HMMH Announces Promotions
July 1, 2010: Burlington, MA
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH) is pleased to announce the promotions of Robert Mentzer, Jr., Alison Moore, Timothy Johnson, and Robin Gardner.
Mr. Robert Mentzer, Jr. has been promoted to Principal Consultant. Mr. Mentzer has been involved in environmental noise and air quality issues since 1989 and joined HMMH in 1994. Mr. Mentzer has led the preparation of noise contours for over 60 airports, including Part 150 Land Use Compatibility Planning Studies, Part 161 Noise and Access Restriction Studies, and other airport environmental and master plan studies. Mr. Mentzer's promotion to Principal Consultant is an acknowledgement of his16 years of exemplary achievements and committed service to HMMH. Mr. Mentzer is a skilled instructor, a mentor to staff, a capable project manager, and a fine consultant bringing new business to our aviation practice.
Ms. Alison Moore has been promoted to Vice President. Ms. Moore has led HMMH’s Human Resources (HR) Department since 1991, with the title of Human Resources Manager awarded in 1998. She has recently taken over responsibility for HMMH’s Administrative Services activities encompassing IT, Office Services, and HR. Her contributions to HMMH’s management team have shown her ability to think strategically and consider multiple perspectives. She is a natural leader and in her new role, will address the wellbeing of the company as a whole just as she has advocated for our individual employees’ interests as Human Resources Manager.
Mr. Timothy Johnson and Ms. Robin Gardner have been promoted to Senior Consultant.
Mr. Johnson joined HMMH in 2005. He provides acoustical & vibration measurement and analysis support primarily to HMMH’s Rail and Commercial/Industrial Groups. Mr. Johnson is Assistant Project Manager for the California High-Speed Rail project from Fresno to Merced, the Port Columbus International Airport ground noise berm/barrier design study, and the Springfield, Illinois Railroad Consolidation Project. Mr. Johnson was promoted because of his technical expertise and his long-term value to HMMH. He has taken on increased roles in project management and training of junior staff and HMMH is confident that he will be a very successful Senior Consultant.
Ms. Gardner joined HMMH in 2007 after working in the Noise Office at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Building on the expertise gained at Sea-Tac, she focuses on aviation projects including noise and operations monitoring systems (NOMS), sound insulation programs, and noise land reuse programs. She is currently managing the acoustical design and testing tasks for the Quieter Home Program at San Diego International Airport and the land reuse plan for the Maryland Aviation Administration, and is assisting with the management of the Centennial Airport NOMS acquisition and the San Antonio International Airport NOMS acceptance testing. HMMH has recognized Ms. Gardner’s exceptional project management skills and promoted her to Senior Consultant.
Please join us in congratulating these individuals in their accomplishments.
Stephen Barrett Selected to Conduct ACRP Synthesis Project
April 28, 2010: Burlington, MA
Stephen Barrett, Director of Clean Energy at HMMH, has been selected as the Principal Investigator for Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis Project 11-03/Topic S10-06: Developing Energy Technologies and Their Effects on Airports. The ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agencies through funding provided by the National Academy of Sciences.
Mr. Barrett will be compiling existing literature, data, and ongoing research on physical, visual and electromagnetic impacts from energy technologies on airport and aviation safety. The primary focus will be on wind and solar energy generation operations as they relate to airport property and also on power plant locations near airports. In his research, Mr. Barrett will identify and quantify potential hazards, present laws and regulations related to energy siting and recommend mitigation options. The resulting ACRP Synthesis Report will provide a single, definitive guidance for airport operators and regulators that describes the potential conflicts between energy generation and airport operations, and reports the experiences of airports that have directly developed or partnered with developers on energy generation projects.
Over the last 10 years, Mr. Barrett has worked with the public and private sectors to develop renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, tidal, wave, biomass, and geothermal. He is presently supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the preparation of a National Solar Guidance for Airports. He has worked with wind farm developers in assessing the potential impacts on airspace from wind turbine generators. He has also helped airports site and design solar generation projects, most recently at Palm Beach International Airport.
Information on ACRP is located at http://www.trb.org/ACRP/ACRPOverview.aspx
FAA Awards Solar Guidance Document Project to HMMH
March 16, 2010: Burlington, MA
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH) has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop a solar guidance document for airports. The guide will be in the format of a handbook or FAA Advisory Circular and be the central reference for airports interested in exploring the potential benefits and costs of solar energy. The guide will:
- Provide baseline information on solar technology and applications for airports
- Describe FAA requirements and procedures to ensure that a proposed system is safe and poses no risk to pilots, controllers, or airport operations
- Review economic factors and business arrangements that make solar projects cost-effective
- Illustrate the unique opportunities associated with solar generation at airports through case studies of existing installations and reference materials supporting their success, and
- Detail how FAA funding programs can aid project development
In all, the guidance will provide a comprehensive, clear, and readily usable source of information that airport sponsors can apply to their evaluation of solar potential.
“We recognized over a year ago the unique landscape and business conditions for developing solar projects at airports and have begun working with several of our clients in this area,” said Bob Miller, an HMMH founder and Senior Vice President. “We look forward to working with the FAA to assist more airports in capturing this value to enhance energy savings and reduce climate impacts in a manner that is compatible with airport operations.”
The FAA expects to make the Solar Guide available to airports by the end of 2010.
HMMH Authors Two Articles in Current Issue of AirportConsulting Magazine
March 11, 2010: Burlington, MA
Diana Wasiuk, Director of Airport and Airspace Planning, writes about the far-term perspectives of NextGen and what they mean for airports in ACC's spring edition of AirportConsulting Magazine, a quarterly publication. Bob Miller, Senior Vice President, presents a "real airport" case study on the near-term impacts of NextGen in the spring edition.
Mary Ellen Eagan Presented with Gillfillan Award
March 2, 2010: San Diego, CA
In honor of her professional achievements, Mary Ellen Eagan was presented with the Walt Gillfillan Award at the UC Davis Noise and Air Quality Symposium on Monday, March 1, in San Diego California.
The UC Davis website describes this annual honor, established in 2006: “This award is presented at the symposium to an aviation environmental stakeholder for exemplary work addressing the challenges of reducing the environmental impacts of aviation.” She is the fifth recipitient of the award.
Upon receiving the award, Mary Ellen told attendees, "I am truly stunned, and very humbled to receive the award." She later commented, "I owe many thanks to all my mentors at HMMH, who have taught me well these last 25 years. I believe the award reflects well on our corporate commitment to values of: serving clients, being honest, respecting others, building value, using teams, seeking growth and having fun."
Mary Ellen enjoys the technical challenges of science and engineering combined with the public sector challenges of working at airports. Her passion is to advance public understanding of the complex issue of aviation noise and its effects on people.