Jon Schmidt, and the past and present editorial board, did an excellent job of building STRUCTURE magazine into a high-quality, sought-after publication. Under Jon’s leadership and the talent and commitment of the editorial board, STRUCTURE magazine has become a widely-read and well-respected publication. The profession owes Jon, those who served with him, and those who have contributed content to the magazine, our sincere appreciation.
STRUCTURE magazine’s Vision Statement clearly defines the magazine’s destiny: STRUCTURE magazine will be the premier resource for practicing structural engineers. Its Mission Statement contains the road map of how the magazine will achieve its destiny: The Editorial Board will engage, enlighten, and empower structural engineers by publishing interesting, informative, and inspirational content in STRUCTURE magazine that is professionally relevant, technically reliable, and intellectually refreshing.
To guide the Editorial Board in making decisions regarding magazine content, they adhere to the following, equally important, objectives: First, disseminate useful tips, tools, and techniques that will help structural engineers increase the quality, productivity, and profitability of their work; Second, introduce new and innovative concepts in structural engineering through project descriptions, case studies, lessons learned, and other approaches; and Third, promote structural engineering as a true profession, not merely a technical avocation, and highlight how it is unique from the other design disciplines.
The Editorial Board, consisting of three members from ACEC/CASE, three members from NCSEA, three members from ASCE/SEI, and three members from industry, has done an excellent job of adhering to these objectives, mission, and vision. The Editorial Board’s work and contribution to the profession have been considerable and commendable. Having proven effective and valuable in the past, these are the objectives that the Editorial Board and I will continue following in pursuit of the magazines’ mission and vision.
In addition to the types of articles you are familiar with, the editorial board will continue to seek out articles highlighting unique design approaches and imaginative solutions. STRUCTURE magazine should be a safe place to learn. It should be a place where questions can be asked and discussed freely, as well as a place where structural engineers can express innovative ideas and opinions and receive a respectful critique from their peers. STRUCTURE magazine must be a place where quality education and enlightenment are received without fear or embarrassment. It must be a place where structural engineers can look to re-stock their technical, business, and managerial toolboxes with relevant information.
I may be the Editorial Chair, but I serve you and the profession. STRUCTURE magazine is your magazine. The members of the Editorial Board are open to your comments and suggestions, and we will eagerly review any content you submit.
I want to provide a magazine you want to read. I want this to be a magazine you look forward to receiving and spending time reading, devouring the ideas it contains and discussing the design approaches presented during inner-office, lessons-learned type meetings. I want to use this medium to inspire structural engineers and instill a vision of what we can accomplish. I want the readers to be inspired to dream big and speak proudly about the profession. I want you to be encouraged to bravely stand up, stand out, and stand for something. My hope is that every structural engineer will be inspired by the articles they read, that they will embrace the people they read about as mentors and find value in the insights they share. I want every structural engineer to wear the title structural engineer proudly as a badge of honor, and be willing to defend it fiercely and fearlessly. I want you to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. I want STRUCTURE magazine to remain surprising, novel, and interesting by including the work of thought leaders. I want you to see a future with abundant opportunity and ways to express your creative and technical skills and ability.
Instead of worrying about changing the code every three years and complaining about having to obtain continuing education credits, we should worry that the value of being a structural engineer will plateau or decline. An engineer friend said that professional licenses were secure, and that the state would never take them away because they are a profitable revenue stream. Although his assessment and conclusion may be correct, it troubles me that, as a profession, we have missed the mark. If the only reason we are allowed to exist as a profession is because the states make money from licensing regulations, then somewhere along the way we have failed to adequately inform the public about the critical role we play in protecting their health, safety and welfare. Have the words professional and engineer become so over-used and so misused that they mean nothing? Have we spent so much time advocating structural engineering to structural engineers that our message hasn’t been heard by the public? Given all the accomplishments of the structural engineering profession, why, when the term engineer is mentioned, does the public only think of Howard Wolowitz?
While I am serving you as Editorial Chair of STRUCTURE magazine, I want the Editorial Board to support NCSEA, CASE, and SEI as they take action to strengthen and improve the profession in meaningful ways, so that it will exist in grand splendor in the future.▪
