As the SEI Futures Fund starts its fourth year, we are very excited about our progress to realize the Vision for the Future of Structural Engineering initiatives. Through leadership and innovation, the Futures Fund can revolutionize the future of structural engineering. It has been instrumental in helping start many of these initiatives, efforts that are possible only through your generous gifts of support. …
The pursuit of structural licensure in every jurisdiction is a challenge. It means getting all the stakeholders behind it, convincing the licensing board that it is in the best interest of the public, understanding the legislative process, gaining support from legislators to get the bill sponsored and passed, and making sure that the state governor will sign it. In addition to these daunting tasks, there are always those who do not see the benefits of structural licensure and some can be vocal about their opinion. …
In early August of this year, hot on the heels of both major political parties’ national conventions, a meeting took place in a secluded hotel conference room in downtown Chicago that, despite including many high-ranking officials from national organizations, has received distressingly little coverage in the mass media. I’m referring of course to the summer meeting of the leaders of CASE (Council of American Structural Engineers), NCSEA (National Council of Structural Engineers Associations) and SEI (Structural Engineering Institute). …
Please assist us in supporting the I-Code adoption of ASCE 7-16 and opposing the attempt to block the update to the 2016 edition of ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads & Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures for the International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), and International Existing Building Code (IEBC). …
I hope you are planning to attend the 2016 NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit. I think it is going to be great this year, and I know it will be our highest attendance ever! The dates are September 14 thru 17 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. …
Protect your Firm with a Culture of Risk Management
I was recently having lunch with an insurance broker and mentioned that I was involved in CASE. I explained that CASE provides risk management tools and guidelines to help structural engineering firms improve their business practices and reduce their liability exposure. …
While certain jurisdictions of the U.S. have had structural engineering (SE) licensure separate from the more generic professional engineering (PE) licensure for over a century, an industry-wide promotion of SE licensure has gained momentum in the past several years. The authors, as strong proponents of SE licensure, wish to reinforce the critical nature of this movement to our future. …
The Perspective of Young Engineers
The following article is a reflection of Brian Petruzzi’s experience at the 2015 NCSEA Summit, with contributions provided by Jera Schlotthauer.
There has been an ongoing conversation within NCSEA over the last few years on the importance of Young Member Groups. …
Imagine that, one day, you and some of your friends decide to go out and play a game of softball. You don’t have enough players, so you go to the local park and find a friendly group and ask them if they’d like to play. They have never played before, but you assure them it’s a lot of fun. After a cursory explanation, they agree and you take the field to start the game. …
Similar to the industrial revolution of the early 19th century, we are in the midst of an information revolution. But rather than reducing the price and increasing the speed at which a cog can be manufactured, the current information revolution is reducing the price and increasing the speed at which services can be rendered. …