SEAW October Equilibrium

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October | 2023

October 2023 Equilibrium

State Leadership

President

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Vice President

Heather Kline (SP)

Treasurer

Owen Kohashi (SE)

Secretary

Jessica Jenness (SE)

Past President

Daniel Sumerfield (SE)

Trustees

Owen Kohashi (SE)

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Jessica Jenness (SE)

Daniel Sumerfield (SC)

Matt Leslie (SC)

Jared Plank (SW)

Heather Kline (SP)

Matt Hoit (SP)

October 2023 Issue

SEAW Seattle and Southwest Chapter Joint Event
October Chapter Check-in
Northwest Conference 2023 Summary
SEA Northwest Conference Reflections
Thank you to the NWC Planning Committee
Call for Structural Engineering Mentors!
Upcoming Event - Spaces that Inspire: The Architecture and Engineering of Gathering
SEAW Outreach Supports 2023 iEngineer Camp
Upcoming Event - Pathways to Low Carbon Concrete
SEAW a Valuable Member of PSEC
Soliciting volunteers for SEAW 75th Anniversary Planning Committee
WEC Efforts Stay the Course
Calendar
Membership Postings
Job Opportunities

SEAW Seattle and Southwest Chapter Joint Event

Date: Oct 24, 2023

Location: Simpson Strong Tie, 20210 66th Ave S Bldg 3, Kent, WA 98032

6pm-9pm Hands-On Training in Small Groups (Installing anchors or similar activities)
6pm-7pm Social hour
7pm-8pm Dinner

Door prizes throughout the evening

Price: FREE

The SEAW Seattle and Southwest Chapters are hosting a joint event on October 24^th at the Simpson Strong Tie Warehouse and Training Center in Kent. This event will be a social get-together with hands-on activities and prizes throughout the evening. See additional details below and mark your calendars. We hope to see you there! Register Here

October Chapter Check-In

After every SEAW State Board of Trustees meeting, each SEAW Chapter will share a status report with Equilibrium. Here is what the chapters have been up to for the last few months:

SEATTLE, by President Jessica Jenness:

The Seattle Chapter board held our first board meeting Monday 9/11. Here are a few updates:

Pursuing an idea that has been floating around for a year or two, Vice President Owen Kohashi took the reins and connected with SW chapter to reignite an annual joint meeting with them. We’re looking forward to the upcoming event, hosted by SW this year.
Seattle is continuing to plan a blend of in-person and virtual meetings. We’re researching a couple new venues try. Feel free to reach out to myself or Owen if you have a favorite location (brewery, restaurant, event space) you think could host us.
Each board member is setting goals for the upcoming year. My goal as president is to reestablish some of the organizational information we have lost after several years of management change and covid challenges. This includes creating an annual calendar and revisiting our policies and procedures.
Lastly, Seattle is brainstorming how to increase engagement with members and encourage involvement in committees and liaison roles.

SOUTHWEST, by President Jared Plank:

The Southwest Chapter has a great program in store for the 2023-2024 year. We are planning some fantastic meetings, presentations, and site visits that will all be in-person. We hope our members and guests will make it a priority to attend our events this year and build on the success we had last year. See below for some brief updates on what’s going on with the Southwest Chapter and see you ALL at our next event!!

Next Event: As has been mentioned earlier, our next event is a combined meeting with the Seattle Chapter on October 24th, 6pm-9pm. Come join us for lunch and witness a live test. See your email for updates on this event.
Elections: We held our chapter elections and below are the current board members. Please take a moment to thank and congratulate our board for their willingness to serve. Elections for next year will be held in April. Please let me know if you are interested in serving on the board or helping with activities.

The current Southwest Board is:

President – Jared Plank
Vice President – Evan Olszko
Secretary – Kyle Gysler
Treasurer – Andy Pflueger
Voting Directors – Jacob Baker, Kirk Keppler
Non-Voting Directors – Leah Cate, Blaine Sanchez, Caitlin O’Loughlin

Lastly, mark your calendars for these future events:

Chapter Meeting – Dec 5th
Combined CSI Event – Jan 11th
Chapter Meeting – Feb 21st
Chapter Meeting – April 17th
Combined AIA SWW Event – May/June

We look forward to seeing you all soon! We know you are all busy, but taking some time out for yourself and seeing new and old friends will be worth it!

SPOKANE, by President Heather Kline:

Spokane had a strong start to the SEAW season with our September lunch meeting. We began the meeting with Melissa Verwest from the SEFW recognizing Alan Champagne, one of the 2023 SEAW Scholarship recipients who attended Gonzaga University. It was nice to be able to recognize him on the east side of the state! We continued the meeting with a productive SE/PE License Panel Discussion.

Melissa Verwest of SEFW recognizes Alan Champagne at the Spokane Chapter meeting in September. Photo courtesy Brent Olson.

Northwest Conference 2023 Summary

By Darrell Staaleson

From September 14 to September 15, the Seattle Chapter of SEAW hosted the Northwest Conference. The Conference was opened by Seattle Chapter President, Jessica Jenness with a story about the value of your mental focus, which set a positive tone for a successful and informative two days. YMG President, Anand Mourougassamy organized YMG members to report on each session and on their take-aways. Some YMG members and students received scholarship stipends from SEFW to participate in the Conference, and several reflections are included in this version of Equilibrium.

On Friday Evening, the NWC-23 Steering Committee met for a Schezwan Dinner. We were joined by Daniel Sumerfield and Matt Leslie of the Southwest Chapter to discuss the Conference and to decide whether various dishes were "too hot!" for someone of Nordic ancestry. (There was something called, “Dragon Chili Pepper.”) Now the committee is working on the after-action reporting.

If you missed the conference, all of the stipend recipients plus several YMG and organizing committee members have written short summaries of each of the presentation. We will organize these summaries and post them online for your reference. Look for more information about this Northwest Conference 23 resource tool in next month’s Equilibrium.

Congratulations to the ten individuals who received scholarship stipends and were able to attend the SEA Northwest Conference, representing each SEAW chapter, University of Washington, and Seattle University. Photos courtesy Chun Lau.

SEA Northwest Conference Reflections

Compiled by Angela Gottula Twining

The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington was pleased to provide stipends for 10 individuals to attend the SEA Northwest Conference – two YMG from Seattle, one YMG each from Spokane, Southwest, and South Central, and five Seattle-area university students. We asked them to share their experiences from the Northwest Conference and here are some things they shared:

Hai Lin, P.E., S.E., PCS Structural Solutions (Southwest Chapter YMG)

The technical content of all the presentation was inspiring and educational. Over lunch, I had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with Reid Zimmerman, P.E., S.E. from KPFF Portland, who presented Seismic Isolation of the Terminal Core Roof at Portland International Airport. He considers the TCORE project a “once-in-a-career” opportunity, even for himself. Notably, most of the buildings and structures are conventional, and not many engineers, especially young engineers, have the opportunity to design using state-of-the-art structural technology like seismic isolators, dampers, and controlled rocking systems. By attending conferences like this and participating in seminars/webinars, younger engineers get to network and learn from colleagues, enabling them to think about complicated projects outside of their daily work.

Personally, I always question myself, “How would I approach this design?” and “Are there alternative solutions to this challenge?” By maintaining an active and innovative mindset as an audience, we become more immersed in the presented projects and expand our “ideas bank.” Reid concluded by saying, “Perhaps this will be my final major airport project, but I hope it inspires others.”

Engineering is not just about math, and there are always multiple solutions to any problem. I want to thank SEAW YMG gratefully for affording me the opportunity to learn, grow, and collaborate with fellow engineers who generously share their designs and ideas while remaining open to constructive critique. I feel privileged to be a part of this industry and am committed to actively participating in future endeavors.

Kendall Josephson (South Central YMG)

I was excited about the opportunity to be able to attend a conference again as

opportunities have been sparse in recent years for obvious reasons. I arrived with one of my coworkers Wednesday and had a short opportunity to get to know the area around the hotel. The next day started with a good opportunity to catch up with other engineers that I had met before. We then went right into presentations. Many of the presentations that we heard during the conference were about specific projects around the Northwest. To be honest, while I enjoyed seeing specific projects and hearing about lessons learned, I had expected to hear more presentations that were more technical such as expected code changes or design aids and examples. I suppose maybe design aids wouldn’t be as helpful for more experienced engineers.

The young members group social was a really good opportunity to meet other engineers. The social included food, drinks, and mini golf. Throughout this event, meals, and breaks, it was nice to meet all sorts of engineers with different job experiences.

Many of the vendors at the conference were eager to demonstrate their stuff and offer helpful design guides. It was nice to see some products that immediately looked like they would be helpful. Some of the most exciting things to see were a design guide for roof diaphragms and design manuals for structural steel clamp connections. There were also some types of products I had never encountered such as some specific types of seismic isolation and some wood investigation drills.

Overall, the conference was great. I felt like I was able to learn more about our profession and get a good overall look at how others in our area practice. Thank you for this opportunity.

Nanaissa Maiga, Seattle Chapter YMG

Attending the Structural Engineers Association (SEA) Northwest Conference was not merely a professional endeavor; it was a testament to the capacity of engineers’ problem solving and collaboration.

Yes, I have learned about great resources to design better tubular connections. I saw how far creativity and technical expertise can lead to ambitious concrete shell designs. I even had a deep dive into the fine line between insurance claims and litigation, how applied research has guided the updates for seismic evaluation and retrofit methods, and so much more!

Technical sharing and knowledge aside, it was a great human experience. While some were on a stage enthusiastically walking us though literal and figurative concrete safaris and steel geodesic exoskeletons, others shared a meal with us young members, discussing professional experiences and providing support. I really appreciated the amount of goodwill, passion, and benevolence I saw during those two days. It was a great reminder that beyond my day-to-day and personal enthusiasm for structures there is a community promoting all our individual successes. I am thankful to have been able to witness it first person. I left with a renewed sense of purpose, eager to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of structural engineering.

Lily Swanson (University of Washington)

Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Northwest Conference. This was the first structural engineering conference that I’ve attended, and I had a great experience. I didn’t know what to expect going into the conference, but I did know I was excited to make new connections and learn from all the conference presentations and vendors.

I have been told numerous times that structural engineering is a small world. I grew up on the east side of the Twin Cities in Minnesota and attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering for my undergrad degree. Moving to Seattle from the Midwest to attend the University of Washington, I thought it would be extremely difficult to find familiar faces or connections to where I came from. I was proven wrong the first day at breakfast when I sat down at a table with Jason Zimmerman. Jason and I are from the same town in Minnesota, and I grew up with his daughter on the same dance team. There were other encounters during the rest of the conference that further reinforced the accuracy of the “small world” statement.

I’ve always been interested in structural forensics, so I was intrigued by Richard Green’s presentation on the “Design of Slender Transparent Structures using Glass.” Richard presented on the design of the Space Needle glass and changes to glass materials to prevent dangerous failure modes. Glass, being a very brittle material, had to develop design solutions to mitigate the risk associated with brittle failures. However, creating the solution should not be the end of an engineer’s responsibility. Implementing code changes that are required everywhere for the safety of the people is equally, if not more important than a design solution. If we spend time studying and considering how things fail, we are more equipped to provide the public with a safe engineering solution.

It’s encouraging to know that there is a community within SEAW of kind and intelligent engineers who organize and attend a conference that helps young engineers create connections and learn from others. This is a community that I can see myself staying a part of while I complete my degree and when I start a post-grad job.

Thank You to the NWC Planning Committee

By Jessica Jenness, Seattle Chapter

Lastly, on behalf of the Seattle chapter board, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to the SEA Northwest Conference planning committee. If you couldn’t attend, you missed a great event! This group coordinated two days of quality presentations, organized QR codes for PDH hours, and signed up 36 vendors with booths to share knowledge on the latest technology, tools, and industry resources. They managed a group of volunteers as well as the logistics of the venue. I heard they met every Friday to pull this all together, which is a huge time commitment! As Chun Lau noted at the conference, this group has been working on this for 5 years after the event was postponed multiple years for COVID and change of location too (to Idaho, no back to Seattle).

We are only as good as the sum of our parts, and these folks are an amazing part of SEAW! THANK YOU to:

Chun Lau
Scott Douglas
Michelle Yee
Jessica Lim
Darrell Staaleson
Shalini Prochazka

Call for Structural Engineering Mentors!

By Brad Strandquist

Are you interested in sharing your passion for structural engineering? Do you want to give back to the community? Are you committed to promoting diversity and increasing our workforce pipeline? Join ACE as a mentor today!

With the beginning of a new school year, it’s time for us to ask our amazing structural engineering community to help find mentors for the local ACE Mentor Program. The ACE Mentor Program of Washington is in its 22nd year providing career exploration opportunities to students from Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma.

ACE is hoping to staff a total of 13 teams in the Puget Sound region – seven in Seattle, three in Bellevue, two in Tacoma, and one that is fully virtual. Structural engineers are needed for all areas, but especially for the Bellevue, Tacoma, and virtual programs.

What is ACE? ACE is an after-school extracurricular program that pairs a group of 25 or so students interested in the building industry with a group of 15 or so volunteer mentors who showcase their design professions. Together during the school year, over the course of 15 two-hour meetings (roughly every other week from November until May), the teams respond to a mock RFP and complete a design challenge.

If you hesitate to commit to the full mentor experience, there are also opportunities to make STEM presentations at local high schools and to serve as a Student Advocate committed to shepherding students with diverse backgrounds through the program. We need volunteers for these roles as well!

If you are interested in being a mentor: Please register for ACE as soon as possible, as our mentor teams are being established now. Mentor training and orientation will take place the week of October 16. The application is at https://app.acementor.org/.

If you are interested in being part of a group to make STEM presentations or serving as a diversity Student Advocate: please email the ACE program at SeattleWA@acementor.org.

If you need more information: Contact the ACE mentor recruitment leader, Brad Strandquist at Magnusson Klemencic Associates, at bstrandquist@mka.com.

Lastly: Spread the word! ACE has the most success when champions of the program recruit other mentors from within their firms. If that’s you, please contact ACE and get additional information.

Our team leaders and mentors are the #1 reason for why ACE continues to be such a special program. Thank you for all you do! Let’s have another great year!

In this archive photo, ACE students learn structural engineering principles by testing a spaghetti and marshmallow structure on a shake table simulator. Photo courtesy the ACE Mentor Program.

Upcoming Event - Spaces that Inspire:

The Architecture and Engineering of Gathering

By Angela Gottula Twining

Join the Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington for “Spaces that Inspire: The Architecture and Engineering of Gathering,” the 13th Annual Fall Forum planned for November 16, 2023, at Benaroya Hall! Like in years’ past, this Fall Forum will dive into a unique community subject and will be of interest to industry professionals but also members of the general public.

Details for the event are as follows:

Featured Speakers Mark Reddington, FAIA (LMN Architects), Derek Beaman, P.E., S.E. (Magnusson Klemencic Associates), and Jeff Blosser (Seattle Convention Center)
Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 6 PM 
In-person and livestreamed from Benaroya Hall
Cost: FREE! 
Registration requested through www.sefw.org
Sponsorships available at Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels, plus special opportunities as a Venue, Reception, or Recording sponsor
Individuals invited to become a “Friend of the Foundation” for a $100 donation
Pre-function networking reception from 4:30-5:30 PM for sponsors, "Friends of the Foundation," and special guests
Individuals donating a minimum of $40 may also attend the reception
SEFW is a 501c3 charitable nonprofit
Questions? Email admin@sefw.org

The corporate sponsorship invitations were sent at the end of last month! This is SEFW’s main corporate fundraising event, and every dollar collected goes to support the SEFW mission for the upcoming year.

Also – did you notice our new website? It is live! We know there are bugs that we are still working on, but we love the light, clean design and the responsive graphics. Thank you for your patience as we get up to speed!

SEAW Outreach Supports 2023 iEngineer Camp

By Tiffany La

The SEAW Outreach Committee partnered with several engineers from Degenkolb to support the 2023 iEngineer program with a shake table-based activity at University of Washington Bothell. Organized by iUrbanTeen, this is a 2.5-day engineering camp designed to bridge the gap between historically underrepresented middle school and high school students and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). This dynamic partnership seeks to empower these students by providing exposure to engineering careers and increasing visibility into different fields of engineering.

During the camp, the students stepped into the role of junior engineers and attended engineering workshops at UW Bothell and an engineering tour at the PSE hydroelectric power plant at Snoqualmie Falls, after which they created group presentations to report on their findings.

Mentors Austin Anderson, Ben Terry, and Tiffany La from Degenkolb developed a shake table workshop that provided the students with hands-on experience in earthquake engineering. The students were given a challenge to design and build a structure out of K’nex pieces that not only met certain architectural requirements but could also withstand two shake table tests on the SEAW shake table. The mentors aimed to introduce the students to basic engineering concepts and get them excited for a potential career in the field of structural engineering.

To wrap up the camp, the students and their parents attended a career panel where they got the chance to chat with engineering professionals and learn all about the industry. Austin Anderson shared his experiences with the group and provided guidance on how to prepare for a career in structural engineering.

Special thanks to SEAW Outreach Committee for providing the shake table for the workshop and iUrbanTeen’s Tyler Burt-McLaughlin for organizing the program. Here’s to inspiring the next generation of structural engineers!

Upcoming Event - Pathways to Low Carbon Concrete

SEAW a Valuable Member of PSEC

By Mike Visser, PSEC liaison

SEAW is one of twelve Puget Sound engineering and scientific societies belonging to the Puget Sound Engineering Council (PSEC). PSEC’s primary purpose is to increase public awareness of engineering, science, and technology. PSEC advances its primary purpose through public information, advancing the interests of its member societies, and reflecting technical concerns of the scientific and engineering community.

PSEC is a venue whereby SEAW can present interests that align with those of other engineering societies, and thereby have an amplified voice.

PSEC’s primary events are:

An Inter-society Officer’s Workshop where the leadership of member organizations can meet and discuss best practices.
Engineer’s Fair – the next one being March 16, 2024.
Engineers of the Year Awards Banquet – tentatively May 4, 2024. Solicitations for nominations go out in October and are due on March 1.
Mentor nights at local colleges

As SEAW’s representative to PSEC, I attend their monthly meetings to share the activities of the Seattle Chapter of SEAW, and to keep up on the activities of PSEC’s other member societies.

Children experience stormwater runoff at the ASCE booth at a PSEC engineering fair in 2019; the SEAW booth showcasing seismic design can be seen in the background. Photo courtesy Angela Gottula.

Soliciting volunteers for SEAW 75th Anniversary Planning Committee

By Jessica Jenness, Seattle Chapter

Did you know SEAW has an anniversary coming up in 2025? If you aren’t familiar, the history of SEAW can be found on our website: https://www.seaw.org/history. It will be SEAW’s 75th Anniversary! The SEAW state board is starting to make plans for this milestone celebration, and we’re looking for volunteers to help. If you have interest in joining the committee or help in any way, please send an email to info@seaw.org with the subject line “SEAW 75th Anniversary interest.” Please note any specific interest you may have in helping. Don’t worry, if you don’t know what you want to do, we’ll take any volunteers and make sure you have a place.

WEC Efforts Stay the Course

By Scott Douglas, WEC

The Wind Engineering Committee submits the following report for October:

Update to the 2004 SEAW commentary on wind code provisions (ATC 60) – The NCSEA CAC Wind Engineering Subcommittee continues this update effort. Volunteers are still needed to assist in reviewing the update drafts.
City of Bellevue Kzt Map – Work continues on the Kzt Wind Load Factor map for the City of Bellevue’s consideration. It will replicate the existing City of Seattle Wind Load Factor Map found at Wind Load Factors - SDCI | seattle.gov. If adopted the map will facilitate an alternate conservative method for rapid determination of Kzt factors and shoreline exposure in the City of Bellevue.
Washington/Columbia Special Wind Regions (SWR) Study –The recommendations in White Paper WEC #3-2023 are being submitted for adoption by the Washington State Building Code Council. The recommendations, along with recommendations for the State of Oregon SWRs, will be submitted to the ASCE 7-28 Subcommittee on Wind Loads for balloting.
Participation - All SEAW members, whatever their experience, are encouraged to participate in WEC meetings. Please contact the WEC chair, Scott Douglas sdouglasscott@gmail.com, to join the SEAW WEC and receive additional information and announcements on Committee activities and actions.

Next Meeting – Friday November 17, 2023 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. 

Meeting will be virtual via the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89555348275?pwd=dkFUUUZweW1ML0ZlQjRwTEQ1TzViZz09 \

Passcode: 211702

Calendar

October 24, 6 PM

Combined SEAW Southwest & Seattle meeting (@Simpson Strong Tie)

November 16, 6-7:30 PM

SEFW Fall Forum (@Benaroya Hall, Seattle)

November 17, 12 PM

Wind Engineering Committee (@ Zoom)

Welcome New SEAW Members!

Hrishit Shah

David Evans & Associates

Student - Seattle Chapter

Adelaide Albro

Degenkolb Engineers

SE Member - Seattle Chapter

Dylan Steele

Malsam Tsang Structural Engineering

Associate Member - South Central Chapter

Katrina Springer

Stanford University

Student - Seattle Chapter

Richard Green

Green Facades LLC

PE Member - Seattle Chapter

Employment Opportunities

Are you currently seeking employment as a structural engineer, senior manager, or a senior engineer technician? Check out our job board for current employment opportunities.

Simpson Strong-Tie CSS Field Engineer - Seattle

For over 60 years, Simpson Strong-Tie employees have fostered a collaborative workplace where team members are engaged in creative thinking to make things better and do it right. If career growth is important to you, come join us!

https://strongtie.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Field-Engineer---Composite-Strengthening-Systems--CSS-_R4614

THE JOB:

Partner with external customers and team members to identify opportunities and provide consultation in the areas of design, testing, development, and implementation of Simpson Strong-Tie’s (SST) Composite Strengthening Systems (CSS) products to meet project needs
Identify sales opportunities and work closely with the sales team to support closing of sales opportunities.
Conduct technical presentations for individuals, groups and associations involved in structural repair and rehabilitation.
Be a jobsite presence; attend pre-bid job walks and intermittent site visits to support installer partners
Develop and foster relationships with engineers, contractors and engineering firms

DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

Washington P.E. license required
B.S Civil/Structural Engineering
4 years minimum commercial design experience
1-year sales or design experience with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening systems a plus
Design experience with retrofits, FRP, concrete repair and strengthening desired
Other helpful skills: customer focused attitude, self-motivated, great communication skills, enthusiastic approach and ability to work well with others.

Apply Now!

Applying or Renewing your Membership in SEAW

SEAW is organized into the membership categories and their corresponding dues structures

listed below. Select the membership category that best fits your status.

Your contact information is shared with our foundation, SEFW.

In order to “opt-out” please contact the association office. Click here for our privacy policy.

Join or Renew Today

Please consider making a line-item donation to SEFW as part of your dues renewal. Special designation can be placed on the donation, so it can be applied to scholarships, disaster preparedness or research opportunities. SEFW fulfills its mission with the assistance of donations from individuals and corporations. More information on SEFW and its mission to promote structural engineering can be found at www.sefw.org. Thank you for your support!

Structural Engineers Association of Washington

info@seaw.org | 206.338.7376 | www.seaw.org