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SEPAC ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL COCKTAIL PARTY

All SEAOI members and their guests are invited to a reception organized by the Structural Engineers Political Action Committee (SEPAC).  Featured guests Bruce Kaskel (SEAOI), Mike Waldinger (AIA-Illinois) and Dave Kennedy (ACEC) will discuss the latest issues pertinent to our profession.  In addition, Alice Phillips and Loretta Durbin, our lobbyists, will also be present to bring us up to date on what is happening in Springfield. 

A number of issues have arisen in recent years which behoove engineers to remain apprised of current events.  Last year’s passage of the Good Samaritan Act was a very positive step forward, but issues like Qualifications-Based Selection pose potential challenges for design professionals.  Transportation will undoubtedly be a key issue in the upcoming gubernatorial election and it will be essential to understand each candidate’s positions on infrastructure issues.   Attendees will be able to discuss these and other issues with fellow engineers and lobbyists at this unique event.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

This program should be of interest to all members of the construction and building industries, particularly engineers, architects, and contractors.  

ARRANGEMENTS:

The event will be held on Thursday, September 21, 2006 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Yacht Club, and will include complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  Space is limited so please call Donna Childs at 312-649-4600 X200 to make reservations.  This is the first reception of this kind and it is always difficult to estimate attendance.  Prepaid reservations (by September 12) are $40 for SEAOI members and their guests ($50 for non-SEAOI members).  At the door, the cost is $50 per person ($60 for non-members).  Even if you plan to register at the door, please call Donna to let her know you are coming. 

Attendees who are members of AIA and ACEC will receive the SEAOI member rate. 

Columbia Yacht Club is the large ship anchored at the north end of Monroe Harbor just east of Lake Shore Drive at East Randolph Street.  Parking is available across the street, just east of Lake Shore Drive.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• ·         September 14, 2006:  SEAOI Seminar:  “Engineers of Record and Specialty Engineers:  Successful Collaboration”
• ·         October 4, 2006:  SEAOI Workshop:  “Basics of Bridge Design”
• ·         October 10, 2006:  SEAOI Dinner Meeting:  “John Hancock Scaffolding Collapse”
• ·         November 1, 2006:  SEAOI Workshop:  “Seismic Design”
• ·         November 7, 2006:  SEF Lecture: “NSF Tall Buildings Wind Study”    FREE
•         Ref:  http://windycity.ce.nd.edu/
• ·         December 5, 2006:  SEAOI Dinner Meeting: Robert Halvorson “Moscow Tower Project”
•         ref:    http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/060323foster.asp

                                ref:   http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=260559

For SEAOI News, visit the SEAOI website at

 http://www.seaoi.org.

Richard Weingardt to Talk About Great Civil Engineers June 13

Richard C. Weingardt will talk about 32 great American civil engineers, from the 1700s to the present, at the Library of Congress at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 13, in the Mary Pickford Theater on the third floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.
The event, sponsored by the Library’s Science, Technology and Business Division, is free and open to the public.
According to Weingardt, author of “Engineering Legends: Great American Civil Engineers,” civil engineers have had an enormous impact on the progress and development of the United States. While their engineering achievements are regularly recognized, the engineers themselves are rarely discussed.
In his book, published by American Society of Civil Engineers Press, Weingardt explores the personal lives and professional accomplishments of these outstanding engineers. He provides an in-depth look at their backgrounds, their motivations and the obstacles they faced.
# # #
PR 06-120
05/24/06
ISSN 0731-3527

 
The Library of Congress > The Library Today > News Contact Us

Weingardt Column for Structural Engineer - Column No. 06-4 (April 2006)


Looking into the crystal ball
By Richard G. Weingardt, PE
________________________

As we look into the crystal ball, what do we see for our profession? Mostly, it's potentially good things!
Specifically, we see the demand for structural engineering services will dramatically increase in the coming decades for these three reasons: (1) society's increasing dependence on emerging and advancing technologies,  (2) new and sophisticated structural materials and systems, and (3) the world's exploding population. By the end of this century, it's predicted that our population worldwide will reach 10 billion people. In America, our population is expected to double.
This doubling of America's population means we'll need to double the size of our national infrastructure, as well as upgrade and repair our existing public facilities. Accompanying this extensive public sector development will be a massive building effort by the private sector. Large numbers of structural engineers will be needed to build countless projects that will be required if we are to, in essence, double the size of America.
Among the big questions U.S. structural engineers will face going forward will be:
o     How much of this needed structural engineering work for U.S. projects will be done by U.S. engineers - and how much by low-cost, non-U.S. engineers from other parts of the world?
o     On how much of this work will structural engineers be hired by the lowest bid rather than by QBS - Quality Based Selection procedures?
o     How much of this work will be automatically done on computers without need for professional human attendance?
To answer these questions that address the implications of current trends - and play a bigger hand in setting industry direction - more structural engineers will need to hone their leadership potential to the fullest. They'll have to get out of the backrooms, and move up the food chain to where the controlling decisions are made.
In tomorrow's world, effectively addressing and solving industry problems will require that structurals be articulate, big-picture-thinking leaders rather than humble, narrowly focused followers. Otherwise, there's little hope of significantly altering practices that treat structural engineering as a commodity and engineers as technicians. They're practices that put U.S. engineers in a price war with non-Americans for every scrap of work, even in this country. We could see trends that will rob generations of American structural engineers of the opportunity to work as respected, properly reimbursed professionals on projects here in the U.S., let alone overseas.
Bright young Americans see the handwriting on the wall with regard to dropping engineering salaries and opportunities. They often result from abuses in the nation's H-1B visa programs, outsourcing and off-shoring - and from design-build tactics that relegate structurals to subordinate sub-contractor status. As a result, in contrast to countries like China, Russia and India, U.S. students are shying away from choosing engineering as a career. Rather, America is educating more people to be lawyers, stockbrokers and the like - people orientated to dividing up the country's economic pie. But just the opposite is required! We need more engineers, producers and wealth creators in high positions to have a stable economy and maintain a sound infrastructure. We don't need more pie dividers.
To reverse those trends and interest top students in becoming engineers, we need to remember that young men and women today want role models in their chosen field - people they can look up to and connect with. That means practicing engineers should do everything possible - including being public figures - to convince would-be engineers that there are, indeed, heroes in their ranks, that structural engineers are involved in shaping the nation's future, and that structural engineering is relevant to everyday events, the economy and people's living standards.
Because the future holds great potential, engineers need to be extra careful not to be lulled into complacency and inaction in their efforts to improve their profession and control their destiny. Some current trends have too many negatives in them to think that they will go away on their own. Rather, structural engineers must address them head on, which requires becoming more visible and involved in society than ever before.
Even though tomorrow's engineers will be potentially in much demand, because they're so infrequently mentioned in the mainstream media or favorably featured in the movies or on TV, it's difficult for the average person to relate to them. Many people don't really know what engineers actually do. The general perception is that engineers make things run but they don't run things.
These views will never change if engineers remain invisible and silent about them and other issues affecting their profession.  What would make a difference? Having increasing numbers of structural engineers be visible publicly, boldly insisting that their profession gets full credit for its valuable part in building America's infrastructure. Ultimately, top engineers need to create a national dialogue on how best to deal with current trends. With strong voices and the public's attention, they'll be able to resolve the three “big questions” the crystal ball sees ahead.