As engineers, we have a great deal of black and white in our world. We have been trained to define a problem and come up with a solution. Does a structure have the capacity we need, or not? How do the capacities compare to the imposed loads? We use “engineering judgment” grounded in our knowledge and experience to determine whether a structure is safe; but, even with this information, we are using defined skills. It can be difficult to see that there is also a lot of gray area in engineering. …
Are They Really That Bad?
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.
In discussing my profession with a friend recently, I explained how we are bound (and protected) by building codes. I mentioned that it is a bit of a challenge keeping up with code changes, since a new code comes out every three years. …
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.
In my February column, I challenged engineers to think about the culture of structural engineering. The workplace that I described is now one where about half the engineers are women, but the gendered culture of engineering is still not extinct. …
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.
“The civil engineering profession recognizes the reality of limited natural resources, the desire for sustainable practices (including life-cycle analysis and sustainable design techniques), and the need for social equity in the consumption of resources.” …
Real boundary living is a refusal of tokenism and absorption, and therefore it is genuinely dangerous.
—Mary Daly
In my first year of engineering work, my boss asked me to write for the company-wide newsletter, addressing this question: How does a woman succeed in a male-dominated field? My response was immediate: The same way as a man! This fiery piece insisted that one can choose to be affected by external pressures or can overcome them, and that women could certainly excel in the field. …
The entire engineering profession is buzzing about two important changes that are on the horizon. The discussion fuels feelings of excitement and anticipation in some, while in others, it stirs feelings of fear and dread. The topics are structural engineering (SE) licensure and the Bachelor’s+30 (BS+30) initiative. …