NCSEA rallied against the struggles of 2020 and held its first virtual Structural Engineering Summit during the months of October and November. The 2020 Summit was to be held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, but due to national restrictions, this year’s summit was transitioned to the web. This landmark event included three days of live-streamed presentations, three days of Bonus Content presentations with live speaker interaction, access to the Virtual Exhibit Hall for two months, and interactive virtual lounges allowing attendees to interact. By offering the Summit virtually, NCSEA had attendees from Canada, India, and New Zealand.
This year’s attendees had the opportunity to earn up to 26 hours of continuing education, the most NCSEA has ever been able to offer during the Summit. The expert-led sessions focused on the future of the AEC industry, mass timber, wind loads, resilience, racial equity, codes, and so much more. In addition to virtual education, there were plenty of opportunities for live speaker interaction with attendees during and then after the presentation. The Summit also hosted Interactive Lounges allowing attendees daily opportunities to discuss a wide range of topics, meet other SEs from near and far, share some ideas, have a laugh or two, and make new contacts.
Speakers and chat during a live Q&A.
An exciting addition to this year’s event was the expanded access to the virtual Exhibit Hall. Not only was the Hall open from early October to late November, but it was open to everyone, not just Summit registrants. With twenty-five exhibitors, an impressive amount of engagement was recorded during the six weeks the Exhibit Hall was open: over 7,000 total visits to Exhibitor booths and over 2,800 downloads, and our exhibitors gave away over 60 raffle prizes.
The NCSEA Awards celebration was also held virtually this year. This event annually highlights the NCSEA Special Awards, honoring NCSEA members who have provided outstanding service and commitment to the association and to the structural engineering field, as well as the Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards, showcasing some of the best examples of structural engineering ingenuity throughout the world. This year’s Special Awards were presented to:
- NCSEA Service Award to Brian Dekker, P.E., S.E., for the work he has put toward the betterment of NCSEA that is beyond the norm of volunteerism.
- Robert Cornforth Award to Jerry Maly, P.E., for his exceptional dedication and exemplary service to an NCSEA Member Organization and to the profession.
- Susan M. Frey NCSEA Educator Award to Duane K. Miller, Sc.D., P.E., for his genuine interest in, and extraordinary talent for, effective instruction to practicing structural engineers.
- James M. Delahay Award to Kevin Moore, P.E., S.E., SECB, for his outstanding contributions toward the development of building codes and standards.
In addition, the Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards were presented for exceptional structural engineering projects in eight categories: New Buildings up to $30 Million, New Buildings $30 Million to $80 Million, New Buildings $80 Million to $200 Million, New Buildings over $200 Million, New Bridges or Transportation Structures, Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures up to $20 Million, Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures over $20 Million, and Other Structures. For more information on both of these awards programs and to view the awards presentations, visit www.ncsea.com/awards.
Next year’s Structural Engineering Summit will be held in New York at the Hilton Midtown, October 12-15, 2021. Information on attending and exhibiting will be available soon at www.ncsea.com.