Category: Industry News

Retired Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, former Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is the recipient of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) 2023 Golden Eagle Award for National Security.

SAME presented the prestigious award on May 4 to Semonite, president of Federal Programs at WSP USA, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, during the organization’s annual Joint Engineer Training Conference in San Antonio. The award cites his leadership role in ensuring Americans had reliable access to healthcare facilities during the COVID pandemic in 2020.

In addition, Semonite was announced as one of 26 members newly invested into SAME’s Fellows Academy, which formally acknowledges distinguished individuals for their dedication to SAME and the architecture/engineering/construction profession.

“I am very honored to receive this Golden Eagle award, but it’s not just about me. It’s also about all of the men and women whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my career,” Semonite said. “I was in the Army for 41 years and the mission was always about ‘How are we going to take care of America?’ So, whether you’re building barracks or an airfield, supporting soldiers overseas, or directing emergency response operations following a major disaster mission accomplishment is what we do best. The military ethic enabled us to pull people together to find solutions and get things done.”

As USACE Commanding General, Semonite advised the Secretary of the Army on general, combat and geospatial engineering; construction, real property, public infrastructure; and natural resources science and management. He also oversaw 36,000 civilian employees, 800 military personnel, and managed a $68 billion project portfolio.

Semonite was leading USACE in February 2020 when the U.S. was on the brink of the COVID pandemic. USACE stepped up to build temporary “alternative care” facilities (field hospitals) in locations around the country, where needed.

Working along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the goal was to support local capacity for inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, at a time when many regions were overwhelmed with demand from COVID. After talking with hundreds of governors and mayors, USACE completed 1,100 assessments nationwide and, of those, they designed and built about 70 needed facilities in record time. The first was New York City’s Javits Center. Other converted facilities included sports arenas, hotels, dormitories and vacant hospitals. The result was the creation of over 30,000 additional bed spaces nationwide.

“We, as engineers, filled a void when our nation needed someone to step up,” Semonite said. “While it was never in my mandate, as the head of the USACE, to think about how to solve COVID, there was a problem and somebody had to figure out how to address it. So, we worked together with healthcare professionals, the engineering staff, as well as the industry side, to put these massive facilities together in record time.”

As Chief of Engineers in 2017, Semonite managed USACE’s emergency response operations for three major storms:  Hurricane Harvey in Texas; Hurricane Irma, which struck the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida; and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where he directed rebuilding efforts for three grids, as part of over $1 billion in infrastructure repairs that included installing more than 66,000 power poles. In 2012, as Division Commander of the USACE South Atlantic Division, he coordinated the response to Hurricane Sandy in the Southeast after the devastating storm struck the U.S. East Coast and caused nearly $70 billion in damage.

“I’ve been unbelievably blessed to have a lot of people in my life who have made me successful,” Semonite said. “This is my opportunity to thank the thousands of mentors, peers, soldiers and civilians who have supported me throughout my career and pay that back, by thanking them for that success. I also want to thank my wife Connie, my kids, and my 10 grandchildren for their support.”

A licensed professional engineer in New York, Virginia and Vermont, he has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He also holds a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Vermont, as well as a master’s in military arts from Fort Leavenworth.

His military awards include the three Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Award, five Legion of Merit awards, the Bronze star, the Ranger tab and the Parachutist badge. 

WSP Global announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Lausanne-based BG Bonnard & Gardel, one of Switzerland’s leading engineering consulting firms, following the unanimous approval of BG’s shareholders.

With some 700 professionals based primarily in Switzerland and France, as well as a minor presence in Portugal and Italy, BG offers consulting, engineering, and project management services in the infrastructure, building, water, environment, and energy sectors. In line with WSP’s Global Strategic Action Plan, the acquisition of BG reinforces WSP’s foothold in Europe while increasing its Swiss workforce fourfold to over 600 professionals and almost doubling its staff in France.

“We are thrilled to begin 2023 by welcoming BG’s highly skilled professionals to the WSP family. Together, we have a great opportunity to further strengthen our European business, thanks to our increased presence in Switzerland and France and our enhanced offering to clients in our core markets, as well as in key fast-growing sectors, including Environment, Renewable Energy, and Water,” said Alexandre L’Heureux, WSP’s President and CEO. “I am also very pleased to welcome Pierre Epars, BG’s current CEO, as WSP’s new CEO for the Western European region.”

“It is an exciting time for BG’s professionals to join WSP’s growing European business,” said Mark Naysmith, WSP’s CEO for the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “Our goal will be to create strong, long-lasting relationships with our clients by providing the best mix of value and services as their number-one choice.”

“We are delighted to officially join WSP and to continue our work as part of a larger organization dedicated to serving people and the environment,” said Pierre Epars, BG’s CEO. “As I take up my new role, I am honored to have this opportunity to help grow WSP’s business in Western Europe. I am convinced we will accomplish great things by joining forces.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is now accepting proposals for funding from its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The SBIR Program awards contracts to small businesses across the country to spur research and commercialization of innovative transportation technologies in select research areas. The current SBIR Solicitation provides funding ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 for ten Phase I research topics.

“Small businesses are essential to our economy, and this program plays an important role in advancing America’s economic competitiveness by supporting domestic small businesses while stimulating technological innovation that can improve our transportation systems and lead to further economic growth,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Dr. Robert C. Hampshire.  

The SBIR program supports investments in transportation that improve the safety, sustainability, and resilience of the Nation’s transportation assets, and provides opportunities for small businesses to explore innovative technologies.

The research topics selected for this year’s SBIR Solicitation address a variety of needs regarding advanced materials and structures; behavioral safety; and the safe transport of materials. Awards will be funded for projects in the following research areas:

Federal Highway Administration

• Addressing Stormwater Runoff with a Self-Contained Portable Treatment System 
• Traffic Monitoring and In Situ Information Processing

Federal Railroad Administration

• Concrete Crosstie Inspection Technology 
• Novel Design for Passenger Railcar Glazing Securement 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

• Child Presence Detection CO2 Release Test Device 
• Immersive Virtual Reality Training on Impaired Driving for Law Enforcement

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

• Bioremediation for Hazardous Material Spills
• Integrated RFID Trackers and Sensors for Hazardous Material Communication in Transportation
• Portable State-of-Charge Sensor for Lithium Batteries
• Wearable PPE-integrated Sensors for First Responders

A full list of past years’ awardees is available here.  A pre-offer webinar for small business concerns (SBCs) interested in applying to the DOT SBIR FY 2023 solicitation will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2023, at 1:00 PM ET. Registration information for the webinar and more program information can be found on the DOT SBIR website.

Dassault Systèmes announced that Renault Group is leveraging the data science capabilities of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to understand the increase of raw material prices and model the most relevant optimization scenarios to reduce the impact on vehicle production costs. 

The deployment of a cost intelligence solution extends Renault Group’s use of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud from design and engineering to the strategic business functions of costing and purchasing, enabling these new users to contribute to the car manufacturer’s technological and digital transformation. Access to data-driven, actionable insights that are projected on the virtual twin of a vehicle offers them innovative ways to balance vehicle design with business.

Competitive automotive manufacturers must balance sustainability with regulatory requirements as well as inflation. Highly volatile raw material prices due to armed conflicts, health crises, climate change, consumer demands and other global factors make it difficult to ensure a return on investment when aligning the price of a vehicle with the cost of its parts.

In this challenging economic context, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides Renault Group with a unique combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, collaborative business processes and an enriched single 3D data model of the vehicle to better manage the business impacts of market volatility. Renault Group can aggregate equipment designs, configurations, historical data and forecasts, and test different design scenarios in a virtual twin to understand, anticipate, quantify and optimize vehicle price and cost, as well as improve equipment purchasing negotiations by sharing these insights with other stakeholders.  

“In a previous announcement, we talked about the virtual twin of the car and the entreprise to support the ‘Renaulution’ plan,” said Laurence Montanari, vice president, Transportation & Mobility Industry, Dassault Systèmes.  “Our cost intelligence solution with NETVIBES artificial intelligence has allowed Renault to connect its data across the entreprise in less than six months. Now, we are extending the virtual twin from the vehicle to the supply chain. During this uncertain time, our solutions have given companies the ability to simulate and anticipate impacts due to supply chain shortages or raw material price increases. This project extends the platform’s usage to new business audiences at Renault Group to tackle the new challenges of our decade such as inflation, volatility and regulatory requirements.”   

Renault Group is using the “Global Modular Architecture” industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which integrates the cost intelligence solution. The cost intelligence solution is also available to companies in other industries that Dassault Systèmes serves.

Evolv Technology recently surveyed security professionals at Evolv’s customers’ organizations on the topic of transparency and sensitive security information and reports that 96% of the two dozen respondents believe that such information should not be made available to the general public.

The need to provide transparency without helping potential attackers is a fundamental paradox of the security industry. While aviation security has clear specifications classified by the Transportation Security Administration in the US and European Civil Aviation Conference in the EU, other venues for which advanced security screening is being used have not yet formalized set standards around transparency.

Evolv is working to set that standard. The company discloses sensitive information only to trusted security partners to prevent the exposure of potential vulnerabilities and compromising customers’ security plans. The Company recently underwent NCS⁴’s operational exercise with its Express® system and earned an overall composite score of 2.84 out of 3 and chose not to make the full report public as part of the Evolv transparency statement. It is a position agreed to by leading security experts as methods of advanced screening continue to be used in more venues around the world.

“The less that is shared with the general public the better chance we all have at someone not finding a weak point in any security posture,” said one of the survey respondents.

“People who say that absolute transparency is best simply don’t understand the security business,” said John Pistole, former administrator of the United States TSA and a former deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “They apparently don’t have an informed perspective or insight into just how determined bad actors are in their efforts to harm individuals, countries, and companies.”

“Security professionals do not want anyone to release information that helps attackers defeat their systems,” said Randy Smith, western region director, Security Detection. “Fans, students, concertgoers, and healthcare workers have a right to their safety. To release sensitive security information is irresponsible and potentially life threatening.”

“Similar to cybersecurity and counterterrorism, protecting the methods and means, and sharing them only with trusted security partners is critical to preventing the exposure of potential vulnerabilities. All systems have weaknesses. In aviation, it’s illegal for the people who know all the details to share them publicly,” said Mike Ellenbogen, cofounder and chief innovation officer at Evolv. “Established security experts understand the basic requirement to keep detailed sensitive information away from anybody who might use the information to exploit or attempt to penetrate a physical security system, and that includes the general public. Those who are saying otherwise truly do not understand the industry and are putting the public at risk. Evolv’s mission is to make everywhere safer. Public disclosure of sensitive security information objectively makes people less safe.”

Evolv is committed to working with customers, partners, and other trusted security professionals to develop best practices on sharing sensitive security information to the general public. Keeping the public safe requires an important balance of sharing sensitive information with trusted security partners while also keeping it out of the hands of adversaries in an ever-changing threat landscape.

Following a pandemic-exacerbated rise in data breaches and ransomware attacks, Genetec is recommending public sector organizations beef up reduce cyber vulnerabilities of physical security systems that are often overlooked.

IP security cameras and other security devices were put in place to protect people, assets, and environments. But the same network connectivity that enables organizations to monitor operations and update software remotely presents a path into the network for cyber criminals. If they are not sufficiently modern or properly shielded, they can pose significant risk to cybersecurity. An attack that originates in a camera or door controller can find its way through the network to block access to critical applications, lock files for ransom, and steal personal data.

Justin Himelberger, Enterprise Systems business development manager for US Federal and DOD at Genetec Inc., said, “Because these systems – video surveillance, access control, alarms, communications, and more – are increasingly connected to networks and IT infrastructure, they can be quite vulnerable. With the number of cyberattacks increasing around the world, it is becoming clear that government organizations must be more stringent than ever about cybersecurity in their own organizations and throughout their supply chains.”

A step organizations can take immediately is making sure each device, as well as the servers used for storing data and hosting monitoring consoles, has the latest version of firmware and software recommended by the manufacturer. Changing default passwords and establishing a process to change them frequently is a critical practice. Improving network design to segment older devices can also help reduce the potential for crossover attack.

Assessing and Preventing Vulnerabilities                                                                                         

To determine the risk of physical security systems, Genetec recommends organizations conduct a posture assessment, creating and maintaining an inventory of all network-connected devices and their connectivity, firmware version and configuration. As part of the assessment, they must identify models and manufacturers of concern, such as those listed by the U.S. Government under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as presenting a high level of cyber risk. They should also document all users with knowledge of security devices and systems.

The review can pinpoint devices and systems that should be replaced. When developing a replacement program, prioritize strategies that support modernization. One effective approach is to unify physical and cybersecurity devices and software on a single, open architecture platform with centralized management tools and views.

Additionally, while physical security and IT have been approached as separate efforts historically, the risk of cyberattacks through physical security technology is driving change. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommends joining IT and physical security into a single team, so they can develop a comprehensive security program based on a common understanding of risk, responsibilities, strategies, and practices. 

In the US, Federal funding may be available to help cover costs associated with replacement programs. The 2021 Investment and Jobs Act includes $1billion earmarked to help state and local governments modernize their cybersecurity. 

The mask mandate for travelers aboard planes, trains and buses in the United States has been extended to May 3, 2022. This is an additional two weeks as the mandate was scheduled to expire on May 3. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) said it was keeping its mask recommendations in place and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it was extending for an additional 15 days.

The joint statement from the CDC and TSA:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Department of Transportation remind the traveling public that at this time if you travel, you are still required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 

 CDC guidance is clear that fully vaccinated people are safe to travel and can resume travel.”