Professional Engineer specializing in geotechnical / environmental computer-aided data management, analysis and software development.

Education

Certificate in Geographic Information Systems, Penn State University (40 CEU)
M.S., Civil Engineering, Michigan State University (Geotechnical major)
B.S., Civil Engineering, Michigan State University

Registration & Certification

Professional Engineer: Michigan License #6201036924
40-Hour OSHA HAZWOPER Training
Annual 8-Hour Refreshers for 40-Hour Hazardous Training
Microsoft Certified Professional

Summary of Qualifications

Mr. Wells has over 30 years of professional experience in the areas of Civil / Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Geo-Environmental Data Management.  Tom enjoys an unusual computer-oriented Civil Engineering career.

Professional Experience

Consultant serving Harrington Engineering & Construction, Aether DBS, Hard Hat Services, Envirocon, Locus Technologies, and others. 

Mr. Wells is currently the database programmer / designer for a multi-user Aid Application tracking system at a multi-church interdenominational charity; First Step of LaPorte.  The First Step ministry has office space at the LaPorte Salvation Army headquarters where volunteers provide budgeting guidance, referrals and financial assistance to our community's poor.  See the Wells Technical First Step web-page for more details.  (The manual and database application are available for download without registering.)  Mr. Wells is also the web master for First Step of LaPorte and provides IT support as needed.

In 2012, Mr. Wells helped program a medical application for Hospice Ethiopia.  He worked with a medical student, Mr. Geoffry Buckle, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to fulfill the hospice's need for a patient information and appointment tracking database system.  (Mr. Buckle's father and Mr. Wells worked together at Locus Technologies.)

Note: Harrington Engineering & Construction became Hard Hat Services' Chesterton, Indiana office in 2008. In mid-2010  Hard Hat Services also acquired Ely Energy and became Aether DBS. In 2013 the Chesterton office was closed and Hard Hat services plus HE&C reemerged.

Harrington Engineering & Construction, Inc. (HE&C) - Senior Engineering Analyst  (1996 to 2007 & 2013 to Present)

In 2013, Mr. Wells generated all of the figures and supporting tables for an HE&C dredging contractor versus client lawsuit expert witness report.  (Mr, Timothy Harrington, P.E. was hired by a law firm to help defend a client whose initial contractor said that their production issues were caused by unexpected fines behind two small dams.)

Developed a 1-D finite-difference numerical model of large-strain soil/sediment consolidation (settlement) using Fortran90.  Applied the program to multiple projects.  This program has been converted to VB.NET for a friendlier graphical user interface; CS2.NET

Designed and installed a Microsoft Windows based network in a professional small business environment. Supply programming, engineering and support services.  For example, multi-user Timeless Time & Expense software from MAG Softwrx was researched and implemented at HE&C for time and expense tracking. Custom reporting capabilities were implemented using MS Access and VB.NET.

Supplied GPS-based surveying and CAD services on a lead remediation project.  Calculated excavation and stock pile volumes using AutoCAD Land Development Desktop.

One of six founding principals. 

Hard Hat Services / Aether DBS - Senior Engineer  (2007 to Present)

During 2010 - 2012, Mr. Wells was heavily involved in evaluating the stability of coal ash settling ponds at multiple electrical generating stations in the Midwest.  From the available information plus new field investigations, he created both slope stability models and hydrology / hydraulics models, analyzed the results, plus authored the draft reports.  Aether DBS Delivers Results for Alliant Energy & EPA (PDF).

Mr. Wells has also been involved in construction management and QA/QC at two sediment remediation sites: hydraulically dredging the eastern end of the Grand Calumet River in Gary, Indiana at the U.S. Steel Gary Works and remediating the St. Louis River Interlake Duluth Tar (SLRIDT) Superfund site near West Duluth, Minnesota.  Tom was involved in construction management in Duluth during the 2007 and 2008 construction seasons.  During the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons, Tom was in Duluth yet again to install and operate a modified version of the QA/QC system originally developed for Envirocon and the SLRIDT superfund project in 2006 as described below and on its own web page: Underwater Capping.  The marine contractor, Marine Tech of Duluth, has produced a marketing video showing the capping of the CAD (the Contained Aquatic Disposal area formerly known as Slip 6); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiOy72QZKLk

Smaller projects included a landslide investigation on the St. Joseph River in Michigan and a field investigation for a proposed floating dock facility on the Illinois River in Illinois. 

Envirocon, Inc. - Geotechnical Engineer & IT Developer / Consultant  (2006 to Present)

Proposed, developed, installed and operated a "Sub-Aqueous Sand Cap Computerized Surcharge Placement QA/QC System" for the St. Louis River Interlake Duluth Tar Superfund site Sediment Remediation Project.  This environmental construction task placed 58,755 tons of man-made sand under water on 11 acres of tar-contaminated sediments in Stryker Bay, Minnesota.  The sand was pumped 2,600 feet from shore to a placement barge operating in shallow water.  The QA/QC system utilized two wireless links from the QC trailer to the placement barge and to a stationary conveyor belt scale approximately 1,500 feet away.  The sand feed rate was obtained from the conveyor belt scale and used to calculate the target placement velocity for the desired thickness.  This target velocity was then transmitted to a PC on the placement barge.  The two-way wireless link to the the placement barge was also used to track the barge's location in real-time.  Daily sand placement reports based on the captured data were generated during the summer of 2006 showing the coverage area as construction progressed.  Envirocon presented a paper at the World Dredging Congress (WODCON) XVIII Annual Seminar that describes the system.

Supply consulting services as requested; visited the Cannelton Industries Environmental Dredging Project in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan regarding the project's reporting needs.

Locus Technologies - Database Developer / Technical Manager  (August 2003 to Present)

Migrated over one million analytical laboratory results to EIM; Locus Technologies' web based Environmental Data Management system.  Site-specific analytical laboratory results, field measurements and related data have been transferred to EIM from ad hoc spreadsheets and both proprietary and commercial environmental databases.  This geo-environmental data from many sites (per client) are now well integrated and available to authorized personnel via the internet. 

Assist EIM users via direct MS SQL/Server access using multiple tool and ad hoc queries.  Setup new EIM users and new sampling sites.  Help EIM users identify data issues and patch data sets via "back-door" methods using Microsoft SQL/Server Enterprise Manager and Query Analyzer.

EarthSoft - Project Manager/Senior Engineering Analyst  (March 1997 to August 2003)

Software developer specializing in geo-environmental database software using Visual Basic with Microsoft Access and/or SQL/Server or Oracle Database servers.

Programmer/Analyst for ad hoc client requests, including historic data transfers to EQuIS Chemistry, EarthSoft's commercial Environmental Quality Information System.

Product manager for the EQuIS CrossTab Report Writer and the EQuIS DMR products.  DMR is a Discharge Monitoring Report writer and data management system for National Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) reporting to governmental agencies.

Microsoft Windows installation program developer (using Wise Solutions, Inc. tools).

Project Manager representing EarthSoft to clients.

 

Associate Engineer (Chicago, IL 1996 - 1997)

North Carolina Low Level Radioactive Waste Facility feasibility project database administrator using Oracle Workgroup Database Server on a SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.) Indy workstation computer .  (Was commuting to HLA's North Carolina office.)

HLADBMS (Harding Lawson Associates DataBase Management System) developer using MS Access and Visual Basic. HLADBMS is used to manage site characterization data generated by environmental projects.

Database Programmer for ad hoc client and marketing-driven projects.

 

Geotechnical and Environmental Senior Engineer

Ground water modeling, foundation design and proposal writing
Engineering analysis: geotechnical, hydraulic, environmental and structural

Environmental Water & Soil Quality Database Developer / Operator

Created tabular & graphical reports.
Calculated statistical & quality control information for environmental site characterization studies, remediation feasibility studies and long-term monitoring reports.

System design, database programming and programming in 3rd & 4th generation languages.

Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE): contour generation and quantity determinations.

Company-wide engineering & computer consultant to the technical and administrative staffs.

Technical Manager (Pleasanton, CA 1995)

AIM (Analytical Information Management) System developer using MS Visual Basic and Access. AIM was used to manage analytical data generated by environmental projects.  (The predecessor to EarthSoft's EQuIS.)

Novell Netware 4.1 Network Manager - Western region, Engineering Division

Technical Manager/Staff Consultant (Porter, IN 1991 - 1995)

Novell Netware 3.11 Local & Wide Area Network Administrator (1993 - 1995, along with other roles).

Wrote an environmental construction cost estimating system using Excel 4.0 for use by the estimators. The system was used to bid remediation projects costing more than $30 million at times.

Developed a construction equipment cost management system using Paradox 4.

Drafting Supervisor (one of many duties; 1994 - 1995).

Senior Engineering Analyst (Porter, IN 1983 - 1991)

Developed a custom environmental database system using a relational database system (INFO) for a seven PRP (Potentially Responsible Party) superfund site in Mountain View, California with over 500 Monitoring wells.

3Com 3+Share Local Area Network Administrator (one of many duties; 1989 - 1992).

Senior Engineering Analyst (Pittsburgh, PA 1979 - 1983)

Computer department liaison with the technical staff.

Supported project usage of the PRIME® super-minicomputers.

Assisted with ground water modeling projects.

Converted existing programs to PRIME®-compatible code and developed new programs on the PRIME® system for biology and laboratory automation, ground water modeling, and geotechnical engineering using FORTRAN and BASIC.

Systems analyst responsible for the dual super-minicomputer-based system.  Monitored CPU usage and communication expenses with the dual super-minicomputers.

Authored a flood routing program for a probable maximum flood study.

Analyzed pile driving, slope stability, and foundation designs.

Designed foundations, waste embankments, earthen dams, channels, and spillways.

Affiliations

American Society of Civil Engineers / Indiana Section / North Central Branch

Union Mills Conservation Club (Lifetime member serving as webmaster, etc.)