Andrea Shear, PE, Murray Engineering

Matthew Fadden, PhD, PE, WJE

In October 2024, SEU welcomed Matthew Fadden, PhD, PE, from WJE, and Andrea Shear, PE, from Murray Engineering, to present Identifying, Evaluating, and Correcting Punching Shear Deficiencies in Flat Plate Construction.  Matt and Andrea have designated the Dick Woods Student Impact Fund (Dick Woods Student Impact Fund – 338683 – Michigan Giving) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

The Dick Woods Scholarship Fund exists to honor of Professor Woods (1935-2021) and his willingness to help CEE students in need. The fund supports students with a demonstrated financial need.

Thank you, Matt and Andrea, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of the Dick Woods Student Impact Fund at the University of Michigan as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SEU began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SEU to make a donation to help improve our world.

Temporary structures can be an enigma for structural engineers.  ASCE 7 does not directly address temporary structures, so engineers are left to their own judgment to determine the appropriate wind load provisions to use.  

In the March 2025 SEU session, Emily Guglielmo, PE, SE, from Martin/Martin, presented Refining Wind Load Approaches for Non-building Structures.  Emily reviewed the applicability of ASCE 7 wind load provisions for rooftop equipment, screenwalls, PV panels, signs and canopies, and other non-building structures.  She also addressed ways to approach wind loads on structures not explicitly addressed in ASCE 7 such as trellises, tall parapets, and balcony rails.  Emily presented rational analysis strategies to address gaps in code provisions for non-building structures and industry best practices.

Emily noted that, in the past, there was no nationally recognized standard that addresses wind load provisions for temporary structures.  More recently, a proposal was initiated through IBC to use ASCE 37 Design Loads on Structures during Construction which includes minimum design loads on buildings and other structures during construction.  ASCE 37 does allow for a reduction in wind loads.  However, this was strongly discouraged by SEI within the committee meeting for two reasons.  First, there is an implied risk while on a construction site which does not exist in public venues which are typically housed in temporary structures such as tents with platforms and bleachers.  Second, these temporary structures typically travel and are used countless times over the span of many years.  This extended life of the structure, although only used in short, temporary circumstances, increases the chance of high speed wind loads on the structure.  Thus, SEI put together a group of experts who studied and issued guidelines which are now included in the body of IBC 2024 and will be included in a future Chapter 35 of ASCE 7-28.  Check out these new guidelines in IBC 2024 until they become part of ASCE 7 the next time you have a temporary structure to design.

Engineers may often be confronted with competing duties of confidentiality, especially between clients or other engineering professionals.  How can you establish which confidentiality rules apply and when they take precedence over other ethics rules?  To whom does the engineer owe confidentiality?

In the February 2025 SEU session, Matthew Rechtien, PE, Esq., from Walter P Moore, presented Mum’s the Word: 2025 Engineering Ethics Update: Engineers’ Duty of Confidentiality.  Matt explained the origins of, and policies behind, engineers’ duty of confidentiality.  He described common applicable confidentiality rules and their common features and he demonstrated how to apply such confidentiality rules.

Matt noted that engineers may be subject to multiple jurisdictions in regard to ethics rules, such as state board rules as well as professional member organizations.  These rules may differ, thus, engineers should educate themselves on their individual responsibilities in regard to their duty of confidentiality to their clients and the public.

To hear Matt’s thought process, as he walks through a possible example of an engineer facing a confidentiality quandary, click on the video below:

Matt’s algorithm of questions can be especially useful when faced with competing rules or tension between competing loyalties.  Click on the slide below to print your own copy to use when comparing the various confidentiality rules which may apply to your unique situation or state.  Click on these links to access NSPE’s Code of Ethics, which addresses confidentiality in Section III.4, and Section 4e in ASCE’s Code of Ethics.  State laws will vary on this issue, so engineers should take care to spot potential conflicts to avoid disclosing or unethically using confidential information. 

Engineers are not often exclusively responsible for locating wall openings on their masonry design projects. However, they are responsible for advising the owner on ways to minimize labor and material costs on the job. There are many strategies which can reduce unnecessary costs in masonry construction, but are you aware of a simple change which can result in massive savings on masonry construction projects?

In the September 2024 SEU session, Scott Walkowicz, PE, from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, presented Masonry Design and Detailing: Using Your Owner’s Money Wisely.  Scott discussed the structural performance benefits and building improvements achieved through the use of masonry, as both a structure and an outer envelope.  He identified ways to reduce cost and minimize material waste in masonry design and detailing.  He also examined masonry details to create functional, durable, and constructable masonry assemblies.

A huge cost savings on masonry jobs can be eliminating the need for saw cutting blocks to accommodate off-modular spacing or openings.  Scott mentioned that up to 1-3% of the masonry package can be spent on the labor costs associated with saw cutting blocks.  A best practice to minimize these additional costs is for engineers and architects to specify openings and spacing of openings to align with modular blocks.  As shown in the slide below, a significant number of blocks would require saw cutting when openings are located offset from the modular spacing.  

A better layout is shown below, which locates the opening both horizontally and vertically to avoid off-module saw cuts.  On a standard job site, masonry suppliers include a certain number of half-blocks, which eliminates the need for saw cutting when everything aligns with standard unit sizing.

Engineers can also advocate to architects to consider this issue early in the design process.  Reducing saw cuts on the jobsite will always result in a lower cost for the owner, so consideration should be given to maintaining proper modular spacing for openings.

Scott Walkowicz, PE Walkowicz Consulting Engineers

In September 2024, Scott Walkowicz, PE, from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, presented Masonry Design and Detailing: Using Your Owner’s Money Wisely. Scott nominated the The Masonry Society (TMS) (Clayford T. Grimm, P.E. Student Scholarship – The Masonry Society) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Scott shared, “I chose The Masonry Society (TMS) because of the great work that is done by TMS and its members. I obtained my first degree, a BS in Architecture, and I then wanted to learn how to ‘engineer’ masonry. I attended Clemson University and was able to receive not only a BS in Civil Engineering, but also an MS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis on masonry and interaction with one of TMS’s Honorary Members. The Master’s level coursework and the project that I worked on were extremely valuable to me and my career. I’m very happy to help other engineering students who are seeking Master level degrees and doing research that will benefit both them and the masonry industry.”

Thank you, Scott, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the The Masonry Society (TMS) as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SE University began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

SE Solutions is pleased to announce the recipients of the SE Solutions + SE Impact structures scholarships at Purdue University as Kyra Fales and Hafdís Magnúsdóttir. This is the twelfth year that SE Solutions has offered the scholarships.

Kyra Fales received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in structures from Purdue University in May 2024. She also graduated with minors in Global Engineering Studies and Spanish for the Professions. She is now continuing her education at Purdue through their 4+1 program and will graduate in May 2025 with her master’s degree. During her undergraduate degree, Kyra co-oped as a bridge engineer in Indianapolis, and she will be returning there this summer to begin full-time work. Outside of school, she likes to play soccer, hike and travel. 

Hafdís Magnúsdóttir is from Iceland and received her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in Spring 2024. She is currently pursuing an M.S. degree through the 4+1 program, with expected graduation in Spring 2025. After graduation, she will be joining KPFF in Indianapolis as a structural engineer. She has gained hands-on construction experience by working for a construction company in Iceland for the past four summers. At Purdue, she served as a Resident Assistant and as a Marshall in Chi Epsilon. She was also involved in undergraduate research with the Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitats Institute (RETHi), a NASA-funded research group. As part of this research, she designed and built an internal structure to support a testing bladder inside a physical test model and created a 3D SolidWorks model for presentation purposes. Outside of academics, Hafdís enjoys hiking with her dogs, Max and Moose, and playing handball.

SE Solutions would like to congratulate each recipient and wish them future success in their fields of study as structural engineers.

Structural systems using open-web steel joists are popular due to their cost effectiveness, flexibility, and ease of installation. Because these systems have high strength-to-weight ratios, human-induced vibration often controls the member sizes, especially when traditional seats are used. One significant improvement is to change from traditional seats to flush-framed connections.

In the November 2024 SEU Session, Brad Davis, Ph.D., S.E., from Davis Structural Engineering, presented Vibration Analysis of Steel Joists / Concrete Floors. Brad reviewed the AISC Design Guide 11 and SJI Technical Digest 5 methods for evaluating floors for vibration and discussed recent innovations in open-web steel joist floor systems. He noted key improvements in the vibration evaluation methods and discussed research efforts regarding hybrid mass-timber / open-web steel joist systems.

Flush framed connections of steel joists to girders may not be a new concept, however, using this connection for its vibration mitigation benefits is a novel approach to vibration design. To hear Brad discuss the geometry and advantages of this type of joist connection, click below to watch this short video:

When using traditional joist seats, the joists cannot be considered continuous with the girder.  Using flush framed connections may allow for a shallower structural system, permit the system to act compositely, and increase the continuity factor and the Cg factor in the girder effective panel weight calculation.  All of these changes benefit the overall vibration performance of the structural framing system.  Flush framed connections and the equations Brad discussed are covered in AISC Design Guide 11 Section 4.1.2 and SJIs Technical Digest 5 Chapter 3.  Using these connections may be an option to reduce vibrations in your future design projects.

Andrew Walters, PE, American Engineering Testing

In December 2024, SEU welcomed Andrew Walters, PE, from American Engineering Testing, to present Guide to Understanding a Project Geotechnical Report.  Andy designated Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville (Civil engineering scholarship established in memory of Dr. Tom Nelson | UW-Platteville News) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Andy shared “As an alum of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and former student of Dr. Tom Nelson, I selected the Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship because of the positive impact Dr. Nelson left on me and the ‘get your hands dirty’ way the Civil Engineering Department at UW-Platteville shaped the beginning of my career and continues to produce outstanding civil engineers.”

Thank you, Andy, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of Dr. Tom Nelson Civil Engineering Memorial Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville as our SEU Speaker Inspires Organization of the Month!

SE University began the SEU Speaker Inspires program in 2015 as a way to “pay it forward”, enabling our speakers to designate a charity/organization of their choice for SE University to make a donation to help improve our world.

As we enter this Thanksgiving week, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our SE Solutions community and wish everyone a joyous holiday. SE Solutions and SEU are thankful to our clients and speakers who have made it possible for us to contribute to many charitable organizations during the past year through our SEU Speaker Inspires program and to support hurricane recovery efforts in 2024.