Passing of Jon Asselanis

On April 29th, 2021, Jon Asselanis passed away after valiantly battling his second bout of cancer. Jon originally defeated his first round of cancer five years ago before it returned early last year.

Jon began his path to concrete petrography by obtaining his bachelor’s degree in Geology from Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA). While working as a Research Associate for the University of California, Jon obtained a master’s degree in engineering science from the University of California – Berkeley. Shortly after, Jon joined the ranks of consultants beginning with Schwein Christensen Laboratories, then Applied Materials and Engineering, and finally with Atlas Technical Consultants, formerly CEL-Consulting.

Jon leaves behind a legacy of professionalism, technical service, and numerous close relationships within the California market, as well as in the industry as a whole. Jon is survived by his wife (Tula), son (Peter), and his sister (Kara). Services are scheduled at Ascension Cathedral (Oakland, CA) and will be streamed on YouTube. The stream can be found by searching for Jon’s name and the Church’s name.

Atlas/CEL Petrography Job Posting

Atlas/CEL Consulting has a job opening for an experienced Petrographer at our Structural Investigation and Materials Testing Laboratory in Oakland, California. Experience in microscopical characterization of construction materials, interpretation of results, and consulting with clients is essential. Expertise in analyzing concrete, stucco, mortar, aggregates, rip-rap and other constructions materials is required. Candidates would be responsible for proposals and budgeting, as well as preparation and analysis of petrographic thin-sections and lapped (polished) specimens. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to work well with teams are required. Some field work, including coordination of sampling, should also be anticipated.
Responsibilities include:

• Investigation of materials related failures involving various civil engineering construction materials, including cementitious materials, wood, plastics and polymer coatings.
• Preparation of reports and communication with clients, including litigation support

Qualifications:
• Bachelor of Science or higher education in Geology, Materials Science/Engineering, or a related field with coursework in mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry
• A minimum of 5 years of experience working under the direction of a qualification Petrographer
• Substantial experience with traditional petrographic microscopy: thin section analysis; grain mount analysis; stereomicroscopic examination and analysis; point-counting, including air-void parameter analysis; and preparation of thin sections, polished sections, and lapped hand samples
• Essential knowledge of the operation of the polarized-light microscope
• Knowledge and interpretation of X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD)
• Knowledge and interpretation of Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy analysis (SEM/EDS).
• Experience at forensic engineering and investigation related to construction and construction materials
• Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle

If interested, please send resume to Jon Asselanis at: jasselanis@ce-labs.com
(510) 643-1913

Jensen Hughes - Petrographer needed

JENSEN HUGHES has a job opening for an experienced Petrographer in the Building Materials Testing & Research Laboratory located in downtown Chicago, IL. The successful candidate will have experience in the microscopical characterization of construction materials, coordinating testing, interpreting results, consulting with staff scientists and engineers, and interacting with clients. Expertise in analyzing aggregates, concrete, cement, stucco, mortar, brick, terra cotta, and other materials is required. Candidates must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to work well with teams. The successful candidate will provide technical and project management leadership in materials engineering related investigations, projects, and tasks, on both a national and international scale.

Responsibilities:
• Investigate materials related failures that may involve various types of materials
• Prepare technical reports based upon sound investigations and analysis, that effectively communicate the results in an ethical, unbiased fashion
• Effectively communicate investigation and analysis findings to clients and others within boardrooms, during mediations, and trials
• Manage projects according to client-approved scopes of work, and deliver high-quality reports and/or presentations on time and within budget
• Development, mentoring and/or direction of more junior staff on investigation assignments
• Participate with other JENSEN HUGHES staff in business development, as well as the promotion of advancing market growth opportunities
• Ability to build and execute strategic plans to grow market share, with assistance of management, and the technical, BD and marketing staff
• Participation in industry events and seminars, including delivering technical presentations to client and industry events
• Develop an understanding of the core values of the firm and familiarization with the strategic plan, and help drive the business in a positive fashion
• Work independently or as part of a team, collaborating with professionals from JENSEN HUGHES across the globe

Qualifications:
• Masters or Ph.D. in Geology, Materials Science/Engineering, Geological Engineering, or a related field with substantial coursework in mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience (post-degree) working in a consulting engineering laboratory
• Substantial familiarity with traditional petrographic microscopy: thin section analysis; immersion mount analysis; hand sample analysis with a stereomicroscope; point-count and modal analysis; and preparation of thin sections, polished sections, lapped hand samples, etc.
• Knowledge of the operation of the polarized-light microscope is essential.
• Experience in polished and fracture surface analysis with SEM/EDS
• Exposure to engineering in a consulting environment preferred, with forensic investigation experience related to material/metallurgical systems an asset
• Excellent presentation, communication and technical writing skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Flexibility in both assignment and potential travel requirements
• Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle

If interested, please send resume to Michael Hernandez at:
Michael.hernandez@jensenhughes.com
562-399-9487

Apply for this job online

SCP Meeting at ASTM Houston, TX, 9th December 2019

Please join us for the bi-annual meeting of the Society of Concrete Petrographers in Houston, TX occurring in conjunction with the ASTM committee meeting on the Monday December 9th at 6pm immediately after the ASTM C09.65 Task group on C856 meeting. Room location still to be confirmed. Please note the meeting has been arranged for Monday evening rather than our previous more typical Tuesday evening time.

We are planning a short initial meeting to cover some administrative issues after which we can open the meeting up to anyone with recent interesting presentation or findings related to their concrete petrography related investigations. If you already have something you would like to present please let either Ted Sibbick or Daniela Mauro know and we shall do our utmost to timetable you into the evenings events.

Look forward to seeing you there,
Ted Sibbick and Daniela Mauro

SCP Meeting at ASTM Denver,CO, 3rd June 2018

Please join us for the bi-annual meeting of the Society of Concrete Petrographers in Denver occurring in conjunction with the ASTM committee meeting on the Monday June 3rd at 6pm immediately after the ASTM C09.65 Task group on C856 meeting in the Plaza Court 1 room. Please note the meeting has been rearranged for the Monday evening rather than our more typical Tuesday evening time. We are presently planning on a presentation / discussion session from Oscar Antomattei, Bud Werner and, or Jeff Groom all local Colorado-based engineers who will be discussing their personal experiences of positive and problematic areas in undertaking Concrete Petrography investigations. This will be followed by a second presentation by Jamison Langdon titled “ILS 1500: Review of the Current C457 Round Robin Findings”. This would be a quasi-in-depth review of the main findings produced by the round robin study and will include pros and cons of the findings, as well as a quick presentation of the statistics produced. We hope to see you there. Ted Sibbick and Daniela Mauro