Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., SECB, F. ASCE, F.SEI, F.AEI (www.stancaldwellpe.com), is a consulting structural engineer in Plano, Texas. He currently serves as the chair of the SEI Futures Fund Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the SEI Board of Governors, the SECB Board of Directors, and the Structural Engineering Licensure Coalition Steering Committee.
Structural engineers frequently provide special or extra services without receiving appropriate additional compensation. Does this phenomenon seem familiar? It can be due to scope creep, which is a malady that afflicts nearly all practitioners. If profits do not meet expectations, scope creep is usually part of the problem. …
Structural engineering always has been a conservative profession. This is particularly evident in the structural building codes and standards. These regulations are intended to protect the public from deficiencies in design and construction. For the most part, they are effective. Why then do so many parking garages collapse? …
The public generally takes the safety of the structures around them for granted, and for good reason. A landmark study by Robert E. Melchers in 1987 compared the annual risk of death due to a variety of activities. He found that smoking is a high-risk activity, with about 1,000 deaths/million smokers/year. Automobile travel is a moderate-risk activity, with about 210 deaths/million motorists/year. Swimming is similar, with about 175 deaths/million swimmers/year. …
After forty-five years of managing and mentoring dozens of young structural engineers, I have seen firsthand the various struggles they face in building successful careers in our high-liability profession. To assist a larger group of young engineers, I would like to offer advice on five important topics. …
After forty-five years of experience as a structural engineering manager, including much trial and error, I have learned what works well and what does not. Based on what I have learned, I would like to offer this advice on five important topics. …
Unlike the students aspiring to enter many other professions, structural engineering students in most states are not permitted to take their licensing examinations immediately upon graduation. Rather, they must first serve an apprenticeship of three or four years. During this period, they typically have titles such as Engineer-In-Training (EIT), Engineering Intern, or Graduate Engineer. By state law, EITs are required to perform engineering work only under the direct supervision of licensed professional engineers. …
Structural engineering education today is a real mess! The problem starts with the young students who are traditionally attracted to our profession. Almost without exception, they like math and science much more than other subjects. Many, if not most, are more comfortable interacting with other people through their computers and mobile devices than doing so in person. This left-brained, somewhat introverted group is the raw material that feeds the pipeline year after year. Thus, the stereotype begins early. …
Have you ever given any thought to the future of our profession? Not the profession next month or next year, but rather the profession that we will leave to our successors. Driven by automation, globalization, contractor-led procurement, and many other forces, our profession is changing like never before. …
Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.
Structural engineering has been around since the first cave shortage, yet there is a growing perception that this noble profession might now be dying. What fuels this troublesome notion? Perhaps it starts in high school, where many of the brightest students are discouraged from pursuing the long, hard path to engineering. …