attending 

or sponsoring this event, contact Ron Smith at 248–353–0735, 

ext. 4148, or rsmith@esd.org. 

2006 Emerging Technologies in 

Solid Waste Management 

MONDAY & TUESDAY, APRIL 3-4, 2006 

Organized by ESD, this 

2-day conference and 

training session will 

explore issues and regulatory 

changes that affect 

the solid waste industry. 

The conference is on 

Tuesday, April 4, 2006, 

at the Kellogg Hotel & 

Conference Center on the 

campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. 

Attendees can also sign up for a pre-conference training day on 

Monday, April 3, 2006. 

The sponsors for this event include the Michigan Waste 

Industries Association and the Michigan Department of 

Environmental Quality. 

For more information on exhibiting or attending the 

conference this year, contact Tim Walker at 248–353–0735, ext. 

4115, or twalker@esd.org. 


ESD UPCOMING DEADLINES 

Nominate an Exceptional ESD Member, 

Student, Young Engineer or Building 

Douglas R. Allen, Chair of the ESD College of 

Fellows, bestows Fellowship on Sue L. Littles. 

COLLEGE OF FELLOWS 

FEBRUARY 1, 2006 

Election to the rank of Fellow is one 

of the highest recognitions that ESD 

bestows on a member. We need your 

help to assure that qualified candidates 

are nominated for consideration. 

Candidates must have been ESD 

members for the past 5 years. They should 

possess extraordinary qualifications, as 

evidenced by accomplishments in the 

following major areas: technical achievement, 

professional achievement and 

ESD service/leadership. Additional qualifications 

include professional society 

service and leadership accomplishment 

in the following areas: honors/awards, 

publications/patents, academic service/ 

leadership and community service/leadership.For 

more information, contact 

Edie Fly at 248–353–0735, ext. 4113, or 

efly@esd.org, or visit www.esd.org. 

Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, 2005 Construction 

& Design Award recipient for renovation. 

32ND ANNUAL CONSTRUCTION & 

DESIGN AWARDS 

FEBRUARY 27, 2006 

ESD is now accepting nominations for 

the 32nd Annual Construction and 

Design Awards. The awards are among 

the premier recognitions accorded to 

members of the construction industry 

and their projects. They are unique 

in that they honor the three primary 

members of the building team—owners, 

designers and contractors—who demonstrate 

outstanding team achievement 

and innovative use of technology 

in their projects. The awards were 

conceived to encourage elevation of the 

standards of practice in the construction 

industry. 

The entry deadline is February 27, 

2006. For more information, please 

contact Nancy Strodl at 248–353–0735, 

ext. 4152, or nstrodl@esd.org. 

Don Goodwin (left) presents the Outstanding 

High School Student Award to Andrew Kneifel. 

ESD AWARDS FOR STUDENTS 

AND YOUNG ENGINEERS 

MARCH 1, 2006 

The nomination deadline is March 1, 

2006, for the following awards: High 

School Student of the Year, for graduating 

high school seniors (includes a 

scholarship); Outstanding Student of 

the Year, for undergraduates in engineering 

or science; and Outstanding 

Young Engineer of the Year, for a 

young engineer who has distinguished 

herself or himself through professional 

achievement and community service. 

Applicants must be members of 

ESD (or children or grandchildren of 

members in the case of high school 

students). Awards will be presented at 

the ESD Annual Awards Banquet. 

Contact Edie Fly at 248–353–0735, 

ext. 4113, or efly@esd.org for more 

information. 


Virtual Yellow First-Down Line: 

How It Works 

BY YANG ZHAO 

owadays, if you watch an NFL football game on TV, 

most likely you’ll see the bright yellow first-down 

line magically appear on the playing field, as if it 

were painted on the stadium turf. For some football 

viewers, the virtual yellow line is like a magic 

trick; others may think that generating a yellow 

line on the televised field is a simple task. In reality, 

the patented technology of virtual lines involves 

a complex process of digital image processing and data fusion—a 

process developed by a group of electrical engineers at SportVision 

Inc. in California. Here is a brief description of SportVision’s 

approach to the virtual first-down line. 

The task here is to draw a virtual line on video images from 

the television station cameras in a stadium. The digital imaging 

process needs to know each camera’s location as well as its 

movement (tilt, pan, zoom, and focus) and the perspective 

change resulting from the movement. The virtual line has to be 

parallel to the yard line on the field (which is not flat but crests 

slightly in the middle for water runoff). As cameras zoom in 

and out, the virtual line must follow suit, staying in perspective 

and getting larger or smaller accordingly. In addition, the 

line has to appear only on the field, not superimposed on the 

players or game officials. 

To accomplish this task, engineers first collect data for 

the field’s elevation points and draw a computer map of the 

contours of the playing surface. This map is overlaid onto the 

camera’s view of the actual field. Each camera has a special 

mount that encodes the direction and focus of the camera’s 

operation. This camera data enables computers to understand 

exactly what each camera is doing in real-time. Computers 

then create a computerized 3D model of the field. In this 3D 

model, the computers lock onto the locations of each camera 

and the yard lines and the field contours, as well as the color of 

the grass or artificial turf. 

Finally, a central computer examines every frame of video 

30 times per second and determines which pixels (the basic 

unit in an electronic computer image) to change to yellow. 

Colors not on the field turf palette, like uniforms and helmets, 

are left unchanged. This makes the virtual line appear only 

Fig. 1. A computerized color key of the field’s surface palette, or turf 

color, enables the virtual yellow line to appear only on the turf, not 

superimposed on the players or ocials. 

on green turf and hidden where the field is obscured by the 

players, much like a real yard line. Unbeknownst to many 

people, it’s not easy to draw a precise line on a television 

screen. In fact, SportVision’s virtual first-down line technology 

has won two Emmy Awards for technical achievement. 

Refer to the following sources for more information: 

1. Perry, T. S., IEEE Spectrum, Nov. 2005, pp. 31-35. 

2. www.sportvision.com 

3. Cavallaro, R. H., et al., U.S. Patent 6,864,886. 

Yang Zhao is a professor and Chair of the 

Department of Electrical and Computer 

Engineering at Wayne State University. 

He has worked on projects supported by the 

U.S. Oce Naval Research, Army Research 

Oce, National Science Foundation, and 

industry in the areas of photonics, optical 

devices and sensing, and nanotechnology. He 

has published over 100 papers in technical journals and conferences 

and holds two U.S. patents. His work has been highlighted in such 

magazines as Science, Photonics Spectra, Physics World, and 

FiberOptics. He received his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. 


From Tires in the Turf to Beer in the Pipes, 

Ford Field Maximizes 

Efficiency 

BY JOHN RICHARDS, MIKE MCGUNN, PAUL TONTI AND JOE TRUSK 


If steel super trusses support eight acres of 

roof over your head, if your own breathing 

controls the ventilation system, if the fresh 

beer in your cup was dispensed from an inhouse 

distribution system, and if the NFL 

receiver below you is being tackled on a 

playing surface made with recycled tires— 

then you may be one of nearly 70,000 Super 

Bowl XL spectators in Ford Field, located in 

the heart of downtown Detroit. 

want to stand on the 50-yard line and know I’m in 

the city of Detroit!” declared William Clay Ford, 

Jr., Vice Chairman of the Detroit Lions and the 

Chairman of Ford Motor Company, reflecting his 

enthusiasm, commitment, and vision for a state-ofthe-art 

football stadium for the Detroit Lions (Fig. 1). 

Assembled by the Detroit Lions, the stadium’s design 

team consisted of: Architect/Engineer of Record— 

SmithGroup; Design Architects—Rossetti Associates 

and Kaplan, McLaughlin, Diaz; Associate Architect—Hamilton- 

Anderson Associates; and Stadium Structural Engineers— 

Thorton-Tomassetti. Originally a brownfield site, the stadium 

is located on the edge of the Detroit business district, adjacent 

to the Detroit Tigers new baseball stadium, Comerica Park. 


Fig. 1. Panoramic view of Ford Field bowl during game time. 

HISTORIC WAREHOUSES AND MODERN SUITES 

Ford Field was constructed as a two-part project: the warehouse 

portion (originally the old J.L. Hudson department 

store warehouse complex on Brush and Beacon Streets) was 

built by White/Olson, LLC, and the stadium portion was 

erected by Hunt/Jenkins over a period of 32 months from 1999 

through July 2002. Built at a total cost of about $500 million, 

the stadium was financed by The Detroit Lions, Inc.; the city 

of Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority; Wayne 

County; Ford Motor Company; Comerica Bank, and corporate 

founding investors. 

Hudson’s warehouse complex was built as a series of separate 

interconnected structures dating from 1913 through the 

mid-1960s, and so almost every type of structural system was 

encountered during construction. Through vertical expansion, 

two of the old warehouses were converted into a mixeduse 

complex housing the press box, concessions, a club-level 

lounge, banquet facilities, suites, team offices, and a variety of 

office spaces. Future plans include entertainment venues and 

restaurants. 

A six-story atrium, created when the central portion of 

the warehouse floors was demolished, vertically divides the 

stadium functions from the office and retail spaces. Stacked in 

three tiers, 132 of the suites were “hung” off the façade of the 

existing warehouses to overlook the playing field (Fig. 2). The 

walkway along Adams Street, on the south side of Ford Field 

Stadium, maintains its early 1900s architecture (Fig. 3). The 

1918 historic warehouse façades were preserved to provide a 

literal link between the new and historic Detroit. 

Probably the most significant structural elements of the 

stadium are the four 90-foot deep steel super trusses (Fig. 4) 

and the two super columns (each 18 ft in diameter) that 

support the north-to-south roof span of 550 ft. The four super 

trusses weigh 60 tons apiece. Along with secondary trusses, the 

super trusses and the roof deck were assembled on grade, then 

jacked 120 ft up into place—for what was the largest lift of this 

type ever completed in North America. 

A continuous translucent panel set into all four sides below 

the roof provides natural light into the main bowl and the 

playing field, 45 ft below street level. Unfolding the city’s 

dramatic skyline to each of the 65,000 seats are the enormous 

urban windows at the main stadium entry (Fig. 5). Most of the 

stadium and the warehouse exteriors are clad with insulated 

precast concrete panels, with brick soaps inset into the face of 

the wall panels to create a complementary and unified look 

between the historic structures and new construction. 

CONSERVATION IN A SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 

William Clay Ford, Jr., wanted construction of the new 

stadium to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The 

challenge for stadium designers was to find recycled materials 

appropriate for the purpose. Perhaps the most remarkable 


Fig. 3. Historic Adams Street walkway maintains its early 1900s architecture. 

Fig. 2. Over 130 suites were “hung” from the historic warehouse façade 

overlooking the playing field. 

example of recycled material at Ford Field is the playing field 

itself—the FieldTurf. In this manufactured surface, turf fibers, 

tufted into a unique porous backing material that provides 

drainage, are held in place with an infill made of silica sand 

and crumb rubber. Approximately 25,000 recycled tires were 

converted into crumb rubber for use at Ford Field. 

Remarkably, about 80% of the steel used in Ford Field 

was from recycled materials. Additionally, by separating 

the concrete, steel and wood from other debris during the 

warehouse demolition,the project team was able to minimize 

landfill materials. Bamboo flooring was used in the suites 

and elevator foyers—unlike some other types of wood, 

bamboo grows very quickly and is therefore a rapidly 

renewable resource. 

ENERGY EFFICIENT SYSTEMS INCLUDE DEMAND- 

BASED VENTILATION 

The Ford Field mechanical systems consist of all of the 

plumbing; piping; fire protection; and heating, air conditioning 

and ventilating systems for the stadium and warehouse. 

The design of the mechanical systems incorporated 

many sustainable mechanical principles, including energyefficient 

equipment, low-water-use plumbing fixtures and 

high indoor air quality, while providing maximum customer 

comfort and ease of operation, ensuring future system flexibility. 

These system technologies, which added value to the 

Fig. 4. Four super trusses, like this 90-ft deep, 60-ton truss shown here, 

were jacked over 120 ft into the air in one of the largest lifts of its kind 

in North America. 

Fig. 5. The urban window at the main Ford Field entrance opens to the 

city’s dramatic skyline. 


Fig. 6. A spectacular lighting design graces the warehouse façade area 

of the stadium complex. 

Fig. 7. Metal halide sports lighting fixtures mounted on catwalks 

illuminate the playing field. 

overall project, have become more mainstream since 2000, 

when Ford Field’s design was completed. 

With 46 air-handling units distributing 2,100,000 ft³/min 

of air, the HVAC systems in the building were designed to 

provide a comfortable, healthy environment in all occupied 

spaces. The stadium was designed to use demand-based ventilation, 

based on the carbon dioxide level produced by people 

in the stadium. As the building occupancy level increases, the 

carbon dioxide level increases, and more fresh air is brought 

into the space to maintain required air-quality levels. The 

stadium uses pressure sensors and multiple exhaust fans to 

maintain a slightly positive pressure within the space and highefficiency 

air filtration is used throughout the facility. 

The building is cooled by three 2,000-ton chillers with six 

two-speed cooling towers located in the building central plant 

on the south side of the warehouse. Chilled water is pumped 

from the chillers using an innovative primary, variable-speed 

system that maximizes building energy efficiency and is distributed 

in a loop that runs on the low roof of the stadium. 

Heating for the building is provided from three sources: 

22,000 lb/h of district steam from the Beacon Street Plant is 

the primary heating source for the warehouse; 120,000 ft³/h of 

natural gas heats the stadium; and electric resistance heating is 

used for reheat coils in the warehouse. A central digital control 

system interfaces with all of the fans, chillers, pumps and airhandling 

units, and allows the building operators to maximize 

energy efficiency while maintaining a comfortable environment 

in the building—whether unoccupied or during events 

like the Super Bowl. 

One of the more unique—and certainly the most profitable— 

piping systems at Ford Field is the central beer distribution 

system. Beer is pumped from three distributed central coolers 

to all of the concession stands throughout the stadium. The 

miles of beer distribution piping are completely refrigerated 

and flushed regularly during inactive stadium periods, so the 

beer is always fresh. Estimates are that 7,000 12-ounce beers are 

flushed each time the lines are cleaned. 

RELIABLE POWER 

Reliable electric power for the stadium was a high priority. 

To ensure dependable service, three underground power 

feeders were provided from two different utility substations to 

the stadium energy center. Several double-ended substations 

are located around the stadium to serve dedicated zones or 

quadrants. For additional reliability, each substation has two 

transformers—both are sized to carry the substation load if one 

of the transformers fails. 

If a power line fails, the electrical switchgear will automatically 

connect to the remaining available power lines, ensuring 

continued operations. In the event that all three lines are lost, 

two 2-megawatt diesel generators provide emergency power 

for egress lighting and life safety systems such as the fire alarm 

system, fire pump, elevators and smoke fans. In addition, the 

bowl sports lighting and public address system are also provided 

with emergency power. Provisions for broadcasting vehicles are 

located at the loading dock and parking lots, and special media 

outlets and pedestals provide power and telecommunications 

cable connections for network and satellite uplink trucks. 

SPECTACULAR LIGHTING SCHEMES 

The lighting design used basic yet energy-efficient lighting 

fixtures for general areas in the stadium and warehouse (Fig. 6). 

The football field is illuminated by special metal halide sports 

lighting fixtures mounted on catwalks; these fixtures were 

required to comply with NFL lighting standards for vertical and 

horizontal foot-candle levels specifically required for televised 


sporting events (Fig. 7). The sports lighting also provides illumination 

of the field for other stadium events such as trade shows. 

Main entries and special areas such as the clubs were treated 

with a more upscale palette of lighting fixtures. The concourses 

have suspended metal halide “low-bay” industrial fixtures 

with wire guards. The Adams block concourse has suspended 

downlights and spill lighting from the concessions to achieve 

a “streetscape” appearance (Fig. 3). The seating bowl is lit by 

a combination of the sports lighting and suspended or wallmounted 

supplemental fixtures, and low-voltage aisle lights are 

positioned in the end-row stadium seats. 

In addition to the illumination system, miles of cable circle 

Ford Field to support the following systems: closed-circuit TV, 

card access, computer network, phone, public address, and 

commercial TV broadcast. Cables are installed in accessible 

trays to allow new systems to be easily integrated and installed 

as technology evolves. 

LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS 

While the authors hope the life safety elements at Ford Field 

are not called into use, these behind-the-scenes components 

include a fire alarm system with an addressable “high-rise”- 

type system consisting of a fire command station, graphic PC 

workstation and voice evacuation audio system. The voice/ 

alarm communication speaker system generates automatic 

prerecorded messages and allows for manual announcements 

by use of a microphone. The bowl sound system is designed 

for emergency announcements for the entire stadium, and 

the scoreboard can also be used for emergency text messages. 

A complete fire sprinkler system is provided. Smoke evacuation 

systems in all of the stadium concourses and the main atrium, as 

well as stair pressurization of all stairwells, allow adequate time 

for the public to safely exist the building in case of an emergency. 

NFL’S PREMIER INDOOR VENUE 

The architectural and technical features designed into Ford 

Field have made it the premier indoor venue in the NFL and a 

natural choice for the Super Bowl. In addition to football, the 

1,800,000 ft² Ford Field complex has hosted concerts, home 

shows, RV shows, and soon—basketball (2009 NCAA Final 

Four). As a flexible, multi-purpose facility, Ford Field has also 

become a desirable venue for a variety of business and social 

functions, including conventions, seminars and trade shows, 

and serves as a year-round destination. The new Ford Field 

is truly an outstanding example of a state-of-the-art stadium 

and urban gathering space and is playing a major role in 

the revitalization of downtown Detroit. The February 2006 

Super Bowl XL will not only showcase the two best teams in 

the NFL but also a well-designed, environmentally-friendly 

stadium and mixed-use facility that is truly world class. 

John Richards, PE, LEED AP, Director of 

Operations, MA Engineering, Bingham 

Farms, Mich., was Project Mechanical 

Engineer for Ford Field. Mr. Richards has 

more than 20 years of experience in 

managing and designing systems for 

laboratory and health facilities, sports 

facilities, automotive testing and manufacturing 

facilities and high-tech oce buildings. Mr. Richards 

is an experienced sustainable designer who is a LEED-accredited 

professional and has been involved in three LEED-certified projects 

including one of the initial LEED pilot projects. 

Mike McGunn, AIA, NCARB, Vice 

President, SmithGroup, Detroit, Mich., 

was Project Manager for Ford Field. 

Mr. McGunn has more than 30 years of 

experience in design, engineering and 

construction of entertainment, health 

facilities, education facilities, research 

centers, manufacturing plants and oce 

buildings. Mr. McGunn has been Project Director or Project 

Manager for a variety of large and small medical facilities and 

major renovation and facility modifications. 

Paul Tonti, AIA, Vice President, 

SmithGroup, Detroit, Mich., was 

Project Architect for Ford Field. Mr. 

Tonti has been actively involved on 

both new construction and renovation 

projects, including the MGM Grand 

Casino, Womack Army Medical Center 

and the NAVSEA Headquarters. His 

role in Ford Field included participation in early schematics 

for technical assistance and selection of building systems, 

through construction. 

Joe Trusk, PE, Principal, SmithGroup, 

Detroit, Mich., was Project Electrical 

Engineer for Ford Field. Mr. Trusk has 

broad experience in all aspects of 

electrical engineering: power distribution, 

lighting design, communications, 

fire alarm, security systems, and 

specifications. As Chief Electrical Engineer 

for the Health Studio, he has designed and specified electrical 

and communications systems for hospitals, laboratories, medical 

clinics, and various commercial and industrial projects, with 

emphasis on large federal and private medical center projects. 


CONCUSSION 

IN THE 

NFL 

BY ALBERT I. KING 

n any given Sunday afternoon in the fall, it is 

not uncommon for a National Football League 

(NFL) player to go down after a play and fail to 

get up. One of the reasons for injury to an athlete 

is a mild concussion of the head, or what is technically 

termed a mild traumatic brain injury 

(MTBI). 

Opposing football players can run into each 

other at speeds in excess of 15 mph and most concussions 

occur when there is helmet-to-helmet impact. An NFL defensive 

lineman can easily experience over 60 times the force of 

gravity, or about the impact of hitting a concrete driveway, and 

still continue in the game. 

The player who is struck on the side of the helmet is more 

likely to receive a concussion—possibly because the head is 

longer in the fore-aft direction and the skull is thinner along 

the side of the head. In some cases, MTBI can result from 

heavy impact with the ground, such as in the sacking of a 

quarterback. A concussive head injury is exemplified by 

confusion, possible loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness 

and temporary loss of memory and cognitive function. 

Shortly after impact, an injured player may not be oriented 

to time, place and person and may also have vision problems. 

The team physician may require the player to sit out the 

next play, the next game–or for longer periods–depending 

on the duration of the symptoms of the concussion. After a 

concussion, a player is not allowed back on the field until clear 

of all symptoms—that is, if the injury is not noted by the team 

physician or coaching staff. Many concussions in the NFL are 

undetected, and it is common for NFL linemen to return to 

play after sustaining mild concussions. 

With regard to the risk of severe injury due to repeated 

concussions, there is a school of thought that recommends 

caution after sustaining a first concussion. While it may take 

over a week to recover from a typical concussion, severe head 

impacts may result in permanent brain damage. However, 

this view of permanent damage due to recurring injury is 

not accepted universally, even though the adverse effects of 

multiple concussions are evident in some athletes, such as 

boxer Mohammed Ali and NFL lineman Bill Romanowski. 

Despite efforts on the part of helmet manufacturers to 

improve the protective ability of the helmet, concussions 

continue to occur. In a project with the NFL, Wayne State 

University has been studying these concussion cases with 

the help of a computer model of the brain. Game videos of 

collisions producing a concussion were analyzed by Biokinetics, 

a consulting firm in Canada, to estimate the speed of the 

opposing players at the instant of collision. Researchers then 

reconstructed the impact, using crash dummies that wear the 

same helmets as worn by NFL players. 

Head accelerations of both dummy heads were measured 

and the data were fed into WSU’s model to assess the stresses 

and strains sustained by various parts of the brain during a 

concussive impact, as shown in Fig. 1. This figure shows a 


Fig. 1. The Wayne State 

University Brain Injury 

Model 

components of acceleration. However, it’s difficult to determine 

the contribution of each to the resulting concussion because a 

concussion may not be entirely due to the high strains. 

Any impact produces transient pressure waves that traverse 

the brain, and the concussive effect of these waves is not 

clearly understood at this time. In fact, this lack of complete 

understanding of the mechanisms of concussion may be the 

reason why we are unable to design a helmet that can be more 

effective against helmet-to-helmet impact. 

Fig. 2. Development 

of strain and strain 

rate in the brain due 

to a lateral impact 

Albert I. King, PhD, is Distinguished 

Professor and Chair of the Department of 

Biomedical Engineering at Wayne State 

University (WSU), Detroit, Mich. He is a 

Hong Kong University graduate in civil 

engineering and received his PhD in 

biomechanics from WSU in 1966. His 

research interests include trauma 

biomechanics and low back pain. Dr. King is a member of the 

U.S. National Academy of Engineering. 

comprehensive model of the head and includes not only all 

of the major components of the brain but also the skull, scalp, 

face, facial and nasal bones and teeth. The model was validated 

against several sets of data obtained by various researchers 

who conducted head impacts on cadavers and measured 

pressure in the brain as well as displacement of the brain relative 

to the skull. 

The model revealed some interesting and surprising results. 

Most of the brain motion, and hence the strain in the brain, 

occurs near the center of the brain and not on the periphery. 

Also, the rate of strain is a good predictor of MTBI because the 

brain is not only sensitive to the amount of strain but also to 

the rate at which the strain is applied. Figure 2 shows model 

predictions of strain and strain rate in the brain following a 

side impact to the head. It is seen that “hot spots” for strain 

initiate near the site of impact but gravitate toward the center 

of the brain at the end of the impact. 

Hot spots for strain rate are concentrated in the center 

of the brain, especially toward the end of the impact. These 

central regions of the brain are the seat of consciousness. 

Brain motion is more pronounced when there is a large 

amount of head angular acceleration or rotation as opposed 

to linear acceleration or translation. Every impact has both 


Understanding Performance- 

Enhancing Drugs in Sports 

BY JOHN M. TOKISH, MININDER S. KOCHER AND RICHARD J. HAWKINS 

o you know that drugs and supplements to enhance 

performance have become a part of mainstream 

athletics Do you know what these drugs and their 

side effects are Many team physicians and sports 

medicine practitioners are unfamiliar with the benefits 

and risks of these products. Therefore, they’re 

unable to educate young athletes on performanceenhancing 

drugs (PEDs). 

In spite of numerous reports on the health risks of using 

steroids, 1 to 3 million Americans have used them. Reports indicate 

that over 6% of high-school football players in the Midwest 

use anabolic steroids, and erythropoietin (EPO) is a highly effective 

aerobic enhancer that has been linked to multiple deaths in cyclists 

and other endurance athletes. The neutraceutical industry, which 

remains unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, has 

serious issues with drug quality and side effects. 

In a poll, Olympic-level power athletes supported the following 

scenario: You are offered a banned substance with two guarantees. 

First, you will not be caught. Second, by taking the substance, 

you will win. Of almost 200 athletes asked if they would take the 

substance, only three said they would not. The 1995 poll went on 

to propose that the same undetectable substance would enable you 

to win every competition entered for the next 5 years, but then it 

would kill you. More than half of the athletes polled reported that 

they would still use the substance. 

In competitive sports, this scenario lends insight into why 

PEDs are a serious concern. As athletics become more competitive 

and lucrative, many athletes turn to chemical performance 

enhancements. 

And this 

phenomenon is not 

limited to Olympic 

athletes—between 

5 and 10% of high-school football players use PEDs, with an 

average age at initiation of 14 years. Whereas anabolic steroids 

have received the most media coverage, a number of other 

substances have come under recent scrutiny. 

Human growth hormone (hGH) is known to be used as 

a performance enhancer, as well as amphetamines (most 

commonly used in professional baseball) and EPO used by 

professional cyclers and others in endurance sports. The 

supplemental drug, or neutraceutical, industry has become a 

multimillion-dollar-per-year business. 

Regulation of PEDs is extremely difficult because “designer 

drugs” that avoid detection are flourishing, and governing 

bodies often lack funds to defend test results in the inevitable legal 

battles that follow the suspension of an athlete. Also, many 

PEDs are so similar to naturally occurring body substances that 

testing is all but impossible. 

Let’s review the seven most commonly used performanceenhancing 

substances: 

1. ANABOLIC STEROIDS– 

In spite of numerous reports of health risks associated with 

their use, anabolic steroids remain a widely abused drug. It is 

estimated that 1 to 3 million athletes in the U.S. alone have 

used steroids. Among American adolescents, 4 to 12% of young 

men use steroids; and this group is far more likely to engage 

in other high-risk behaviors, such as smoking, multiple drug 

use and needle sharing. Recently, there has been increasing 

concern over designer steroids that are not detected using 

existing testing protocols—the most popular of 

which is tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). 

Several professional and Olympic-

caliber athletes have tested positive for THG. (In the National 

Football League (NFL), four Raiders, who no longer remain on 

the team, tested positive in 2003.) 

What are anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and their side 

effects AAS are chemically modified analogs of testosterone, the 

endogenous hormone primarily responsible for male sexual 

characteristics and muscle anabolism. Similar in physiological 

action to testosterone, AAS increase structural and contractile 

protein. Especially when combined with strength training, 

steroids affect changes in body composition, including 

increases in strength, libido, fat-free mass and muscle size in 

normal men. Study groups also exhibited acne, increases in 

systolic blood pressure and changes to personality, including 

increased aggression, impulsivity, depression and irritability. 

When are anabolic steroids legal AAS are generally only 

available with a physician’s prescription, usually for the treatment of 

HIV, delayed growth or other uses. The International Olympic 

Committee (IOC), the National Collegiate Athletic Association 

(NCAA), the NFL and the National Basketball Association 

(NBA) have banned anabolic steroids for players. Recent claims 

by former baseball players and congressional hearings related 

to drug use in Major League Baseball have led to new testing 

protocols and penalties in that arena. 

2. HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (hGH) 

The pituitary gland secretes an endogenous peptide known as 

the human growth hormone (hGH). Patients deficient in hGH 

are short in stature, whereas an overabundance of this hormone 

leads to gigantism. Because of this, athletes have attempted 

to stimulate growth with hGH supplements. hGH is illegal 

except with a physician’s prescription, and its impact is largely 

unknown due to a lack of well-controlled studies and research. 

It is reported in one study, however, that hGH may lead to 

an increase in muscle size but not an increase in strength or 

performance. Currently, there isn’t an accurate method to test 

for hGH in the U.S.; and while the IOC bans the hormone, it 

does not test for it. 

3. AMPHETAMINES AND OTHER STIMULANTS 

Stimulants as ergogenic aids, or performance enhancers, 

have a long history in sports. With the recent deaths of an 

NFL lineman and a Major League Baseball pitcher who were 

reportedly supplementing with ephedrine, this class of drugs has 

come under scrutiny and has been banned by the NFL. In Major 

League Baseball, stimulants commonly referred to as “beans” 

or “greenies” have been in locker rooms since the 1960s. 

During spring training, an informal poll estimated that half 

of the current players of one major league club regularly use 

amphetamines, and stimulants remain the most commonly 

abused drug in baseball. Ephedrine has become a popular player 

in the neutraceutical industry, with claims of boosting metabolism, 

burning fat and increasing alertness. Due to these claims, this 

stimulant has become popular among pilots, truck drivers and the 

general population. 

Amphetamines work by stimulating the release of norepinephrine 

from the sympathetic nerves, resulting in vasoconstriction and 

increased blood pressure. Like ephedrine, stimulants elevate mood 

and increase resistance to fatigue. Some studies support the claim of 

increased time to exhaustion, as well as significant improvements in 

maximum torque (peak power during cycling) and lung function. 

Associated with a number of negative side effects, amphetamine 

use can lead to anxiety, ventricular dysrhythmias, hypertension and 

hallucinations—and in weight lifters, drug dependence and addiction. 

Whereas some stimulants are available over the counter, most classes 

of amphetamines are banned by the IOC, and the NFL has recently 

banned ephedrine. 

4. ERYTHROPOIETIN (EPO) AND BLOOD DOPING 

Because endurance athletes are particularly sensitive to the oxygencarrying 

capacity in their blood, any substance that increases this 

capacity provides a tremendous aerobic advantage in competition. 

This is evidenced by the long-recognized practices of living at 

high altitude and sleeping in altitude tents as part of aerobic training. 

Blood doping, or transfusion blood, is another method of increasing 

oxygen-carrying capacity (hematocrit) of the blood. 

An alternative to blood doping without the potential risks of 

transfusion is EPO. EPO increases hematocrit so effectively (±7%) 

that many cyclists and other aerobic athletes view it as an 

occupational necessity at the sports’ highest levels. At least one 

athlete was removed from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta for 

EPO use. 

EPO is a hormone naturally produced in the kidney, and 

it serves to increase hemoglobin and the oxygen-carrying 

capacity of the blood. Blood doping has been found to 

increase an athlete’s time to exhaustion by 34%, or a 44 second 

improvement in a 5-mile treadmill time performance. Results 

in EPO testing are similar. 

Artificially raising one’s hemoglobin, or hematocrit levels, 

can have dangerous consequences: in 1987, the first year of 

EPO release in Europe, five Dutch cyclists died of unexplained 

reasons; and between 1997 and 2000, 18 cyclists died from 

stroke, myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism. 

Although particularly difficult to detect in tests, EPO is not 

legal in any sport. By setting an upper limit of hemoglobin as 

a rule for competition, one governing body has dramatically 

decreased the hemoglobin values in world-class skiers. 

5. CREATINE 

Since its introduction in 1992, creatine has become the most 

popular nutritional supplement on the market, with sales in 


the United States of over $300 million in 2000. Like many 

supplements in the so-called neutraceutical industry, there 

is no required federal assessment of quality, performance or 

safety with creatine. Thus, the marketing of the supplement is 

far more advanced than its science. 

Its first reported use by elite athletes was during the 1992 

Barcelona Olympics, a result of testing British track and field 

athletes. Among male college athletes, a user rate of 41 to 48% 

has been noted in studies. In a recent survey of NFL trainers 

and team physicians, all teams had players actively taking 

creatine, with estimates of use averaging 33% and reports as 

high as 90%. 

A naturally occurring compound, creatine is synthesized in 

the liver, pancreas and kidneys and is stored in skeletal muscle. 

Creatine contributes to the rapid resynthesis of adenosine 

triphosphate during short-duration maximal bouts of anaerobic 

exercise, leading to strength and performance gains in athletes. 

Human performance using this supplement has been 

studied extensively. 

Using creatine, cyclists were found to be better able to 

maintain muscular force and power output; weight lifters 

could increase repetitions by 20 to 30%; and mean sprint times 

in some track and field athletes increased by 1 to 2%. There is 

no study to date that has shown negative side effects with the 

short-term use of creatine in athletes; however, the long-term 

effects of this drug are not known. Creatine is available over 

the counter, and a survey found 40% of the NFL teams (not the 

medical staff) provide this supplement for their players. 

6. BETA-HYDROXY-BETA-METHYLBUTYRATE (HMB) 

Popularly known as an “anticatabolic,” beta-hydroxy-betamethylbutyrate 

(HMB) is a metabolite that suppresses protein 

breakdown in the recovery phase after a workout, thereby 

burning only carbohydrates and fat for energy and increasing 

lean body mass. The actual mechanism by which HMB works 

in the human body is not known. Whereas upper-body 

strength and peak-torque generation show modest improvements 

in untrained individuals after HMB use, there is little significant 

evidence to support a measurable performance enhancement. 

No known adverse side effects of HMB over a short 

(8-week) period have been indicated in limited studies to date. 

And HMB supplements were found to lower total cholesterol 

and systolic blood pressure, suggesting it may be cardioprotective. 

HMB is available over the counter and has not been banned by 

any sporting organization to date. 

7. ANDROSTENEDIONE 

Androstenedione (andro) has gained immense popularity as 

an over-the-counter sports supplement since Mark McGuire 

admitted to using it during his historic 1998 chase of Roger 

Maris’s single-season home-run record. Available since 1930, 

andro is marketed as a supplement to raise testosterone levels 

in the blood, thus functioning as a natural alternative to 

anabolic steroids. 

As a natural precursor to testosterone, andro is thought to 

convert to testosterone once certain concentrations in the body 

are reached; however, in studies to date, this postulate is still 

being debated. The majority of well-designed studies show 

no increase in testosterone with andro supplements. Instead, 

these studies have shown a significant increase in estrogen 

from use of andro—a most unperformance-enhancing effect. 

Andro may pose a cardiovascular risk (lowered HDL profiles). 

While available over the counter, it is banned by the IOC, 

NCAA, and the NFL, but not by Major League Baseball. 

IN CONCLUSION, A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS A 

DANGEROUS THING 

A critical review of the literature reveals that substances that 

improve athletic performance—or even those perceived to 

improve performance—are widely used by athletes. Often 

athletes, as well as coaches and staff, poorly understand the 

risks and benefits of PEDs. The powerful drive in athletes to 

gain competitive advantage means that it is unlikely that the 

use of PEDs and supplements will abate. What is imperative, 

therefore, is for those involved with athletic teams to be as 

educated as possible about these products and to stay current 

on new supplements and designer drugs as they emerge. 

It is important to understand that PEDs are not regulated 

by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, thus their contents 

may not match their labels. Many manufacturers of these 

supplements are not motivated to investigate the potential 

adverse effects of these products. Therefore, anyone who takes 

these products must proceed with extreme caution. 

The Engineering Society of Detroit and editors of Technology 

Century would like to thank The American Journal of Sports 

Medicine and Sage Publications for granting permission to publish 

this abridged version of the following article: “Ergogenic Aids: A 

Review of Basic Science, Performance, Side Eects, and Status 

in Sports,” by John M. Tokish, * MD, USAF; Mininder S. Kocher, † 

MD, MPH; and Richard J. Hawkins, ‡ MD, FRCS. The American 

Journal of Sports Medicine, Sept. 2004, V. 32, No. 6, pp. 1543-1553. 

_______________________ 

* 

U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado 

† 

Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, 

Boston, Massachusetts 

‡ 

Steadman Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation, Vail, Colorado 


Is Michigan Stuck on Stupid 

BY DAVID L. LITTMANN 

On October 26, 2005, nearly 200 metro Detroit engineers, architects, economists, contractors 

and planners gathered at a networking breakfast event to hear renowned economist David L. 

Littmann deliver his unedited State of the Union address for Michigan. One could hear a 

pin drop in MSU’s Management Education Center as Mr. Littmann addressed Michigan’s 

economic future. Presented herein is a synopsis of his economic forecast. 

Also, Mr. Littmann was the recipient of the 2005 Design and Construction Industry Summit 

Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Our Region, which was presented 

to him by Moderator Dennis M. King, Chairman of HarleyEllis (see photo on page 7). 

here comes a time when economic prospects 

are so bleak that one must present only the 

unvarnished truth. Michigan is not yet at rock 

bottom, but state and local economies will be 

there within the next 3 to 5 years—no state in 

the union is in greater need of economic and 

financial reform. Why are we so sure of this 

ominous forecast 

PER CAPITA INCOME AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 

Per capita income is the finest economic measure of a population’s 

material well-being. In Michigan, this situation is 

nothing short of calamitous at 3% below the national average. 

As of 2004, Michigan experienced its 5th consecutive year as 

a below-average income state; this is nerve-wracking for two 

reasons: 

1. Michigan has been losing ground to other states on a trend 

basis for over half a century. 

2. In 2004, Michigan matched the worst year (1982) of relative 

performance vis-à-vis the nation…even while the country 

experienced the best of economic times. 

Nearly 4 years of robust housing and auto markets, coupled 

with 40-year lows in interest rates, should have generated 

strong tail winds for Michigan’s economy. And now that the 

U.S. economy has entered a business cycle of higher interest 

rates and rising inflation—not to mention rising energy 

prices—we can be assured that Michigan will see even greater 

economic erosion in 2006 and beyond. 

Michigan’s unemployment rate is the highest in the U.S., 

averaging two percentage points above the national average, 

and population and employment growth are negligible (four 

fewer electoral votes based on the state’s dwindling population 

since 1960). In fact, Michigan was the only state in the country 

to exhibit a payroll employment decline in 2004. 

After 5 years of ranking below the national norm in per 

capita personal income, the faltering Detroit automobile 

market share guarantees that Michigan will remain a relatively 

poor state and will continue its decline in economic and 

political clout. 

This is an especially formidable situation when we compare 

our present fortunes with Michigan’s halcyon days of 1965. 

Especially galling is that for the past 3 years Michigan has sent 


its most promising bounty—its youth, ages 25 to 34—outside 

the state in search of good, exciting and more permanent 

jobs—jobs with upward mobility. In just the last 3 years, nearly 

40,000 youths have fled the state! 

This appalling loss of our fine young people sends tremors 

beneath the governess’ rationale to throw another $2 billion of 

borrowed money into Michigan’s education establishment in 

an effort to keep the state competitive. Perhaps the student and 

faculty beneficiaries of this largesse would be so kind as to send 

the Michigan taxpayers a dozen roses when they land their 

jobs…elsewhere. 

THE NEED FOR REFORM 

Now, you ask: “What major reforms will reverse our sinking 

fortunes” Well, if our immediate goal is to emulate the richest 

and fastest growing state economies in the nation, the answers 

are not hard to find. Based on this economist’s observations 

and studies over the past four decades, the two outstanding 

features of preeminent growth states are: 

1. Of three major state taxes—personal income tax, corporate 

income tax and sales tax—the states that have consistently 

surpassed Michigan are those with only one or two such 

taxes, not all three. 

2. Right-to-Work States have so convincingly and consistently 

eclipsed the average growth of Non-Right-to-Work States 

that it makes the whole argument for more workplace flexibility 

a noncontroversial subject. (Minimum wage laws 

FRUSTRATED with computer/network problems 

AFRAID of viruses or network security issues 

TIRED of junk e-mail 

LTI Information Technology is a Microsoft-certified 

partner and Cisco partner experienced in costeffectively 

resolving these problems for engineering 

and manufacturing companies. 

$ IT service provider for The Engineering Society 

of Detroit 

$ LTI-IT staffs only certified, friendly technicians 

$ FREE 30-day trial of Spam Stops Here Anti-Spam 

Anti-Virus Solution for ESD members 

Call us at (734) 332–1200 and ask for Kevin Phillips 

or visit us at www.ltiit.com. 

for a local economy like Detroit or similar wage and benefit 

mandates are obviously not the answer: “The most antiblack 

statute on the books” was how Nobel-Laureate- 

Economist Milton Friedman defined the Minimum Wage 

Law 30 years ago.) 

In short, Michigan’s incentives are upside down. The laws 

of economics are everywhere and at all times the same, ubiquitous 

and immutable as the Law of Gravity. What happens 

to states like Illinois, which increased state taxes by $1.4 

billion and raised state spending by 31%, compared to states 

like Iowa, which reduced taxes by $60 million and increased 

state spending by 3.3% In Iowa, income tax collections are 

up 7.4% this year compared to 2.9% for Illinois…and get this: 

income tax revenues in Iowa are up 31% for the first half of this 

year versus a decline of 8% for Illinois. In terms of incentives, 

people may be poor, but they ain’t stupid! 

It is fruitless to blame our economic plight on China, India 

and outsourcing. Our real focus must be on our complaisant 

policies that have contributed to an uncompetitive business 

climate in Michigan relative to the other 49 states—especially 

those states located mostly, though not exclusively, in the south 

and west. Improved statewide incentives for attracting capital 

and workers—empowering workers and firms—is the answer, 

not the fiscal insanity of more tax burdens. 

CONCLUSION 

Only through downsized, more effective government and fiscal 

prudence can Michigan hope to compete in a global economy. 

Remember, now more than ever before, technology, capital, 

and even labor are mobile and fungible. Investment capital will 

go where it’s invited and will stay where it’s welcome. When 

Detroit and all of Michigan figure this out, our economic prospects 

will indeed change for the better. 

David L. Littmann retired from Comerica 

Bank in 2005 as Senior Vice President and 

Chief Economist after a 35-year career 

there. He received a BA in economics from 

Antioch College, an MA in economics from 

the University of Michigan, and an SM 

in economics from MIT. He also studied 

at the London School of Economics and 

Political Science. Mr. Littmann has authored a host of business 

barometers and developed many leading indicators for the local 

and national economies, tourism and the auto industry. 


its most promising bounty—its youth, ages 25 to 34—outside 

the state in search of good, exciting and more permanent 

jobs—jobs with upward mobility. In just the last 3 years, nearly 

40,000 youths have fled the state! 

This appalling loss of our fine young people sends tremors 

beneath the governess’ rationale to throw another $2 billion of 

borrowed money into Michigan’s education establishment in 

an effort to keep the state competitive. Perhaps the student and 

faculty beneficiaries of this largesse would be so kind as to send 

the Michigan taxpayers a dozen roses when they land their 

jobs…elsewhere. 

THE NEED FOR REFORM 

Now, you ask: “What major reforms will reverse our sinking 

fortunes” Well, if our immediate goal is to emulate the richest 

and fastest growing state economies in the nation, the answers 

are not hard to find. Based on this economist’s observations 

and studies over the past four decades, the two outstanding 

features of preeminent growth states are: 

1. Of three major state taxes—personal income tax, corporate 

income tax and sales tax—the states that have consistently 

surpassed Michigan are those with only one or two such 

taxes, not all three. 

2. Right-to-Work States have so convincingly and consistently 

eclipsed the average growth of Non-Right-to-Work States 

that it makes the whole argument for more workplace flexibility 

a noncontroversial subject. (Minimum wage laws 

FRUSTRATED with computer/network problems 

AFRAID of viruses or network security issues 

TIRED of junk e-mail 

LTI Information Technology is a Microsoft-certified 

partner and Cisco partner experienced in costeffectively 

resolving these problems for engineering 

and manufacturing companies. 

$ IT service provider for The Engineering Society 

of Detroit 

$ LTI-IT staffs only certified, friendly technicians 

$ FREE 30-day trial of Spam Stops Here Anti-Spam 

Anti-Virus Solution for ESD members 

Call us at (734) 332–1200 and ask for Kevin Phillips 

or visit us at www.ltiit.com. 

for a local economy like Detroit or similar wage and benefit 

mandates are obviously not the answer: “The most antiblack 

statute on the books” was how Nobel-Laureate- 

Economist Milton Friedman defined the Minimum Wage 

Law 30 years ago.) 

In short, Michigan’s incentives are upside down. The laws 

of economics are everywhere and at all times the same, ubiquitous 

and immutable as the Law of Gravity. What happens 

to states like Illinois, which increased state taxes by $1.4 

billion and raised state spending by 31%, compared to states 

like Iowa, which reduced taxes by $60 million and increased 

state spending by 3.3% In Iowa, income tax collections are 

up 7.4% this year compared to 2.9% for Illinois…and get this: 

income tax revenues in Iowa are up 31% for the first half of this 

year versus a decline of 8% for Illinois. In terms of incentives, 

people may be poor, but they ain’t stupid! 

It is fruitless to blame our economic plight on China, India 

and outsourcing. Our real focus must be on our complaisant 

policies that have contributed to an uncompetitive business 

climate in Michigan relative to the other 49 states—especially 

those states located mostly, though not exclusively, in the south 

and west. Improved statewide incentives for attracting capital 

and workers—empowering workers and firms—is the answer, 

not the fiscal insanity of more tax burdens. 

CONCLUSION 

Only through downsized, more effective government and fiscal 

prudence can Michigan hope to compete in a global economy. 

Remember, now more than ever before, technology, capital, 

and even labor are mobile and fungible. Investment capital will 

go where it’s invited and will stay where it’s welcome. When 

Detroit and all of Michigan figure this out, our economic prospects 

will indeed change for the better. 

David L. Littmann retired from Comerica 

Bank in 2005 as Senior Vice President and 

Chief Economist after a 35-year career 

there. He received a BA in economics from 

Antioch College, an MA in economics from 

the University of Michigan, and an SM 

in economics from MIT. He also studied 

at the London School of Economics and 

Political Science. Mr. Littmann has authored a host of business 

barometers and developed many leading indicators for the local 

and national economies, tourism and the auto industry. 



ESD Thanks Our Sustaining and Corporate Members, the Foundation of Our Success 


ABC Paving Company 

Aerotek, Inc. 

Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. 

American Axle & Manufacturing 

American Iron & Steel Institute 

American Society of Employers 

Associated General Contractors of 

America 

ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc. 

BEI Associates Inc. 

The Benham Companies, Inc. 

Benteler Automotive 

Boyden-Sullivan Associates 

Brighton Analytical, Inc. 

Bruel & Kjaer Instruments, Inc. 

Building Industry Association of 

Southeast Michigan 

C. Ayers Limited 

Campbell/Manix Inc. 

Carl H. Schmidt Company 

Central Michigan University 

Chrysan Industries 

Climatek Engineering Inc. 

Construction Association of Michigan 

Contract Professionals 

Cornerstone Controls 

CTI & Associates, Inc. 

DaimlerChrysler Corporation 

Dana Corporation 

DeMaria Building Company, Inc. 

DENSO International America, Inc. 

Diversified Property Services 

The Dragun Corporation 

DTE Energy 

DTE Energy Gas Operations 

Dumas Concepts in Building 

Dürr Systems, Inc. 

Eastern Michigan University 

Edw. C. Levy Company 

Ecient Engineering Co., Inc. 

Electrical Resources Company 

Elsas Engineering, P.C. 

EMC² Inc. 

EMCON/OWT, Inc. 

Engineering Laboratories, Inc. 


Fori Automation 

Gannett Fleming of Michigan, Inc. 

Gas Recovery Systems, Inc. 

Gates Corporation 

General Dynamics 

General Motors Corporation–WFG 

Gensler 

GHAFARI Associates, L.L.C. 

Giels, Inc. 

Glenn E. Wash & Associates, Inc. 

Golder Associates, Inc. 

Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & 

Associates, Inc. 

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. 

H.M. White, LCC 

Haley & Aldrich 


HarleyEllis 

Hartland Insurance Group, Inc. 

Hinshon Environmental Consulting, 

Inc. 

HNTB Michigan, Inc. 

Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. 

Infrasource Inc. 

Jacobs Sverdrup 

K2 Technologies, Inc. 

Kelly Services 

KFORCE Professional Stang 

Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & 

Sherbrook, P.C. 

Kolene Corporation 

Lawrence Technological University 


Limbach Company, Inc. 

Link Engineering Co. 

LTI Information Technology 

Masco Corporation 

Mason Contractors Association, Inc. 

Melancon & Company 

Metaldyne Corporation 

Michigan State University 

Michigan Technological University 

Midwest Steel Inc. 

Midwestern Consulting, LLC 

Modern Engineering, Inc. 

Monetek, LLC 

National Center for Mfg. Sciences 

Newman Consulting Group, LLC 

NextEnergy 

Northern Industrial Mfg. Corporation 

NTH Consultants, Ltd. 

Oakland University 

On Assignment 

Original Equipment Suppliers 

Association 

Parsons Brinckerho 

Patrick Engineering Inc. 

Perceptron, Inc. 

Perot Systems Corporation 

Professional Concepts Insurance 

Agency 

Professional Underwriters, Inc. 

R.L. Coolsaet Construction Co. 

Remy, Inc. 

Results Systems Corp. 

Robert Bosch Corporation 

Ruby & Associates, P.C. 

SAE International 

Schenck Pegasus Corp. 

Skanska USA Building Inc. 

Sun Microsystems, Inc. 

Tech-Line Engineering Company 

TECOM-Inc. 

Testing Engineers & Consultants, Inc. 

Trammell Crow Company 

Triangle Electric Co. 

Turner Construction Co. 

UHY Advisors 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Detroit 

U.S. Manufacturing Corp. 

Universal Weatherstrip & Bldg. Supply 

University of Detroit Mercy 

University of Michigan 

University of Michigan–Dearborn 

USFilter 

Verstand Engineering, Inc. 

W.K. Krill & Associates, Inc. 

Wade-Trim 


Washington Group International 


Western Michigan University 

White Construction Co. 

Wolverine Technical Stang Inc. 


WORKING WORLD 101: ACHIEVING SUCCESS AS A NOVICE ENGINEER 

Chapter 4: Communication in 

the Workplace–More than a 

Gust of Hot Air 

As our society moves toward a “paperless” environment, don’t let 

communication be the casualty 

Michael F. Cooper, PE 

Principal and Senior 

Mechanical Engineer 

HarleyEllis 

mfcooper@harleyellis.com 

248–233–0146 

ENABLER OF SUCCESS 

Communication is the great enabler of success. When it doesn’t 

happen, though, it’s too often the root cause of our problems. 

There are two key components of successful communication: 

1) a message that is transmitted to, and understood by, the 

recipient; and 2) a closed communication loop. 

GETTING THE MESSAGE THROUGH 

Since childhood, you have been exposed to a multitude of ways 

to communicate your thoughts to others. We start out using 

cans connected with string or passing notes in class. As we 

mature, we rely on other methods of communication, including 

the telephone, fax, e-mail, voice mail, text messaging, express 

mail service and organizational Web sites. 

Getting the message through is the key. To do this, 

however, you need the right medium for the message. In 

fact, the improper use of technology is often worse than not 

using it at all. 

ONE-WAY INFORMATION EXCHANGE 

One-way communication is actually not communication at 

all. It’s a way for you to provide information to others. This is 

commonly done via e-mail, voice mail, fax or text messaging. 

These are effective means of distributing information (for 

example, status reports, meeting minutes and agendas) to a 

project team. 

However, even when one-way communication seems the 

way to go, remember that a base level of information must be 

provided for the message to be meaningful—what and when 

was the information updated or provided; how can the new 

information be obtained; and what, specifically, was modified 

(if there was a change to something that already exists). 

TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION 

When faced with complex issues to resolve, such as 

resolving technical issues or reconciling schedule/budget 

concerns, you must truly communicate. Without exception, 

the best way is to speak with your colleagues face to face. 

It may seem old-fashioned, but there’s a good reason why 

people do this…it works! 

Sometimes, face-to-face communication isn’t possible (for 

example, when team members are at different locations). 

Then, teams should decide early on in the project which 

communication methods they’ll use for various issues. When 

individuals understand how messages will be communicated, 

they can rely on each other to successfully communicate. 

MEETINGS 

Workplace meetings often get a bum rap because they’re held 

without a clear purpose or in lieu of a personal conversation. 

Therefore, here are some guidelines to help make your 

meetings as productive as possible: 

• Schedule meetings for a maximum of 1 hour (and provide 

agendas in advance of the meeting). After that, the group’s 

productivity tends to drop off dramatically. 

• Invite only those individuals who are directly involved in 

the agenda items. Most professionals don’t have time to 

attend unnecessary meetings. 

• Stay on message. If the attendees go off on a tangent, 

suggest they continue their discussion after the meeting. 

• Issue meeting minutes complete with action items, responsible 

party and due date. 

PRODUCTIVE COMMUNICATION 

Regardless of the method of communication employed, keep 

it efficient and productive. Speak with candor and encourage 

others to do the same. This will generate more ideas, get more 

people involved, speed up the process and save money. Listen 

to everyone and respect all opinions. You never know where 

the next great idea will come from. 

As our society moves toward a “paperless” environment, 

don’t let communication be the casualty. Today’s engineers 

rely more and more on e-mail for exchanging information. As 

discussed previously, this is not always the right approach and 

ineffective communication wastes time and money. 

Furthermore, communication is a two-way street. It is not 

enough to do your part. You must always close the communication 

loop. Information has been exchanged, but has the message 

been received and the issue properly addressed and resolved 

That is the true measure of communication. 


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