I had the pleasure of receiving an SEI Futures Fund student scholarship to the Structures Congress in Atlanta, attended by leading academics, industry professionals, and other experts. As a third-year undergraduate, I found the conference a fantastic gateway into a vast and diverse industry.
Commonly, undergraduate programs only expose students to buildings and bridges. However, at Structures Congress, these are covered in great detail along with less recognized segments of structural engineering. This exposure is invaluable for someone about to launch a professional career.
I attended sessions on establishing the next iteration of the structural building code that I will be utilizing in the near future. With this insight, the standards hold deeper reasoning and logic than just numbers on a page, and I have a much stronger understanding of the new seismic and tornado provisions in ASCE 7-22.
Beyond the technical sessions and keynotes, there were plenty of opportunities to network with other students, young professionals, and established experts. At the evening receptions, I met everyone from a high-rise design startup founder in Chicago to a construction-oriented hydrologic structure engineer from rural Ohio. I am ecstatic to re-enter my professional life back home, having these people as friends.
Structures Congress is an opportunity to see the industry as it stands and where it is going. Only at Structures Congress can you listen to a board of world-leading experts discuss the seismic properties of laminated timber buildings, the 3-D printing concrete revolution, or how climate change impacts the sufficiency of standard wind loads. Structures Congress can serve as a catch up to current industry practices. It can also serve as an eyeopener, exposing everyone to the problems of tomorrow and the solutions being developed.
I am incredibly glad to have participated in this year’s Structures Congress. As a result, I feel more prepared to start a career in structural engineering, and I look forward to my involvement with SEI/ASCE throughout my career.
By Caleb Stevenson, S.M.ASCE, Iowa State University