In August 2023, Kimberley Robinson, SE, from EVER Seismic, presented It’s Better to Bend than Break: Retrofit with Buckling Restrained Braces.  She selected the YWCA Utah Women in Jeopardy Crisis Shelter (YWCA Utah) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Kim shared, “The YWCA Women’s Shelter provides safety and sanctuary to those fleeing domestic violence. They offer women and children safety and support to empower them and give them a chance to thrive. I walked those halls for a time as a child and will never forget what they did for my mother and us. They make a profound difference in lives every day.”

Thank you, Kim, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the YWCA Women in Jeopardy Crisis Shelter 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.

Emily Guglielmo, PE, SE, Martin/Martin

In June 2023, Emily Guglielmo, PE, SE, from Martin/Martin, presented ASCE 7 Frequently Asked Questions (Seismic). She nominated LeaderFlow (LeaderFlow – Leadership for AEC professionals) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

Emily shared “I chose LeaderFlow because Structural Engineering has been significantly underrepresented by diverse leadership, and there are still challenges with retaining diverse talent. One large gap in this career pipeline is the opportunity for mid-career professionals, especially those of color to access vital leadership development training and LeaderFlow is working to close that gap.”

Thank you, Emily, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of LeaderFlow 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.

In July 2023, Mike Antici, PE, from Vulcraft, and Thomas Sputo, PE, SE, from Sputo and Lammert, on behalf of the Steel Deck Institute, presented Diaphragms are More Than Just Deck and Fasteners.  They selected the Miracle League of Florence County (Miracle League of Florence County – Serving Special Athletes in Florence and Surrounding Counties) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

The Miracle League of Florence County aims to offer individuals with special needs the opportunity to participate in the sport of baseball in a community supported, safe, adapted and encouraging environment.

Thank you, Mike and Tom, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the Miracle League of Florence County 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.

Cathleen Jacinto, PE, SE, FORSE Consulting and Steel Tube Institute

In May 2023, Cathleen Jacinto, PE, SE, from FORSE Consulting and the Steel Tube Institute, presented Know Your HSS Welds. She selected the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – Research, Patient Support, Resources (pancan.org)) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or PanCAN, seeks to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive.  Their mission includes improving the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer by advancing scientific research, building community, sharing knowledge, and advocating for patients.

Thank you, Cathleen, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 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.

D. Matthew Stuart, PE, SE, P.Eng., Partner Engineering and Science, Inc.

In April 2023, D. Matthew Stuart, PE, SE, PEng., F.ASCE, F.SEI, A.NAFE, from Partner Engineering and Science, Inc., presented Adaptive Reuse of the Historic Witherspoon Building. Matthew nominated the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) (UMCOR – Global Ministries (umcmission.org)) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month.

According to it’s mission statement, UMCOR is the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church and it assists churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events—to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable. UMCOR provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants when events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own. UMCOR also provides technical support and training for partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to disaster relief, recovery, and long-term health and development.

Thank you, Matthew, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the United Methodist Committee on Relief 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.

Kevin S. Moore, PE, SE, Simpson, Gumpertz, & Heger

In January 2023, SEU welcomed Kevin S. Moore, PE, SE, from Simpson, Gumpertz, & Heger, to present What a Structural Engineer Should Know about Resilience.  Kevin has designated SEAONC Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship (http://www.ncsea.com/about/foundation/diversityscholarship/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Kevin shared, “The opportunity to increase funding in a permanent endowed scholarship that financially supports a student from an historically underrepresented minority in structural engineering, preferably with a desire to practice in northern California, is a very small but rewarding privilege. Thousands of capable students desire a rewarding career in our noble profession, but often face unfair challenges and financial shortfalls that fail to cover costs associated with very expensive university programs. Scholarships like this help bring some amount of equity to students that have done so much themselves. I am proud to be a part of a community that cares enough to contribute and even happier that SEU sees the value in doing the same.”

Thank you, Kevin, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of SEAONC Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship 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.

Have you worked on the same project more than once?  Or have you been solicited to perform work on a previous job by a new client?  When does a conflict of interest exist when working on a similar or same project?  What duty does the professional engineer have to disclose any potential conflicts?

In the February 2023 SEU session, Matthew Rechtien, PE, Esq., from Walter P Moore, presented 2023 Engineering Ethics Update: Conflicts of Interest.  Matt defined conflicts of interest and explained why ethics rules regulate conflicts.  He also covered the basics of conflicts rules, how to apply them, and how to identify conflicts.

From his experience working as an attorney and engineer, Matt shared several common examples of conflicts of interest that structural engineers can be faced with.  One example he proposed involves successive engagements on a project.  To hear Matt’s reasoning on whether this common occurrence presents a conflict of interest, watch this short 6 minute video:

Engineers should maintain familiarity of the ethical rules to which they are bound by state law and also by professional boards.  These rules can vary widely by state and may have specific requirements when a conflict of interest is identified.  Both ASCE and NSPE specifically address conflicts of interest in their ethics code and both require engineers to disclose any potential conflicts. 

Ethics rules exist to protect the client and the engineer from conflicts of interest which could impede the engineer’s judgment on a project.  Matt noted that conflicts of interest are among the most common ethical issues faced by engineers, thus, the professional engineer is wise to identify any conflicts early and seek counsel before proceeding on the project.

Roger LaBoube, PhD, PE Missouri University of Science and Technology

In December 2022, SE University welcomed back Roger LaBoube, PhD, PE, from Missouri University of Science and Technology, to present Cold-Formed Steel Standards (2022).  In years past, Roger designated the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (https://www.lls.org/) for the SEU Speaker Inspires donation of the month, and he has chosen to do the same in 2022.

Roger shared: “On June 7, 2003, our daughter Jennifer married Russ. The wedding was a wonderful family event and Karen and I were both extremely happy for Jennifer and Russ. Four short months later, Russ was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage 4B. After 10 months of treatments, Russ’ Hodgkins was forced into remission. Obviously, Karen and I were elated to learn of this news. However, in June 2005, Russ was diagnosed with leukemia. Following more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, the leukemia is now in remission. I chose to support LLS to honor both Russ and Jennifer for their fighting spirit and to help others who are also fighting so hard to defeat their cancer. Our family has benefited first hand from both the research and the patient services of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.”

Thank you, Roger, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 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.

Sam Rubenzer, SE, PE FORSE Consulting

In September 2022, SEU welcomed back Sam Rubenzer, SE, PE, from FORSE Consulting, to present Verifying Software Results.  Sam has designated Children’s Minnesota (Children’s Minnesota (childrensmn.org)) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest freestanding pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system and Level I Trauma Center in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children from before birth through young adulthood. Sam noted that Children’s Minnesota had done “some really great work for a sweet girl I know!”

Thank you, Sam, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of Children’s Minnesota 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.

Doug Hoffman, PE, Vulcraft

Ben Pitchford, PE, New Millenium Building Systems

In November 2022, SEU welcomed Ben Pitchford, PE, from New Millenium Building Systems, and Doug Hoffman, PE, from Vulcraft, to present Roof Design with Special Profile Joists.  Ben and Doug have designated MATHCOUNTS (Homepage | MATHCOUNTS Foundation) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

In 1983, NSPE helped established MATHCOUNTS, a non-profit organization promoting middle school programs to build confidence and improve attitudes about math and problem solving. Their approach is to make learning math fun and help encourage students to embrace challenges.

Thank you, Ben and Doug, for helping structural engineers with your SEU session, and for your designation of MATHCOUNTS 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.