“What’s the Plan?” ~Anonymous
“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” ~Daniel Burnham
“Plan the work and work the plan.” ~Jeff McCarthy, former Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) Managing Partner
“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” ~Winston Churchill …
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.” …
Meeting and getting to know leaders of our profession – authors of textbooks, chairs of committees, ENR newsmakers – is one of the many perks of SEI engagement. In sharing insights from recent conversations with leaders helping to shape our future, I intend to inspire you to join in. …
It is a tremendous honor for me to serve as the 26th President of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA). Unlike most (perhaps all) of my predecessors in this office, I am not the owner of my own firm, or a partner, or a principal, or a project manager, or a department head, or a supervisor of any kind. How did an ordinary practicing structural engineer like me wind up in such a lofty position? …
Imagine being named the President of the Washington Bullets in 1991, a time when the franchise had fallen on lean times. Everyone is looking at you to turn things around. Then imagine you are a 29-year-old female trying to survive in a business (not unlike our own) that has traditionally been dominated by men. …
In 2013, the Structural Engineering Institute published A Vision for the Future of Structural Engineering and Structural Engineers: A case for change (the SEI Vision – www.asce.org/SEI). The SEI Vision lays out an inspiring view of what the structural engineering profession could be by the year 2033, and it makes a number of recommendations for SEI Board of Governors’ action to lead us to that vision. …
One day, I learned that our firm had been awarded the Oregon Zoo Elephant Lands project, a new 6-acre development to replace the existing, old exhibit that housed a herd of seven Asian elephants. Suddenly, the reality of having to design structures to withstand abuse from elephants standing 14 feet tall and weighing 14,000 pounds settled in. Not finding “Elephants” listed in Table 4-1 of ASCE 7-10, it became quickly apparent that this was not going to be like any other project I had designed. As it turned out, the elephants repeatedly reminded me of many great things about our profession, lessons that serve to inspire me at work to this day. …
It was a clear, sunny Hawaiian morning on Saturday, January 13th, and I had just finished warming up my daughter’s soccer team, which was preparing to take the field when a message flashed on my cell phone: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” …
We are facing critical challenges that will affect the future of our profession. For our younger professionals – what should we be doing to make the Structural Engineering Profession not only survive these changes, but thrive for the duration of your career and for those that follow? …
Structural Licensure Committee. Structural Engineers Certification Board. Structural Engineering Licensure Coalition. What are these groups? How are they connected? What do they do? Why is it important? …