Challenges = Leadership Opportunities
NCSEA President Emily Guglielmo, S.E., P.E.
I must admit, this is not exactly the NCSEA Presidential address I had envisioned. 
I had imagined a well-prepared Summit speech after a full year of seasoning as Vice President to hone my leadership skills and vision. NCSEA would take advantage of a healthy economy to launch new initiatives in support of our membership. 
Covid-19 has dramatically altered the landscape of the world, and the current recession threatens the structural engineering profession and our SEAs. However, after some reflection and contemplation, I now conclude that I would not exchange my current position with the one I had originally envisioned.
In a 1959 speech, John F. Kennedy famously said: “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: one represents danger and one represents opportunity.” Although it is now widely recognized Kennedy’s was not the correct interpretation of the Chinese characters, his wisdom regarding a crisis presenting the choice to embrace unique opportunities rings true to me.
Several months into our pandemic, I have witnessed many unexpected benefits for the structural engineering profession, NCSEA, SEAs, firms, and practicing engineers. These perks include more rapid problem solving and innovation, new levels of cooperation and collaboration, willingness to consider systemic change, increased levels of resilience, and emergence of unexpected talent.
It is my responsibility, along with the NCSEA Board and Staff, to capture and act upon the opportunities afforded by these unexpected times. I invite you to attend the NCSEA Board Townhall being held tomorrow to hear some of NCSEA’s responses to the current situation, including implementation of NCSEA’s Strategic Plan, details on the inaugural SEA Leadership Retreat, updates on the 2020 Summit, an introduction to the NCSEA Foundation, and programs initiated to help your SEA not just to survive, but to flourish in the current climate.
Over the next 12 months, please reach out to me to share your opinions of NCSEA and suggest opportunities to better support you, your SEA, and the structural engineering profession.
Together, let us take full advantage of the unexpected opportunities that have been presented to us. Let’s collaboratively and boldly try new things; let’s not be fearful of failure; let’s elevate our profession. Thank you for your much appreciated ideas and support.
Wind Design: A Seminar for You by Structural Engineering Experts
The  Structural Engineers Association of California  (SEAOC) and NCSEA teamed up to deliver a web-based Seminar on the newly-published  Wind Design Manual . The Seminar follows the Manual to cover the following topics: enclosure classification, topographic effects, exposure category, gust effect factor, a series of full building examples, and several solar PV problems. Each presentation provides examples of IBC 2018/ASCE 7-16 problems that include a discussion of the provisions in the standard, along with a step-by-step approach to solving the problem.
This seminar is critical to practicing structural engineers, trained designers, building department engineers, plan review agencies, professors and students  as all can learn from these examples of code-compliant designs engineered to achieve good performance under wind loading . 
This bundle includes all 6 recorded webinars in the Wind Design Series and the newly published WInd Design Manual. Learn more now!
Now Accepting Nominations for NCSEA Special Awards
NCSEA's Special Awards are presented each year at the Structural Engineering Summit. These awards are presented to NCSEA members who have provided outstanding service and commitment to the association and to the structural engineering field. Special Awards are granted to worthy recipients in four different categories:
  • The NCSEA Service Award is presented to an individual who has worked for the betterment of NCSEA to a degree that is beyond the norm of volunteerism. It is given to someone who has made a clear contribution to the organization and therefore to the profession. 
  • 2019 Recipient: Ben Nelson, P.E.
  • The Robert Cornforth Award is presented to an individual for exceptional dedication and exemplary service to a Member organization and to the profession. 
  • 2019 Recipient: Thomas A. DiBlasi, P.E., SECB
  • The Susan M. Frey NCSEA Educator Award is presented to an individual who has a genuine interest in, and extraordinary talent for, effective instruction for practicing structural engineers. 
  • 2019 Recipient: Dr. S.K. Ghosh
  • The James Delahay Award is presented at the recommendation of the NCSEA Code Advisory Committee, to recognize outstanding individual contributions towards the development of building codes and standards. 
  • 2019 Recipient: Kelly E. Cobeen, S.E.
Visit www.ncsea.com to learn more about last year's recipients. Click here to submit your nomination.
Participate in the 2020 SE3 Survey
The NCSEA SE3 Committee is currently administering its third nationwide survey of structural engineers across the profession. With over 2,400 respondents by the beginning of May, the most commonly asked questions about the 2020 SE3 Survey include:
  • WHO should take this survey;
  • WHY should I take this survey (again);
  • HOW is it going to benefit the profession?
EVERY structural engineer is invited to participate regardless of race, gender, age or job title. The SE3 mission applies to every structural engineer. Initial survey demographics show that 72% of respondents are male and 25% are female; roughly 79% are white Caucasian, 11% are Asian, and 5.5% are Hispanic; and the average age of a respondent is 39.5 years old with a median age of 36.
As a structural engineer you are part of a larger community and this is an opportunity to have your voice heard. Preliminary results of the survey suggest that respondents believe the top two (2) challenges facing the profession are inadequate compensation relative to similar professions and retention of engineers due to stress and burnout.
By participating in every survey cycle, the SE3 committee can track trends, identify areas that need and/or have shown improvement, and facilitate conversations towards change. The committee retains questions regarding demographics, career satisfaction, compensation, and work-life balance as a baseline to the survey. However, new questions are incorporated based on popular demand and current events.
The success of the SE3 survey relies on participation of ALL structural engineers. Join the conversation; take the 2020 SE3 Survey .
For more information, check out SE3committee.com .
2020 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards
NCSEA's Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards annually highlights some of the best examples of structural engineering ingenuity throughout the world. Projects are judged on innovative design, engineering achievement, and creativity. Multiple winners are presented in eight categories with an outstanding winner chosen from each category.
The awards are presented in the following categories:
  • New Buildings < $30 Million
  • New Buildings $30 Million to $80 Million
  • New Buildings $80 Million to $200 Million
  • New Buildings Over $200 Million
  • New Bridges or Transportation Structures
  • Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures < $20 Million
  • Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures > $20 Million
  • Other Structures

Entries are due on July 14, 2020. Structural engineers and structural engineering firms are encouraged to enter. More information about the awards along with submission instructions can be found here.
Upcoming Webinars
All NCSEA live webinars offer 1.5 hours of continuing education credits. Most NCSEA webinars are Diamond Reviewed and accepted for SE continuing education in all 50 states. To view other upcoming webinars, click here.

May 26, 2020
Kevin Moore, P.E., S.E., SECB

June 18, 2020
Emily Guglielmo, S.E.

June 25, 2020
Terrence Paret, P.E., S.E. & Jeffrey M. Rautenberg, PhD, P.E., S.E.


Recorded Webinars can be purchased here.
Subscribe to education with NCSEA's Live & Recorded Webinar Subscription. Available to NCSEA members only! This exclusive plan includes:
  • At least 30 live webinars per year featuring high-quality speakers.
  • An unlimited number of free CE certificates for each webinar; multiple viewers at the same location can receive credit for every live webinar.
  • Unlimited 24/7/365 access to NCSEA's Recorded Webinar Library
Call for Information
We'd love to hear about your SEA! Have you hosted an event recently that you'd like to share with the rest of the organization? Are you hosting an upcoming event that you would like featured in Structural Connection or NCSEA News? Please   let us know! If you have any news, events, or accomplishments you'd like to share, please reach out to Dana Long at dlong@ncsea.com . Also, remember to add your upcoming events to NCSEA's Calendar. Just visit this link   and fill out the details of your event, it is really that easy!