Registration Open for Structures 2012 Congress
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SEI has created a new line of branded apparel featuring the SEI Logo. Show your pride at being a SEI member by wearing a SEI polo shirt or cap. Follow this link to view complete information about sizes available and ordering. |
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ASCE 7 - Call for Proposals for the 2016 Edition
The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of ASCE is currently accepting proposals to modify the 2010 edition of ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures Standards Committee to prepare the 2016 revision cycle of the standard.
Interested parties may download the proposal form here. The committee will accept proposal until June 30, 2012.
For additional information please contact Jennifer Goupil, SEI Director, at jgoupil@asce.org.
SEI Endowment Fund
Thank you to those who have given generously to support the SEI Endowment Fund. Their contributions help keep SEI at the forefront of serving structural engineers by providing continuing education, advancement of pre-standards, and outreach to students. We are grateful for their support.
Click here to see a list of recent contributors.
To make an individual, corporate or commemorative gift, visit the SEI Endowment Page.
Call for Participation
Wind Analysis Trial Design Problem
Deadline for submission - March 1, 2012
Submit a Trial Design Solution and be entered in a drawing to win a copy of ASCE/SEI 7-2010 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
Trial Design problems are an investigation into how structural engineers interpret code provisions. The exercise is designed to take about an hour, and all solutions will be anonymous in the publication of results. Your participation will help ensure that ASCE/SEI standards continue to provide information clearly.
Please participate and encourage your colleagues to do so.
Click here for more information and to download the exercise. Submit your solution by March 1, 2012 to: Suzanne Fisher at sfisher@asce.org.
2012 Bridge Calendar Now Available
The stunning images of the Bridges 2012 calendar showcase a diverse collection of bridges from the United States and around the world. Perfect for clients, colleagues, friends, as well as everyone on your holiday gift list, the Bridges 2012 calendar is ideal for corporate gift giving.
Take advantage of the additional 10% discount on orders for 50 or more.
Imprinted calendars are also available! Contact Chi Wang at cwang@asce.org to place your order.
Orthotropic Bridge Conference Proceedings Now Available
Recognizing this is a specialized area of bridge engineering, the Sacramento Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) sponsored the Orthotropic Bridge conferences so all engineers around the world can share their ideas, insights and projects.
In 2004, the first Orthotropic Bridge Conference was held in Sacramento. It was a pioneering effort by California bridge engineers passionate about the application and future development of Orthotropic configuration for bridges. They recognized the value of offering other professionals in their field the opportunity to join and share their knowledge and experience. That first conference attracted representatives from 11 countries and received excellent comments from many who attended.
In 2008, Sacramento Section of ASCE along with the approval of the US Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) conducted the 2nd International Orthotropic Bridge Conference. There had been many advances in research and many projects had been built in the intervening four years and it was a very informative and enriching conference.
Proceedings from both the 2004 and 2008 International Orthotropic Bridge Conferences are now available. Download the order form and get your copy today!
SEI Local Activities
You are invited to join the events and activities of your local SEI Chapter or Structural Technical Group. Local groups offer a variety of opportunities for professional development, student and community outreach, mentoring, scholarships, networking, technical tours, etc. To connect with your local SEI Chapter or STG, visit the SEI Local Activities Division webpage.
The SEI Illinois Chapter recently held a tour of the Wacker Drive construction site to see one of the highest profile projects being conducted in Chicago this construction season. The tour provided insight into the structural challenges of reconstructing Wacker Drive through the heart of the City. Visit the ASCE YouTube site to view a special video of the tour.
The SEI Pittsburgh Chapter recently hosted an event in conjunction with Steel Day and conducted a Structural Scavenger Hunt in October. Click here for more information on future SEI Pittsburgh Chapter activities. Plans are in the works for providing members the opportunity to get involved with outreach programs in addition to attaining PDH’s in any one of the dinner presentations planned for the 2011/2012 year.
ASCE Team Investigates Tsunami Damage in Japan
The first of as many as seven ASCE reconnaissance teams to investigate the damage caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami arrived in Japan on April 15. Led by structural engineer Gary Chock, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE, president of the Honolulu-based practice Martin & Chock, the first team is documenting the performance of buildings and other structures not addressed by other teams. The team is concentrating on Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, with a focus on how what they learn can be incorporated into the tsunami structural design provisions under development for the next revision of the ASCE 7 standard, Minimum Design Standards for Buildings and Other Structures.
Visit the ASCE Website to read Gary Chock's Blog.
New Zealand: SEI Team of Five Engineers Explores Earthquake Damage
Six weeks after the tragic, devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand on Feb. 22, an ASCE-sanctioned Structural Engineering Institute team of five arrived in the city to investigate the massive destruction to the city's critical infrastructure. Since its departure from San Francisco on Monday, April 4, team leader Robert Pekelnicky, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, M.ASCE, has provided a daily first-person journal, detailing their findings in Christchurch. Pekelnicky, a member of the ASCE/SEI Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings Standards Committee, is a structural engineer who is an associate principal at Degenkolb in San Francisco. See what he's seen, as Pekelnicky illustrates his experiences with many photographs.
Joplin Missouri: ASCE/SEI Team Examines Damage
The most powerful tornado ever recorded in the United States tore through Joplin, Mo., on May 22, causing at least 130 fatalities and the destruction of about 8,000 structures along the vast tornado path. David O. Prevatt, Ph.D, P.E., M.ASCE, of the University of Florida’s Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering, along with graduate student David Roueche, led a team of researchers from University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), Iowa State University, Oregon State University and South Dakota State University, as well as representatives from Simpson Strong-Tie, the Applied Technology Council and local practicing engineers. Read their blog describing their survey of the damage caused to residential buildings, critical facilities such as hospitals, and schools from the tornado. Their objective is to relate the damage to estimates of wind speed (where possible) and wind pressure. The team also recorded construction methods observed, and the building codes in force at the time of construction.
New Zealand: First-hand accounts from SEI Members
SEI member and ASCE Distinguished Member, David T. Biggs, P.E., S.E., Dist.M.ASCE, HTMS, was in Christchurch, coincidentally delivering a seminar lecture on structural engineering and seismic forensics when the earthquake struck. In an exclusive to ASCE, Biggs provides a diary detailing his experiences as the quake struck, and how he joined fellow engineers in applying his expertise to assessing the safety of buildings in Christchurch. Read David's blog.
Also in Christchurch at the time of the earthquake was Structural Engineering Institute president Roberto T. Leon, P.E., Ph.D. The professor of structural engineering, engineering mechanics and materials at Georgia Institute of Technology was a week into the start of a teaching fellowship at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Read Leon's report to ASCE about his experience of what it was like during and after the quake, on and around campus. Read Roberto's report.
2011 Structures Congress Summary
The recently completed 2011 Structures Congress was a great success. Held at the magnificent Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 14-16, 2011, SEI members and others enjoyed three days of sessions, networking opportunities, and special events. Visit here for the full summary.
To visit the 2011 Structures Congress website click here.
Follow ASCE and SEI on Social Media
Did you know that ASCE has been growing their social media presence over the past year? ASCE distributes information via four popular platforms; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Facebook enables ASCE to connect and engage with both current and prospective members around the world, through daily posts concerning current events relative to the profession, upcoming event information, photos, video, and questions posted to the wall.
Twitter allows ASCE to connect and engage members, other professional organizations, and stakeholders through “tweets,” very brief messages posted frequently. These tweets include links to articles that are relevant to the profession, special offers, and upcoming/current events. Twitter also allows ASCE to answer questions in real time.
LinkedIn as a forum for professionals, where personal profiles have a structure and content similar to resumes. In addition to the main ASCE group, there are five sub-groups covering many of the Institutes: Water Resources, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, and Construction Management. As LinkedIn is more professionally focused than Facebook or Twitter, group members from around the world discuss concerns facing the profession as well as exchange career advice and job opportunities.
For ASCE, the creation of its own YouTube channel allows the Society to share videos from a variety of exciting events that ASCE hosts and is involved in, with both current and prospective members.
Click on the links below to access the ASCE social media sites.
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ASCE 7-10 Now Available
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures provides requirements for general structural design and includes means for determining dead, live, soil, flood, wind, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, and earthquake loads, as well as their combinations, which are suitable for inclusion in building codes and other documents. This Standard, a revision of ASCE/SEI 7-05, offers a complete update and reorganization of the wind load provisions, expanding them from one chapter into six. The Standard contains new ultimate event wind maps with corresponding reductions in load factors, so that the loads are not affected, and updates the seismic loads with new risk-targeted seismic maps. The snow, live, and atmospheric icing provisions are updated as well. In addition, the Standard includes a detailed Commentary with explanatory and supplementary information designed to assist building code committees and regulatory authorities.
Standard ASCE/SEI 7 is an integral part of building codes in the United States. Many of the load provisions are substantially adopted by reference in the International Building Code and the NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code.
Structural engineers, architects, and those engaged in preparing and administering local building codes will find this Standard an essential reference in their practice.
Visit the Publications Website to order.
The Next Generation of Structural Engineers
Structural Engineering Poster for Young Students Available Now
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SEI and the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA) have produced a poster to promote structural engineering as a career among young students. We encourage you to include this exciting poster in your efforts to reach out to students in local schools. This year's "Make Your Mark" poster features the Bird's Nest from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Limited supplies of the poster are available upon request to Suzanne Fisher at sfisher@asce.org. Be sure to include the number of posters you are requesting and where they should be sent. The poster is also available for download.
SEI Kid's Page
SEI has a new webpage just for Kids! We’ve pulled together an assortment of resources about engineering designed especially for the younger crowd. Click here to see the new Structural Engineering Institute's Kid's Page to play free games, enter building contests, find engineering-related TV shows for kids, and explore other engineering sites that cater to young people. Inspire a curious mind today!
ASCE Continuing Education
The ASCE/SEI live P.E. Structural Exam Review Course on the web is designed to prepare candidates for the Structural Exam. The P.E. Structural Exam format is a two-day exam which includes the effect of lateral loads, gravity loads as well as the effects of wind loads and seismic loads for both building and bridge structures. The exam contains depth comprehensive essay-type design questions and multiple choice breadth questions. Please note that the review courses for the Spring 2012 P.E. Exams will begin in mid-February. The registration deadline is Tuesday, February 7, 2012. Learn More on how to register for the series.
Interested in ASCE’s live P.E. Civil Exam Review Course on the web? We offer 12 two-hour modules and four additional ‘depth’ sessions to prepare you for the afternoon depth portion of the P.E. Exam. Learn more on the 12 part-series and the four additional depth sessions.
Learn how your Business or Organization can assist engineers on your staff in preparing for the P.E. Exam. Play video.
What Others are Saying……
“The course definitely helped me. The biggest help was to identify the topics I need to spend more time on and those which I have a great comfort level.”
“Overall, the course helped get me in the ‘studying’ frame of mind again and helped refresh old topics.”
ASCE Structural Seminars Website
Standards
Click on this link to see a list of available SEI Standards and Guides.
Voluntary Contribution
» An Open Letter to the Membership of The Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE
Continuing Education
We are currently soliciting proposals for SEI's new continuing education program and for ASCE's continuing education program. Please visit our dedicated page for more information on each of these calls.
Keep Your Membership Records Up-to-Date
It is the members' responsibility to update their mailing address, phone number and e-mail address to ensure they receive pertinent information related to their membership. Members can verify or change their information by visiting www.asce.org/myprofile or by calling (800) 548-ASCE (2723) or (703) 295-6300.
