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  • Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) for Levee Culvert Inspections in USACE Flood Control Systems (FCS)

    Abstract: Levee inspections are essential in preventing flooding within populated regions. Risk assessments of structures are performed to identify potential failure modes to maintain the safety and health of the structure. The data collection and defect coding parts of the inspection process can be labor-intensive and time-consuming. The integration of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques may increase accuracy of assessments and reduce time and cost. To develop a foundation for a fully autonomous inspection process, this research investigates methods to gather information for levees, structures, and culverts as well as methods to identify indicators of future failures using AI and ML techniques. Robotic plat-form and instrumentation options that can be used in the data collection process are also explored, and a platform-agnostic solution is proposed.

  • MKARNS Nav Notice No. SWL 24-72 USCG Advisory Rob Roy Bridge Closure

    The Rob Roy Railroad Drawbridge will be closed to navigation from 6 a.m. through 1 p.m. on September 17, 2024. The closure is to allow crews to perform signal cutovers.

  • Employees highlight careers at Antioch Middle School STEAM event

    ANTIOCH, Tenn. (Sept. 9, 2024) – Employees showed off their displays, provided demonstrations, and highlighted their careers last week during a sanctioned Tennessee STEAM Festival event at Antioch Middle School. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders learned about opportunities to pursue careers with the Corps of Engineers that require studies focused on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cadet Engineering Internship Program Provides Hands-On Experience for Future Leaders

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District once again successfully conducted its annual Cadet Engineering Internship Program, offering a unique and enriching experience for ROTC cadets to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application with invaluable hands-on experience in various engineering and leadership roles.

  • ERDC Permafrost Tunnel hosts biological agent exercise

    A three-day, multi-agency exercise took place at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska. The 82nd Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment, along with representatives from ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), U.S. Army Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), 11th Airborne Division Command Surgeon, 103d Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team, and Naval Research Laboratory, conducted the exercise to test Soldiers' ability to quickly and accurately sequence bacteria in extreme cold and arctic conditions.

  • Transatlantic Middle East District Celebrates Leadership Development Graduates: Building Future Corps Leaders and Stronger Team

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District celebrated the graduation of eight employees from the Leadership Development Program Tier 1 during a ceremony on September 5. The program, designed to cultivate future leaders within USACE, included a revamped curriculum that emphasized mentorship and practical capstone projects to improve TAM's project delivery process. Col. Christopher Klein highlighted the program's importance in growing leaders and fostering team cohesion across the district. Graduates praised the program for providing a broader understanding of the organization and enhancing leadership skills.

  • Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee to hold fall plenary session in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, announced that the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) will hold a plenary session Sep. 17-19, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The meeting will be held at the Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel beginning at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Sep. 17, and concluding at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sep. 19. The draft MRRIC meeting agenda can be requested by emailing mrric@usace.army.mil. The MRRIC meets two to three times each year. All sessions are open for the public to observe the proceedings, unless noted as ‘executive’. Additionally, at least one session each day is open to members of the public wishing to address the committee and the lead federal agencies—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  All public sessions are noted in the agenda.

  • Snow Surface Roughness across Spatio-Temporal Scales

    Abstract: The snow surface is at the interface between the atmosphere and Earth. The surface of the snowpack changes due to its interaction with precipitation, wind, humidity, short- and long-wave radiation, underlying terrain characteristics, and land cover. These connections create a dynamic snow surface that impacts the energy and mass balance of the snowpack, blowing snow potential, and other snowpack processes. Despite this, the snow surface is generally considered a constant parameter in many Earth system models. Data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX) collected in 2002 and 2003 across northern Colorado were used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of snow surface roughness. The random roughness (RR) and fractal dimension (D) metrics used in this investigation are well correlated. However, roughness is not correlated across scales, computed here from snow roughness boards at a millimeter resolution and airborne lidar at a meter resolution. Process scale differences were found based on land cover at each of the two measurement scales, as appraised through measurements in the forest and alpine.

  • Use of Chirp Sub-Bottom Acoustics to Assess Integrity of Water-Control Structures: Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock, New Orleans

    Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-maintained lock on the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal serves as a critical navigation link between Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Mississippi River to the south. Extensive slumping has been observed on the earthen embankment on each side of the lock, suggesting that internal pathways for water to escape through the lock’s concrete walls or joints are present. Unfortunately, traditional methods often used to identify cracks in the concrete (e.g., sidescan sonar) or water-filled voids under or behind the structure (e.g., ground-penetrating radar) did not identify any structural issues at this site. Prior to dewatering and repair, the USACE New Orleans District requested that the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center conduct a sub-bottom survey at the lock in order to identify water-filled voids and better prepare for potential repairs during dewatering. A unique sled was constructed that allowed a small vessel to tow the sub-bottom profiler at an angle to direct more acoustic energy into the structure. Low frequency, chirp acoustic energy successfully penetrated the concrete walls and identified several water-filled voids on both sides of the lock. A later post-dewatering walk-through indicated that the chirp imaged voids spatially adjacent to cracks, and cracks were not found in any other locations. Additional work is needed to further develop this methodology in other USACE structures.

  • Pittsburgh District clears passage through dam, opens new navigation channel on Monongahela River to industry

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District opened a 100-foot-wide navigation channel for commercial vessels through the center of the dam at Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, Thursday, Sept. 5. The first commercial navigation vessel passed through the channel this morning.