Courtesy Photo | Nate Brock, civil engineer in the Civil Site and Survey Section, and Geotechnics...... read more read more
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 21, 2024) – Nate Brock, civil engineer in the Civil Site and Survey Section, and Geotechnics Branch, recently designed a wastewater lift station for the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project, a task that resulted in recognition as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month for September 2024.
In announcing the employee of the month, Lt. Col. Robert W. Green, Nashville District commander, said the design team assigned the work to Brock, even though he had never designed a lift station.
“He enthusiastically drove forward with the task,” Green said. “He was only given a few design examples, but by talking to experts, perusing through manuals, navigating opinions, and validating proposals, he was able to conquer this challenging design task.”
Brock said the challenge with designing the lift station, which is a pumping station that moves wastewater to a higher elevation, involved figuring out how to keep the existing lift station online while constructing the new one without causing prolonged downtime.
“Being that this is one of the Nashville District’s mega projects, there’s a lot of hands on deck. Coordinating with the right people to ensure the proposed lift station conforms with everything else that is being constructed is key,” Brock said.
His job entails working with federal and local agencies generating general site layout and designs. Projects include streambank protection, utilities layout, drainage, lift station design, and earthwork projects.
“I really enjoy working with local governments, being able to provide solutions to improve the communities’ infrastructure,” Brock said.
He recently supported high-water mark surveys in eastern Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Helene and is credited with putting Nashville District’s Unmanned Aircraft System Program on the map with his knowledge and ability to maneuver drones and educate others about their capabilities.
When he deployed to fly drone missions surveying hurricane damage, he remained committed to the design project even after working 12-hour shifts. He sent lift station drawings to his supervisor for review showing a true sense of awareness, and responsibility, and duty, added the commander.
When there’s a UAS demonstration needed for students studying subjects in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEAM), or for West Point cadets and military commanders, Brock provides reliable support and explains the value of flying drones to conduct surveys.
There is a lot of coordination and preparation that goes into flying a drone for USACE. Pilots develop project mission packets and risk assessments that must be approved by USACE Headquarters prior to a flight.
“Going from not really having a drone program to now performing a few flights a month, having a couple drones in our fleet and being able to collect data to .002 of a foot vertical accuracy – it’s pretty remarkable,” Brock added.
Brandon Whitley, his supervisor and chief of the Civil and Geotechnics Branch, said engineers should be constantly learning and improving, and he thinks Brock took on the wastewater lift station design project with that in mind.
“He spent a lot of time speaking with experts, reviewing examples and guidance, and produced a pretty good product,” Whitley said. “Nate has a great work ethic and is a critical team player in this section. If it wasn’t for him, our UAS capabilities would be severely limited. He is honest and hardworking, which makes him a great addition to our team.”
Whitley is also supportive of his talents piloting drones for the district’s UAS Program. He said he takes on most of the UAS work within the organization and is growing the program every day.
“The last UAS mission he flew was impressively accurate and he is getting more efficient with every flight. Even though he is doing designs and mastering UAS, he still made time to do some land surveying to support the Hurricane Helene response.”
Brock graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and certificate of land surveying. He has his Part 107 and 91 drone licenses from the Federal Aviation Agency.
Prior to joining the Corps of Engineers in 2021, Brock worked at a company in Louisville, Kentucky, designing new subdivisions and commercial design layouts. He also performed ALTA surveys and piloted UAS LiDAR missions.
As for being named employee of the month, Brock said he’s honored and humbled to be nominated by his peers.
“I couldn’t ask for a better group of engineers and surveyors to collaborate with and learn from,” he said. “Achieving this would be impossible without them.”
Brock said he appreciates the support from his section chiefs and mentorship from his coworkers. Most of all, he noted that he is truly blessed and thanks God daily for having support and encouragement from his wife Ashton, son Alton, and extended family.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on X (formerly Twitter) at www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2024 16:38 |
| Story ID: | 485880 |
| Location: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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