As a member of USI’s engineering
faculty for 30 years, Jack Naghdi has made his mark on the
program in many ways. Recently, his name was applied to the first
Global Positioning System (GPS) control point to be located at USI.
With assistance from USI alumni Scott Buedel ‘95 of Morley
and Associates and Matt Wannemuehler ‘77 of Bernardin
Lochmueller and Associates, the Naghdi GPS control point was
installed next to Reflection Lake and registered with the National
Geodetic Survey (NGS). Both Buedel and Wannemuehler are former
students of Jack Naghdi, assistant professor of engineering.
Dave Ellert, instructor in engineering, said that the GPS
control point allows someone with a GPS instrument to identify his
or her physical location. Latitude, longitude, and elevation are
measured electronically, using satellites orbiting the earth. As
part of the registration with NGS, former USI student Doug Bacon
of Morley and Associates confirmed the USI GPS control point
location within |
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Professor Jack Naghdi,
center, applies his initials to the new GPS control point on campus,
while former USI student Doug Bacon (right) of Morley and Associates
and current surveying students look on. |
a quarter of an inch of an existing
High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) control point located off
Broadway Avenue near campus.
Bacon and Mike Ladnier, also of Morley and Associates,
demonstrated the GPS system to students in Professor Naghdi’s ENGR
222: Route Surveying class this fall. During the demonstration,
Naghdi applied his initials to the GPS control point. “He’s made a
mark in surveying courses for 30 years, and now he’s got a mark on
that monument,” Ellert said.
Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates physically installed the
monument. Morley and Associates worked eight hours over a period of
four days to have the control point put in the national register,
and demonstrated GPS surveying for the class. Both engineering firms
did the work for free.
“This opens the door so that we can do class survey projects with
GPS in the future if we opt to do so,” Ellert said. The GPS control
point will be used for instructional and demonstration purposes, but
also could be utilized for future construction projects such as the
new business building.
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