Advancing the Practice of Structural Engineering
November 2018
NCSEA President’s Message
I am honored and humbled to serve as your president, especially since I have never held a supervisory position during my 24-year career at Burns & McDonnell. As I emphasized in my remarks at the NCSEA Summit Awards Banquet in Chicago, it just goes to show that any practicing structural engineer can be a leader in our profession; the most important qualification is simply getting involved . As the late Richard Weingardt often wrote and said, "The world is run by those who show up." What opportunities are you seeking and seizing accordingly? Where will you show up to make a difference in our profession and in our world? Whatever role you choose to take, I look forward to working with you over the months ahead. Thank you in advance for what we will accomplish together.
– Jon Schmidt, P.E., SECB, SEAKM

Does your SEA have an upcoming event?
Organizations Collaborate to Create National Database
Last year, NCSEA's Structural Engineering Emergency Response (SEER) Committee and the International Code Council signed an agreement to join forces to improve SEER's 2nd Responder Roster by creating a single database of volunteers between the two organizations.
As of October 2018, the two organizations have joined forces to create the Disaster Response Alliance (DRA) to help communities get up and running as quickly as possible after a major disaster. The DRA maintains a single, national database of skilled volunteers willing to assist with response and recovery activities.  These activities include post-disaster safety assessments, rapid safety assessments, detailed safety assessments, other building damage assessments, inspections and other code-related functions in the aftermath of a disaster.  The DRA’s national database of volunteers is available to local and state jurisdictions as well as federal government agencies for pre- and post-disaster assistance. To add your name to the database, click here.
NCSEA Welcomes New Members!
AFFILIATE:
SUSTAINING:
Seismic Design of Buildings
November 30, 2018
Structural Design Challenges of an Urban Interchange
December 4, 2018
SEAOI SE Exam Refresher Course
November 2018 -
March 21, 2019
2018 Structural Engineering Summit Recap
The 2018 Summit attracted more than 600 attendees from across the country to celebrate the profession in Chicago, IL. The event featured over 45 education sessions for the practicing structural engineer, social and networking events, and a trade show with 68 exhibitors.
NCSEA was assisted by the local member organization, the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI), to host a one-of-a-kind river cruise. The Structural Engineering River Cruise was held on the new Odyssey that hit Chicago’s shore line at the end of September. The glass-enclosed boat allowed views of the skyline and provided a unique venue for SEAOI representatives to present about select structures on the river.
New Update to CASE’s Practice Guidelines for Structural Engineer of Record 
The purpose of this document is to give firms and their employees a guide for establishing Consulting Structural Engineering Services and to provide a basis for dealing with Clients generally and negotiating Contracts in particular. Since the Structural Engineer of Record (SER) is normally a member of a multi-discipline design team, this document describes the relationships that customarily exist between the SER and the other team members, especially the team leader. Further, this Guideline promotes an enhanced Quality of Professional Consulting Structural Engineering Services while also providing a basis for negotiating a fair and reasonable compensation. Additionally, it provides a basis for Clients to better understand and determine the Scope of Services that the Structural Engineer of Record should be retained to provide.  
The committee did an all-inclusive update to this document plus added two new sections on the responsibilities for drawing releases for steel mill orders and for Guaranteed Maximum Price releases. 
Upcoming Webinars
All NCSEA live webinars, listed below, offer 1.5 hours of continuing education credits. Most NCSEA webinars are Diamond Reviewed and accepted for SE continuing education in all 50 states. Please review the webinar description to check the Diamond Review Status. To view other upcoming webinars, click here.

November 29, 2018
Richard Bennett, Ph.D, P.E.

December 6, 2018
Duane K. Miller, Sc.D., P.E.

December 11, 2018
Donald White, Ph.D.

Recorded Webinars can be purchased here.
Subscribe to education with NCSEA's Live & Recorded Webinar Subscription. This recently improved plan includes:

  • 20+ live webinars a year featuring high-quality speakers.
  • Receive an unlimited number of free CE certificates for each webinar; multiple viewers at the same location can receive credit for every live webinar w/ no additional costs.
  • Unlimited 24/7/365 access to NCSEA's Recorded Webinar Library
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  • Purchase history
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