Serving the Engineers of Central Iowa for over 100 years
Engineers Club of Des Moines
Serving the Engineers of Central Iowa for over 100 years
Serving the Engineers of Central Iowa for over 100 years
Serving the Engineers of Central Iowa for over 100 years
The Engineers Club of Des Moines (ECDM) is an organization of engineers, technicians, and those interested in acquiring additional knowledge in engineering matters.
The objectives of the Engineers Club of Des Moines are:
The Engineers Club of Des Moines (ECDM) is an organization of engineers, technicians, and those interested in acquiring additional knowledge in engineering matters.
The objectives of the Engineers Club of Des Moines are:
To accomplish these objectives, the Engineers Club of Des Moines holds monthly meetings from September to May. The meetings feature a presentation on a topic of general interest to the engineering profession or a tour of a local plant or facility. A meal is normally provided to allow a time for discussion and the sharing of knowledge.
The Engineers Club of Des Moines was organized on March 8, 1918, and has been in continuous operation since.
Our officers for the 2025 - 2026 Club Year:
(Our Club operates on a Club Year that starts on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. Officers for the next Club Year are elected by a secret ba
Our officers for the 2025 - 2026 Club Year:
(Our Club operates on a Club Year that starts on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. Officers for the next Club Year are elected by a secret ballot of all the members who are present at the May meeting.
We have completed all the meetings for our 2024 - 2025 Club Year. We don't normally meet during June, July, and August. We will kick off our 2025 - 2026 Club Year meetings in September. We are currently developing our meeting schedule for the fall and will list the future meetings here. If you have a comment, please use the DROP US A
We have completed all the meetings for our 2024 - 2025 Club Year. We don't normally meet during June, July, and August. We will kick off our 2025 - 2026 Club Year meetings in September. We are currently developing our meeting schedule for the fall and will list the future meetings here. If you have a comment, please use the DROP US A LINE! button below.
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We kicked off our 2024 - 2025 Club Year schedule with a tour of Wyffels Hybrids Distribution Center just east of Ames on September 12th.
Bill Wyffels Sr. and his wife Alma started a seed business in 1946 with a goal of producing higher-performing seed for their neighbors and friends. The business grew and became very successful with the headquarters now in Genesco, Illinois. Wyffels seed corn is planted on well over a million acres in the Corn Belt. To better serve the western portion of the Corn Belt, Wyffels has built a new Distribution Center near Ames. The Distribution Center was opened in July of 2024.
Our tour leader was Steve Woodall, Iowa Site Manager for Wyffels Hybrids.
A total of 16 members and guests attended the tour.
After the tour we had dinner at the Boulder Tap House in Ames.
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On October 10th we met at 3E in Windsor Heights. Jim Bolstad gave a presentation about his recent experience with having his ankle repaired with a custom-fabricated 3-D printed titanium prosthetic bone scaffold. He had similar prosthetic examples that he passed around to examine.
We had a buffet dinner before the presentation.
A total of 26 members and guests attended the presentation.
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On November 14th we had a tour of the KCCI studios in downtown Des Moines. The station traces its roots back to 1955 when KRNT TV began transmitting. The station’s callsign was changed to KCCI TV in 1974. In 2009 the station transitioned from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. The transmitter is located at Alleman, Iowa.
Our tour leader was Jeff Laird, Director of Engineering for KCCI TV. Mr. Laird gave us a technical tour of the studios, control rooms, and equipment areas. He also shared some insights about what an engineer has to do to keep a studio in operation.
After the tour, we had dinner at Bubba Southern Comforts Restaurant.
Twenty-one members and guests attended the tour.
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We had our traditional Christmas party at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club on December 12th. After the dinner, we were entertained by the Cindy Grill/Dennis Kain duo. They performed Roots/Americana songs along with some special holiday favorites.
Twenty-three members and guests attended the Christmas party.
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On the afternoon of January 16th we toured the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge. Eight members and guests attended. We received a briefing from a docent before viewing the exhibits.
The Museum tells the story of Iowa veterans from the Mexican War of 1846 to the present day. Many artifacts from this period are on display.
After the tour, we had an early dinner at Trostel's Greenbriar Restaurant and Bar.
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We met at 3E in Windsor Heights on February 13th. John and Linda Armstrong gave a presentation about John's recent cardioversion to treat his atrial flutter/fibrillation. Linda is a Registered Nurse and observed the procedure.
The discussion included the mechanical operation of the heart, the electrical signals of the heart, the malfunction of the heart , and the cardioversion procedure.
We had a catered buffet dinner before the presentation. Twenty-nine members and guest attended the meeting.
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At noon on March 13th we met at the Des Moines East Side Public Library for a presentation about the Des Moines Fire Department. Our speakers were Ahman Douglass, Firefighter, and Jeremy Eekhoff, Fire Protection Engineer II.
Their presentation covered many topics including history of the DMFD, how the firefighters have changed, changes made to procedures to protect the long-term health of the firefighters, technical innovations, etc.
We had a light lunch of Subway sandwiches before the presentation. Eighteen members and guests attended the meeting.
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On April 10th Dr. Warme, orthopedic surgeon at McFarland Clinic gave a presentation about orthopedic hip surgery.
There is a trend in orthopedics to do less invasive surgery. The hip joint is very deep with 17 muscles crossing the joint itself. Traditionally hip surgery has been done through an open approach. Over the last 10 to 15 years, arthroscopic techniques have been developed to allow safe and effective hip surgery through portals in a much less invasive manner. This talk introduced us to new techniques in hip arthroscopy and how that plays a role in the delay or prevention of hip replacements in the future.
Thirty-one members and guests attended the meeting.
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On May 8th we had the opportunity to have a backstage tour of the Des Moines Community Playhouse. The Playhouse traces it roots back to 1919 and is among the six oldest continuously-operating community theatres in the United States. Our tour leader was Mr. Nicholas Amundson, Technical Director for Scenography. He discussed the technical aspects of staging a play including the set, lights, sound, etc.
Seventeen members and guests attended the tour.
After the tour, we had dinner at the Star Restaurant.
At the restaurant we elected the officers for Club Year 2025 - 2026 by secret ballot. The following officers were re-elected unanimously:
Engineers Club of Des Moines
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