Profile

SEI is a vibrant, 20,000 plus community of structural engineers within the American Society of Civil Engineers. SEI started on October 1, 1996 in order to serve the unique needs of the structural engineering community more effectively while also being their voice on broader issues that shape the entire civil engineering community.

Members of SEI can take advantage of discipline-specific products and services while also receiving all of the benefits of ASCE membership.

Because SEI has members who are leaders in both structural engineering practice and academia, SEI provides wonderful networking opportunities while also stimulating coordination and understanding between academia and practicing engineers - driving the practical application of cutting edge research.

SEI advances our members' careers, stimulates technological advancement, and improves professional practice.

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Mission

The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) will advance and serve the structural engineering profession.

Goals

The SEI Board of Governors and three Division Executive Committees have set these 10 goals for the Institute:

• Lead efforts to strengthen public affairs and promote public involvement.
• Improve the educational process for structural engineers.
• Improve the quality of business/professional practices among structural engineers.
• Enhance technology and information transfer.
• Lead efforts to write standards and influence codes.
• Enhance the image of structural engineering and structural engineers.
• Lead efforts to improve communication and cooperation among structural engineering organizations nationally and globally.
• Influence research to improve the technical practice of structural engineering.
• Serve and advance the art and science of structural engineering worldwide.
• Build organizational strength within SEI.

The SEI will also provide a forum for research, education, design, testing, manufacturing, construction and operations in the structural engineering profession.

SEI's Organizational Structure

SEI has four divisions: Business and Professional Activities (BPAD), Codes and Standards (CSAD), Local Activities (LAD), and Technical Activities (TAD). BPAD promotes change in business and professional development issues unique to the structural engineering profession. CSAD, with its 20+ committees, develops and maintains leading design standards that are used worldwide. LAD provides technical and professional services to the local structural technical groups within ASCE's sections and branches. TAD advances the profession with the dedicated work of its 72 technical committees that produce technical papers and publications, organize the annual Structures Congress, and produce the Journal of Structural Engineers, the Journal of Bridge Engineering, and the Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction.

SEI Advances the Profession

Through its four divisions, SEI advances the profession in the following ways:

• Develops standards such as ASCE 7. Currently, SEI is reorganizing and simplifying ASCE 7.
• Encourages discussion about licensure issues through Summits on Separate Structural Licensing
• Enriches local Structural Technical Group programming by working with the local group Chairs
• Leads coordination efforts with other standards organizations to promote uniformity. SEI organized and hosted the inaugural meeting of the Structural Standards Liaison Committee (SSLC), whose goal is to provide coordination among the major structural design standards.
• Conducts the annual SEI Structures Congress and sponsors the World Structures Conference
• Coordinates efforts with other structural engineering organizations such as NCSEA, CASE, ACI, TMS, AISC, IStructE, and IABSE.
• Participates in selected committees of the ISO to ensure that SEI standards are compatible with the ISO standards and that U.S. engineers are on an equal footing technically when proposing work internationally.
• Responds to the community's need for help in crisis. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, SEI was instrumental in organizing and managing the Building Performance Study Teams. SEI also reached out to a broad cross-section of the structural engineering community and organized a coalition of key organizations to support the teams and to provide a mechanism for coordination among the organizations on future activities.

Benefits of SEI Membership

• Discounts on low-cost local continuing education seminars.
• The SEI Update, the new e-newsletter, which includes in-depth technical articles designed to help practicing engineers in their daily work
• Reduced rates on annual Structures Congresses and other co-sponsored conferences with related organizations
• Ten issues of Structure magazine each year, a joint publication of SEI, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), and the Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE). The magazine is now also available on-line for our international members.
• Discounts on technical publications and standards
• Opportunities to serve on a variety of committees, both local and national. A listing of the various committees is on our Web site.
• Twelve issues of Modern Steel Construction, the award winning monthly publication of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
• Networking opportunities with like-minded structural engineers at local, national and international SEI events
• Opportunities to influence public policy in the U.S. Congress and Federal Agencies
• Access to all ASCE benefits including Civil Engineering magazine, insurance for small business owners, and discounts on ASCE publications, seminars, and conferences