PROGRAM ARCHIVES

Have you ever wondered about the realistic probability of long term concrete creep, or what types of aggregates are readily available from locally-sourced suppliers, or where to find guidance for formwork stripping? Compared to other construction materials, concrete analysis, detailing, construction, and performance require a vast array of structural engineering knowledge and construction know-how to create a structure that satisfies code, the construction documents, and the client’s needs.

“Concrete 101” will be addressing a variety of questions submitted by the local SEA-MW membership. Questions will be answered by a panel consisting of individuals representing the design and engineering discipline, concrete mix design and admixture suppliers, and the contracting side of concrete construction. In addition to the submitted questions, there will be limited time at the end of the program for open Q&A, so come prepared with questions.

Our panelists include: Ben Gunden, PE, Bill Lyons, Charles Mitchell (SK&A special inspector), Michael Lenkin (concrete subcontractor)

SEA-MW Young Members Group is hosting a mini-Lightning Lectures Night for all SEA-MW members and guests regardless of their professional experience. Several short presentations with 20 image slides, each shown for 20 seconds. Presenters speak alongside the presentation, with the slides automatically set to change every 20 seconds. It is a fast and engaging presentation style that effectively conveys concise information to the audience.

The presentation can be on anything related to the presenter’s career as a structural engineer. This includes topics covering specific projects, construction, experiences and lessons obtained, or innovation in structural engineering.

The Structural Engineers Association - Metropolitan Washington (SEA-MW) Excellence in Structural Engineering (ESE) Awards Gala is the premier event recognizing outstanding achievements by structural engineering firms based in the Washington DC region. The ESE Awards Gala acknowledges projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation, creativity, and constructibility, as well as individual structural engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. It is attended by many of the nearly 70 member firms, as well as contractors and other related design professionals.

This year's Awards Gala will be SEA-MW's thirteenth annual awards program and will be held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on March 2, 2019.

Cocktail Reception -- 6:30 pm

Awards and Dinner -- 7:30 pm

Post-Awards Reception to follow

Presented by Stephanie Slocum, PE, LEED BD+C, Founder and CEO, Engineers Rising LLC

In early 2018, the NCSEA SE3 Committee administered a nationwide survey of employee engagement and equity in the structural engineering profession. The survey investigated a variety of metrics including career advancement, compensation, and work-life balance, in order to better understand the experiences of practicing structural engineers around the country. This presentation will highlight the work of the Committee, with particular focus on the results of their 2018 survey. Attendees will leave the presentation with an understanding of some of the issues of engagement and equity facing our profession, as well as a set of recommended best practices to help improve both their firms and the profession as a whole.

More information about the NCSEA SE3 Committee can be found at ncsea.com/committees/se3 and information about the SE3 Project can be found at se3project.org

Learning Objectives:

1. An understanding of the issues of engagement and equity facing our industry

2. Statistics on satisfaction, the demographic distribution of leadership positions, and the gender pay gap

3. Data-driven best practices for improving upon both equity and overall staff engagement/retention

For engineers, the construction phase of a project seems to be as much a test of nerves and stamina as an exercise of professional skill and judgment. The delivery of a capital asset from initial planning and design to actual use by the public is a complicated process. Along the way, many mistakes, miscommunications, and missed opportunities can make the project unsuccessful for the client and challenging to public health and safety.

This presentation will impress upon engineers the importance of managing risk early, and clearly, within the contract documents and in the selection of the contractor. Moreover, it will help engineers carry out their contractual and professional duties by navigating important risk management procedures that align with the role and responsibilities of the engineer versus the contractor.

The presentation will be given by Nahom A. Gebre, Esq., P.E., Risk Management Senior Specialist. Nahom Gebre is a risk management attorney with Victor O. Schinnerer & Company. A registered professional engineer, Nahom practiced civil engineering prior to his involvement with risk management issues. His background includes service as in-house counsel and project manager for a large engineering firm. Nahom provides risk management advice to Schinnerer and CNA policyholders.

This seminar covers major federal employment laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act, and others. This seminar will also include review of significant case studies relating to Sexual Harassment Claims, Age Discrimination Claims, Workplace Violence, ADA issues, Retaliation claims, and the EEOC Dispute Resolution Process.

The presentation will be given by Terrence M. McShane, Esq., President and Founder of MCSHANE PC. He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation and professional liability involving construction, employment, insurance, real estate and contract matters. His professional liability practice includes the representation of architects, engineers, surveyors, attorneys, accountants, as well as directors and officers of corporations.

Velocity, Expedition, Attestation – what do all these have in common? …they are part of DC’s new building permitting procedures. Several local structural engineers have questions regarding topics such as DCRA’s new expedited Velocity/Expedition Review Process, Attestation Statement, Structural Certification, Titleblock requirements, and required calculations. SEA-MW has organized a panel of DCRA Permit Officials, Permit Expeditor, and practicing structural engineer who will participate in a forum discussion to answer these questions and lots more. 

• Lynn Underwood - DCRA
• Wayne Ferguson - DCRA
• Kellie Farster, PE, CDT - SK&A Structural Engineers
• Ian Swain – Commun-ET (permit expeditor)

If your goal is to one day become a Principal in your firm, your roles and responsibilities will need to grow and adjust over the course of your structural engineering career. This may entail transitioning from being solely a designer to becoming involved in proposal writing, business and client development, working in a supervisory role, or handling office responsibilities that are non-project related. Tom Bouffard, a Principal at Ehlert Bryan, will join us to present the Path to Principal, a road map to the skills, responsibilities, and other necessary components to progress to a leadership position in the structural engineering industry. 

The 279-meter (915 feet) Torre Koi, centerpiece of the VAO complex in the San Pedro Garza Garcia neighborhood of Monterrey, Mexico is now the tallest building in Mexico. The tower’s architectural design was substantially complete – and 30 percent of the residential units were already sold – when wind-tunnel testing identified excessive lateral displacements and acceleration in the structure at which point the building owner hired Thornton Tomasetti and local partner Stark + Ortiz to solve these problems.

Chris Crilly with Thornton Tomasetti discusses how TT and S+O developed a creative approach to fully address the tall-building structural requirements for large vertical gravity and horizontal forces, serviceability concerns of lateral wind and seismic load deflection, wind-induced horizontal building acceleration, and differential vertical-shortening of columns and walls caused by time-dependent concrete creep and shrinkage. The team embraced innovative approaches to solve difficult problems, employed advanced analytical capabilities and collaborated closely with the architect, owner and contractors to develop successful solutions to the project’s challenges.

As the threat of AI is casting a shadow over traditional advisory professions, it’s more important than ever for engineers and other professionals to be able to clearly articulate and quantify their unique value proposition to their clients, colleagues, employees, supervisors, referral sources and general community to secure a sustainable competitive edge in the marketplace. 

This is often a daunting challenge for professionals, especially among our younger colleagues and Rising Leaders. Wendy Merrill, Chief Rainmaker of StrategyHorse Consulting Group, will engage our group in an interactive workshop/discussion on how to understand, define and communicate the value that each one of us provides both as individual professionals and representatives of our firms.