SEAOSD June 2018 Newsletter

President's Report

Thank you all who attended our annual Fellow’s luncheon.  A special thank you to Carl Josephson who was the guest of honor and provided a short talk on what he has gotten out of being a part of our organization. Jesse Dillon visited from Sacramento to provide a great presentation on “Oroville Dam Spillways: Incident and Recovery Project 2017”.

Our next member meeting is approaching and will be held on June 19th at Stone Brewery Liberty Station, it is our annual Award’s dinner. This is a special night where the best of the best engineering projects are honored and moved on to the State level to compete for against our fellow Member Organizations for Engineering Excellence.  At Awards Night, we will be asking for feedback on next year’s presentations, a ballot will be available to gauge membership interest. I invite all SEAOSD Past-Presidents to attend and be recognized for their service to the organization. When you register, there will be an option for your attendance to be free.  This is a small token of gratitude for how impactful you have been to our organization.

It is hard to believe that SEAOSD’s year is coming to an end.  It has been a true pleasure serving as your President.  Serving in this capacity has been more rewarding than anticipated; I attribute this to serving with a great group on the Board of Directors and collaborating with our active membership on how to provide value to our members. With the fiscal year ending in July, we will have a Board turnover and membership renewals will be due.  If you haven’t already, please make sure and VOTE for your next Board.  Our membership grew by close to 9% this year and hope for continued growth next year.  Please visit: http://seaosd.org/Membership_Benefits for some of the benefits that our organization strives to provide.

If you have any feedback or want to get involved more next year please do not hesitate to reach out to me at curtis@pattersoneng.com . I look forward to representing you on the SEAOSD Board as Past-President and SEAOC’s Board next year.

Thank You all for making SEAOSD such an inspiring association,

Thank You,

Curtis Patterson, S.E.

SEAOSD President

2017-2018

Back to top

SEAOSD/SEAOC 2018 EXCELLENCE IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AWARDS

SEAOSD Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards

SEAOSD/SEAOC 2018

EXCELLENCE IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AWARDS

The Structural Engineers Association of San Diego (SEAOSD) congratulates and acknowledges four recipients of the 2018 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards. Recognition was given for creativity and innovation in design, efficiency in use of materials and labor, suitability of the design to the performance objectives of the project, and addressing any unusual challenges of the project.

Project submissions were judged by a panel of three structural engineers:
Chris Kamp, SE – Principal at SDSE Structural Engineers,
Bret Hart, SE – Director of Engineering Operations at SidePlate Systems
Andy Bersofsky, SE - Project Manager at Patterson Engineering

Congratulations to our Winners!

Award of Excellence in Special-Use Structures

San Diego Zoo-Mesa Bridge

Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers

Owner/Client: The Zoological Society of San Diego

Architect: Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells

Contractor: Rudolph and Sletten

Functional, artful, and inventive solution to multiple structural challenges. Two thumbs up.

                                                                            -Judges 

Award of Excellence in New Construction

Mr. Robinson

Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers

Owner/Client: JMAN at Mr. Rob LP

Architect: Jonathan Segal FAIA

Contractor: Jonathan Segal FAIA

Absolutely stunning.  Brings to mind the question “How did they do that”?

                                                                              - Judges    

Certificate of Merit in Special-Use Structure & People’s Choice Award

San Diego Zoo – Africa Rocks

Structural Engineer: Coffman Engineers

Owner/Client: San Diego Zoo Global

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP

Contractor: Rudolph & Sletten

The art in the project is that the structure is hidden.   

                                                                       -Judges

Certificate of Merit in Retrofit / Alterations

Naval Medical Center San Diego Seismic Program/Retrofit

Structural Engineer: Reid Middleton

Owner/Client: U.S. Navy Facilities Management

Architect: Vasquez Marshal Architects

Contractor: RQ Construction & Taylor Devices

Judicious selection of lateral system locations was key to the successful seismic upgrade of an operation Naval hospital.                                     
                                                   - Judges

Click here to see the pdf copy for the 2018 winners

Back to top

Welcome New Members

New Members for June
Jose Ignacio Restrepo ~ Member

Back to top

Calendar of Events

Future Meetings

Back to top

SEAOSD Board of Directors Ballots

Your 2018-2019 Board of Director Ballot has gone out! Be sure to cast your vote by June 15, 2018.

Here are the Candidates.

2018-2019 Past President ~ Curtis Patterson, Patterson Engineering
2018-2019 President Elect ~ Steven Crook, LPA
2018-2019 Vice President Elect ~ Casey Whitsett, Coffman Engineers
2018-2019 Treasurer Elect ~ Chad Closs, Degenkolb

2018 Board of Directors Candidates
Aaron Taylor ~ Coffman Engineers
Aaron Pebley ~ KPFF
Harshda Prasad ~ HTK
Jose Restrepo ~ UCSD

Back to top

The Public Perception of the Engineer

The Public Perception of the Engineer

June, 2018 By Lenard Tran & Adeleine Tran

Every time a skyscraper withstands wind turbulence, a bridge upholds heavy traffic, a stadium endures the vibration of 60,000 sport fans, and every time a city survives the tremors of an earthquake shaking - we save lives.  Structural engineering is an integrated part of everyday lives, and yet the public still does not know who we are or what we do.  For years, we have stayed behind the scene and allowed the architects to be the face of our projects, with little recognition of the technical skills needed to bring those projects to reality.

Last year, I attended a Woodworks Wood Solution Fair in Pasadena, California that showcased the latest innovative, sustainable designs that are incorporated wood materials into buildings.  Architectural accomplishments were applauded, but not a single mention to the structural modeling, seismic analysis, or innovative member framing, and connections that translated the architects’ visions into working designs.  That was my first personal experience witnessing our profession not being recognized equitably.  As I pay closer attention, this is a prevailing problem - the public is not aware of the contributions that we make to the society.  After a natural disaster, where was the recognition for the engineering design teams whom pioneered the systems that allowed hospitals, fire stations, police departments to remain operational?

After recognizing the problem, I have been actively finding solutions to help bring our profession to the public’s awareness.  As a Student Liaison for the Structural Engineers Association of San Diego (SEAOSD), I have been introducing young students to the field of civil engineer and inspiring them to develop an interest in our unique profession.  I want to be the bridge that connects students and professional engineers and allows the future engineers to see the vital role we play in contributing to our community’s safety and quality of life.  Recently I was appointed as Chair of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Communications Committee with the mission to create a positive image for structural engineers in the minds of the public and communities in California.  Through our committee’s efforts, I hope to gain a louder voice to advocate and promote for our profession to a statewide audience.

Recognition and awareness require active participation in the public affairs and a vehicle to deliver our message is by using the voice of influential lawmakers.  Through the Government Relations Committee within the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), I was able to meet face to face with my district’s Assembly Members and State Senators and discuss about the importance of investing in the future of our infrastructures.  Since the 1950’s, California has stopped investing in our major infrastructures despite the growing population, and who would better advocate for them than us - the engineers who design and implement them.   Infrastructure is not a particularly exciting topic to talk about, but it is crucial one. A serious conversation with our lawmakers at the state and national levels will let them know that our crumpling roadways and facilities are just as essential as other social problems such as homelessness or healthcare.  With the supports from our legislatures, our message can be transmitted to a wider target to increase the public’s awareness of the role our industry contributes to safety, soundness, and security of structures and infrastructures in their communities.

                We are a humble profession, but we need to seek recognition for our technical accomplishments and demand credit where it is due.  Exposure and image are key factors to public recognition, we need to collectively increase our presence in the public eyes and put our logos on the banner at every construction site, our names on the plaque in front of every building, and our mentioning in every press release.  We are living in the technology age and we need to tap into the potential to increase our exposure across the globe.  With a heavier presence on social media, we can celebrate our engineering marvels and allow our industry to be recognized globally.  We have stayed behind the scene for so long, it is time to stand in front of the camera to let the public know who we are and the importance of our profession.

It takes an engineer to build an empire.  A city cannot function without clean water system built by civil engineers, a building cannot stand tall without a strong foundation constructed by geotechnical engineers, the economy cannot run without roadways designed by transportation engineers, and a structure cannot be realized without the technical innovations pioneered by structural engineers.  We are the backbone of our society and we need to communicate our contributions to our quality of life.  It is time to proudly say: I am a structural engineer and this is my design.

Back to top

Job Forum

Classified Job Listing

• SEA News charges $100 ($150 for non-members) for “Job Posting” ads for 2 months in SEAOSD Newsletter.

• In addition, the advertisement will be posted at www.seaosd.org under “Job Forum” for 2 months.

• Please limit ads to 100 words and one graphic that may include company logo (4” x 2”).

• Advertisements may be renewed or extended for $50 ($75 for non-members) per each additional month.

SUBMIT AN AD - Member

SUBMIT AN AD - NON MEMBER