Sam Rubenzer, PE, SE FORSE Consulting

In August 2021, SE University welcomed Sam Rubenzer, PE, SE, from FORSE Consulting, to present Movement Joints for Masonry: Structural Edition.  Sam designated Fellowship of Christian Athletes (https://www.fca.org/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Sam shared “Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a good organization to provide support for students mind body and spirit. The organization especially encourages athletes to stay grounded in the teachings of Jesus, and put their faith in action while pursuing their goals in sports.”

Thank you, Sam, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Fellowship of Christian Athletes 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.

Mark Jarvinen, PE, Simpson Strong-Tie

In July 2021, SE University welcomed Mark Jarvinen, PE, from Simpson Strong-Tie, to present Design Methodology and Calculations using Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Systems.  Mark designated Forgotten Felines and Fidos (http://www.forgottenfelines.org/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Mark shared “Animals have no voice to advocate for their welfare or express their suffering and neglect. There are so many domesticated animals that need help that charitable organizations can’t reach them all. I respect and want to help those in our society that care for neglected and abused animals that so desperately need assistance. I chose Forgotten Felines and Fidos because of their unselfish commitment to caring for displaced cats and dogs in northwestern Lehigh County.”

Thank you, Mark, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Forgotten Felines and Fidos 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.

When was the last time you reflected on your writing process for emails, reports, or client updates?  Have you considered ways to improve how your audience may perceive your document?  Writing is truly an artform, and technical writing requires great skill to engage and inform readers without being unnecessarily complex and difficult for readers to understand.  Producing clear and concise documents can help communicate technical information effectively and improve your esteem with your readers or clients.

In October 2018, Janel Miller, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, gave a presentation on Improving Clarity, Coherence, and Conciseness in Technical Writing.  Janel reviewed how to prepare coherent documents, engage and persuade readers, and apply principles of concise writing to improve clarity.

Janel gave excellent pointers on how to simplify writing to reduce the verbal complexity so readers can understand the technical complexity.  She reviewed Joseph Williams’ five principles of concise writing from the text Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. These principles are

• Eliminate meaningless words
• Remove redundant words
• Delete what readers can infer
• Simplify complicated wording
• Change negative to affirmatives

After drafting the basic concepts of your document, take some time to edit using these basic principles to reduce wordiness and improve clarity.  Most readers will appreciate a more concise version of your document which will improve your credibility with those readers.

Janel also provided helpful examples of these principles and ways to apply them in technical writing.  Click on the following slides to print your copy for quick reference when preparing your own technical writings.

Erica Fischer, PhD, PE, Oregon State University

In June 2021, SE University welcomed Erica Fisher, PhD, PE, from Oregon State University, to present Structural Fire Protection.  Erica designated the Girls Build (https://girlsbuild.org/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Erica shared “Girls Build provides access and opportunity for young girls to engage with the building construction industry through hands-on learning experiences in the state of Oregon. These types of experiences can change the perception young girls have of the building construction industry and the perception of what careers are possible for them. As engineers, it is critical that we have diversity within our offices so that we can create solutions to societal issues that are applicable to all members of a community.”

Thank you, Erica, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Girls Build 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, SE, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers

In May 2021, SE University welcomed Emily Guglielmo, SE, from Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, to present Serviceability for the Practicing Engineer.  Emily designated the SEAONC DEI Endowment Fund (https://www.seaonc.org/page/SEAONCDEI) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Emily selected the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) DEI Endowment as it’s a new and innovative way to put words and promises of the past year into action.  The Endowment is a funding vehicle that will assure the long-range financial future of a restricted fund to support entities, programs, scholarships and initiatives focused on Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) in Structural Engineering.

Thank you, Emily, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of the SEAONC DEI Endowment Fund 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.

Ashley Cagle, PE, SE, WoodWorks

In April 2021, SE University welcomed Ashley Cagle, PE, SE, from WoodWorks, to present Structural Engineering of Light Frame Wood Over Concrete Podium Structures.  Ashley designated UDistrict Foundation Mentoring Program (https://udistrictpt.com/nonprofit-foundation/foundation-mentoring-info/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month.

Ashley shared, “The Foundation’s mission is to ‘help children live healthy, productive lives and dream great dreams.’ Through the mentorship program, students, primarily from Title 1 schools in the greater Spokane area, are matched to the specific interests, background, and passions of volunteer mentors, resulting in long-lasting, rewarding relationships. Over the past year of disruptions, the need for steady, reliable relationships in children’s lives has only been highlighted. I have been a mentor with the UDistrict Foundation for the past year and a half and strongly believe in the value of these types of community-oriented, cross-generational relationships.”

Thank you, Ashley, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of UDistrict Foundation Mentoring Program 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 was pleased to recently present scholarships to three Purdue University Structures students to help defray the cost of their education. Mriganabh Boruah, Sarah Bowlin, and Heyi Feng were the recipients of the awards. This is the ninth year that SE Solutions has offered the scholarships.

Mriganabh Boruah is from Assam, India.  He received his bachelor’s degree from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal in 2018 and will be defending his master’s thesis in spring 2021 with a specialization in structural engineering. He had the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant for CE297-Statics for 2 semesters and has worked in the field of non-linear soil-structure interaction in nuclear power plants. His thesis is focused on reducing the computational time in brittle cracking analysis using Adaptive Multi-Time Step Decomposition. He has a job lined up with a structural engineering firm based out of Tulsa, OK and looks forward to being a part of a challenging industry.

Sarah Bowlin graduated with her bachelors degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University in May 2019. She plans on graduating with her masters degree from Purdue University in December 2021. She will be staying at Purdue to pursue a PhD in Civil Engineering. Sarah has had the goal of becoming a structural engineer since she was in high school and had the opportunity to take a variety of pre-engineering classes. At Oklahoma State, she was very involved with the Concrete Canoe Team, which sparked her interest in concrete structures. She enjoys learning about the different behaviors and applications for structural concrete, as well as all the other structural materials. She is currently a graduate research assistant focusing on the behavior of unbonded and bonded post-tensioned concrete bridge girders. After finishing school, she would like to find a challenging and rewarding job at a structural engineering firm.

Heyi Feng received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Portland State University in 2019  and will complete his MSCE study with specialization in structural engineering at Purdue University in August 2021. Heyi has been working as a research assistant.  His research focuses on finite element analysis of API 12F tanks, performing failure modes determination and fitness-for service analyses. He is also currently working as an engineering intern at Baker Consulting Group.  Heyi is hoping to start his career with a firm that allows him to design innovative structures right after his  graduation from Purdue.

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

Matthew Rechtien, PE, Esq., Walter P. Moore

In February 2021, SE University welcomed Matthew Rechtien, PE, Esq., from Walter P. Moore, to present Engineering Ethics Update: The New Model Code.  In 2020, Matt designated Friends of Perryville Battlefield (https://www.friendsofperryville.org) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month and he has chosen to do the same in 2021.

Matt shared, “On October 8, 1862, nearly 8,000 Americans fell in the drought-parched Chaplin Hills of Kentucky during the Battle of Perryville. Perryville played a pivotal role in our nation’s most impactful event. Although the clash is oft-forgotten, those Americans should be remembered and that sacred ground, one of the most pristine civil war battlefields remaining, should be protected. The Friends of Perryville Battlefield is committed to both missions, which I am humbled to advance.”

Thank you, Matt, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of Friends of Perryville Battlefield 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.

AISC 360-16 has some significant changes in the design of connections to rectangular HSS.  Engineers have no doubt noticed the removal of some of the HSS connection design tables, however the limits of applicability included in the design tables became an impetus for AISC to provide a more flexible design process for HSS connections.

In the January 2021 SE University session, Kim Olson, PE, from Nucor and presenting on behalf of the Steel Tube Institute, presented Navigating AISC 360-16 HSS Connection Design.  Kim identified how the prescriptive nature of Chapter K has been changed to more closely match the rest of the Specification.  She also explained the reasoning behind the changes to the limits of applicability and variables in Chapter K and showed how the equations for connecting to the web of a wide flange member from Chapter J can be used to derive similar equations for connecting to rectangular HSS.

The most visible change in AISC 360-16 is the movement away from the prescriptive tables in AISC 360-10 for connecting to rectangular HSS.  Although the tables were quick and useful, they were limited in scope and unique in style to the rest of the specification.  The new design procedure is specified in Section K2.3 of AISC 360-16 which states that “The available strength of connections to rectangular HSS with concentrated loads shall be determined based on the applicable limit states from Chapter J.”

Referring to Chapter J for this procedure allows the engineer the ability to determine the strength of their exact connection without being limited to the prescribed limits previously included in the specification.  More limit states must be checked to determine which controls which is in line with a typical steel connection design.  

In order to more smoothly transfer from the prescriptive tables to the equations for HSS, Kim shared that the Steel Tube Institute has provided Limit State Tables on their website which highlight what was provided previously in AISC 360-10  and guidance for applying the equations in Chapter J of AISC 360-16 to HSS connections.  As you can see below, the left column in black shows 360-10 / 14th Edition Manual and the new 360-16 / 15th Edition Manual is shown in blue text on the right.

The Limit State Tables serve as a transition key from 360-10 to 360-16 and will provide any limits of applicability for each connection as well as any end distance requirements.  For each limit state, connection capacity equation references are shown with variable substitutions specific to HSS members, which is especially helpful when using yield line theory for plastification.

Overall, the usefulness of these new Limit State Tables should alleviate any heartache over the removal of the prescriptive tables for HSS connection design from the AISC manual.  The new guidance on using the equations from Chapter J in AISC 360-16 will allow engineers to determine the capacity of connections whose geometry may not match those present in 360-10 and the design process more closely matches that of typical wide flange connections.  Click to access these Limit State Tables which are available for FREE on the Steel Tube Institute’s website.

Kim Olson, PE, Nucor

In January 2021, SE University welcomed back Kim Olson, PE, from Nucor and Steel Tube Institute, to present Navigating AISC 360-16 HSS Connection Design.  Kim designated AfterHours Denver back in 2020 (https://afterhoursdenver.org/) for our SEU Speaker Inspires donation for the month and she has chosen to do the same in 2021.

Kim shared, “AfterHours Denver hands out over 400 lunches, water, socks and communion to the hungry and hurting every week in the park downtown.  The smiles on the faces of the people we serve fills my cup while filling their bellies.”

Thank you, Kim, for helping structural engineers with your SE University session, and for your designation of AfterHours Denver 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.