Quick Links: NCSEA Homepage · Member Portal · Education Portal · Structure Magazine · Career Center

Call to Action | A Joint Effort from CASE, NCSEA & SEI On Friday, June 12, the NCSEA Board of Directors, in conjunction with CASE and SEI, initiated the following Call to Action.

As leading professional institutions of the structural engineering profession, we unequivocally denounce the senseless death of George Floyd. This and other tragic events of recent weeks have brought forth numerous stories from our members who have suffered discrimination, injustice, or intimidation, or have feared for their safety. We must identify and eradicate behaviors that perpetuate racism and inequality within our profession. We recognize change is everyone’s responsibility and that we will only succeed through sustained, collective action at individual, organizational, company, and societal levels. To this end CASE, NCSEA, and SEI will: work in unity and with our parent, member, and local organizations to engage our collective power to bring about real and lasting change; collaborate with other organizations outside our profession who are committed to ending racism and to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion; urge, support, and empower our members to speak out and act with conviction and courage; and ensure that we have open communication channels that allow all members of our structural engineering community to be informed and to be heard. Over the coming weeks and months, we will strengthen our existing programs for equity, diversity, and inclusion to accelerate progress to a just and safe environment for all members of our profession.

Following the Joint Call to Action, the NCSEA Board of Directors initiated its own action list. The NCSEA Board of Directors is committed to this joint Call to Action. In partnership with the state SEAs, NCSEA will: partner with CASE and SEI to form a joint committee to collaborate and coordinate on actions to improve equity and opportunity in our profession; encourage SEAs to endorse this message and adopt similar plans of action; compile and share resources for our members on the topics of racism, discrimination, and equality specific to the AEC industry, the design professions, and engineering; offer sensitivity and unconscious bias training to NCSEA and SEA membership; host an upcoming session about racism, discrimination, social justice, and structural engineering; examine and strive to increase the diversity of individuals involved in NCSEA and SEA leadership positions and committee activities; work with the NCSEA SE3 committee to report on additional dimensions of diversity in the profession and consider programs to commit to greater engagement and equity accordingly; fund a scholarship program for disadvantaged students; focus the NCSEA Students and Educators Subcommittee on advocacy efforts for disadvantaged individuals in the middle school and high school levels; develop a mentoring program for disadvantaged professionals; work with SEAs to engage with student chapters at the university level to increase the diversity of engagement in programs that lead to careers in structural engineering.

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.

Welded Connections: A Practical Primer for SEs The  Structural Engineers Association of Illinois  (SEAOI) and NCSEA have teamed up to deliver a brand new Web-Based Seminar for you on welding connections. This web-based Welding Seminar will be delivered over four weeks in four 2-hour webinars by one of the industry’s best and brightest minds, Duane Miller, P.E. Welded connections are an essential part of today’s steel structures and yet many Structural Engineers have received little or no training on this important topic. This 4-week seminar will serve as a primer on welded connections, covering topics from the fundamentals to advanced subjects. Topics will include welding processes, applicable codes, basics of welded connections, principles of connection design, special welding applications, problems and fixes, and seismic welding considerations. Learn more now!

Economic Impact of COVID-19 Last week, NCSEA & SEAOI hosted an economic panel focused on the Impact of COVID-19 on Structural Engineers. While the pandemic has changed every segment of our lives, one of the keys as structural engineers is to understand how those changes will affect the economy in which our businesses operate.The panel of experts gazed into their crystal ball and shared what they see for our profession’s future.   View the recording here.

NCSEA Special Awards Nominations Due 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.

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. June 18, 2020 Frequently Misunderstood Seismic Provisions Emily Guglielmo, S.E. June 25, 2020 Seismic Assessment and Intervention for Historic Structures: An Exemplary Case Study Terrence Paret, P.E., S.E. & Jeffrey M. Rautenberg, PhD, P.E., S.E. July 7, 2020 Existing Buildings and the "10% Rule" - Are We in Agreement? Kevin O’Connell 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 Subscribe Now!

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!