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Archive: 2024
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  • November

    Dozens of people stand behind eight formula one race cars with grey concrete in the foreground and blue sky in the background.

    In the fast lane: Partnership helps collegiate motorsport team bring home trophy

    Many kids dream of one day becoming a race car driver. Few will actually achieve it, but for those who have a knack for science and technology, designing a race car might be a more achievable goal – a chance to live life in the fast lane. For students involved in Powercat Motorsports at Kansas State University, this dream is a reality. Powercat Motorsports is the university’s Society of Engineers Formula Race team. Open to any student enrolled at Kansas State University, the team designs and builds a brand-new formula one race car every year. They compete with their car at various events throughout the year, but the biggest competition occurs at Michigan International Speedway.
  • A grey helicopter sits next to red tool storage carts with windows in the background.

    Operation renovation: Chinook hangar undergoes vital modernization efforts

    Originally built in the 1940s as a U.S. Navy Reserve facility, the Aviation Support Facility Olathe located in New Century, Kansas, is currently home to Bravo and Delta Companies, 7/158th General Support Aviation Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve. Supporting U.S. military missions across the nation and around the world, the units provide critical maintenance to a fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters and consist of the pilots and crew members who execute the mission.
  • An aerial view of a lake with grass and trees on the left, water on the right, and blue sky in the background.

    Collaboration and creative thinking lead to $1 million savings on ecosystem restoration project

    The past few years have seen significant increases in the cost of many things like labor, materials and supplies. Construction projects have not been immune to these rising costs. So, when federally funded construction projects can save taxpayer money, it’s worth celebrating. The government is a steward of taxpayer dollars and as such, has the responsibility to spend those dollars in the most cost-effective way. Sometimes this requires thinking outside the box.

  • October

    Fighting the fungus: Protecting ecosystems for endangered species

    It’s the season to be spooky and there are few things spookier than a swarm of bats bursting out of a haunted house for a classic jump scare. Thinking of bats as merely creepy creatures roaming the night makes for good entertainment and spooky Halloween folklore.

  • September

    Construction site in partially filled dam spillway

    After a 2020 inspection, Tuttle Creek Dam dewaters outlet channel to undergo massive repairs that reduces risk of spillway erosion and downstream flooding

    Tucked alongside the native tallgrasses of the Konza Prairie within the undulating Flint Hills of Riley and Pottawattamie counties in northeast Kansas, is the Tuttle Creek Dam and Lake. This engineering marvel of the midwestern United States, is a 7,500-foot-long earth and rockfill dam that chokes off the Big Blue River, creating the second largest reservoir in Kansas with a total capacity of over 2.1 million acre-feet of water.
  • A man in a grey shirt walks through waist high grass with blue sky in the background.

    ‘We have the responsibility’: Missouri River fish and wildlife mitigation project a vital undertaking

    After Lewis and Clark ended their journey westward in 1806, an expedition known as the Corps of Discovery, the Missouri River would prove to be a vital link between the east and west. Flowing right through the heartland, the Missouri River is the longest river in the U.S. and is an important economic resource to the region, the nation and the world. Before the Missouri River became the navigation hub it is today, it was an untamed, wild body of water prone to flooding, known for changing paths, with a floodplain as wide as a mile in some places. By the late 19th century, the government realized the value the river could have on westward expansion and began the process of taming the river.
  • Two large rock formations stand with water to the right and grass to the left.

    A trip through geological time: Wilson Lake’s unique topography makes it a must-see destination

    Standing over 20 feet in the air, the red, striped sandstone formations tower over the surrounding landscape, casting long shadows into the water they sit next to. Where can these majestic rock formations be found? It’s not Utah or New Mexico, but Kansas. That’s right – Kansas. Known for its agriculture (cows outnumber people, after all) and its flat prairies, it might be surprising to learn there are areas of the state with large geological formations like those found in Utah, New Mexico and other areas of the American Southwest. Wilson Lake, located in central Kansas, is home to some of the most unique topography in the state.

  • August

    A man in a grey shirt and green pants touches the keypad of an orange machine with greenery in the background.

    Ranger leads the way: Kansas City District park ranger a proponent of cashless fee system

    In the U.S. Army, they say “Rangers lead the way.” In the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it’s often park rangers leading the way at our nation’s lake projects. At Rathbun Lake, located in southern Iowa, one park ranger is leading the way by being a proponent of the cashless fee system at the lake’s campgrounds and boat ramps. Since 2020, Ryan Vogt, natural resource specialist and park ranger at Rathbun Lake, has led the way in the Kansas City District for adopting a cashless fee system at both the lake project’s campgrounds and boat ramps. While many lake projects in the district’s area of responsibility have automated fee machines from which recreators can purchase recreation passes, Rathbun Lake is one of the first to have a cashless reservation system at its over 400 campsites.

  • July

    A digital drawing of a long building with a red roof, a large black parking lot in the front, grass and trees in the background.

    ‘Someplace they can feel at home and happy’: Kansas City District completes design for new Fort Leavenworth child development center

    One of the biggest challenges our nation’s servicemembers and their families face is moving from installation to installation across the country, sometimes across the world, every couple of years. To help reduce the stress and uncertainty that servicemembers and their families can experience during a permanent change of station, the Army uses standard designs when constructing facilities on their installations. This helps to instill a sense of familiarity across installations.
  • A woman in blue jeans and a blue striped shirt holds a camera while smiling in front of a tree with grass in the background.

    Real property, real people: District real property accountability officer on making the most of her job

    April Coleman is no stranger to change. Growing up in a military family, Coleman was accustomed to changing environments. As a former Airman and military spouse, she’s continued to live a life full of change.