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Remembering the Life of Hugh Brooks, Jr., S.E. (1926-2026)

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:40:58 GMT

HUGH BROOKS, JR., S.E. 1926–2026

Hugh Brooks, Jr., S.E., a pioneering figure in structural engineering and tilt-up concrete construction, died peacefully on April 8, 2026, at his home in Newport Beach, California. He was 99.42 years old (engineering humor).

Hugh earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from USC in 1950 and passed the California Structural Engineering examination in 1957, the same year he founded Hugh Brooks Associates Structural Engineers. Over a 40-year career, he designed more than 3,000 commercial structures, with particular expertise in tilt-up construction, precast concrete systems, and parking structures.

Contributions to Tilt-Up Construction

Hugh was a founding member of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) in 1986 and served on ACI Committee 551 (Tilt-Up Concrete Construction). His Tilt-Up Design & Construction Manual, first published in 1988, went through six editions and became the definitive reference for tilt-up design—what many called the "Bible" of the industry. The TCA acquired the manual in 2002, building subsequent editions on the foundation Hugh established. He received the TCA's highest honor, the Peter Courtois Memorial Award, in 1996.

Following the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, Hugh directly observed failures in wall-to-roof anchorage in older tilt-up structures, contributing to the corrective code changes of the 1970s that strengthened panel connections. His involvement with SEAOC and SEAOSC technical committees helped translate practical field observations into codified design improvements, particularly for slender wall provisions.

Publications

Hugh authored works that remain in active use today:

Tilt-Up Design & Construction Manual (1988; six editions)
Basics of Retaining Wall Design (1996; now in 11th edition), co-authored with John P. Nielsen beginning with the 9th edition
Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary of Building & Construction Terms (Prentice-Hall, 1976), cited by the U.S. Court of Appeals as an authoritative source
Encyclopedia of Building & Construction Terms (Prentice-Hall, 1980; updated 2017 edition with J.P. Anderson)
Building & Construction Resource Directory (1992)

Software Development

Hugh developed RetainPro, one of the first widely-adopted retaining wall design software programs, in the mid-1990s. The software began as a companion tool to his retaining wall book and became an industry standard for preliminary design. All seven RetainPro earth-retention modules were eventually integrated into the ENERCALC Structural Engineering Library, developed by his son Michael Brooks, S.E.

Innovation

Beyond his consulting practice, Hugh was an inventor and systems innovator. He held U.S. Patent 3,082,887 for the "Marinalift" boat storage system (1963), an automated crane-based dry stack concept that presaged modern automated marina storage. In the early 1960s, he developed the "Flip-Slab" construction system for precasting roof deck panels on-site—an early experiment in hybrid precast/steel construction.

Awards and Recognition

Peter Courtois Memorial Award, Tilt-Up Concrete Association (1996)
Steve Barnes Award, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (2015)
Consulting member, ACI 551.2R-15: Design Guide for Tilt-Up Concrete Panels

Hugh was a frequent speaker at World of Concrete, TCA conferences, and SEAOSC seminars. He conducted tilt-up seminars in Anaheim, San Francisco, Portland, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and at Purdue University. To sharpen his presentation skills, he was a Toastmasters member for nearly a decade.

Personal

Hugh served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, training in radar and electronics before assignment to the USS Hancock. He was honorably discharged in 1946 as Electronics Technician 3rd Class.

He is survived by his son Michael Dyer Brooks, S.E., founder of ENERCALC; his brother John Dyer Brooks; his companion Marilyn Petrivich; and the many engineers whose practice was shaped by his writings, software, and mentorship. He was predeceased by his wife Becky Hall Brooks in 2020.

President’s Message April 2026 - Codes, Policy, and Advocacy

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:00:00 GMT

As structural engineers, our work is grounded in codes—but our impact extends far beyond simply following them. Codes represent our collective knowledge, lessons learned, and commitment to public safety. They evolve because of the insight, expertise, and advocacy of professionals like you.

April is an opportunity to focus on how we, as a community, stay ahead of these changes and actively shape the future of our profession.

At SEAOSC, we are closely engaged in tracking updates to building codes, monitoring policy developments, and contributing to discussions that influence how our industry moves forward. Through our committees, technical programs, and partnerships with local jurisdictions, we aim to ensure that our members are not only informed—but prepared.

But staying current is only part of the responsibility.

As leaders in structural engineering, we also play a role in advancing best practices. Whether it’s participating in code committees, engaging with building officials, contributing to technical resources, or sharing lessons learned from projects, each of us has the ability to influence the direction of our profession.

Advocacy is not limited to formal channels. It happens in everyday interactions:

When we collaborate with design teams to improve constructability
When we engage with plan check engineers to align on intent
When we mentor younger engineers and pass on sound judgment
When we speak up to promote safety, clarity, and innovation

SEAOSC provides a platform for these efforts—bringing together diverse perspectives to strengthen both our technical standards and our professional community.

This month, I encourage you to stay engaged:

Attend a technical committee meeting
Participate in code discussions
Share your experience and insights with peers
Consider how your voice can contribute to shaping best practices

Our profession continues to evolve, and with that evolution comes both responsibility and opportunity. By staying informed and involved, we ensure that structural engineering remains resilient, forward-thinking, and rooted in excellence.

Thank you for your continued commitment to SEAOSC and to advancing our profession.

With appreciation,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

SEAOSC Celebrates Next Generation at Emerging Engineers Night

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:16:47 GMT

On March 11, over 100 SEAOSC engineers gathered at Universal Sheraton to celebrate the next generation of emerging engineers over dinner, connections, and a lively message from the founder, president, and CEO of CSI, Ashraf Habibullah.
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"This night shows how important it is to engage our students and get them excited about entering the profession of structural engineering," shared Maria Mohammed, president of SEAOSC.

Throughout his speech, Habibullah emphasized the life-saving impact of structural engineering, the importance of building friendships within the profession, and the value that a new generation of engineers brings through fresh perspectives on the field’s future.

"We're here to celebrate all of you," he shared. "This is one of the most incredible events for me; it's so much fun to be around so many young professionals, especially students."

At Emerging Engineers Night, the SEAOSC Foundation awarded scholarships to Alton Wu, Brandon Hluchan, Christian Corona, Elaine Kaddis, Angel Flores, Jedric Uganiza, Jesus Vergara, Katherine Name, Malia Haug, Nailea Vera-Rodriguez, Sarp Gursel, and Belen Martinez Espinosa.

This event was made possible thanks to sponsors CSI, Nucor, and True North Compliance Services.

See Event Photos Here.

President's Message March 2026 - Women Who Engineer

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:32:31 GMT

As March is Women’s History Month, I’m taking this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contributions of women throughout history and to celebrate the impact women continue to make in our profession today.

Structural engineering has long been shaped by innovation, resilience, and leadership. Women engineers have helped design our skylines, strengthen our communities, advance seismic research, and mentor the next generation — often while overcoming barriers that required not only technical excellence, but courage and persistence.

At SEAOSC, we are proud of the talented women who serve on our Board, lead our committees, contribute to our technical programs, and elevate our profession every day. Their leadership strengthens our organization and broadens our perspective.

But celebration alone is not enough.

Women’s History Month also reminds us of our responsibility — to foster inclusion, to expand opportunity, and to ensure that structural engineering is a profession where all talented individuals can thrive. That means:

Supporting equitable pathways to leadership
Creating inclusive professional spaces
Mentoring and sponsoring emerging engineers
Challenging outdated assumptions
Building workplaces where diverse voices are heard and valued

Engineering is fundamentally about solving complex problems. Diverse teams solve problems better. When we cultivate environments where different perspectives are welcomed and respected, we elevate both our profession and the communities we serve.

This month, I encourage each of us to take action:

Recognize and thank a woman leader or colleague who has influenced your career
Invite a young engineer to participate in SEAOSC
Support mentorship and outreach efforts
Reflect on how we can continue building a profession that reflects the diversity of our communities

The future of structural engineering depends on the strength of our talent — and talent exists everywhere. Our role as leaders is to ensure opportunity does too.

Thank you to the women who engineer, who lead, who innovate, and who inspire. SEAOSC is stronger because of you.

With appreciation,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President's Message February 2026 - Mentorship, Growth, and the Future of Our Profession

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:27:31 GMT

February is a meaningful month for our profession as we celebrate Engineers Week—a time to recognize the impact engineers have on society and to invest intentionally in the next generation of structural engineers. At SEAOSC, mentorship and professional growth have long been central to our mission, and this month offers an opportunity to highlight the people and programs that bring those values to life.

Across our community, SEAOSC members are mentoring young professionals, supporting students, and creating pathways into the profession through technical education, leadership development, and outreach. This year, we are building on that commitment through the launch of the SEAOSC Leadership Training Program, designed to support current and future committee leaders by strengthening essential skills such as vision-setting, time management, communication, and mentorship. The program reflects our belief that effective leadership—rooted in technical excellence and service—is critical to the long-term strength of our association and profession.

I am continually inspired by stories from our members—experienced engineers who take the time to teach, listen, and encourage; young professionals who step into leadership roles; and students who bring curiosity and fresh perspective to our work. Programs such as student chapter engagement, Pathways, and our leadership training efforts reflect SEAOSC’s commitment to growth at every stage of an engineer’s career.

As we celebrate Engineers Week, I encourage you to reflect on the mentors who shaped your own path—and to consider how you can pay that forward. Whether through formal programs or informal guidance, mentorship remains one of the most powerful tools we have to sustain technical excellence, strengthen our community, and ensure a resilient future.

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President's Message January 2026 - Looking Ahead: A Year of Purpose, Engagement, and Progress

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 23:59:48 GMT

As we begin a new year, January offers us a natural moment to pause, reflect, and—most importantly—look ahead. The work of structural engineers is foundational to the safety, resilience, and vitality of our communities, and the year ahead presents meaningful opportunities for SEAOSC to continue advancing our profession in service of the public.

In the coming months, SEAOSC will focus on strengthening member engagement, supporting professional growth, and expanding our impact through technical excellence, advocacy, and collaboration. As you saw in last week’s newsletter, SEAOSC is planning a robust calendar of technical education programs that address upcoming code changes, emerging engineering challenges, and events that bring our members together to share our experiences and learn from one another. These efforts are rooted in our long-standing commitment to advancing structural engineering knowledge and practice.

This year will also bring opportunities for members to get involved beyond attending events. Our committees play a critical role in shaping SEAOSC’s initiatives—from technical standards and education to outreach, advocacy, and resiliency. I encourage you to consider adding SEAOSC to your New Year resolution and renew your commitment by participating in a committee, mentoring emerging engineers, or contributing your expertise to our programs and policy efforts.

As we plan for the year ahead, I invite you to engage with SEAOSC intentionally—whether by reconnecting with colleagues, sharing your technical expertise, or helping shape the future of our profession. Together, we can ensure that SEAOSC remains a trusted voice for structural engineers and a leader in advancing safe, resilient communities throughout Southern California.

I look forward to working with all of you in the year ahead.

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President's Message December 2025: Reflecting on a Year of Growth and Looking Ahead with Purpose

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 01:35:58 GMT

As we reach the close of another busy and meaningful year, December offers us a rare moment of pause — an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve accomplished together and the lessons we will carry into the future. This has been a year shaped by collaboration, renewed engagement, and a shared commitment to strengthening our profession and the communities we serve.

Across our committees, events, and educational programs, SEAOSC members have shown remarkable dedication this year. From advancing conversations on seismic safety and functional recovery to expanding student outreach, updating technical resources, and strengthening partnerships across the AEC industry, your efforts have made a tangible impact. Each achievement — whether large or small — represents the collective strength of volunteers who care deeply about the future of structural engineering.

I hope you each take a moment to celebrate what you have contributed this year. Our profession often moves at a pace where accomplishments blur into deadlines, and we rarely pause to acknowledge the significance of the work we do. But your designs, your advocacy, your mentorship, and your commitment to public safety all matter. They shape safer, more resilient communities every day.

As we transition into the holiday season, I also want to encourage everyone to find time for rest and restoration. A new year awaits us with new challenges, fresh opportunities, and continued momentum for our profession — and we will meet it best when we are recharged, grounded, and prepared.

Thank you for your expertise, your energy, and the generosity you bring to SEAOSC. It is an honor to serve alongside you. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the coming year.

Wishing you a peaceful, joyful, and restorative holiday season.

Warm regards,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President’s Message November 2025 - Giving Thanks and Giving Back: From Code to Community

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 22:56:44 GMT

As we move into November — a month that naturally invites reflection and gratitude — I’m reminded of how interconnected our work as structural engineers truly is. The code changes we discussed last month represent more than updates to design equations; they embody the collective knowledge, experience, and innovation of our community. They remind us that progress in our profession is always a shared effort — one that depends on engagement, collaboration, and the courage to adapt.

This season, I’m especially thankful for the countless volunteers across SEAOSC who contribute their time and expertise to our committees and initiatives. Their work reviewing new code provisions, organizing educational sessions, mentoring students, and engaging with public agencies continues to strengthen our association and elevate the structural engineering profession as a whole.

As we approach the end of the year, our focus turns to implementation — how we translate evolving codes and best practices into meaningful action in our offices, classrooms, and communities. SEAOSC will continue to support you through this process with upcoming seminars, committee collaborations, and resources designed to help members navigate the new code cycle confidently and effectively.

But our progress doesn’t stop at compliance. It’s about connection — between the science of what we design and the people who inhabit those spaces. As we continue conversations around functional recovery, resilient design, and community preparedness, let’s keep in mind the larger purpose behind our work: creating a built environment that not only stands strong but enables communities to thrive after disaster.

As we head into the holiday season, I invite each of you to take a moment to reflect on how your individual efforts — on projects, in committees, or in mentorship — contribute to that shared mission. Every calculation, every discussion, and every volunteer hour strengthens the foundation of our profession. Together, we are not only adapting to change — we are shaping the future of structural engineering in Southern California.

Thank you for all that you do. I look forward to continuing this journey with you into the new year — grounded in purpose, guided by collaboration, and inspired by the resilience of our community.

Warmly,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President’s Message October 2025 : Code Updates & Innovation

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 23:01:13 GMT

Dear SEAOSC Members,

As we step into October, our focus turns toward the future of our profession through the lens of building codes. Code development may not always capture headlines, but it is the foundation of our work as structural engineers. Every few years, the cycle of updates challenges us to reexamine assumptions, integrate new research, and ensure that our built environment continues to reflect the best available knowledge.

The upcoming changes to the California Building Code and related standards bring both opportunity and responsibility. From refinements in seismic design to evolving performance-based provisions, these updates are more than technical adjustments — they represent our collective progress toward safer, more resilient communities.

SEAOSC is committed to helping our members stay ahead of these changes. Our technical committees are actively reviewing proposed provisions and preparing resources to support your practice. Our Fall Dinner meeting presentation on October 15 introduces the structural changes in the new California Building Code, followed by our November 12 Winter Technical Summit taking a deeper dive into each material change.

Your voice also matters in shaping these updates. I encourage each of you to participate in committee work, provide feedback, and share your insights from practice. Together, we not only adapt to code changes — we influence them, ensuring they serve the public and reflect the realities of engineering practice.

Let’s embrace this season of change as an opportunity to lead with knowledge, collaboration, and foresight.

Warmly,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President’s Message September 2025 : Strengthening Our Profession—Together

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:30:55 GMT

Dear SEAOSC Members,

As I reflect on the past month, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to attend the SEAOC Convention. This gathering was a reminder of the strength of our structural engineering community and the shared commitment we all have to advancing our profession across California.

It was wonderful to connect with colleagues from every corner of the state and to learn about the creative and impactful efforts being made to strengthen both our practice and our professional community. These conversations reminded me that while each of our Member Organizations has unique challenges and strengths, we are united in our goal of building a stronger, more resilient future for structural engineering.

One of the highlights for me was engaging with students and younger engineers. Their energy, fresh perspectives, and dedication to our field are inspiring. I was especially proud to see so many sessions presented by younger engineers—proof that the future of our profession is already leading from the front. These moments reinforce the importance of mentorship, encouragement, and creating spaces where emerging leaders can thrive.

In our Board and Committee meetings, the theme of collaboration was at the forefront. Together, we discussed ways to deepen our partnerships between Member Organizations and to align our efforts for greater impact statewide. These conversations are only the beginning, but they represent an important step toward building a more cohesive and supportive professional community.

While we know there is still much work to do, I left the convention encouraged by the enthusiasm, vision, and dedication I saw from so many of you. The excitement within our profession is real, and it gives me confidence that we are heading in the right direction—together. I look forward to carrying this momentum into the year ahead, and I invite each of you to stay engaged, share your voice, and continue building this incredible community with us. A great opportunity to do so is by joining us at the SEAOSC Committee Showcase on September 24, where you can learn more about the wide range of committees that shape our Association and find the perfect place to get involved. I hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Maria Mohammed
President, SEAOSC

President's Message August 2025: Building Community

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 23:55:08 GMT

Dear SEAOSC Members,

As we enter the heart of summer, I’m reminded that our strength as a profession doesn’t just come from our technical expertise—it comes from our connections to each other. This month, we celebrate the power of community.

At SEAOSC, “community” means creating spaces where structural engineers of all backgrounds, experience levels, and regions can come together to share ideas, support one another, and grow—professionally and personally. Whether you’re a longtime member or new to the Association, this is your community. And your presence here matters.

We’ve already felt that sense of connection this year through events like the Board and Committee Chairs Kickoffs and the Golf Tournament. At the Board and Committee Chairs kickoff, I asked each Board member and each committee chair to share why they said yes when they were asked to join the board or chair a committee. Almost all of them stated that they said yes because they wanted to give back to their SEAOSC community. During yesterday’s golf tournament, seeing so many familiar faces and observing how we were embracing one another was a great indication of our connection. SEAOSC is a place where members gather not just to plan and play—but to strengthen relationships.

Looking ahead, our September 24 Committee Showcase will continue to offer opportunities to meet peers, exchange knowledge, and collaborate on issues that shape our field. If you’ve been looking for a way to get more involved, there’s no better time than now. Every committee welcomes new voices. Every event is a chance to find your people.

This month, I encourage each of you to take one small step to deepen your connection: reach out to someone new at a meeting, check in on a colleague, join a committee session, or invite a younger engineer to attend an event with you. Community doesn’t just happen—it’s something we build together.

Here’s to a month of showing up, reaching out, and strengthening the bonds that make us SEAOSC.

Warmly,

Maria Mohammed, S.E.
President, SEAOSC

Meet Incoming SEAOSC Treasurer: Bryan Seamer, SE

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:12:00 GMT

SEAOSC is proud to welcome Bryan Seamer, SE, as the incoming Treasurer for the 2025–2026 term. With more than 25 years of experience in structural engineering, Bryan brings a depth of technical knowledge and a passion for advancing the profession. He currently serves as Director of Structural Engineering at LPA Design Studios, the 2025 AIA National Firm of the Year—where he leads a multidisciplinary team of engineers in integrating emerging technologies and innovative design strategies into projects across multiple markets.

Bryan’s expertise spans new construction, seismic assessment, and the rehabilitation of existing buildings. A collaborative leader and effective communicator, he has a proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences—both within LPA and at industry-wide events. He is also a strong advocate for structural engineers’ role in shaping resilient, future-ready communities.

Reflecting on what excites him most about the field, Bryan shares:

“We are in a very exciting period in the history of our profession… Structural engineers must lead the charge in developing designs that use more carbon-efficient materials and push efficient use of those structural materials.”

He also points to the rise of AI as a transformational force:

“The promise of artificial intelligence offers opportunities for more efficient design workflows and more inventive, efficient structural design solutions. We are only at the very beginning of this journey, but I expect it will transform the way we work more profoundly than even the transition from pencil to CAD or from hand calcs to finite element models.”

Bryan earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California and an M.S. from CSU Long Beach. He is licensed in multiple states and has held leadership roles across various industry organizations.

When asked what drew him to the field, Bryan puts it simply:

“Structural engineers are the coolest of all civil engineers... Every new project is “one of one” and people like us get to create places and spaces that improve the lives of people in our communities in a long-lasting way that I find very spiritually rewarding.”

SEAOSC is excited to welcome Bryan to the Board and looks forward to the expertise and forward-thinking leadership he will bring to the organization in the year ahead!

President's Message July 2025: Leading with Purpose

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 21:07:24 GMT

As I begin my term as President of SEAOSC, I want to start by saying how honored and grateful I am to serve this incredible community of structural engineers. This organization has been a constant source of inspiration to me throughout my career—through the people I’ve met, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the opportunities to grow, connect, contribute and lead.

This year, I want to focus on leading with purpose.

What does that mean for SEAOSC? To me, it means aligning everything we do with our core values: advancing the practice of structural engineering, fostering community, championing resilience and innovation, and ensuring that our profession remains relevant and accessible to the next generation.

We are living in a time when the role of structural engineers is more vital than ever. From adapting to evolving building codes, to preparing for natural hazards, to mentoring students and supporting young professionals—what we do matters. But we don’t have to do it alone. SEAOSC is here to be your professional home, your support system, and your platform to lead and make a difference.

Over the coming months, I’m excited to share updates from our committees, spotlight member achievements, and highlight ways you can get involved. Whether you’re a student, an emerging professional, or a seasoned expert, your voice, your ideas, and your time are deeply valued and I want to hear from you.

As we start this new chapter together, I invite you to ask yourself:

What does purpose-driven leadership look like for you?

Whether it’s mentoring someone new, serving on a committee, or simply showing up to our events to connect with your peers, I want to encourage you to take that next step.

I’m looking forward to a year of growth, collaboration, and meaningful impact—with all of you.

With gratitude,

Maria Mohammed, S.E.
President, SEAOSC

Meet Incoming SEAOSC Board Member: Shahen Akelyan, SE

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 02:54:57 GMT

We’re proud to welcome Shahen Akelyan, SE, to the SEAOSC Board of Directors!

With over 25 years of service at the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), Shahen currently oversees Structural Counter operations and has previously led the City’s High-Rise and Seismic Retrofit Programs. A licensed Structural and Civil Engineer, he also holds credentials as a Certified Building Official, Fire Marshal, Access Specialist, and LEED Green Associate.

In addition to his role at LADBS, Shahen has a long record of professional service, including as Past President of the Los Angeles Basin Chapter of International Code Conference and current member of the LA Tall Buildings Seismic Design Council, while also serving in the Code Advisory Committee with the Building Standards Commission for Structural Design/Lateral Forces and as a Commissioner on the City of Glendale’s Building and Fire Board of Appeals.

When asked about his advice for the next generation of engineers, Shahen said, "Cultivate curiosity at work. Actively embrace a mindset of continuous learning and exploration. Seek out new information, challenge assumptions, and engage in open-minded discussions with your colleagues. By embracing curiosity, you can enhance your problem-solving skills, improve communication, and foster a more innovative and engaging workplace environment."

He shared what stands out most about SEAOSC: “The SEAOSC community is valued for its collaborative spirit and sharing of information among members. It fosters a platform for discussion of challenges and collective problem-solving. Additionally, the SEAOSC community enhances the public perception of structural engineering and supports professional development.”

We’re excited to welcome Shahen’s leadership and deep expertise to the SEAOSC Board!

Meet Incoming SEAOSC Board Member: Aileen Santos-Redman, PE

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 01:00:15 GMT

We are pleased to announce Aileen Santos-Redman, PE, as an incoming member of our Board of Directors!

Aileen brings more than 28 years of experience in transportation infrastructure and aviation, with a record of leading capital improvement programs across California, Arizona, and Nevada. Previously serving as the Aviation Sector Project Manager at TYLin, she has overseen both design and construction management for a diverse portfolio of projects. A creative and practical engineer with an open mind for innovation and a collaborative working style that promotes strong team engagement and alignment, Aileen is passionate about improving infrastructure to ensure that the needs of the community are met.

Aileen joined SEAOSC early in her career, recognizing it as “the way to guide me in my structural engineering journey.” What began as a resource for technical growth has evolved into a source of mentorship and advocacy, especially through her involvement with the Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) Committee. "Over the years, my reasons for staying involved has evolved, from initially relying on the technical resources SEAOSC provides to now deeply valuing the support and camaraderie of the WiSE committee. The insight and encouragement I’ve received from fellow WiSE members, especially in navigating the unique challenges women face in our profession, have been truly invaluable. More recently, my ongoing commitment to SEAOSC has been fueled by a passion for promoting structural engineering as a career to the next generation and advocating for greater recognition of the essential role structural engineers play in shaping and advancing our communities.” she shares.

Her advice for the next generation? “Be adaptable.”

Aileen’s career success is rooted in her willingness to pivot and learn, "While there’s clear value in becoming an expert in one specific area, my resilience in this profession stems from my willingness to adapt and contribute wherever I can be of service.

In my first job that I found just as I was about to finish grad school, I worked on commercial projects for several national chains. A few years later, I intentionally shifted to a firm specializing in residential work to gain exposure to wood and masonry—experience I knew I needed to pass the PE exam. From there, my career led me to a wide range of projects: one day I’d be working on a school, the next on a hospital. Some days were spent designing structures; other days had me overseeing the progress of construction.

This flexibility proved invaluable, especially during slowdowns in the building design industry—like in the early 2000s—when I was still able to find meaningful work for projects in aviation, public works, or rail and transit. By adapting my skill set to meet the specific demands of different types of projects, I’ve been able to stay engaged and employed through various market cycles."

We’re honored to have Aileen’s leadership on the Board, where her experience and commitment to community-driven infrastructure will help shape the future of our profession!

Meet Incoming SEAOSC Board Member: Karyn Beebe, P.E., LEED AP

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 23:35:23 GMT

We’re thrilled to welcome Karyn Beebe, PE, LEED AP, to the SEAOSC Board of Directors! Karyn brings over decades of industry experience and a deep commitment to building collaboration across the profession. As a Government Relations Regional Manager for the International Code Council, she supports adoption and implementation of building codes throughout California, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, and the Mariana Islands.

A licensed professional engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional with forensic investigation expetise, Karyn previously served as Past President of ICC’s San Diego Chapter and was a longtime leader in APA – The Engineered Wood Association, where she worked on strategic partnership development and product support across the Western U.S.

“I’ve been a member of SEAOC since the beginning of my career—25 years ago!” Karyn shares. “I’ve worked with all of our member organizations (Southern California, San Diego, Central California, Northern California) around the state as a member, trainer, committee chair and I’ve stayed active to stay abreast of the issues most important to our profession and collaborate with colleagues through committee work, meetings, and our convention.”

Karyn’s path into structural engineering was shaped by both passion and family. “I grew up with a love of architecture and aptitude for math,” she says. “My father and two uncles graduated from Purdue University and pursued electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering. So, it felt natural for me to follow suit in the field of structural engineering.”

We’re honored to have Karyn’s leadership and perspective on the Board. Welcome, Karyn!

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: David Funk, S.E.

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 03:25:51 GMT

We’re excited to welcome David Funk, SE, to the SEAOSC Board of Directors! A principal at Labib Funk & Associates since 2011, David brings expertise in seismic retrofitting, adaptive reuse, and the design of commercial, multifamily, and mixed-use developments. With over 22 years of engineering experience, he is responsible for structural concepts and design, mentoring, and technical leadership in the firm.

He has co-authored ICC’s published design guides for the City of Los Angeles Mandatory Non-Ductile Concrete and Soft Story Retrofit Ordinances and has served on the SEAOSC Existing Buildings Committee and Safer Cities panel, helping shape mandatory retrofit ordinances that impact communities across municipalities.

When asked why he joined SEAOSC, David shared:

“As a professional, I believe it is our duty to join our local affiliated organization and contribute to the betterment of our profession, and our community… I am proud to be a member of such a great organization and to have had an opportunity to contribute.”

His advice to young engineers?

“Approach structural engineering as a career, and not a 9-5 job. Dive deep into codes and technical papers, understand ‘why?’, ask questions, and get involved in SEAOSC. Learning and advancement don’t stop when you get your license. I continue to learn about new concepts, techniques, and ideas every day. If you are passionate about structural engineering, you have a bright and rewarding career ahead of you.”

Outside of the office, David enjoys family time, golfing, skiing, snowboarding, and coaching Little League.

We’re grateful to have David’s insight, experience, and passion on the Board this year—please join us in welcoming him!

President's Message June 2025

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 20:23:49 GMT

Dear Members,

It has been an honor to serve as your president for this 2024-2025 term and I want to use this final message to encourage you as a member or fan of SEAOSC to say "yes." I have found that volunteering or giving your time, energy, or resources to a cause beyond yourself is one of the great joys in life and certainly a great sense of satisfaction in our career as structural engineers.

At SEAOSC, we have many opportunities to say "yes" and I encourage you to ask yourself how you might be able to give some of your time to SEAOSC in the 2025-2026 year.

Membership. If you are not a member, I encourage you to say "yes" to joining SEAOSC. If you aren't regularly participating in our events, I encourage you to find the events that meet your interests and say "yes" to giving your time to attend. Talk to your company about supporting these interests — they are likely to say "yes."
Committees. Our committees are the foundation of SEAOSC and where the real work of advancing our profession happens. You have a place on a committee and I encourage you to find the committee that best fits your passion and your abilities and to say "yes" to joining a committee.
Committee Chairs. Our committees only exist with leaders that have said "yes" to stepping into the committee chair position. Turnover of the leadership should happen more regularly, but many of our committees have been chaired by volunteers who faithfully say "yes" year-over-year. Our committee members have a place to serve as committee chairs and I encourage you to say "yes" to this next step in your participation.
Mentorship. An amazing mentorship program has been underway at SEAOSC for several years now. Members that want some encouragement in career engagement, advancement, and satisfaction are finding that encouragement through the dedicated time of mentors. Say "yes" to being a mentor (get in touch at Mentorship@seaosc.org).
Leadership. SEAOSC is run by the leaders in our profession that serve on our Board of Directors. Each of these leaders was asked by a nominating committee to give their time and talents in volunteer service. I am proud to serve alongside such dedicated volunteers that have all said "yes" to empowering our members and advancing the structural engineering profession by serving on the board.

This list is not exhaustive and there are many other opportunities within SEAOSC to say “yes.” Each "yes" comes with its sacrifice of time, energy, and resource, but gives back so much more in return. My "yes" to serving as your president has given me so many opportunities in networking, leadership and professional development, technical advancement, personal encouragement, sense of belonging, and friendship, and I am deeply grateful for your trust in me to serve as your President.

Sincerely,

Garrett Mills, SE | SEAOSC President 2024-2025

President's Message May 2025

Tue, 06 May 2025 16:19:08 GMT

Dear Members,

In the practice of structural engineering, I often find myself coming across a problem that I don't have the ability to solve — I don't have the knowledge, I don't have the tools, I don't have the expertise. I know enough to identify the problem and I usually believe I could spend the time to figure it out — but that would take a lot of time and resources. That's when I turn to colleagues at SEAOSC that do have the knowledge, tools, and expertise for guidance. Knowing that not having the answer myself is not a weakness but an opportunity is incredibly freeing. I have yet to come across a colleague from SEAOSC that is not willing to share openly to help solve my problem. In the past few years, I have approached SEAOSC colleagues for help in addressing my challenges in non-ductile concrete, dynamic analyses, adaptive reuse, low-carbon concrete, type III wood construction, ASCE 41, ERP software, and even advice on managing staff. The trade of structural engineering is not full of trade secrets, it is full of knowledge-sharing.

At SEAOSC, we celebrate this knowledge sharing and collaboration throughout the year with technical and leadership seminars, but our next two events will truly highlight the extent to which our knowledge-sharing is at the core of our identity. Next week, we celebrate Structural Engineering Excellence Awards. As a spectator, these awards are inspiring as they exhibit the best of our ingenuity, collaboration, and knowledge. The "how did they do that?" is explained and celebrated. I can only assume that every project and project team can trace the excellence of structural engineering on display back to a moment (recently or years ago) when they reached out to a colleague for help and can acknowledge the pioneers in structural engineering that came before them that made the achievement possible. I am proud to be part of this profession where we are more prone to share our knowledge with each other than to keep it to ourselves.

In June, we again celebrate excellence, by acknowledging our members that have greatly contributed to our profession at the annual President's Lunch. The individuals being honored cannot imagine a SEAOSC where we would hold on to trade secrets and not share them widely — they are givers and doers and they make our association and our profession excellent. Our morning technical seminars will focus on the way that SEAOSC and our industry partners have given back to our communities' recovery after fire and landslides. I hope to see you at both these events where we celebrate excellence.

If you haven't read it yet, our SEAOC Executive Committee's message on the proposed reorganization of SEAOC exhibits the best of the givers and doers among us at the state level. SEAOC 3.0 reimagines the way we work together to be key influencers, expert resources, and innovative leaders in our profession and community. I encourage you to read the message (https://www.seaoc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=32108&module_id=727503).

Garrett Mills, SE | SEAOSC President 2024-2025

President's Message April 2025

Kathleen Corral — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:29:58 GMT

Dear Members,

As structural engineers, we commonly partner with others in our architecture, engineering, construction industry; our partnerships are what make our projects successful, and we often express gratitude to be on a great project team that enhances and advances our success.

As our SEE Awards approaches on May 14th, we will surely hear the awardees express thanks to the project teams and our hope is that the architects and contractors of those teams can receive thanks in person at the event.

At SEAOSC, our partnerships enhance and advance our profession. We have worked hard this year to build and strengthen our relationships with many partner organizations and I want to take this opportunity to thank and promote this success.

In October, we partnered with AIA Pasadena Foothill to host an in-person SAP training put on by our DES committee.

In November, our partners at ICC taught us about code updates to design temporary structures at our Orange County member breakfast. We continued to cross promote ICC events and collaboration through attending ICC meetings.

In January, our partnerships were further strengthened when a group of AEC organizations formed to jointly respond to the great need for recovery expertise after the wildfires. This joint group includes leaders from SEAOSC, AIA-LA, AIA-PF, AIA-SFV, So Cal NOMA, ASLA, APA-LA, WiOps, USGBC, ACE Mentorship, LA County Public Works, and others. We participated in panel discussions hosted by AIA to represent the structural engineering side of the rebuilding efforts. Our DES committee invited our SAP trained partners from AIA-PF to join us on our reconnaissance team deployed to Altadena.

In February, we hosted a great Career Fair and Emerging Engineers Night where we had representatives from our local student chapters and universities in attendance and several students received scholarships from the SEAOSC Foundation.

In March, our WiSE committee put on an inspiring Leadership Symposium. We continue to strengthen our relationship with Women Working Together and we recently officially signed an MOU with AIA-LA, NAWIC-LA, and WiOPS to enhance and advance this partnership. We have a lot to look forward to in future joint events.

In April, we will join AIA San Fernando Valley for a Structured Connections event in Van Nuys where we will promote our partnerships in advancing Adaptive Reuse strategies and policy. I hope to see you there! This week, SEAOSC student members, faculty, and our volunteers will participate in the ASCE Student Symposium on Cal Poly Pomona's campus and other volunteers will run a SEAOSC table at ACLA's Design by Diversity Day at PCC.

May will bring our Safer Cities annual meeting. We have strengthened relationships with CALBO throughout the years through our Safer Cities initiative and these partnerships continue to be strengthened as we work directly with building officials in recovery and rebuilding initiatives after the wildfires. Last week, several SEAOSC members joined City of Malibu officials on our second reconnaissance trip to fire damaged areas in the City.

June rounds out our SEAOSC year and we will host our President's Lunch on June 11th at the AIA-LA space. Speakers include experts from EERI and other partner organizations. We also end the year commemorating the centennial of the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake with our partners at AIA Santa Barbara and other local organizations. Be on the lookout for promotions for those events.

In writing this, I am amazed, but not surprised, at all the involvement that our members have in these partner organizations (and I am sure I am leaving some out). Our partnerships continue to make our organization successful, and I am grateful for each of our members participating on these great teams that enhance and advance our profession. Join us at these upcoming events!

Garrett Mills, SE | SEAOSC President 2024-2025

2025 SEAOSC Leadership Symposium: Key Takeaways on Growth, Leadership, and Workplace Empowerment

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 22:45:58 GMT

The 2025 SEAOSC Leadership Symposium, curated by the WiSE Committee, brought together industry professionals on March 12 for a day of insightful discussions on leadership, workforce empowerment, and inclusivity in the AEC sector. The event featured a keynote presentation from the former President of Disney Imagineering, Barbara Souza, and panel discussions among established AEC professionals aimed at fostering professional growth and creating a stronger, more inclusive industry.

Opening Keynote: Memorable Experiences—Value the Moment

Barbara Bouza, FAIA, former president of Walt Disney Imagineering, opened the symposium with a keynote on "Memorable Experiences – Value the Moment." Drawing from her experiences at Gensler and Disney, she emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and adaptability in leadership.

“There are always going to be down points, and how you show up in times of challenges really teaches you what you can do,” Barbara remarked. She urged professionals at all levels to recognize their value, stating, “The only difference someone with 30 years of experience has over you is that they have 30 years of experience. It doesn’t mean your points of view and values don't matter.”

Fireside Chat: Elevating Female and Underrepresented Leadership in the AEC Industry (sponsored by Brandow & Johnston)

A fireside chat with Annie Kao, PE, and Juliana Burke, PE, titled "Elevating Female and Underrepresented Leadership in the AEC Industry," addressed the challenges of navigating spaces where one doesn’t always feel they belong. The discussion highlighted the importance of representation, mentorship, and relationship-building in leadership development.

Annie emphasized stepping outside of comfort zones, embracing opportunities, and challenging self-doubt with the question, "Why not?" Annie and Juliana emphasized that discomfort in unfamiliar environments is inevitable, but perseverance and relationship-building can help foster success. Annie highlighted the power of one-on-one connections, showing how small, intentional interactions can create a more inclusive culture.

Lean, Lift and Thrive: Empowering Women Together

This panel discussion featured industry leaders Michelle Kam-Biron, SE, F. SEAOC; Amber Freund, PE; Elizabeth Mahlow, PE; Traci Petcoff Wong, PE; and Minye Pak, SE. The panelists shared how Lean In Circles—small, supportive groups—helped them navigate career challenges, build confidence, and uplift each other.

Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, the idea behind a Lean In Circe is to create an environment to be supportive and confidential within a small diverse group. Their message was clear: embrace vulnerability, use available resources, and advocate for those whose voices need to be heard.

Strategic Networking and Professional Development

Jahida Nadi of Hilti North America led a workshop on how uniqueness helps us improve, where participants identified three of their personal “superpowers” and three areas for improvement. By surrounding themselves with mentors who excel in areas they seek to develop, attendees learned how to leverage diverse perspectives for professional growth.

“Someone else’s superpower can be your next goal,” Nadi advised, underscoring the power of intentional networking and collaboration.

Building a Safe and Respectful Workplace

Dolores Leal, JD, of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, led an important discussion on “Building a Safe and Respectful Workplace.” Specializing in sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and wrongful termination cases, she outlined the five types of harassment defined under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—race, color, religion, nationality, and sex—and shared key statistics and real-world examples.

Key takeaways included documenting incidents, understanding legal protections, and implementing proactive leadership strategies to ensure a culture of accountability and inclusion. Dolores also emphasized the role of both employees and employers in fostering respectful workplaces.

Empowering Your Workforce: Actionable Steps for Engagement and Retention

In the afternoon, Natalie Tse, SE, LEED AP of Tipping, and Claire Leader of Martin/Martin led a discussion on workforce engagement and retention. With only 10% of senior positions in structural engineering being held by women, the session highlighted the urgent need for better workplace policies.

Key strategies included fostering psychological safety, clear communication, and supportive leadership. “What costs little but earns a lot?” the speakers posed—suggesting that small changes, such as setting boundaries, taking PTO, and connecting beyond work, can significantly improve employee retention and well-being.

Closing Panel: Employee Retention & Engagement

Closing out this year’s Leadership Symposium, Kimberly Guzman of Buehler Engineering led a discussion on Employee Retention & Engagement with panelists Matthew Barnard, SE, of Degenkolb Engineers, Molly Pobiel, PE of SGH, Claire Leader, and Natalie Tse, SE, LEED AP.

The conversation tackled challenges for engineers navigating their early careers, emphasizing the importance of work-life balance, self-advocacy, and empathy in the workplace. Natalie highlighted the need to give yourself grace and ask for company-provided resources, while Molly reminded attendees that taking time for yourself ultimately benefits both the employee and the firm. Matt stressed the importance of understanding that everyone’s balance looks different and practicing empathy for others’ choices.

The panel also discussed how organizations can foster a supportive culture, from building connections outside the firm to creating spaces where both employees and leadership can be vulnerable. Companies that recognize and appreciate their employees see better engagement, stronger retention, and long-term success.

Addressing high stress and low compensation, the panel encouraged engineers to advocate for their value, communicate effectively with clients, and work towards licensure to elevate the profession. Matt summed it up emphasizing that what we do is built on integrity and trust—that will help the value of our work shine through.

The SEAOSC Leadership Symposium underscored the importance of embracing challenges, fostering inclusion, and taking actionable steps toward workforce engagement and leadership growth. As the industry evolves, these insights serve as a guiding framework for professionals striving to create a stronger, more equitable future in the AEC community.

President's Message March 2025

Kathleen Corral — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 17:33:50 GMT

Dear Members,

As psychologists and trained disaster workers know, there are emotional phases that we all experience following a disaster — The Six Psychological Stages of a Disaster. For those impacted by the LA Fires, the initial weeklong heroic phase ("I need to do something useful.") and two-month long honeymoon phase ("I'm going to be OK, we're going to get through this together.") are nearing their end.

The next phase is a tough one and may last for 36 months. The disillusionment phase begins after the adrenaline wears off, and the work of rebuilding takes an emotional toll. As described in a recent Psychology Today article, "Frustration, exhaustion, anger, and rage are common… The time it will take to have some semblance of normalcy feels massive, and the emotional toll of dealing with the aftermath may feel insurmountable."

As structural engineers, our work in responding to this disaster is just beginning. Although the emotional disillusionment phase is normal and needed in the emotional recovery process, this is likely the phase in which we encounter those reaching out for our assistance.

Our expertise is desperately needed and SEAOSC is committed to helping fill this need. To that end, we have updated our website to highlight the availability and expertise of our members in the specific areas that will be of most helpat seaosc.org/LA-Fire-Recovery. If you can be of service, please fill out the form here.

Additionally, we continue the efforts that I outlined in my message last month:

Policy: our committee members are engaged directly in conversations with building officials and affiliated AEC organizations in forming policies for the recovery process.

Technical expertise: The document RECOMMENDED INVESTIGATION AND DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR FOUNDATIONS EXPOSED TO FIRE is posted on the SEAOC website. I have personally discussed the guidelines with building officials at City of LA, County of LA, City of Malibu, and City of Pasadena and I pass on their sincere thanks to the SEAOC Wildfire Task Group to put this together. This is an ongoing effort, and our local committees are working to develop the document further. We are also working on technical review and guidance for efficient home construction that could expedite the permitting process.

Reconnaissance: Visits to areas affected by the Eaton Fire and to the Palisades Fire have begun and will continue in the months ahead. The work following the reconnaissance will continue to develop the resources for future wildfire preparedness and recovery efforts.

There is a place for all of us in the recovery efforts. For some, that is policy, technical, reconnaissance, but for all of us, that is to be a trusted resource, advisor, advocate, and leader. To be equipped in this role takes developing the skills needed to engage, communicate, and enter the emotional space where we encounter those in need. I love the theme of next week's Leadership Symposium to be held Wednesday in downtown LA: Leading with Purpose, Inspiring with Passion, Connecting with Impact. I know for myself and all those attending the Symposium that we will leave better equipped to be of service in this time of great need and I look forward to seeing you all there.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

SEAOC Recommended Investigation and Design Guidelines for Foundations Exposed to Fire

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 01:24:16 GMT

This document is a compilation of two recommended guidelines with different objectives. The first presents criteria for the investigation of foundations exposed to fire, and the second presents design criteria for foundations exposed to fire. Discussion of concrete and masonry wall elements is also included. This document should not be taken as a general endorsement or encouragement to reuse any concrete or masonry element exposed to fire.

Additional geotechnical evaluation may be necessary to assess the feasibility of reusing any individual foundation, including retaining walls and their footings.

Additionally, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and any other systems passing through the foundation are beyond the scope of the structural assessment, however these systems should also be evaluated.

When considering rebuilding efforts, the impact of removing and reconstructing foundations on carbon pollution should not be ignored. It is recommended that the owner consult a design professional about the environmental impact of using or not reusing existing foundations.

Following the removal of debris, an assessment of the soil should be conducted to assess if the soil contains any contaminants. This assessment should follow local regulations and be performed by a licensed consultant.

It should be noted that reuse of an existing foundation may have an impact on eligibility to receive financial support from various federal, state, or private entities including but not limited to FEMA and insurance companies. Owners are advised to consult relevant agencies regarding whether reusing a foundation could affect eligibility for federal or state grants, insurance companies’ funds, or other financial aid.

This document is based on the report document, “Investigation Guideline for Foundations and Soils Affected by Fire,” dated 1/9/2019, which was prepared by Degenkolb Engineers and Ninyo & Moore Geotechnical & Environmental Sciences Consultants and presented to the City of Ventura in 2018, following the Thomas Fire of December 2017.

This document has been further modified by the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Wildfire Task Group in January 2025 for specific distribution to Southern California Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ’s) in response to the fires around Los Angeles during January 2025.

Click here to download.

President's Message February 2025

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 21:49:13 GMT

Dear Members,

If I saw you in the last month, I probably told you how grateful I am that you are a part of my community. This sentiment has anchored me as I reflect on the Jan 7th wildfires that destroyed so many homes and structures in our neighborhoods and as I look to the years of rebuilding ahead. At SEAOSC, our response has been swift, organized, and deliberate. We as structural engineers have a unique role to play in the rebuilding effort and we are doing so as a community.

Here are some of the ways that we are responding:

Policy: through our relationships formed over years of work in our Safer Cities program, SEAOSC is communicating directly with building officials and their chief staff. These building officials and staff are working tirelessly to help the public under enormous pressure and SEAOSC is providing technical guidance to help them face current challenges. At the same time, our affiliated groups, AIA and others, are looking at ways that we can help individuals navigate the rebuilding and permitting process efficiently and quickly - we are experts at designing structures and navigating the approval process - and our committees are hard at work to provide input to these efforts.
Technical expertise: our local engineers are engaged in a wider effort to gather relevant information developed following previous wildfires in our state. A SEAOC Wildfire Task Group was immediately formed in the days after January 7th and gathered current resources. These resources were passed on to building officials to aid them in answering the technical questions posed by the public in regards to rebuilding. This is an ongoing effort to continue gathering of technical resources and learn lessons from previous incidents that our members will be able to use to help their clients rebuild. At the more local level, we are also working on technical review and guidance for efficient home construction that could expedite the permitting process.
Reconnaissance: a team has been formed and our Disaster Emergency Services committee is organizing team deployments. Visits to areas affected by the Eaton Fire and to the Palisades Fire have begun and will continue in the months ahead. The work following the reconnaissance will continue to develop the resources for future wildfires.

Our board of directors, our committees, and our members at large are all working together, but we cannot do this without more help from our members. Please reach out to our board, committee chairs, or to me if you want to serve. As we respond to each of these efforts (and more), we do so as a community.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

A Message of Support From the SEAOSC President on the LA Wildfires

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:11:22 GMT

Dear Members,

I hope this message finds you safe and well during this challenging time. As you are aware, the extreme wind event and resulting wildfires currently affecting Los Angeles County have created significant hardships for many in our region. On behalf of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC), I want to express our deep concern for the safety and wellbeing of our members, their families, and the communities we serve. We understand the stress and uncertainty these events can bring, and we want you to know that we are here to support you as needed.

As structural engineers, we play a critical role in ensuring the safety and resilience of our built environment. However, it is equally important to prioritize our own safety and wellbeing. If you or your colleagues are facing difficulties—whether personal, professional, or related to the recovery process—please do not hesitate to reach out to SEAOSC. We are committed to providing resources and connecting you with the assistance you may need during this time. Additionally, we will keep you informed of any coordinated efforts to support recovery and rebuilding in our communities.

Please stay vigilant and follow all safety directives issued by local authorities. SEAOSC will continue to monitor the situation closely, and together, we will navigate these challenges and emerge stronger. Thank you for being part of our community, and please reach out if we can be of assistance.

Stay Safe,

Garrett Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

President's Message January 2025

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:18:20 GMT

Dear Members,

Happy New Year!

The beginning of a new year always puts me in a place of reflection and resolution. I look back at the last year assessing the goals I had set and I make new resolutions for the year ahead. Many of my 2025 goals and resolutions center around finding good balance in my work and home life and in improving as a leader.

For SEAOSC, this is a time of year when we look back at the accomplishments, events, and progress of the past six months, and we commit to goals for the half-year ahead. I am glad to be part of such a great team of leaders committed to making SEAOSC what it is and what it can be. I know for each of them, their skills, abilities, and talents have been developed and honed through their experiences. Their passion for the structural engineering community drives these leaders to share their time and talents with all of us.

For example, our Leadership Symposium planning committee is hard at work shaping the March 12th event to provide excellent content for our members to grow in their own development of these skills, abilities, and talents. I know you will find the event rewarding and I look forward to seeing you there and hearing about how the event helped you meet your own 2025 goals.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

The SoCal Gingerbread Challenge Turns Iconic Buildings to Gingerbread Masterpieces at Discovery Cube OC

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:36:35 GMT

On December 7, over a hundred engineers, architects, and construction professionals and students worked in teams to build 14 incredible replicas of iconic structures – from Santa Monica Pier to Snoopy’s Dog House – that are now on display at Discovery Cube Orange County. The third annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge was one to remember, as visitors to the Discovery Cube watched on in awe as the teams built their masterpieces entirely out of gingerbread, candy, and frosting for five hours.

Each structure was handcrafted with care and everything was made on site, including each carved pumpkin gingerly placed upon the Haunted Holiday Mansion and each icicle hanging from the eaves of the Geisel Library.

The teams came into the day with carefully drawn blueprints and a plan laid out for the five hours of construction as visitors, including some friends and family, came out to show their support.

“It was unlikely we were going to win in any of the aesthetic categories,” one of the Team Burj Frostifa (University of Southern California) members said, “So we went for height.” Standing at nearly seven feet tall, the replica of the Burj Khalifa won for “Tallest Structure.”

For others, the design played a bigger part. The Hayao P Moorizaki team from Walter P Moore—one of four teams bringing an animated film to life—built the bath house from “Spirited Away,” saying that “[We] really wanted to get it right, [we] were worried that nobody would know what it was.”

Team Hilti North America brought the holiday cheer as they traded construction hard hats for sparkly Christmas tree hats and Team Cal Poly Pomona donned reindeer antlers.

Cal Poly Pomona won the “Team Spirit Award” for a lofty rendition of Rapunzel’s Tower from the “Tangled” movie. “We cooked,” they celebrated as they put on the final touches to the tower: a strand of long blonde hair from a wig meant to resemble Rapunzel’s braid.

The final structures are on display at the Discovery Cube OC until January 5, and a People’s Choice category is now open for visitors to vote for their favorites.

The 2024 Gingerbread Challenge winners are:

Best Decorated: Coco's Marigold Bridge by Team Un Poco Loco of ICC-ES
Best In Show: The Geisel Library by the Team the Grouchy Grinch Gang of Brandow & Johnston & NAC
Best Replica Building: Haunted Mansion Holiday by Hohbach-Lewin & HMC Architects
Most Creative Original Design: "Only In SoCal" by Team Hilti North America
President’s Award: Deetz/Maitland Residence Team MiTek/SidePlate
Tallest Structure: Burj Khalifa by Team Burj Frostifa, USC EERI-SEAOSC sponsored by AISC
Team Spirit Award: Rapunzel's Tower by Team Cal Poly Pomona sponsored by Concrete West Construction

We can’t wait to bring this back next year with even more amazing feats of engineering and gingerbread magic! View all event photos here.

President's Message December 2024

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 07:41:58 GMT

Dear Members,

I still remember my first professional career fair. As a second year student in Cal Poly-SLO's Architectural Engineering program, my classmates and I dressed up in our professional attire (me in a coat and tie) and carpooled to the Embassy Suites. We were just figuring out what structural engineering was all about in our academic program and this career fair gave us an invaluable opportunity to meet top engineers at the top firms in Southern and Northern California that were looking for new talent. I did not land a job at one of those firms that summer (I stayed more local to my parent's house and interned at a very small engineering firm instead), but several of those company representatives made a lasting impression on me and opened my eyes to the structural engineering profession.

Over the many years since then, I have met many, many students that have made a lasting impression on me from the other side of the table. I leave every career fair impressed by the potential new talent and anxious to get interviews scheduled before these impressive students get snatched up!

As we enter another hiring season, our SEAOSC board is excited to once again provide THE premier in-person job fair for structural engineering students in Southern California. On February 12th, SEAOSC will host its in-person career fair since 2020, which will be the pre-event to our annual Emerging Engineer's and Foundation Scholarship program later that same evening. Nowhere else, will students from Southern California's top engineering schools be all in one place. Registration for firms will be open soon (space will be limited) and students will want to get this date on their calendars for this invaluable opportunity to network with these top engineers at the top firms in Southern California. You can be assured that this career fair will leave a lasting impression on you and you will not want to miss out.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

Information on the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 23:14:36 GMT

Under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), many small business owners in the United States are required to file beneficial ownership information reports (BOIR) by January 1, 2025. Failure to submit the new paperwork by the deadline puts small business owners at risk of criminal penalties, imprisonment, and fines up to $10,000.

The CTA was enacted in 2021 to help prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and tax fraud. Under the CTA, which went into effect on January 1 of this year, businesses must provide their legal name and trademarks, as well as their current U.S. address. They’ll also need to provide a taxpayer identification number and specify the jurisdiction where they were formed or registered.

All businesses that fall under the definition of a reporting company must file a BOIR by January 1, 2025. Reporting companies are those that fall under the following requirements:

Are for-profit, privately held companies registered to conduct business in the U.S.
Have 20 or fewer employees or have $5 million or less in gross sales or receipts.

Most applicable businesses must file by January 1, 2025, with two exceptions.

New companies created between Jan. 1, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025 need to file within 90 days of formation.
Companies formed after Jan. 1, 2025 will need to file within 30 days of formation.

There are 23 exemptions for small businesses that will not have to file a BOIR. Find out if your business is exempt here. Publicly traded companies and non-profits do not fall under the CTA, as they are subject to their own reporting requirements.

If this act applies to you, file your report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) here. There are organizations challenging the legitimacy of this act in court, but until a verdict is reached, the deadline applies.

For more information, view the Small Business Administration’s guide for complying with the CTA or their blog post on what every small business should know about the CTA.

President's Message November 2024

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 01:02:42 GMT

Dear Members,

We often use this line as an icebreaker at SEAOSC leadership meetings, "What was your introduction to SEAOSC - why did you first join?" For me, the answer is technical expertise. As an emerging engineer working for a small design firm, I found SEAOSC to be the place where I could find the technical knowledge that was "of the moment" and that I could not get anywhere else. I would drive down from San Luis Obispo early on a Saturday morning to attend a full-day technical seminar at the Long Beach Grand Event Center. I would often run into fellow alumni from my college program, meet welcoming and experienced engineers (including the speakers), and listen to some old-timers question the state of structural engineering. I would leave with a head full of new knowledge, new networking relationships, and a sense of my own expertise enhanced with the day of learning.

In that sense, SEAOSC has maintained its technical excellence over the years. We are still providing the excellent training of our current and emerging professionals, leaving attendees with heads full of knowledge and expertise, and still being a welcoming place for networking with the leaders in our field. We held our first technical dinner meeting in many years last month, and we will round out the year with two more opportunities for highly technical presentations. I hope you will join us at the Orange County breakfast on November 13th and at the half-day Winter Technical Program on December 11th on the campus of Cal State LA. Both events will leave you filled with knowledge, enhanced in your expertise, networked with new professional connections, and inspired by your day of learning.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

President's Message October 2024

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:22:20 GMT

Dear Members,

Fall is fully here! This is my favorite season of the year as for me it brings a big reset to regularity in my life. School started back up and my home schedule is in the regular rhythms and routines of my kids' school and after school activities. The work week finds my coworkers and me more regularly in the office. Weekends are spent mostly at home working on the house and following football (and fantasy football) instead of traveling.

Fall is also the kickoff of so many of our SEAOSC activities. Committees are reshaped and reformed with new members, with new charges and goals, and with attending our annual Committee Showcase event just last week. Our student groups start their academic year with new officers, new members added to our roles, and with new opportunities for SEAOSC to stay connected with our campuses. This year, fall brings back the fondly remembered in-person dinner meetings that we hosted regularly pre-pandemic. That's right - dinner meetings ARE BACK and you really should sign up right now for October 9th in downtown LA.

As you settle into the regular rhythms and routines of this fall season, I hope to see you connecting with SEAOSC regularly and routinely!

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.

SEAOSC President 2024-25

Earthquake Response: What Structural Engineers Need to Do to Stay Prepared

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:49:51 GMT

Recent increases in seismic activity in Southern California remind us all of the importance of earthquake readiness and preparation. As professionals dedicated to safeguarding our communities, it’s crucial for structural engineers to be prepared to respond to our families and communities in the next large event. Here are some key steps to ensure we’re ready to respond:

Get certified: Consider enrolling as a Cal OES SAP evaluator or renewing your status if expired. Ensure you have obtained your digital SAP ID via the VEOCI program. SEAOSC will be hosting a SAP evaluator training in October.
Educate clients: Remind your clients about the vulnerable building types they may own or work on. Offer informational resources on retrofit opportunities and ordinance measures, such as our SEAOSC Safety Fact Sheet and SEAOC Seismically Vulnerable Building Fact Sheet.
Review emergency plans: Review and re-familiarize yourself with your firm’s emergency response plan. If your firm does not have an emergency response plan, now is the time to put one together.
Promote preparedness: Join the upcoming Great ShakeOut earthquake drills on Oct 17 and encourage your network to participate.
Engage with SEAOSC: SEAOSC has a variety of committees that offer further opportunities to get involved and support your community. View the list and how to join at seaosc.org/Committees. Not sure which is best for your interest, email us, and we’ll find the right one: seaosc@seaosc.org
Sign up for alerts: Sign up for an Earthquake Early Warning alert system, provided through various sources. Here is one resource that is being used by some of our members: myshake.berkeley.edu

Let’s stay vigilant and prepared to protect our families and communities.

President's Message September 2024

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:47:01 GMT

Dear Members,

This week, our members head to Portland to attend the annual SEAOC Convention; the place for networking, development, and technical knowledge opportunities all condensed into a few days. I think back to the very first convention I attended back in 2010 in Indian Wells, which I attended from a generous younger member grant provided by Nabih Youssef. I left that week amazed at having connected with many other structural engineers from around the state - firm leaders, mid-career engineers, and young members alike - I had found my people in the conversations I had that week. I was also impressed by the technical seminars and the access I had to learn about current studies within the forefront of structural engineering. This week, SEAOC continues to carry the charge to provide grants to young engineers in our profession through the Pathways program and now I get to be a Pathways Partner and see the development of our younger members from that lens. If you are attending this week’s convention, I look forward to connecting with you in person.

Convention, however, is not the only place to have these networking and technical knowledge experiences and we at SEAOSC are working to provide several such opportunities this year. Two upcoming events are worthy of a special note this month. September 25th will be our Committee Showcase event where you can connect with committee chairs and hear their pitch for the work they plan on doing this year. And October 9th brings an in-person dinner meeting where we will hear about the changes in ASCE-22 to geotechnical provisions that will affect our structural design. Both of these events are opportunities to connect with other engineers - to find your people - and I hope to see you there.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

Message From President Garrett Mills, SE: Highland Park Earthquake Response

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:19:07 GMT

For several years now, SEAOSC has been working on our public messaging following hazard events – an effort that has been picked up by our state partners at SEAOC and our national partners at NCSEA for larger events – but that remains local for smaller events. Yesterday’s 4.4 magnitude earthquake falls below the threshold for triggering our messaging, however, the epicenter being very close to downtown Los Angeles deserved a response. Many of us members and certainly many Angelenos felt the shaking and we thought about how our buildings responded and how they would respond in a much bigger earthquake. SEAOSC issued a statement to local media outlets directing the public to contact their local structural engineer for building evaluations and damage assessments using the Find an Engineer page on our website and directing the media to contact one of our named media relations members for interviews. If you as a member find yourself receiving inquiries from the media for a response from a structural engineer, we would encourage you to send them our way by contacting mediarelations@seaosc.org.

President's Message August 2024

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 06:20:48 GMT

Dear Members,

The new SEAOSC year is now officially in full swing.

This past week launched our new SEAOSC year with two big events. The first was a kickoff retreat with our new Board of Directors and committee chairs - where a room full of our dedicated volunteer leaders spent the day celebrating the work that we have done together the past several years and exchanging ideas about the work ahead of us. The second was our golf tournament on August 5th - the first member event of the new SEAOSC year. Both events were a tremendous success.

SEAOSC’s committees remain the most vital part of the association. As we look forward to the restart of the academic school year, we also restart our committee goals and rosters for the year.

Just like the member that played their first round of golf at the SEAOSC tournament, we as association leaders want to help break down the intimidation barrier that may prevent someone from joining a committee. To that end, committee meetings are open to anyone to attend as an observer and I encourage you to consider which committee would be of particular interest to you. I personally was much further in my career and involvement at SEAOSC before I realized that I could enrich my experience by taking part in committee work. Even as a young engineer, I had plenty to add and I would have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge from just being in the room. I hope you will take a moment and review https://seaosc.org/Committee-Pages and find the committee that most interests you - you definitely belong and have plenty to add!

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

President's Message July 2024

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 21:06:57 GMT

Dear Members,

It is the 30th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake and 2025 will bring the 100 year anniversary of the Santa Barbara earthquake. These anniversaries give us unique opportunities to promote structural engineering in our communities.

Our safer cities initiatives are up and running. This year we will continue the work of advocating for sensible legislation with our policy-making partners. We expect to partner with two or three more cities this year that will be enacting retrofit ordinances.

We also look to bolster our relationships with our partners in academia, both faculty and students, as we in Southern California drive research that has local, state, national, and global impacts.

We have a full calendar of events through the rest of the year, and you can mark your calendars now for the 2nd Wednesday of each month to attend a SEAOSC event.

Our regular slate of events over the course of the year includes the Golf Tournament, the SEAOC convention in Portland, our Committee Showcase, Gingerbread Challenge, Trivia Night, Emerging Engineers Night, SEE Awards, and June Technical Summit.

The upcoming year also brings back the in-person Career Fair, the Leadership Symposium, in-person dinners and a winter technical day.   In addition, Structured Connections events throughout the year are being reimagined as partnership events with industry partners like AIA and ICC as we continue to strengthen those relationships.

I am grateful for your involvement in the Association, in your committee work, in attending and planning events, in being mentors and advocates for our emerging professionals, and in promoting and elevating the profile of our distinguished profession. You are truly inspiring, and I look forward to serving you as your President.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25

Structural Engineer Spotlight Series: Something from Nothing

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 01:36:44 GMT

Join us for an inspiring webinar series, "Structural Engineer Spotlight Series: Something from Nothing" featuring the incredible journeys of members from the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC). This series is created by the esteemed filmmaker Dilip Khatri and showcases the personal and professional stories of SEAOSC members as they navigate their paths from humble beginnings to becoming influential figures in the field of structural engineering.

This series dives deep into the lives of structural engineers who have overcome various challenges to achieve remarkable success. Each episode highlights a different member, exploring their unique backgrounds, career milestones, and the pivotal moments that defined their journeys. These stories not only celebrate their achievements but also offer valuable insights and inspiration to aspiring engineers and seasoned professionals alike.

Episode #1 July 19th at 12:00 CST : Tells the story of Lorena Arce, and her journey, struggles and steps to becoming the engineer she is today followed by a live Q&A session with Lorena. Register here.

Episode #2 August 16th at 12:00 CST : Tells the story of Adena Geiger and her journey from Iran, through a rigorous education process to a graduate with her Masters in Civil Engineering. This will be followed by a live Q&A session with Adena. Register here.

Episode #3 September 20th at 12:00 CST: Tells the story of Daryl Frigillana and his journey towards becoming a structural engineer followed by a live Q&A session with Daryl. Register here.

Thank you to Dilip Khatri for producing and creating this film series.

This event has been brought to you by the NCSEA Foundation. Donate to the Foundation.

SEAOSC Hosted 2024 Safer Cities Breakfast to Help SoCal City Leaders Make Buildings More Resilient

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 02:30:51 GMT

This June, SEAOSC hosted its annual Safer Cities Breakfast where building officials and city leaders from across Southern California joined SEAOSC leadership to discuss how they can work together to make buildings safer and more resilient.

Attendees discussed soft story retrofitting strategies and the main challenge they’re running into to get these programs adopted and in place. Many cities discovered that they’re facing the same challenge: educating their local communities (and leaders) about the need to invest in long-term safety for older buildings. As a result, SEAOSC is now developing communication materials for local governments and communities to raise awareness and spur action.

As it continues to work with local leaders to make Southern Californian cities safer, SEAOSC plans to engage on additional issues like reoccupation strategies post-earthquake as well as other emerging issues where SEAOSC’s collective expertise can advance these critical priorities.

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Traci Wong, P.E.

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 04:26:10 GMT

SEAOSC is delighted to announce that Traci Wong, PE, Principal at Miyamoto, will join the SEAOSC board for the 2024-26 term. Traci’s extensive experience and passion for structural engineering make her an invaluable addition to the board, and we look forward to her contributions in the coming years.

Traci’s relationship with SEAOSC began over 25 years ago when she joined the student chapter at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Her decision to join was inspired by the collaboration and fellowship she observed among structural engineering professionals at various stages of their careers. Traci reflects, "I’ve stayed a member because I’ve been enriched by many of my colleagues who have become friends, resources, teachers, advocates, and industry leaders. I believe that when we elevate and support each other, we strengthen and evolve our profession. I will continue as a member in hopes that I can give back the support and integrity I was lucky enough to experience and grow from."

Traci’s path into the structural engineering industry was ultimately motivated by the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. She recalls, "My school bus stop on Olympic and Barrington in West Los Angeles was directly in front of the 6-story L- L-shaped concrete frame Barrington Building. Before it was quickly demolished, I spent some time looking at the collapsed 2nd story, the prominent X-cracks in the columns, and the crushed corner columns and exposed rebar. The building was not much older than me and I was fascinated by the “why” and how a newer building could sustain that extent of damage. My friend’s house slid off the foundation and another’s apartment was unsafe to return to. I witnessed the impact of the devastation and wanted to be part of a solution, so I chose structural engineering as a major and never looked back."

As Traci steps into her role as a SEAOSC board member, her drive to contribute to safer, more resilient buildings and communities will undoubtedly enrich SEAOSC and the broader structural engineering community. We are excited to welcome her and we look forward to the positive impact she will make during her term.

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Hooman Tavallali, S.E.

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 05:56:07 GMT

SEAOSC is pleased to announce that Hooman Tavallali, SE, Structural Principal Engineer at Cannon, will serve as an incoming SEAOSC board member for the 2024-26 term!

Hooman’s engagement with structural engineering associations has been a cornerstone of his professional journey. Reflecting on his involvement, he shared, "Joining SEAOSC was a natural step for me. Since the start of my professional career, I have been a member of one of the Structural Engineering associations. My journey began with SEAONY when I took my first job in New York City. After moving to California, I joined SEAONC, and finally, I became a member of SEAOSC when I relocated to Irvine two years ago. Throughout my career, I have actively participated in different committees."

For him, his membership in these associations serves two critical purposes. "Firstly, it provides a platform to contribute to both the Structural Engineering community and the general public by promoting the importance of our profession. Secondly, I have always benefited from the interactions with my colleagues and peers, learning from them, and having a common venue to discuss and address the challenges faced by the Structural Engineering community. As structural engineers, we are problem solvers, and there is no better way to tackle our profession's challenges than by collaborating with our peers."

Hooman is particularly enthusiastic about the future of the Structural Engineering industry, driven by technological advancements and a focus on sustainability. "What excites me most about the future of the Structural Engineering industry is the rapid advancement in technology and its potential to revolutionize our field. Innovations in materials, construction methods, and design software are opening up new possibilities for creating safer, more efficient, and sustainable structures. Additionally, the growing emphasis on resilience and sustainability is driving the industry towards developing solutions that not only meet the needs of today but also address the challenges of the future, such as climate change and urbanization. The increasing integration of interdisciplinary approaches and collaboration with other fields also promises to enhance our ability to solve complex problems and innovate continuously. The future of Structural Engineering is bright with opportunities to make a significant impact on society and the built environment." he explained.

When asked about the SEAOSC Community, Hooman emphasized the value of the association's collaborative spirit and the professional growth opportunities it offers. "What I value most about our SEAOSC community is the collaborative spirit and the opportunities it provides for professional growth. The interactions with colleagues and peers are incredibly enriching, offering a platform to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and collectively work towards solutions. This community not only fosters professional development but also promotes the importance of Structural Engineering to the general public, enhancing the impact of our profession. The support and camaraderie within SEAOSC make it an invaluable resource for any structural engineer."

Hooman's proven track record in the industry and active participation in various committees demonstrate his commitment to advancing the field of Structural Engineering. SEAOSC looks forward to his contributions, innovative ideas, and collaborative approach that will significantly enhance the organization's efforts to promote the profession and address the evolving challenges within the industry.

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Mikhail Gershfeld, S.E.

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 21:56:06 GMT

SEAOSC is pleased to announce that Mikhail Gershfeld, S.E., Professional Practice Professor of Civil Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, will be serving as an incoming SEAOSC board member for the 2024-26 term!

Mikhail's journey into the structural engineering industry is as inspiring as it is unique. Reflecting on his early fascination with the field, he recounted: "I was 12 years old when, during our family visit to a technical bookstore, my father told me to pick a book I wanted to buy. I found a book on structural failures with images and descriptions. I could not believe that these large buildings and bridges could just collapse. I ended up buying that book and have read and re-read it multiple times. Since then, I have wanted to learn why these structures fail and how we can prevent it from happening." This early curiosity laid the foundation for his career, focusing on designing safe and reliable structures.

As a professor at Cal Poly Pomona, Mikhail has a wide range of research interests that reflect his dedication to improving the field of structural engineering. His research areas include Timber Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, Community Resilience, and Interdisciplinary Education.

Offering advice to future engineers, Mikhail emphasized professional integrity: "There will be a time in your engineering practice when your or someone else's poor business decision (low fee, not enough time, not enough personnel, pressure from the customer) might cause you to consider "cutting corners" to accommodate the business situation. My advice is simple: keep business failures from ever impacting the quality of your professional work; draw a bright red line between the two, and once the business decision is made, perform professional work of the highest quality you can."

Mikhail's appointment to the SEAOSC board highlights his expertise and leadership. His commitment to integrity, prevention of structural failures, and diverse research interests inspire current and future engineers. As he takes on this new role, the structural engineering community can look forward to his continued contributions and positive impact.

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Kurt Clandening, S.E.

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 21:27:42 GMT

Kurt Clandening, S.E., is stepping into his new role as a SEAOSC board member. As the President of John A. Martin & Associates (JAMA), Kurt brings a wealth of experience and passion to the organization.

Kurt's journey with SEAOSC began during his college years. He joined the association as a student and has maintained his membership for the past 36 years. His involvement with SEAOSC has varied over the years, but his commitment to the organization highlights his dedication to the structural engineering community.

Looking ahead, Kurt is most excited about the future of the structural engineering industry due to its dynamic young members. He is inspired by their eagerness to learn and their drive to advance the field, "It’s both a profession and a practice, keep practicing." Kurt advised.

His path into the industry was guided by his dual love for construction and mathematics. His high school drafting teacher recognized this unique combination of interests and suggested structural engineering as a career. This recommendation proved to be a perfect fit, leading Kurt into a profession where he could merge his passions and talents.

As Kurt takes on his new role with SEAOSC, his extensive experience, enthusiasm for the future, and commitment to continuous improvement will undoubtedly significantly impact the organization and the structural engineering community.

President's Message June 2024

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 21:19:06 GMT

Dear Members,

One thing I have learned in my career and certainly in this year as President of SEAOSC, is that you cannot do everything. There is only so much time and even with all the drive in the world, everyone needs some help. Our community at SEAOSC is one of our greatest strengths and our ability to achieve great things comes from the dedication of many people working together to create all that we do. I have been fortunate to be President the past year of this amazing Association and if getting help or delegating some of the workload wasn't part of my role as President, I am not sure how much would have been achieved.

I shared with you in my newsletters over the course of the year, my "thoughts and words to work (and live by…. i.e. Thoughts for Leadership)". They are words written on a note card that I keep on my desk and they include Attitude, Gratitude, Kindness, Patience, Accountability, Efficiency, Trusted Advisor and Delegate. Somewhere in each day, I find at least one of these words helps me think through a critical decision or challenging conversation.

So, in this last newsletter of my Presidency, delegating takes center stage. As a leader, if you do not delegate, you cannot achieve to the full potential of your company, team or association. And as I look back on the last year, I know that together we achieved so much and I am so thankful for all the hard work of our members and committees in making our profession and our organization, what we are today.

May was a big month for the Association. Our Structural Engineering Excellence and Safer Cities Awards were presented. A great group of members and guests attended the awards event held at the Mark Taper Auditorium in the Center Library in DTLA. Congrats to all our SEE awards winners and to our Safer Cities Partner, City and Member awardees. And a big Thank You to our event sponsors CSI, John A Martin and Associates, Arup, Miyamoto, Durafuse Frames, and Fyfe.

Coming up in June (and beyond) we have several events that should not be missed:

June (future) events:

June 12th - The Northridge 30 Earthquake Webinar - Episode 3: 30 Years of Progress in Quantification of Seismic Hazards
June 13th - Joint Sustainability + Younger Member Committee Happy Hour Event
June 26th - Technical Summit & President's Lunch at the City Club in DTLA
July 11th - 2024 Golf Tournament Training Session @ Top Golf in Montebello.
August 5th - Annual SEAOSC Golf Tournament at Friendly Hills CC in Whittier.

Be sure to come out to our Technical Summit and President's Lunch on June 26th. We have a great lineup of programs along with our annual Association Awards including the celebration of our newest SEAOC Fellow from our MO. Congratulations to Jeff Ellis!

Thank you again for everything you do for our Association and our profession. It has been a tremendous honor being your President for 2023-24. Thank you. I know we are in good hands with Garrett Mills who will take the reins as our 2024-25 SEAOSC President on July 1st.

Hope to see you at an event soon!

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Treasurer: Daniel Fox, S.E.

Mon, 27 May 2024 21:42:09 GMT

SEAOSC is pleased to introduce Daniel Fox, SE, as the new SEAOSC Treasurer for the 2024-2026 term. Dan brings his extensive experience and dedication to this pivotal role, balancing his responsibilities as an Associate and Project Manager at MHP Structural Engineers.

Dan's decision to join SEAOSC was fueled by the desire to contribute positively to the structural engineering community. "SEAOSC offers tremendous opportunities to make a positive impact on our industry and profession, to assist in keeping our communities safe, and to grow the profession through mentorship of students and emerging engineers," Dan explains. This motivation has kept him actively involved in the organization, where he continues to help shape its future and that of the structural engineering profession.

Dan is particularly enthusiastic about the future of the structural engineering (SE) industry. He points to several exciting developments on the horizon, including advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainability initiatives, policy and ordinance changes, and adaptive reuse projects. "I’m thrilled to be part of this evolution and eager to make an impact on the tomorrow," he says. Dan's vision and proactive approach ensure he remains at the forefront of these transformative changes.

When it comes to advising the next generation of structural engineers, Dan's message is clear: "Be a 'yes' person opening and walking through the door of as many opportunities as you can." This approach is essential for young engineers looking to make significant contributions to the field.

Dan's long-standing membership in SEAOSC, dating back to 2007, showcases his commitment to the organization. He has previously served as a SEAOSC board member and remains active in various committees, including SEAOSC student chapters. Through these roles, he continues to mentor and support emerging engineers, fostering growth and innovation within the industry.

His election as SEAOSC's Treasurer reflects his dedication to leadership, innovation, and mentorship in the structural engineering community. Dan's active involvement and forward-thinking vision are sure to drive positive changes for SEAOSC and the profession as a whole.

President's Message May 2024

Tue, 07 May 2024 01:33:50 GMT

Dear Members,

Welcome to May! Our fiscal year is rapidly coming to an end here in June for the 2023-24 year. The association has been busy with event and end of year planning for the upcoming 2024-25 calendar!

In April we had two great partnership meetings with AIA LA:

April 18th - AIA Panel on Adaptive Reuse cosponsored by SEAOSC
April 24th - SEAOSC & AIA Joint Meeting - Presentation on Adaptive Reuse

Both of these were hosted in local offices and were attended by many members from both AIA and SEAOSC. Adaptive reuse is a hot topic these days and these events highlighted not only the current state of practice, but also changes that are coming. Stay tuned for more events on this topic...

We also had a packed agenda for our board of directors meeting in April with significant work to be done in May and June to finish our fiscal year. Among many topics, we approved the recommend slate of new BOD for 2024 (these were presented to our membership in our newsletter two weeks ago). We also approved our updated Bylaws. This is the first complete overhaul of our Association Bylaws in over 20 years! We also discussed and confirmed a one-year extension of our Association Management Company in Stratiscope. We appreciate all they have done for us and look forward to continued work together.

In May we have our annual Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) Awards on May 29th at the Mark Taper Auditorium in DTLA. This will be a great event highlighting significant achievements in Structural Engineering and we look forward to celebrating with you. I hope you will be there.

And then in June is our annual President's Lunch with Technical seminar in the morning. We'll be hosting this event at the City Club in DTLA this year. We have an exciting technical lineup with programming including Adaptive Reuse recommendations from our existing building committee, disaster response event overviews, Wind code updates, and a Pathway's panel discussion. This will be followed by our annual President's lunch and awards ceremony. Don't miss out on this fun annual event.

And then we will race right into July and summer and seat our new BOD on July 1st with Garrett Mills as your President. Golfing is right around the corner.

Hope to see you soon!

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message April 2024

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 22:12:41 GMT

Dear Members,

Our calendar year for SEAOSC goes from July 1^st to June 30^th each year. So, as we enter April, it’s the 4^th quarter. March Madness is in full swing, basketball and hockey playoffs are right around the corner, and if you are a soccer fan like me, European soccer seasons are nearing their seasons end.

Yes, I am a sports fan, but I also love the competition, drive, and challenge of the fourth quarter of a game, a deadline that is fast approaching or completing everything we can in this calendar year. It’s been a busy 9 months at SEAOSC and we have a lot going on (and a lot still to do!) as we hit our 4^th quarter.

Before we talk about what is ahead though, I do want to thank all our volunteers who helped put on our Emerging Engineers night. And thank you to the SEAOSC Foundation for once again recognizing a number of outstanding students with scholarship awards. It was a great night that was capped by an amazing panel of incredibly talented and distinguished engineers in Susan Dowty, Farzad Naiem, Mel Green and Jeff Ellis. And thanks to our current Treasurer and future President in 2025-26, Maria Mohammed for leading our panel on the night. Congrats to all!

March was also highlighted by a Structural Connections event in Orange County at Degenkolb’s offices as well as a Women Working Together Networking Happy Hour in DTLA at JAMA’s offices.

One of the most critical aspects of our organization is our committees. There are so many critical discussions that are worked through in these groups as we advocate for our profession. If you are not part of one of the dozen or so committees, please consider reaching out to join. It does involve extra time beyond each of our “day jobs” but trust me in that you will gain just as much as you give.

One committee that has been hard at work is our Sustainability Committee lead by Chair, Rachelle Habchi. And something that everyone may not know is that new embodied carbon reduction mandates in CA are set to take effect on July 1^st. Building code changes are coming that will limit embodied carbon emissions in the construction, remodel, or adaptive reuse of certain commercial buildings. Here is a link to a YouTube recording of the second WBLCA webinar on the updates.

Also of note is the SEAOC SE Pathways initiative. While applications for this years SE Pathways just closed on April 1^st, there is still time to support the initiative by becoming a sponsor. This is a great initiative that supports the advancement of our profession.

Other topics that are at the forefront of our Association right now include:

Bylaw Revisions – We moved the BOD vote on the latest updates to our April Board meeting where we will review and vote on the latest changes.
SEE Awards – Thank you for all the applications received this year. We will be reviewing all entries and look forward to the awards event on May 29^th at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the LA Central Library in DTLA.
SEAOSC Convention committee for 2026. Come join our convention committee as we kick off our work for hosting the state convention in 2026.
Our annual SEAOSC awards presented at the President’s lunch is fast approaching. If you have any recommendations, do not hesitate to reach out.
Program and Budget for 2024-25 – We are well into planning for our next year pulling together program and budgets. Garrett Mills will be our President in 2024-25 and I am so excited to see what next year will bring. If you have any recommendations for programming in the coming year, there is no better time than now to speak up! Please reach out Garrett at garrett@tsstructural.com.

And in addition to all these topics, here are the next events coming up. I hope to see you there!

April 10^th – Structured Connections in Pasadena.
April 13^th – ACLA – Design by Diversity Day 2024 (East LA College)
April 24^th - SEAOSC & AIA Joint Event – Adaptive Reuse Ordinance Expansion
May 15^th – Webinar from our Concrete Committee (Topic forthcoming)
May 29^th – 2024 SEAOSC SEE Awards (LA Central Library)
June - Presidents Lunch and ½ day technical session
July – Topgolf event
August 5^th – Annual Golf Tournament at Friendly Hills Country Club

Have a great April!

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message March 2024

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 22:39:42 GMT

Dear Members,

I recently read an article about decision making. How many decisions do you make each day? Just getting out of bed as you wake up (decision #1), you probably make 10 or more. I was surprised to read that the average number of adult choices each day is 35,000! How many of these decisions do we make at work? For our projects? When we think about this collectively with working with others, my guess is the number is in the hundreds of thousands or millions for a single structural engineering project!

Decisions for our projects from multiple people must go together and while not all need to work, most will need to. Our clients look to us for our expertise and guidance while they risk their capital driving new development. We are tasked with providing the support they need when they need it. It's the trusted advisor role that we can deliver that keeps them coming back to the expert they know and need. And in many ways, SEAOSC looks to provide this support to our members. We want to be that trusted advisor that you look to and need when you have a question or need support. Do not forgot that we are here—reach out when you need support!

As we roll into March, there are a number of things that we are busy working on:

Our Bylaw revisions were put out to a vote by membership. Thank you to those who voted and provided feedback. Amendments and changes to our Bylaws are governed by Section IX of our current Bylaws (https://seaosc.org/BylawS). Although we did not exceed 50% of our members voting, we did receive votes from more than 20% of our voting members. Therefore, in accordance with our Bylaws, our BOD will be voting this month at our monthly board meeting to approve or oppose the latest revisions (with one minor update from member comments).

SEE (Structural Engineering Excellence) Award nominations are here. Don't forget to sign up your best projects and be recognized!

This year’s State convention will be in Portland in September. In 2025, the state Convention will be back in San Diego. As with tradition, each MO hosts and helps plan a convention once every four years and SEAOSC's next convention to host will be in 2026. So, come join the committee! We are just beginning to plan and you can help shape where we may go! If you have interest in joining, please reach out to me directly at craig.m.chamberlain@imegcorp.com or to our association at seaosc@seaosc.org.

We have a number of events coming up as well.

March 6 - Structural Connections: Orange County (Degenkolb Offices)
March 7, 14, 21 - NCSEA/SEAOC Webinar Series
March 13 - Emerging Engineers Night (DTLA @ Boomtown Brewery)
March 21 - Women Working Together Networking Happy Hour (DTLA @ JAMA offices)
April - SEAOSC & AIA Joint Membership Mtg
May - SEE Awards
June - President's Lunch

I hope to see you all there.

Wishing you a productive and inspiring March!

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message February 2024

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 05:45:56 GMT

Dear Members,

Winter is in full swing. If you are in Southern California reading this message this week, you are probably inside trying to stay out of the cold and rainy weather we are having.

Although one of the main reasons we all live in California (and particularly Southern California) is the sunny weather we have for most of the year, I love the rain. It changes what we might think to do. It gives us a pause from the hustle and bustle of events outside to maybe stay inside... And in my case, provide some time to sit down and reflect on my President's Message!

January was a very busy kickoff to the calendar year for SEAOSC. We had our Symposium on the Northridge earthquake at CalTech on January 17. This was an opportunity to look back at what happened, examine what we have done since then to make our community more resilient, and look forward to what we continue to work on. We brought community leaders, government and building officials, structural engineers, and first responders together in a collective discussion about structural engineering, seismic design, and our preparedness for the next one.

And we can’t forget about our very successful Trivia Night just a week ago with nearly 20 teams. Congrats to all the participants and our winners for a fun night! And our events rolled right into February from there with our annual Structured Connections event in San Luis Obispo on the weekend of the Cal Poly SLO Structural Forum. Thank you to all who attended—and for those of you we missed, we look forward to seeing you there next year.

One of the many organizations we stay connected with at SEAOSC is the Applied Technology Council. SEAOSC has a designated member on the ATC board which has been recently filled by Michael Cochran. He has done a tremendous job as our board representative. Michael terms out this month on the ATC Board and we thank him for his service. David Cocke has taken over as the SEAOSC rep on the board of ATC and we look forward to his support of ATC as our SEAOSC rep in the coming years.

The next balloting discussion for updated provisions for the 2026 NEHRP cycle through the BSSC is upon us. Get involved on the Seismology committee if you want to have a voice through SEAOSC and SEAOC on these measures.

I’d like to highlight a number of exciting things going on and coming up at SEAOSC in the months ahead:

We have a co-sponsored webinar between ASCE/EERI/SEAOSC coming up in mid-February that expands on some of the topics discussed at the Northridge Symposium.
In March, our Emerging Engineers Night on March 13 will be a great dinner program that you should not miss. Come and meet this year's Foundation scholarship recipients and then listen to a panel of esteemed SEAOSC members discuss their careers and how they got to where they are today.
There will be a joint SEAOSC/AIA event in April.
May is our SEE Awards!
June is the President's Lunch with technical sessions the morning of.
August will be our Annual Golf Tournament with a bigger pre-tournament event at Top Golf in July! (If interested in helping out, please join the golf committee as we begin to plan for these events.)

And, last but not least, we are also in the midst of nominations for BOD members for 2024-25. Please speak up and let us know if you have a candidate for consideration.

If you have an interest in any of the above events, please reach out to me directly at craig.m.chamberlain@imegcorp.com or to our association at seaosc@seaosc.org.

Have a great February! Try and stay dry and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event soon!

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message January 2024

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 20:12:39 GMT

Dear Members,

The end of the year is often a time for reflection. We look back on the year we just had and think forward about the year that is to come. We think about the things we are thankful for and possibly a few things we are sad about. It's a good opportunity to take some time to unwind and unpack your thoughts as we get ready to do it all again!

I am going to do this slightly in reverse though. We will look forward first as January has two big events for our association.

The 30-year anniversary of the Northridge earthquake is this January 17th! This is still one of the biggest natural disasters in the history of Southern California. SEAOSC is putting on a one-day symposium that offers a chance to look back at what happened, understand what changes we have made, look forward at where we are going and dive deep into a host of technical topics that will provide something for all of our membership. Don't miss this significant event and signup today (https://seaosc.org/northridge30).

The end of January will also have our annual Trivia night. This fun yet competitive event is sure not to be missed. Stay tuned for location to be announced soon but mark your calendars and set your teams for Friday, January 26th!

Now as we look back at December, it was another busy month for the association. A big thank you goes out to all who participated in the Gingerbread challenge where we had a successful year two and look forward to another great event next year! And we also wrapped our events for 2023 with a historic structures pub crawl and a webinar on a retrofit project in Alaska.

Our Board of Directors was also hard at work at our December meeting. Three key topics of discussion included:

Bylaw updates - An ad-hoc committee has spent the past year updating and providing revisions to our bylaws. It's been over 20 years since the last major revisions to our bylaws. An overview of the revisions and updates were presented by the Ad-Hoc Committee Chair (and Past SEAOSC President and current State SEAOC Treasurer) Kelsey Parolini. After a thorough review and discussion, the Board voted to present the Bylaw changes to SEAOSC for a membership vote. Keep a look out for a separate email on this in early January.
The SEAOSC Existing Building Committee (EBC) presented two draft letters with their recommendations in response to requests from local jurisdictions on potential upcoming ordinances or changes to ordinances.
- The County of Los Angeles requested feedback from the SEAOSC EBC on a potential upcoming LA county ordinance on non-ductile concrete buildings. A draft ordinance was received by the EBC for review and consideration. Over several months, the EBC reviewed and discussed recommendations and developed a draft letter of recommendations for the Boards review and approval. Daniel Zapeda, current EBC Co-Chair and BOD member, provided an overview of the recommendations. The Board discussed, voted and passed on the recommendations which will be sent back to LA County.
- The City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has been actively working on updates to adaptive reuse language in the current LA City building code. LADBS reached out to SEAOSC's EBC to provide comments and any potential recommendations for changes to the existing adaptive reuse guidelines which have been in effect for over 20 years. There are many aspects to the guidelines that go beyond structural engineering, but a key component of the guidelines is mandatory evaluation/analysis for commercial to residential conversions. The EBC presented a draft letter of recommendations to the Board for consideration and review. An overview was also provided by Daniel Zapeda and many thoughtful comments were shared by the Board. These comments are now going back to the EBC for further discussion and completion of the letter. An updated draft letter will be sent to the Board with completion of the recommendations in early January for issuance to LADBS.

The board also voted on and approved a request by the WISE committee to separate and form a stand-alone Mentorship committee. This group has grown in size and the mentorship program has been a big success in the last two years at SEAOSC. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank WiSE for putting in countless hours of hard work in initiating and launching it the program. Some of these efforts included background research through SE3, partnering with SEAONC for lessons learned and sharing resources, and developing a program that could smoothly run for future chairs and members of the new committee. Thank you WISE! Please keep a lookout for a separate announcement of the new committee and chairs and join up if you are interested!

I'd like to remind everyone that there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved. We still have opportunities for participation on State committees including representation on either the Wind, Policy/Legislature, Professional Practice or Continuing Education State Commitees. We will also begin forming our convention committee for 2026 and if you want to be part of the planning and help organize one of the most important and prestigious Structural Engineering events in the world, please consider signing up. If you have interest in either of these, please reach out to me directly or to our association executive director at seaosc@seaosc.org.

And in words to live and work by for the month, my word this month is efficient. We all know how busy life can be. Sometimes we think the only way we can do more is by cutting something out. But maybe it's not what needs to be cut out, but rather becomes more efficient. And in true form to the word, I will leave it at that. Consider how you can be more efficient and find that bit of elusive time you thought you didn’t have.

Welcome to 2024! I can't believe it's here….. Let’s have a great year!

Craig Chamberlain, SE

2023-24 SEAOSC President

President's Message December 2023

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:52:33 GMT

Dear Members,

What an amazing Gingerbread Challenge we just had! Thank you to all the teams who participated, our sponsors and to those that showed up to support the amazing builds. We had an incredible event this year and I was incredibly excited by the energy in the room.

We had a lot going on in November with webinars, partner meetings with AIA not to mention the NCSEA Summit in our backyard at Disneyland! Between SEAOC Board meetings, a joint SEAOC/NCSEA Board meeting and all our committee meetings, your Association was hard at work in November.

And the events all showed not only the dedication of our membership in promoting our profession, but also to all the opportunities still available out there. One ask that came out of our State meeting was for continued support of some of our State commitees. If you have interest in any of the following committees, our local SEAOSC MO could use representation on either the Wind, Policy/Legislature, Professional Practice or Continuing Education State Commitees. Please help SEAOSC stay involved and have a voice at the State level on these important committees. If you have interest, please reach out to me directly or to our association executive director at seaosc@seaosc.org.

We also approved two new policies through our Board of Directors in the past two months. One of these was to formalize our Safer Cities Advisory Board process. SEAOSC continues to get requests from cities and AHJ's to support and/or comment on upcoming legislation and we have a great process for providing feedback. We also adopted a new policy on Committee Grants/Stipends for promoting attendance at the annual SEAOC Convention. Your committee chairs received the latest policy on this opportunity and if interested, please reach out to them for information. Both of these continue to support our members who are interested and want to get involved!

One additional opportunity that will be coming in the next several months is the development of our Convention committee that will begin working on the next convention that our MO is responsible for in 2026. Will we go back to the desert? Will we go out of state? Who knows, but if you want to be a part of the planning and help organize one of the most important and prestigious Structural Engineering events in the world, please reach out to me or via email at seaosc@seaosc.org.

My word for the month is Accountability. We all need to be accountable for what we do. Imagine if we all hit our deadlines and committed to getting done what was asked….. On time. Imagine the production that would result. Being accountable goes a long way in helping your team achieve the goals is sets forth. Without accountability, we'd be drifting without accomplishing much of anything. As leaders, we need to ensure we hold others accountable. We cannot be a team without it. But with it, amazing achievements can be realized. Make sure to hold yourself accountable and get done what you say you would. You can do it.

We have a wonderful webinar later in December titled, "Seismic Retrofit and Repair in Alaska". This was a presentation that was also supposed to be given at the convention in Hawaii earlier this year and we are excited to bring it directly to our membership. We are also focused on our symposium in mid-January, Northridge30. This is a day not to be missed as we look back at what happened 30 years ago this January 17th. And we will also look at where we are headed today. Our symposium will be held on the campus of Caltech in Pasadena. There is lots of buzz about the event not only from our members but also media and government officials. This is a can't miss event. Be on the lookout for new announcements and registration opening soon.

Have a wonderful end of the year and Happy Holidays to all! I look forward to celebrating with everyone in the New Year. 2024 will be spectacular!

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

The 2nd Annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge Spread Holiday Cheer — & Structural Engineering — Throughout Tustin Last Weekend

Kathleen Corral — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:02:26 GMT

Last weekend, people visited SEAOSC’s second annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge in droves, both in person and online, to revel in the festive creations made by engineering teams from across the region. If you couldn’t make it, view the colorful, whimsical structures online here.

On Thursday, November 30, dozens of engineers and other industry professionals assembled at The District and Tustin Legacy, where they had five hours to create and decorate their gingerbread structures. The results included fantastical castles, iconic film sets, and other edible marvels.

From Friday through Sunday, the public was invited to see what structural engineers can do to make buildings stand up, regardless of size or materials. During this three-day exhibition, all attendees and online visitors were invited to vote for their favorite structure—the one with the most votes being crowned the People’s Choice Award. Attendees could also build their own gingerbread structures and test them on a shake table for earthquake readiness.

To give back this season, every structure was paired with a local nonprofit organization—every vote for the structure counted as a donation to that partner organization. This year’s participants were ACE Mentoring (LA/OC), YMCA OC, Habitat For Humanity OC, South County Outreach, Destination Imagination, and the SEAOSC Foundation.

By 5 pm on Sunday, December 3, when the voting had closed, more than 5,000 votes had been cast in person and online! The public had spoken, and the results were in.

After the competition ended, the teams returned to where they had spent an intense five hours just days before for an awards ceremony and reception.

The 2023 SoCal Gingerbread Challenge winners are:

People’s Choice: Van de Kamp’s Bakery (Architectural Resources Group & Structural Focus)
President’s Award: The Burrow, Weasley Family Home (SGH)
Best in Show: Van de Kamp’s Bakery (Architectural Resources Group & Structural Focus)
Tallest Structure: The Bite-Sized Grand (Brandow & Johnston / AC Martin)
Most Creative Original Design: Santa’s Surf Shack (Hilti)
Best Replica Building: Hogwarts Castle (PBK/Kubala)
Best Decorated: Super ES World (ICC Evaluation Service)

Ultimately, this exciting tradition acted as an opportunity to promote our profession. You can see more on this in publications like The OC Register and LAist. Thank you to everyone who visited and participated!

The second time around, this festive event was once again a great success, so look for us next year. Happy holidays!

President's Message November 2023

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 21:48:38 GMT

Dear Members,

November is here! I hope everybody had a wonderful October and a great Halloween with family and friends last week.

October was another busy month for SEAOSC with numerous events as well as significant committee work! Between webinars, membership breakfast meeting in OC, in person SAP training and a structured connections event, we reached out across our SEAOSC region this month. For those that joined us, it was great to see you. If you missed these events, I hope to see you at another event very soon.

This week is the NCSEA Summit in Anaheim and I just got back from all day Board of Director meetings with our State Board as well as a joint board meeting with SEAOC and NCSEA. It is great to see leaders not only from across our state, but also from across the country. Both organizations are working hard to promote our profession and support our membership. From state committee work to national SE3 efforts to technical webinar content….. It was a day filled with lots of great ideas and effort to move our organizations forward. If you are interested in getting involved in either our local member organization (SEAOSC), state organization (SEAOC) or national organization (NCSEA), do not hesitate to reach out to me directly or any of our board members. There are lots of opportunities out there and not only is the work you do within the committees or groups rewarding and beneficial to our profession, but they are also tremendous opportunities for growth in your career!

Speaking of committees….. Our SEAOSC committees were also hard at work in October with regular meetings, event planning and provided some important policy support. We highlight our existing building committee this month which was focused on putting together the finishing touches on support of AC557 Acceptance Criteria Document for FRP Anchors. In collaboration between our EBC as well as our Board of Directors, we were able to vote and approve a measure to support the initiative and we were able to get this support in front of ICC ahead of their vote to pass the acceptance criteria document. This is exactly the type of collaboration that our members can put together which makes a direct impact on our profession. Great job to all those who were involved. The letter in support of the initiative can be found on our website.

We also have an amazing opportunity in Los Angeles right now with Adaptive Reuse. It’s a topic that is on the minds of many in our profession and there is significant movement to propose new amendments to the current adaptive reuse ordinance in the City of Los Angeles. Your executive director, John Bwarie, and I met last week with LADBS General Manager and Superintendent of Building, Osama Younan, to discuss a range of topics including our upcoming Northridge30 Symposium in January as well as Adaptive Reuse in Los Angeles. The City of LA is looking to SEAOSC to provide support and guidance on potential updates to structural provisions within the City of LA Adaptive Reuse ordinance. If you are passionate about this topic and have an interest in helping shape SEAOSC’s input on this critical topic in our city, please reach out and get involved. Several committees lead by the EBC are tackling this initiative and we can use the collective voice of our membership to create positive change in our community. Join us!

This month I highlight in my words to work and live by is the word patience. It's one of the words that's written on the note card that sits on my desk which I look at every day. Although I feel all the words on this note card are equally Important, sometimes I think this may be one of the most important. The projects we work on typically are not simple and straightforward. They take hours and hours of work where we spend time developing construction documents for a contractor to build the project. And even when we finish CD's, we have construction administration to go through before the project is truly done. That can take a couple of months to several decades. Patience is key for all of that. But this is also true in life. Many things don't happen at the blink of an eye. But oftentimes now with everything we have at our disposal in the age of information, it feels like things should happen in an instant. But the reality is that work, life or whatever it is you are tackling, usually takes time and patience is important. Typically, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s good to remember that.

As we move into November, we're still busy at SEAOSC and there are big programs ahead for us this month! We have already had a webinar on the use of viscous dampers in retrofits last week which I hope many of you enjoyed! And speaking again about the NCSEA Summit….. I hope I will see many of our members in person at this week’s NCSEA Annual Summit right here in Southern California. Not only is this in Anaheim and readily accessible for our members to attend, but SEAOC is also hosting a Welcome to California night (Tuesday…..TONIGHT!) for structural engineers from across the country (I hear there are literally hundreds signed up to attend!). Come on out! Later in November, our annual event with AIA in downtown LA occurs mid-month with a meeting on sustainability. And to cap off November, our annual Gingerbread Build is Nov 30-Dec 2nd. Don't miss this event at a new location in Tustin! It's sure to be an amazing event and I hope to see you there.

Have a wonderful November and a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends. And I look forward to talking to you again in December. And I hope to also see you at one of our events soon!

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

SEAOSC Supports Net Zero

Kathleen Corral — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 18:40:10 GMT

The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, SEAOSC, is committed to championing a livable environment for all. In this era of rapid climate change, the internationally recognized goal is to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, as called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement. This means emissions must be reduced by 45% before 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

SEAOSC recognizes the need for legislation and policy, as well as coordinated action across all communities, in order to achieve the globally stated goal of net-zero carbon by 2050. As such, we support legislation and policy that works to reduce the embodied carbon of the built environment through requirements such as design for functional recovery, repurposing or refurbishing existing buildings, retrofit of existing buildings, use of low-carbon construction materials, exploration of alternative design, and construction methods for increasing efficiency and reducing construction waste.

By working to be a part of the solution, no matter how massive the problem may seem, we can contribute to making the net zero goal a reality for all. SEAOSC will continue to monitor relevant legislation and policy, as well as all facets of our organization from within, to ensure we are fighting for the lowest possible emissions at every step.

Inspire the next generation of Structural Engineers at ACE Mentor All Schools Day!

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 02:14:08 GMT

You’re invited to participate in ACE Mentor LA/OC’s All Schools Day on Saturday, October 21, 2023. This is one of the biggest ACE events of the year. High school students from across Los Angeles and Orange County will come together and compete in a surprise, hands on structural design project. Think glue guns, popsicle sticks, and spaghetti!

Structural engineer volunteers are needed to help coach the students in building the strongest, most economical, and most beautiful structure! This fun and exciting one-day event kicks off the ACE school year.

If you are interested in participating, please email Patti Harburg-Petrich at patti.harburg-petrich@mottmac.com.

ACE LA/OC All Schools Day

Location:

St. Mary's Academy
701 Grace Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301

Schedule:

Saturday, October 21, 2023
8:00 a.m. Check-in/College Fair/Light Breakfast
9:15 a.m. Event Start
12:15 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. Event Ends

https://acementorla.org/event-5431016

To volunteer, please email Patti Harburg-Petrich at patti.harburg-petrich@mottmac.com

President's Message October 2023

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 02:42:45 GMT

Dear Members,

Fall is here. Can you feel the cooler weather out there? At the Chamberlain household, we put up Halloween decorations this weekend so it must mean that October has started!

SEAOSC had a very busy September despite not having the convention this year. Our State BOD as well as State committees all met in San Diego early in September to continue the business of our association that would have otherwise happened in Hawaii. It was a huge pivot for our State director and Presidents (outgoing Krista Looza and incoming Emily Guglielmo) and they did a tremendous job. Our entire Excom from SEAOSC was in attendance as well as many of our Committee chairs so we were well represented as an MO at the meetings. We held new strategy sessions that will help shape the next year and it was exciting to see the potential in front us! Look for messages from our State President in the next newsletter from SEAOC.

We also had a successful Structured Connections event in Santa Barbara attended by several dozen central coast members as well as a fun Committee Showcase event in Los Angeles. Thanks again to Structural Focus for hosting. We had over 100 members and non-members join in the event to learn what committees are up to and had many show interest in joining a new committee. Our committees are one of the most vital parts of our organization and it was great to see the energy and enthusiasm at the event. If you missed it or possibly attended, but did not sign up for a committee, you can still reach out to the chairs through our website here (https://seaosc.org/Committee-Pages).

Prior to the committee showcase event, we had our monthly BOD meeting in person and discussed a number of topics including strategy sessions for SEAOSC looking forward for the coming two to three years. It was exciting to hear from the Board on their thoughts and feedback they have heard from our members about our direction! We will continue these discussions for the next several months during our board meeting. If you have a topic or vision that you would like to share, please reach out directly to me or another BOD member.

In my monthly message on thoughts and words to work (and live by. Thoughts for leadership), this month’s word I reference on the card on my desk is kindness. It's something I believe is so simple to give yet so easy to ignore at times. It often doesn't take much: Just saying hi to a stranger in the room during a business meeting or job site visit…. A smile when someone needs an ear to listen to their thoughts….. The thank you for anything, small or big, that someone may have done…. These all go a long way to making our collective efforts a bit easier. It doesn't take much to be kind, but the return on that small investment can be amazing! I task everyone reading this to try it out more today than you did yesterday! I bet something good will come right back at you……

We continue our full calendar slate with lots of events coming up. Don't miss these events:

10/11 - Webinar - Building Settlement and Structural Collapse Analysis

10/18 - OC Membership Breakfast Meeting - Topic - Mass Timber

10/21 - Post-Disaster Safety Assessment Evaluator Training

10/25 - Structured Connections - Inland Empire

11/1 - Webinar - Utilizing Fluid Viscous Dampers in Retrofit Applications

11/15 - SEAOSC/AIA joint event - DTLA

November (final date TBD) - YM & Sustainability - Arts District Social event

11/30 - 12/3 - SoCal Gingerbread Challenge

12/13 - Webinar

1/17/24 - Northridge Earthquake Symposium - 30yr Anniversary event

I hope to see you at an event soon.

Best,

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message September 2023

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 21:56:56 GMT

Dear Members,

Welcome to September! For many this means we have kids going back to school after a long summer break or others possibly have a longer commute now with more people on the road. Either way, I always feel as though the Labor Day Weekend is the starting point to the stretch run for home and push for the end of the year. There is still lots to do at SEAOSC before we close out 2023 and I can't wait!

We had a busy August at SEAOSC starting with our golf tournament at Friendly Hills Country Club. What a successful event we had led by our Chair, Dan Fox, as well as the team from Stratiscope with a big shout out to Lilly Naveira for her hard work pulling all the fun together. We raised thousands of dollars for SEAOSC with a portion of the proceeds going to the SEAOSC Foundation. Great job team!

We also showcased our first SEAOSC movie premiere, Something from Nothing, at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank. We had a great panel discussion along with the movie and it was a wonderful night enjoyed by all who attended.

Many of us should be in Maui right now and I should be writing this report from my hotel balcony, but unfortunately the fires in Maui and the devastation to the town of Lahaina changed things. Many of us were planning to attend this year's convention in Hawaii to hear the latest in structural engineering, meet with colleagues, and possibly enjoy a bit of rest & relaxation on vacation too. But now is not the time to be visiting Maui and canceling the convention was the right decision. There is a tremendous amount of rebuilding and support needed for the community and that is where the focus is and should be. If you are interested in supporting Maui relief efforts, please see these links on the State convention website (click here).

The disappointment of having to cancel our convention in Maui this year reminds me about GRATITUDE, one of my words from the card I keep on my desk. Being thankful and thoughtful about the good things in life is so important. We cannot always control the things in front of us and sometimes we may take them for granted. Taking a moment to reflect on how lucky we are is important for ourselves in recognizing what we have done when something good happens, but also what we have when something that didn't go as planned. As leaders in our companies, within SEAOSC or any other organization, gratitude affects your attitude and can uplift the attitude of others in your circle. I challenge each of you to take a minute and think about gratitude. Why or what can you be grateful about right now?

Here is one of my favorite quotes on gratitude. It's short, but right on point…..

"Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness….." - Amy Collette

And now on to September! It is a busy month for our association. Don't miss out on upcoming events:

9/20 - Structured Connections in Santa Barbara

9/27 - SEAOSC Committee Showcase - In-N-Out food truck

10/18 - OC Membership Breakfast

10/21 - SAP training

10/25 - Structured Connections - Inland Empire

11/30 - 12/3 - SoCal Gingerbread Challenge

1/17/24 - Northridge Earthquake Symposium - 30yr Anniversary event

Hope to see you soon!

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

SEAOSC’s 2023 Golf Tournament a Huge Success!

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 23:06:56 GMT

On August 7, 2023, SEAOSC hosted its annual Golf Tournament at Friendly Hills Country Club. It was a wonderful day—the players gave it their all, fun times were had, and the weather was perfect. A sellout crowd of 144 golfers took to the green to compete in a variety of competitions, creating connections and strengthening the Structural Engineering community in Southern California.

Participants started the day with a three-hole putting competition, where six strokes was the score to beat. Four players tied for the title, and in the end, by a draw of the card, Nathan Kehl took the putting champion title this year.

After a group photo and a shotgun start, eight golfers took to their carts and dispersed across the course to their starting hole. Along their day of play, various holes had different activities and challenges. From the longest drive to hole-in-one challenges to an air cannon, the competition kept play lively and fast-paced. Golfing teams also brought their own action to the course, including matching shirts from the SEAOSC WISE team and SSG Engineers (who sported unmissable Taco Bell shirts!), drinking games, and buying mulligans to improve their scores. Fun was the central theme of the day!

After about five hours of play (and lunch!), the group returned to the clubhouse to celebrate the winners. Once again, the 1st place team was Miyamoto, led by the legendary Jeff Crosier.

Other tournament prizes included:

Men’s longest drive: Sandy Hohfner

Women’s longest drive: Jami Ellis

Accurate drive: Jeff Creed

Closest to the pin hole #8: Brett Eckles

Closest to the pin hole #16: Austin Fedrich

2nd place winning team: Kurt Anderson, Chad Gammell, Mark McCauley, Larry McCauley

Congratulations to our winners! The talent and drive (pun intended) each of our teams and individual players showcased throughout the day was impressive.

Special thanks are in order to our dedicated sponsors, who made the event possible with their generous support. Our sponsors provided refreshments, golf carts, and more—there was even a golf air cannon which will not surprise anyone to know that our engineers thoroughly enjoyed testing out.

President's Message August 2023

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 21:47:46 GMT

Dear Members,

It's August 1st and the middle of summer and it's hot out there! Stay cool SEAOSC.

We had a great kickoff to our 2023-24 year with our first Board of Directors meeting in mid-July followed a day later by our Committee Chair kickoff event. It was great to see everyone in person and begin to collaborate on this year's programs for our membership. We had a number of familiar faces who have served on the Board or committees for some time as well as several new faces. I am excited and energized by all who attended and shared their vision for the year.

Something I want to touch on in these President's messages over the course of the year is sharing my thoughts on several words I have jotted down on a card that I keep on my desk and I look at work each day. Not every day goes smoothly, and we all have our ups and downs as we complete our work as Structural Engineers. What we do can be stressful with calculations and details that are so important to the construction of our buildings and infrastructure. So, I keep these words written on a card on my desk and refer to them often when working to keep myself grounded and focused on what I am doing to support our team and our clients and our profession: Attitude, Gratitude, Kindness, Patience, Accountability, Efficiency, Trusted Advisor and Delegate. Each month I plan to touch on one of these words and the deeper meaning it has to me as I strive to be the best that I can be in whatever it is I am doing.

Attitude - This is item #1 for me. We have things which are in our control and out of our control each day, but our attitude is our choice. We can choose to be happy or sad, positive or negative, thoughtful and caring or selfish and inconsiderate. The pace of our work can be challenging. The disappointment of not getting awarded a new project or promotion can be hard. The frustration from realizing you missed a detail in developing a set of plans that is now going to result in a change order is tough. Our days can seem overwhelming at times and yet keeping a positive attitude can help in so many ways. It helps you remain focused on the task at hand. It presents a positive message to others that you can handle the challenge in front of you. And it can help provide you with the energy you need to tackle and concur what lies in front of you.

I recall over the past year what an amazing attitude our past president, Patti Harburg-Petrich, brought to each and every meeting we had. I am sure there were days that may not have gone quite right, but she was always positive and genuinely happy to see and interact with the people she worked with. Kudos to you Patti for such an amazing and positive attitude you always bring!

I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming golf event on August 7th followed by our movie night showcasing our DEI movie series on August 17th. Then it’s the convention in Maui (stop by our special SEAOSC event just for our So Cal members!) and then the committee showcase later in September.

Hope to see you at an event soon!

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

President's Message July 2023

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 01:06:16 GMT

Dear Members,

Welcome to our 2023-24 year for SEAOSC. I am incredibly excited and humbled to be your President this year. I have spent the past two years on the Executive Committee as Treasurer and President-Elect working with our recent past Presidents, Patti Harburg-Petrich and Kelsey Parolini, as well as our Board of Directors making our association the best we can be! I look forward to working with our new board, Executive Committee, Past Presidents, Committee Chairs and Committee Members, and our overall Membership in continuing to strengthen and expand our Association in 23-24. And we start that right away this week with our Board of Directors kickoff meeting this Thursday and Committee Chair kickoff meeting this Friday!

A big emphasis to kick off this year will be membership engagement. This was a difficult task through the pandemic (as many things were….) but we have worked hard the past several years reconnecting with our membership bringing a variety of events and programs to our diverse membership. And reinvigorating our membership engagement only happens if we are all working together on it. So expect more connections from our Board and committees and I look forward to seeing our membership connecting and getting involved!

So, what events are coming up, you ask?

Well, coming up in just a couple of weeks is our first ever Golf Introduction event at Top Golf in El Segundo. Come out for instructions from a professional golfer and then stay for drinks and appetizers and socialize with your fellow SEAOSC members. This is followed by our annual Golf Tournament which is nearly already sold out except for a few foursomes, some individual spots and sponsorship opportunities. We then move right into August with a movie night showcasing our DEI movie series on August 17th. Then it’s the convention in Maui and our Committee Showcase later in September. Whew!!!!

I always feel as though I say, "I can't believe how fast this year is going by…." and I probably will say that a number of times throughout this year. But it's true. It's July. 2023 is half over. We have had so many interesting programs and events this year and there are so many in front of us!

Lot's going on and lots to do. I hope to see you out there!

Craig Chamberlain, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2023-24

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Treasurer: Maria Mohammed, S.E.

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 06:31:47 GMT

Maria Mohammed is Structural Focus's Project Engineer and the incoming 2023-2025 SEAOSC Treasurer. She believes that future generations of structural engineers can benefit greatly from being involved in the SE industry. To add, Maria encourages them to be open to saying "yes" to opportunities that come their way and not underestimate the value of their contributions to any association they choose to participate in. Maria has grown professionally through her involvement in the SE industry and encourages others to do the same.

As SEAOSC's incoming treasurer, Maria emphasizes the SEAOSC community's commitment to growing the profession and admires the countless hours of volunteering and tireless work that members contribute to areas such as code development and membership engagement. Since joining SEAOSC, Maria has developed friendships with colleagues through her involvement with the membership and feels grateful for the personal growth she has experienced by being a part of the association. She has previously led the SEAOSC Communications Committee as well as served on the Board for the past two years. She currently is also the co-chair of the State Communications Committee.

Participating in the Great SoCal Gingerbread Challenge was a meaningful experience!

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 05:53:00 GMT

"Participating in the Great SoCal Gingerbread Challenge was a meaningful experience for me, serving as a fun-filled yet enlightening opportunity to interact with a diverse group of professionals and enthusiasts in a unique application of our skills as engineers. The competition provided a refreshingly unique venue for networking with engineers, architects, contractors, and students, allowing us to bridge the gap between different domains and industries while engaging in friendly competition.

The creativity displayed by the teams was a testament to the capabilities and ingenuity inherent in our industry. It was inspiring to witness the transformation of simple gingerbread into structural and architectural marvels, fueling my own drive for creativity. Each structure was a festive interpretation of an iconic SoCal building or a recognizable fictional structure brought to life by a talented team. I was deeply impressed by how teams managed to push the boundaries of what could be achieved with gingerbread and candies in a short amount of time.

The Build Night, which kicked off the holiday season, was a phenomenal experience. Amid the fun and excitement, it served as an engaging way to apply my skills as an engineer in an entirely unique context. Being part of the competition was an enjoyable and rewarding contrast to the demanding nature of our daily responsibilities as engineers. The stress of tight deadlines and rigorous precision gave way to laughter, camaraderie, and the sweet scent of gingerbread. Participating in the Southern California Gingerbread Challenge offered a much-needed departure from the end of year rush as an amazing way to ring in the holiday season."

Matt Michnewich, S.E.
SEAOSC Board Member

President's Message June 2023

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 00:38:27 GMT

Dear Members,

This month is both exciting and bittersweet for me as we wrap up the 2022-2023 SEAOSC year. It has been such an honor and a pleasure to serve as your president. I’m continually impressed with the initiatives and accomplishments achieved by our talented committee members. And I’ve had a great time interacting with you at our events this year: our first annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge, a raucous Trivia Night, and the always-inspiring Leadership Symposium among many others. Your creativity and drive as structural engineers make our community a better place, and I’m grateful to be a part of this group.

We have some great events coming up before the year comes to a close. I hope to see you tomorrow at our Structural Engineering Excellence and Safer Cities Awards - if you haven’t voted for People’s Choice, there’s still time! Our annual Technical Summit and President’s Lunch will take place on June 22. It’s going to be a fascinating technical program that you won’t want to miss.

Thank you again for the privilege to serve as your president. I’m looking forward to Craig Chamberlain’s leadership in this upcoming year!

To vote for this year's Structural Engineering Excellence: People's Choice Award, please scan the QR code below:

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Minye Pak, S.E.

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 02:36:02 GMT

Minye Pak is the Chief of Development Services Case Management of LADBS. She joined SEAOSC to stay connected to a wide network of Structural Engineers and stay up-to-date with the latest developments and issues in the industry. She has worked in both the private and public sectors and believes that being in touch with the leading structural engineering organization with industry leaders is essential to hear various viewpoints, learn about best practices, and receive ongoing training. Minye has been involved in the Women in Structural Engineering (WiSE) Committee for over four years, volunteering on the Symposium planning committee, and also serving as Coordinator for the Mentorship Program. She now wants to branch out and join the Existing Building Committee to bridge policy and implementation of important structural considerations when repurposing existing buildings. Through her involvement with SEAOSC, she has developed many friendships, and also been mentored unofficially by incredible leaders, to whom she is grateful as she continues her journey as a Structural Engineer. She adds, "I look forward to serving on the Board of SEAOSC the next two years, to hear from the SEAOSC community, contribute to safer cities in the SoCal region, and promote the advancement and support of the Structural Engineering profession."

When asked about what excites her the most about the future of the structural engineering industry, Minye highlights the growth in diversity of structural engineers from various backgrounds and stages in their careers. She recalls being asked why she chose to pursue civil engineering in a field dominated by men, "It did not occur to me at the time that this would be the case as I had grown up watching my strong independent working mom who encouraged me to be the same. In my courses at school, early in my career, and even currently in certain meetings, I can't deny that there were some situations in which I was noticeably the only woman in the room."

However, Minye has seen a positive shift in recent years diverse engineers being valued and encouraged to participate in the structural engineering community through SEAOSC and companies across the Southern California region. Minye believes that the wider the net of engineers cast, the larger and stronger the community will grow, and she looks forward to being an active participant in the growth of the structural engineering profession.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

Wed, 31 May 2023 03:41:38 GMT

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. The SEAOSC D&I Committee, along with, The State of California, The Library of Congress, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society.

“This month, we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans, whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped the character of our Nation. For generations, the story of the Jewish people — one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution — has been woven into the fabric of our Nation’s story. It has driven us forward in our ongoing march for justice, equality, and freedom as we recommit to upholding the principles of our Nation’s founding and realizing the promise of America for all Americans.” – Joseph R. Biden Jr.

In particular, we wish to highlight and celebrate the work of a Jewish American who contributed much to the architecture and engineering community. Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900), a German-born American architect and civil engineer. He is best known for his fifteen-year partnership with Louis Sullivan, during which they designed influential skyscrapers that boldly addressed their steel skeleton through their exterior design: the Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri (1891), the Chicago Stock Exchange Building (1894), and the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, New York (1896).

For the complete version of President Biden’s Proclamation, please visit, A Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month, 2023. Additionally, for Governor Gavin Newsom’s Proclamation, please visit, Governor Newsom Proclaims Jewish American Heritage Month | California Governor.

For more information, visit https://jewishamericanheritage.org/

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Jamie Garza, S.E.

Fri, 26 May 2023 02:19:29 GMT

Jamie Garza is 2022-23 SEAOSC Communications Committee's co-chair and currently a principal at The Design Collaborative. As an incoming SEAOSC board member, Jamie is most excited about the challenge to get our industry to design and build ecologically appropriate buildings that are part of the solution to address the climate crisis. "I believe this is going to require structural engineers to do what they do best: figure out the puzzle of ecologically appropriate structural materials, ecological development, and reducing the environmental impact of construction."

For future generations of structural engineers, Jamie's advice is to remain true to themselves and their passion for structural engineering. Jamie encourages young structural engineers not to shy away from challenging the status quo and proposing innovative solutions that are resilient and ecologically forward. She also emphasizes the importance of advocating for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Additionally, Jamie urges future generations of structural engineers to be allies for women and LGBTQIA+ visibility, parity in leadership positions, and company ownership.

Jamie's vision for the future of the structural engineering industry is one of sustainability and inclusivity. By staying true to their ideals and actively working to address the challenges of climate change, structural engineers can make a significant contribution to a more equitable and sustainable future.

We are thrilled to have Jamie join the 2023-25 SEAOSC board!

Remembering Manny Morden (April 9, 1933- May 22, 2023)

Tue, 23 May 2023 03:30:38 GMT

Manny Morden (April 9, 1933- May 22, 2023)

After twelve days in hospice, Manny (Manuel) Morden passed away from stage IV pancreatic cancer at home on May 22, 2023. He was surrounded with love by his adoring family and the love of his life, wife Suzanne.

Born in Brooklyn, Manny moved with his parents to Los Angeles at the age of 8 to Boyle Heights. At 16, he became friends with Suzanne Sarah Szwarc, who would become his wife and lifelong love for 70 years. Even in his final days, he kissed Suzanne’s hand and told her how much he loved her. Together, they were fabulous parents to Darryl (deceased) and Barbara (Seals), Ilyanne and Mike (Kichaven) , and amazing grandparents to their three grandsons Gregory, Jeremy and Declan.

Manny was a brilliant, award winning, expert with over fifty two years of structural engineering experience with Brandow & Johnston as a Structural Designer, Licensed Civil and Structural Engineer, Department Manager and Project Supervisor. He became a Principal, and was responsible for management and supervision of all phases of project development, construction administration, structural design and system selection and seismic design of major projects. Areas of expertise included: building evaluations, peer reviews, forensic engineering, consultation and expert witness services for litigation, earthquake studies, and retrofit strengthening; pre-stressed concrete design development and review for all company projects; development of alternative structural systems; specifications for construction material. Manny served as President (1997-1998), board member, and as chair of the code committee for SEAOSC. In 2009, Manny was commended by proclamation by LA Mayor Garcetti and the entire LA City Council for his 50 + years of service to the profession, the City of Los Angeles and Southern California. He received a Certificate of Recognition for 52 years of Service to the engineering profession and the State of California from and was an Honorary Lifetime Membership, of SEAOC & SEAOSC. In 2014, Manny was awarded for his outstanding achievement by the California Preservation Foundation for his work on the renovation of The Forum. Manny served as a key member of the1994 Northridge Earthquake Taskforce and consulted on a 9/11 structural commission. His countless projects include the Rose Bowl, Kaiser Hospital, Bradley Terminal at LAX, Universal studios (CA and Florida), the NASA space shuttle, Sheraton Hotel (Qatar) USC, First AME Church, The Convention Center, 400 South Hope, numerous parking structures and the soon to be opened MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. He mentored many by not just giving directions, but by teaching and explaining to educate and enrich his peers.

Manny enjoyed travel and, together with Suzanne, visited all over North and South America, Israel, Japan, China and extensively in Europe. His favorite city was Paris. A lover of superb wine and fine cuisine, family was most important to Manny. His unwavering support and love will always be remembered. He never missed a game, recital, talent show or event for his children or grandsons. He answered every call for assistance and insisted on family celebrations.

Manny got dressed himself, walked and had a long conversation with doctor when he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer on May 9th. His health drastically, declined and within two days was in hospice, until he passed ten days later. He will always be in our hearts. Manny is survived by his loving wife Suzanne, daughter Ilyanne, son-in-law Michael, grandsons, Gregory, Jeremy, and Declan and daughter-in-law Barbara. His son Darryl passed away from cancer in 2011.

If you wish, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to weSPARK (www.WeSpark.org) in Manny’s memory.

(The above is provided by Manny Morden's family)

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Jillian van Enckevort, S.E.

Sat, 20 May 2023 03:30:14 GMT

Jillian van Enckevort's structural engineering journey began when she was a young girl accompanying her father, a general contractor, to his work sites. Her exposure to the construction industry at an early age ignited a spark within her, and she found herself drawn to the structural aspect of building design. She pursued this interest in college, initially starting as an architecture major. However, by her second year at Cal Poly SLO, she was more interested in the “bones” of a building versus the finishes and was drawn to buildings with exposed structures. She ended up switching majors in her third year, and she hasn’t looked back since, remaining active in structural engineering and in the San Luis Obispo community.

It was during her time working with Fred Schott that Jillian first joined SEAOSC. Over the years, Jillian attended the Tri-Counties events and technical sessions in Los Angeles, appreciating not only the technical aspects of the events but also the opportunity to meet and network with other engineers. Jillian's involvement with SEAOSC was temporarily put on hold when she became a mother, but she has since returned to the organization with renewed enthusiasm. "Our culture at FTF Engineering really pushes for staff to be involved in the structural engineering community, and I am excited about stepping up to the next level of involvement in the coming years as part of the Board of Directors as well as representing the tri-county community," she elaborated.

Jillian will be bringing valuable insights, ideas, and direction to the SEAOSC board, helping guide our organization into the future. We are so excited to welcome Jillian on board!

Meet SEAOSC Incoming Board Member: Araceli Abanilla, P.E.

Tue, 16 May 2023 03:46:19 GMT

Araceli Abanilla's path into the SE industry started with a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Irvine. Her first job after college was working at a civil and water resources company. She realized it was not for her and went back to grad school to get her Master's in Structural Engineering at UCSD. Her first job after grad school was working for a small company that did bridge design engineering. After that, she worked for firms that specialize in structural consulting, structural anti-terrorist force protection design, and transit and rail consulting. She currently works in the structures team at STV, Inc. and supports the transit and rail industry in their building and facilities department.

Araceli initially joined SEAOSC after a friend encouraged all the female engineers in her office to join SEAOSC's Women in Structural Engineering committee. It was through her activities in the WiSE committee that she became more active in SEAOSC in general. Araceli has continued since then to be a member of SEAOSC because she has gotten a lot out of being part of this community, and she has learned a lot through the webinars, dinner events, and other activities.

What excites Araceli most about the future of the Structural Engineering industry are the advancements in technology and fascinating research happening now that the future SEs are working on in universities and other organizations including the tools that are being used now and are developing for future widespread uses such as A.I., structural health monitoring, or full-scale 3D printing - all are expected to help problem-solve and optimize designs and processes.

For future generations of Structural Engineers, Araceli sees the varied approach to the profession: "There are may different types of work and roles within the Structural Engineering industry. Follow your passion and get to know your professional peers. Being part of your engineering community not only helps you make informed career and work decisions, the engineering community benefits from having a wide variety of view points and experiences. Find mentors, whether its through an organized program, like the SEAOSC Mentorship Program, or an informal mentor who you can talk to for advice and guidance. These things can really help you tailor your career to be what you want it to be."

Araceli values the community of peers outside of her organization with various roles such as engineers, researchers, educators, etc. that come together through SEAOSC. There are so many things she has learned through the SEAOSC community that have helped her within her own organization.

Araceli's appointment to the SEAOSC board brings with it a wealth of valuable insights, ideas, and direction, which will be instrumental in guiding our organization towards a successful future. We are thrilled to have Araceli join the SEAOSC board for the 2023-25 term!

President's Message May 2023

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 01:48:33 GMT

Dear Members,

Today I’m reflecting on the fantastic Leadership Symposium that was held last week. It was wonderful to see such a diverse cross section of our membership at the Symposium, which was curated by the WiSE Committee. One of the highlights for me was hearing from Susan Kutner Rozakis, Senior Director of Workplace Design + Delivery at Google. Susan shared her journey from her first job in high school at McDonalds to her current position at Google and how her experiences along the way led to a diverse, interesting, and successful career.

Susan is someone who followed her interest and passion for construction at a time where very few women were in the field. In the face of this, she found mentors and allies to support her, and she now serves as a mentor and ally for others. This resonates with me – I think we all need allies, and we also need to be an ally for our coworkers and colleagues. We have a diverse and talented membership at SEAOSC. Listening to different voices and perspectives leads to better solutions and outcomes. Together we can have a strong voice and we can make meaningful change in our communities – like Susan has. Our diversity is our strength, and it was inspiring to see this in action at the Leadership Symposium.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

President's Message April 2023

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 01:10:46 GMT

Dear Members,

This month I’d like to share some of the initiatives that have been going on behind the scenes in response to the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Although this disaster has faded from the news, we know that the recovery will take years and I want to assure you that seismic safety is in the forefront of mind for the SEAOSC Board.

First, SEAOSC has not yet been contacted to help with the recovery response in Turkey and Syria. I do know that some structural engineers from Southern California were deployed, but this was through a search and rescue organization. We are prepared and able to help if such a request comes through.

The SEAOSC Board immediately reached out to our local officials and representatives, including the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office, and to the Los Angeles City Council. These earthquakes serve as a wake-up call to our community. In addition to the seismic retrofit ordinances that have already been enacted, there are actions our community leaders can take to further improve the safety and resiliency of our building stock and infrastructure. We are now meeting with a number of local leaders to offer our help and advice as structural engineers. If you are interested in becoming involved in future efforts, I encourage you to get involved with the Existing Buildings Committee, the Seismology & Hazards Committee, the Codes & Standards Committee, or the Legislative Action Committee (https://seaosc.org/Committee-Pages). We will be asking for volunteers from these committees to participate.

SEAOSC representatives also met with our technical experts and colleagues to discuss potential action and ensure a unified message. The group was formed quickly and included representatives from SEAOSC, SEAONC, SEAOC, EERI, and the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. We knew that we needed to act quickly while we had the attention of our local leaders. SEAOC and EERI had already been working together on the EERI-SEAOC Joint Policy Agenda: Legislative Actions Needed to Reduce California’s Earthquake Risk, and this was published on February 23, 2023: https://seaosc.org/resources/eeri-seaoc_statement_feb_202.pdf

This agenda outlines three main points:

First, we must identify and retrofit our existing vulnerable buildings.
Second, we must uphold existing laws that require our healthcare facilities to be earthquake-ready.
Finally, we must adopt building codes that help our communities recover.

I’ll close with an excerpt from the EERI-SEAOC Joint Policy Agenda:

“Future large earthquakes will occur in California. How we prepare now will impact how we respond and recover later. Our communities are vulnerable to building collapses, loss of life, and permanent disruption to the way of life. California has led the world in creating a safer built environment by learning from losses over the last century. But we must take the lead again by retrofitting older vulnerable buildings and adopting a new generation of building codes that preserve our communities, our economy, and our future before the next major earthquake strikes.”

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

SEAOSC Hosts Emerging Engineers Night Event

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 01:11:39 GMT

On Wednesday, March 15, the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) hosted Emerging Engineers Night at Luminarias Restaurant in Monterey Park. More than 100 people were in attendance at the annual event, sponsored by Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI)

The event renewed SEAOSC’s commitment to the next generation of structural engineers, spotlighting the SEAOSC Foundation Scholarships and the SEAOSC mentoring programs.

The evening started with traditional networking and reconnecting of many members and guests prior to the official start of the event.

The formal program was kicked off with the scholarship portion of the evening complete with a video reel interview with each of the 13 SEAOSC Foundation scholarship recipients. Kevin O’Connell, president of the SEAOSC Foundation, then presented checks to this year’s recipients, who represented such local universities as: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, California State University Northridge, California State University Los Angeles, California State University Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University, USC, UCLA and UC Irvine. A special thanks to the SEAOSC Young Members Committee for promoting and organizing this year’s scholarship program with the SEAOSC Foundation.

Dinner was followed by keynote speaker Dana Taylor Old, a Communication Coach and Trainer, which was sponsored by the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA). Key takeaways from the presentation were speaking with intention and the importance of choosing your tone prior to beginning a conversation. She also firmly stressed how it is important to listen to understand rather than listen to respond in being more collaborative. Her presentation was truly interactive with everyone practicing techniques in pairs, volunteers demonstrating tone from the stage, and even a worksheet that allowed attendees to apply what they learned as soon as the next component of the evening!

The evening concluded with the pairing of emerging engineers with a mentor who was an established engineer. This program allows students, recent graduates, and working engineers seeking to develop professionally to pair up with a mentor who will guide them through their careers and through the world of structural engineering.

SEAOSC thanks this year’s event sponsors for their generosity, especially CSI, and to those volunteer members for making this event a success and supporting the next generation of Structural Engineers.

See all event photos here.

A Joint Policy Agenda: Legislative Actions Needed to Reduce California’s Earthquake Risk

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:18:27 GMT

A Joint Policy Agenda from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC)

February 2023

As members of California’s earthquake engineering and structural engineering communities, we have dedicated our professional lives to reducing impacts from earthquakes through research, design, code and policy development, and advocacy. We are unfortunately too familiar with the devastation that earthquakes can cause to our built environment and the toll they take on society. But it does not have to be this way. While earthquakes are inevitable, the disaster can be prevented.

For decades, California has led the world in developing, adopting, and enforcing building codes and laws to improve seismic safety. We have learned from past losses. Large and impactful earthquakes in California and around the world have led to updates of our laws and codes accordingly. The first seismic legislation in California was the Field Act, enacted in the wake of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake that toppled unreinforced masonry schools and crippled the region’s recovery for years. As a direct result of the Field Act, our State’s public schools have the strictest building code requirements and enforcement in the nation. Since then, dozens of additional state and local laws have been enacted that further improve the safety of our state’s buildings.

Yet these measures are not enough. Despite our global leadership on seismic safety, California’s cities remain at risk—of collapsed older buildings, significant economic and social disruption, and prolonged recovery times. We have identified three priority actions that are critical to improving our community safety and resilience.

First, we must identify and retrofit our existing vulnerable buildings. California cities are plagued with thousands of buildings at risk of collapse, many of which provide affordable housing. Communities across California are taking action to protect their residents, but many others need help. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, San José, and others, including some tribal communities, are working hard to identify and retrofit some of their vulnerable buildings. We applaud these proactive efforts and encourage other jurisdictions to similarly work to improve their community resilience. A new state-funded seismic retrofit program for vulnerable multi-family housing (California Government Code Section 8590.15 et seq) was approved in 2022 with $250 million that would help these efforts, but the Governor’s initial 2023 budget proposal eliminated that funding. The California Residential Mitigation Program must be preserved to help jurisdictions identify and retrofit their vulnerable buildings and protect housing.

Second, we must uphold existing laws that require our healthcare facilities to be earthquake-ready. Hospitals play an essential life-saving role in post-earthquake response and recovery for their communities. The Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act (Alquist Act) of 1983, along with amendments such as SB 1953 (1994), require that acute care hospitals and supporting facilities remain operational immediately after an earthquake. Hospitals are to comply with retrofits or replacement by 2030. While most of California’s hospitals have complied, some have not. Our current laws must be upheld so that critical hospital facilities are retrofitted by 2030.

Finally, we must adopt building codes that help our communities recover. New buildings are built to code, but that does not mean they are built to last. Our current building code ensures that a new building is unlikely to collapse, but it does not mean the building will be usable after an earthquake. Our communities rely and thrive on basic services—schools, grocery stores, apartment buildings, assisted living facilities. When these services are lost, even temporarily, their absence can delay recovery and permanently alter the fabric of a community. Developers, designers, and owners are not currently required to consider “functional recovery”—how quickly a building will recover its function after an earthquake. In 2021 the Legislature came close to requiring California to start the process of updating our code for functional recovery, but the bill (AB 1329, Nazarian) failed to make it to Governor Newsom’s desk. California must lead again and adopt a functional recovery building code to help our communities recover faster.

Future large earthquakes will occur in California. How we prepare now will impact how we respond and recover later. Our communities are vulnerable to building collapses, loss of life, and permanent disruption to the way of life. California has led the world in creating a safer built environment by learning from losses over the last century. But we must take the lead again by retrofitting older vulnerable buildings and adopting a new generation of building codes that preserve our communities, our economy, and our future before the next major earthquake strikes.

Read the full statement here.

President's Message March 2023

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 03:01:02 GMT

Dear Members,

This month I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our volunteers and highlight a couple new volunteer opportunities.

If you have experience in Wind Design and are interested in participating on the SEAOC Wind Committee, please reach out to Kelsey Parolini at kelsey.parolini@ssgse.com by Wednesday, March 1. This is a great opportunity to participate at a state-wide level.

We are looking for ten additional mentors to participate in SEAOSC’s Mentorship Program. All levels of experience are welcome to participate. Many of our mentees are looking for mentors in the 5 to 10 years of experience range. It’s a fantastic program, and from personal experience, it’s a beneficial experience for both the mentor and the mentee. You can find more information here: https://www.seaosc.org/mentorship-program SEAOSC has resources and training available to make sure your experience is a success!

We have some big events coming up:

Emerging Engineers Night is a sit-down dinner meeting that will be held on March 15. We’ll be back at SEAOSC’s old haunt, Luminaires! You’ll have the opportunity to celebrate this year’s scholarship recipients, participate in the Mentorship Program, and hear from keynote speaker Dana Taylor Old, a Leadership and Communication Coach and Trainer who will speak about taking communication and leadership to the next level. This is going to be a fantastic event and I would like to thank the Younger Members Committee and all of the volunteers who are working to make Emerging Engineers Night one to remember.

The theme of the 2023 Leadership Symposium is “Seize Your Opportunity!” This event will be held on April 27 in Downtown LA. The Leadership Symposium is open to all. You will have access to training, tools, and tactics needed to be an effective leader at all career levels. This inspiring day-long event will include panels, workshops, and interactive learning experiences, as well as breakfast and lunch. I’d like to thank the WiSE Committee for curating this diverse and inclusive event.

On June 22, the Existing Budlings Committee will host a Technical Summit. We are hoping to include sessions on the recent events in Turkey and Syria. Please keep an eye out for more details to come. To that end, I’d like to thank the Structural Engineers who are responding, many of whom we count among our members. Our hearts are with those affected by this disaster.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

President's Message February 2023

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 01:40:55 GMT

Dear Members,

The powerful earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on Monday morning are a sobering reminder of why we do what we do. I’m devastated to learn of the loss of life. So many people have been impacted, this event will certainly have wide ranging effects across the region.

As Structural Engineers, we can take actions to help communities stay safe during earthquakes and recover afterwards:

Remind your friends, colleagues, and family to have an emergency plan and have earthquake kits at home, at work, and in the car. You can find Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety here: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/sevensteps/
Participate in the Shake Out in October and practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”
Get trained as a Safety Assessment Evaluator. The Safety Assessment Program (SAP) utilizes volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide professional engineers, architects, and certified building inspectors to assist local governments in safety evaluation of their built environment in the aftermath of a disaster. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office-of-the-director/operations/recovery-directorate/interagency-recovery-coordination/recovery-analytics-engineers-and-specialists/safety-assessment-program/
Encourage clients to retrofit their properties, particularly vulnerable structures such as soft story or non-ductile concrete frames. While the City of LA has a mandatory ordinance that includes these building types, other municipalities do not.

Stay safe, be prepared, and remember our time together is precious.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

ATC Call for Consultants to Serve as Trial Users for Post-Earthquake Guidelines

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:16:53 GMT

The Applied Technology Council (ATC), in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is seeking licensed U.S. civil and structural engineers from a range of experience levels to serve as trial users for the forthcoming Guidelines for Post-Earthquake Assessment, Repair, and Retrofit of Buildings. Currently in the later stages of development under the FEMA-funded ATC-145 project, these guidelines are intended to serve as the state-of-the-art standard in post-earthquake repair decision-making once released to the wider structural engineering community. The overall framework is applicable across all structural materials, but parameters are only available for reinforced concrete at this time.

Trial studies are designed to improve the clarity and usability of the methodology and confirm the consistency and reasonableness of the results. Trial users will provide feedback that improves the future effectiveness of the Guidelines and be provided with an early look at this forthcoming document.

Interest form submissions are due on February 8, 2023. Visit this link for important information about the opportunity, including minimum requirements for eligibility, scope of services, benefits for trial users, and a link to the interest form.

ATC-145 Guidelines Trial Users - Interest Form Due 2023-02-08.pdf

A reminder about SEAOSC Disaster Response

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 02:39:39 GMT

This morning’s 4.2M earthquake off the coast of Malibu and Santa Monica rattled a few out of our sleep but had little to no significant impact. These are the “good” earthquakes, they keep us on our toes without keeping us out of our homes. They are also great reminders that we need to be prepared to respond to bigger events. That preparedness includes effective plans for response and communication whether between family members, business teams, or those who may be called upon to respond and support their communities.

To this end, SEAOC has empowered their DES committee, in collaboration with our own DES committee (and other MO DES committees), to refine our statewide disaster response and communications plans to allow consistent response throughout the state when the need arises. The success of these plans lies within the ability to bring engaged members together quickly across the state. In accomplishing this, we encourage our members to reachout to our local DES Committees or the Board to express interest in joining the efforts.

Current contact information can be found on our website at seaosc.org

President's Message January 2023

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 23:03:25 GMT

Dear Members,

As we ring in 2023, I’d like to wish you a very Happy New Year! We will be celebrating the beginning of 2023 with our annual Trivia Night on January 26. Sign up your team - up to 8 people - and join this friendly competition for fun, refreshments, and prizes.

I’d also like to congratulate all the participants of the first annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge. This was one of the most fun events of my SEAOSC career – I can still smell the gingerbread and sugar in the air! All teams did an amazing job showcasing Structural Engineering creativity to non-engineers and engineers alike. The event drew thousands of visitors and was featured by a number of local news outlets. Thank you to all our volunteers who made this event a success:

Aileen Santos-Redman, Aleeta Dene, Andrew Yu, Bernard Cruz, Claudia Zapata-Kraft, Dan Fox, Dragos Ursu, Gaetano Bologna, Jamie Garza, Jeff Ellis, Kelsey Parolini, Maria Mohammed, Matt Michnewich, Shirin Kiani, Steven Shepherd, Susan Dowty, and Traci Wong.

I can’t wait for next year!

In the coming months, keep an eye out for programs on the 2023 updates to the California Building Code. This year also brings our next Leadership Symposium, hosted by the WiSE Committee. We have many other interesting programs coming up, which you can see here: https://seaosc.org/2022-SEAOSC-Activity-Program/

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

SoCal Gingerbread Challenge Promotes Structural Engineering

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 05:32:31 GMT

This week, thousands visited SEAOSC’s first SoCal Gingerbread Challenge in person and online to see revel in the festive creations made by more than a dozen teams from across the region. (If you weren’t able to make it, you can visit the structures online here.) On Thursday, dozens of engineers and industry professionals assembled at the Burbank Town Center where they had only five hours to create (and decorate) their structures. The results were impressive, as many of the in-person attendees reacted to seeing the structures with gasps of awe and disbelief: “These were built in only 5 hours!?”

From Friday through Sunday, the public was invited to see what Structural Engineers do when it comes to making buildings stand up. From the youngest “future engineer” to retirees who were interested in seeing the spectacle, all ages came to the exhibit to see the structures. While judges, including an architect and building official, evaluated the structures on Friday morning, all attendees and online visitors were invited to cast a vote for their favorite structure – the most votes being crowned the people’s choice award. And as a way to give back this season, every structure was paired with a nonprofit organization; and every vote was a donation to that partner organization. By 5pm on Sunday, when the voting had closed, more than 3,000 votes had been cast in person and online.

With the competition closed, teams returned to the location where they had spent an intense five hours just days before for an awards ceremony and reception. The results were in; the judges and public had spoken. The winners were:

People’s Choice: Union Station (Structural Focus/Architectural Resources Group)
President’s Award: Union Station (Structural Focus/Architectural Resources Group)
Best in Show: Once-ler’s House from The Lorax (SGH)
Tallest: Eastern Columbia Building (Structural Technologies)
Most Creative Original Structure: ICC 'Elf-valuation' Service Certification Workshop (ICC-ES)
Best Replica Building: Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts (IMEG)
Best Decorated: Casita from Encanto (Buro Happold)

The reaction from participants and the attendees alike will make this an annual tradition. With some improvements from this year, the SoCal Gingerbread Challenge will return in 2023, and every SEAOSC member should consider forming or joining a team to compete! Teams were able to deepen bonds within their companies and even create deeper connections with clients and partner firms (like architects) as they planned and executed their structures. Ultimately, this was an opportunity to promote the profession and reach new people on what structural engineers do and how essential their work is to the existence of our cities and communities. You can see more on this in news reports from local papers and TV news.

President's Message December 2022

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 01:58:26 GMT

Dear Members,

I hope each of you had a happy and restful Thanksgiving weekend. This year has felt incredibly busy, and I think we all needed a break!

As we move towards the end of the year, I’d like to invite you to attend our first annual SoCal Gingerbread Challenge this week, December 9 – 11 at Burbank Town Center. This event is designed to help non-engineers understand what we do as structural engineers in a fun and memorable way. Our teams have come up with creative and exciting designs that I can’t wait to see created out of gingerbread! We’re also using the Gingerbread Challenge as an opportunity to give back to our community. Each gingerbread team is partnering with a local philanthropy, to which SEAOSC will be donating a portion of the proceeds. Bring your friends and family – kids who attend will be able to build their own gingerbread structure and test it on SEAOSC’s shake table. Hope to see you there!

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

A message from Kelsey Parolini, Chair of the 2022-23 SEAOSC Bylaws Committee

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 23:43:42 GMT

Dear Members,

We have all seen a lot of change the last three or four years - change in our homes, communities, and professional industry. The way we do business, the way we connect with one another, and the cultures of our work environments have all been rethought. The operations of SEAOSC are no exception, and we are excited about the direction the association is headed in service to our members and the profession as a whole.

The SEAOSC Board of Directors feels this is the right time to reevaluate the association bylaws to bring them in alignment with the trajectory of the industry and to better reflect the way we do business. A lot has changed since the last set of amendments were made over 20 years ago, and there is no time like the present to dig in and do the work. For those of you eligible, please take a moment to review the first round proposed amendments and take part in the democratic process. It's one of the main roles of a voting member of the association: to help decide on the future of your association. The bylaws are the foundation of that future. We ask that you login in and vote today on the proposed changes. If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you are interested in joining the committee for future conversations, please reach out to the SEAOSC office at seaosc@seaosc.org.

Sincerely,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
2022-23 SEAOSC Bylaws Committee Chair

President's Message November 2022

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 01:23:19 GMT

Dear Members,

I have two interesting and exciting upcoming events to share with you this week.

First, I hope you can join SEAOSC for our Risky Business Breakfast in Orange County on November 15. Board Member Maria Mohammed will moderate a panel on risk management featuring Dr. Vida Tarassoly, Karin Thorp, and Jeff Crosier. The discussion will cover a range of topics important to your practice, whether you are an emerging professional or seasoned engineer, including common missteps that lead to lawsuits, personal liability versus firm liability, and how to get invoices paid. Sign up now at seaosc.org/event-4897917.

And next, I’d like to invite you to participate in SEAOSC’s Inaugural Gingerbread Challenge at Burbank Town Center on December 8! This event is designed to showcase what we do as structural engineers to non-engineers in a fun and memorable way. Teams will have the opportunity to build the gingerbread structure of your dreams and compete for prizes! The gingerbread will be provided – no baking is required. Even more exciting, we’re partnering with local philanthropies to give back to the community. You don’t need to be an engineer or architect to participate on a team –just bring your festive spirit and creativity! Sign up now at seaosc.org/socalgingerbreadchallenge.

Hope to see you soon!

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

"100 Years of Adaptive Reuse for Regeneration, Carbon, and Culture" an AIA & SEAOSC Joint Event

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 22:59:28 GMT

On Tuesday, October 18th, the SEAOSC and AIA LA communities came together at the Buro Happold office in DTLA to delve deep into recent adaptive reuse projects. The event offered an opportunity to engage on the importance of adaptive reuse structures in preserving culture, promoting sustainability, and cultivating existing spaces--including for new housing.

Roberto Vazquez (Omgivning), Dr. Luis Toranzo (KPFF), and Russell McLellan (SGH) presented three case studies, each with their own challenges: the Lane Building, a non-ductile concrete building built in the 1920’s with extreme torsion issues; the Historic San Jose City Hall, a neglected but beautiful 1950’s curved structure repurposed to provide new housing; and 2. N Lake, a 1980’s (pre-Northridge) moment frame building in Pasadena with a proposed damper solution to increase ductility.

The three presentations were emblematic of a common theme: adaptive reuse is not only vital to maintain and enhance historic architecture, it is quite often the most sustainable way to create a new building space and provides a concrete solution to Los Angeles’s current housing crisis. The panel of presenters provided different engineering and architectural perspectives on what goes into revitalizing existing structures and bringing them up to code (or to the peer reviewers’ standards).

With such a successful turnout, SEAOSC and AIA LA plan to continue the series in 2023 and expand to touch on topics of policies, tools, and case studies to continue to build collaboration between engineers and architects.

Images by Genevieve Graham

See all event photos here.

President's Message October 2022

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 01:52:51 GMT

Dear Members,

It was great to see the fantastic turnout at our SEAOSC Committee Showcase last Wednesday. I’d like to thank all the committee members who helped us master minigolf, Structural Focus for hosting us, our generous sponsors Fyfe, DuraFuse, and Safe-T-Proof, and Stratiscope for all their work in planning and executing an amazing night.

It was exciting to see such interest from our members in participating in our committees. There is a diversity of committees to get involved in, from technical subjects to member engagement. Committees offer an opportunity for each of us, as structural engineers, to both contribute to our profession and our community but also gain professional development and grow our personal networks.

The first SEAOSC committee I participated in was the Sustainability Committee, back in 2005. I learned a lot, not just about sustainability but how to move an initiative forward, how to create consensus, and how SEAOSC works as an Association. The relationships I made through my work in the Sustainability Committee continue to be valuable today, over 15 years later.

Today, our Committees are producing great work, from the upcoming Leadership Symposium to white papers to helping influence new legislation.

There is something for everyone in our SEAOSC Committees, for any background or level of experience. The more diverse perspectives we hear, the stronger our Association will be. I encourage you to reach out and participate in a committee that interests you!

https://seaosc.org/Committee-Pages

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

President's Message September 2022

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 23:51:09 GMT

Dear Members,

The 2022 SEAOC Convention was as hot as the desert was!

I’d like to congratulate Tim Kaucher and the 2022 SEAOC Convention Committee for an amazing job. The Convention was a great opportunity to reconnect with our community of structural engineers, learn about the latest technical advances, grow the profession through the Pathways program, and have a lot of fun. I’d also like to give a shout out to the SEAOSC President’s Cup team who came together with a W for our MO! A huge thank you to all who contributed to this year’s incredibly successful Convention.

Committee Team:

Exhibitors

Tom Harris & Angel Leon

Technical

Laura Basualdo, Alfred Tran, Jeena Jayamon

Convention Social Functions

Eric Velazquez, Andrea Aguilar

Young Members

Leslie Martinez Hernandez

Presidents Cup

Julia De Hart

Convention App and Registration

Alejandra Bravo

Cal Poly Slo Students who helped with Registration as well as whatever was asked of them (including President’s Cup!):

Morgan Cuthbert
Sasha Padilla
Shaina Dickie
Brayden Martinez

Special Thanks to:

Kendall Johnson, chair for 2023 and was invaluable in her help with the app/registration software and who had great input throughout our convention
Jessica Chen & Sikandar Porter-Gill for help with the Pathways Mentoring Roundtable
Andy Liu, Ashley Gaur, David Pomerleau, Jakub Valigura, Kevin Chang, Nilofar Doorandish, Rahul Sharma, Xiaomi Mitsuhashi for their assistance with the review and rating of the technical abstracts.

We have an exciting lineup of events coming up.

This week, on September 14, join SEAOSC at Brass Bear Brewing in Santa Barbara for the first Structured Connections of the year. You’ll hear from Andrew Stuffler, SEAOSC’s 2021 Building Official of the Year. Andrew will be speaking about the Cal OES Safety Assessment Program lead staff changes, SAP outreach efforts, and the SAP deployment challenges that we should all expect from extreme weather and anticipated major earthquakes in south Santa Barbara County.

I can’t wait for our 2022 Committee Showcase on September 28 at Structural Focus. Come join SEAOSC for a fun evening of mini golf, biergarten, and the Kogi truck while you learn about what our committees are planning for the upcoming year. Each committee will be hosting their own mini golf hole! If you thought last year was fun, this year is looking to be even better.

Congrats again on a great Convention and hope to see you soon!

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

2022 SEAOSC Golf Tournament a Sell-Out Success!

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 04:24:18 GMT

Our summer tournament returned in 2022 with a sold out event for the first time in many years (or possibly ever…)! Our members were clearly ready for some time on the course with familiar faces as we put the past two years of the COVID restrictions behind us! We returned again to Friendly Hills Country Club (FHCC) in Whittier on Monday, August 8, and everyone played well! We had over 140 golfers and nearly 150 in attendance this year.

We were treated to great weather with sunny skies and a nice breeze. Special thanks to our sponsors: SIKA (golf ball sponsor),Structural (golf cart sponsor), ASC Steel Deck, NRMCA, Concrete West (hole-in-one sponsors), NUCOR Vulcraft (golf air cannon sponsor), DuraFuse, FYFE, Orca Aggregates, Hilti (birdie sponsors). We also want to thank our Anchor Sponsor, CSI, and our Sustaining Sponsors: Optimum Seismic, Simpson Strong-Tie, Structural Technologies, Fenagh Engineering and Testing, and Saunders. Thanks also to the significant number of foursomes from over two dozen structural engineering and industry firms.

We had a scorecard playoff for 1^st place this year with a tie for the top two scores of 56 (at 19 under). It took 4 tiebreakers on the scorecard to get a winner! 1^st place tournament winners were Jeff Crosier, Roger Egge, Dan McCarthy, and Larry Nelson. 2^nd place tournament winners were Scott Stevens, Don Sunseri, Stephen Brown, and Brian Winley. Closest to the pin awards went to Don Sunseri (on #8) and Nick Caniglia (on Hole #16). Long drive awards went to Josh Todd and Markie McCauley. Accurate drive award went to Dave Hansen.

Thanks again to everyone’s participation. A portion of the proceeds will be going to the SEAOSC Foundation, providing students scholarships, sponsoring research, and advancing the structural engineering profession. We look forward to doing this again in 2023. Should we return to FHCC again next August? Let us know at our survey here.

Happy golfing!

Craig Chamberlain
2022 SEAOSC Golf Tournament Chair

Dan Fox
2022 SEAOSC Golf Tournament Vice Chair

President's Message August 2022

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 04:42:19 GMT

Dear Members,

One of the most rewarding aspects of belonging to SEAOSC for me is getting to know and work with a wide range of amazing engineers. I’m proud to be part of an organization that is taking steps to create a more diverse and inclusive profession, through our Diversity and Inclusion Committee, our WiSE Committee, and other efforts like the recent Firm Roundtable.

In my short term as president, there have been a number of social issues that can't be ignored. Engineers have an important role to play in our community that can go beyond structural safety. Because of our training, we know how to look at things in multiple ways to ensure we are pragmatic in the way we make decisions. When we design a building, we need to consider the structure in three dimensions, and it is similarly important to consider different perspectives when looking at issues that affect us and our community. With the training you have, I encourage you to have these conversations because as engineers, we know how to take an analytical approach that creates a valuable perspective. We need to continue to show dignity and respect for different opinions, and we need to trust and support peers from all backgrounds and beliefs.

There is a place for every engineer at SEAOSC - technical committees, member focus committees, event committees, and task forces. If you have one hour a month, we have a place for you. If you have one hour every three months, we have a place for you. We are a stronger association when we hear from different voices and perspectives. We are all one association. We welcome your engagement and participation.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2022-23

President's Message July 2022

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 23:11:52 GMT

Dear Members,

I am incredibly excited for the start of our 2022-2023 year at SEAOSC!

This year, my focus is on Membership Engagement. I want to make sure that SEAOSC is providing value to each of you, both personally and professionally. I would love to see new members join our SEAOSC community.

It is also an exciting year for our Association with the new code coming out in 2023. Keep an eye out for programming related to this.

We have some great events coming up, including our Golf Tournament on August 8 (get your tickets now, we are almost sold out!), the SEAOC Convention August 31 – September 3 in Indian Wells, and our Committee Showcase in September – this event is going to be just as fun as last year’s!

I’d like to thank the Education Committee, Existing Buildings Committee, and all the speakers for delivering a fantastic Technical Summit last month on Seismic Retrofit. The content was interesting and valuable. I learned something I was able to use already.

I’d also like to congratulate the SEAOSC Members who were recognized at the President’s Lunch: Michael Ciortea, Sikandar Porter-Gill, Jessica Chen, Elitsa Vutova, Vickey Rogers, Luke Lombardi, Peter Maranian, Colin Kumabe, Margaux Burkeholder, Dan Fox, and Craig Chamberlain. A special shout out to SEAOC Fellows Jesse Karns and Mehran Pourzanjani – I look forward to celebrating with you at the SEAOC Convention.

And lastly, a big thank you to Past President Kelsey Anne Parolini. You are an incredible leader and you did great things for SEAOSC last year.

Warmest Regards,

Patti Harburg - Petrich, S.E.

SEAOSC President 2022-23

A White Paper on Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) from the Concrete and Sustainability Committees

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:34:52 GMT

The concrete and sustainability committees recently joined forces to start a series of white papers on reducing embodied carbon in concrete structural design. The goal of this series of papers is to highlight and make accessible a variety of carbon emission reduction techniques in concrete production, with a focus on the Southern California region.

This first paper in the series is focused on Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) and contains information and resources to help the industry with the design and implementation of mixes using PLC to help achieve our industry carbon neutrality goals.

You may find a copy of the white paper here:

Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) Reducing Embodied Carbon (REC): Use of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) in Concrete Mixes

President's Message June 2022

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 00:17:25 GMT

Dear Members,

Welcome to June and the gateway to summer! This is an exciting month, and not just because the New York Mets are making a Southern California tour - taking two wins at Dodger Stadium this past weekend, visiting Petco Park, and then stopping in Anaheim to play the Angels. For us here at SEAOSC we wrap up our operating year and prepare to usher in a new chapter of leadership. It is also a month when many of our members are asked to renew their SEAOSC membership. As you may be starting to see those renewal requests in your inbox, I ask: have you been getting the most out of your association membership?

We have 14 active association committees - are you actively participating? In this new world of virtual meetings, it is easier than ever to get involved in committee work and engage with like-minded colleagues in your specific areas of interest.
Have you been sharpening your skills with webinars and education programs? This past year we have been working to bring you a mixture of technical content as well as personal and professional development topics. It’s not too late to take advantage of our half-day seismic retro-fit program scheduled for June 30th in DTLA. As a member, you receive event discounts and other special privileges. And don’t forget, these benefits extend to SEAOC and NCSEA content as well.
Have you been “in the know” thanks to our SEAOSC This Week email blast? Each Tuesday we have been curating industry specific content, not only to help keep you apprised of association activities but also hot topics that affect our professional practice.
Has your professional network grown? As many of you know, networking is an important part of our personal success and growth. I can personally attest that there are dozens of valuable connections I would be missing out on, would it not be for my involvement in SEAOSC. Here at SEAOSC we have revamped our meetings this past year taking advantage of happy hour style “Structured Connections” to connect our members.

In addition to these great benefits, your continued membership allows the association to further its mission, including efforts in Community Engagement and Policy Advocacy.

I do hope you will continue your involvement with SEAOSC, and better yet share your experience with a friend or colleague. We are always looking to extend our community, and your testimony is a great way to do that.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

Student Chapter Spotlight: Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Los Angeles

Mon, 30 May 2022 21:59:58 GMT

The Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Los Angeles SEAOSC Student Chapters have been active over the past year, each with around 20 to 30 members that meet on a bi-weekly basis. While the SEAOSC Student Chapter at CSU Los Angeles was inactive over the past semester due to lapse of filing status with the University, they were active throughout the Fall semester and they aim to have the charter reinstated for the start of the school year in September. SEAOSC Board member Dan Fox and SEAOSC Student Chapter Liaison Michael Falcone gave presentations to both chapters informing students about opportunities for involvement in the Association post-graduation and giving them a glimpse at what to expect when entering the work environment. The students are in the process of electing a new Board of Directors for the upcoming year. Both chapters have exciting plans for the upcoming school year that include office and job site visits; inter-chapter meet-ups potentially between CPP, CSULA, and UCLA; and industry rep visits. SEAOSC will stay connected and involved in these events over the course of the school year.

SEAOSC’s Safer Cities Advisory Program assists the City of Torrance

Fri, 27 May 2022 21:58:06 GMT

The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) regularly assists local jurisdictions to create safer cities with regards to buildings. This work is done through SEAOSC’s Safer Cities Advisory Program. This year, SEAOSC members have been working to support the City of Torrance with the review of the technical aspects of their seismic retrofit ordinances. Members with expertise in seismic retrofit design and analysis provided feedback and advice as they reviewed draft retrofit ordinances that included non-ductile concrete buildings, steel moment frame buildings, "soft-story" buildings, and tilt-up concrete buildings. Currently, these draft ordinances are moving forward through the city's process for consideration by the City Council for adoption.

SEAOSC is proud to have worked with the City of Torrance as it takes proactive steps to better understand the current risk to life and property of the existing built environment and then develop a process by which that risk can be reasonably and significantly reduced.

Building Safety Month 2022 Webinar Recap

John Bwarie — Fri, 27 May 2022 16:43:44 GMT

On May 25, 2022, more than two dozen code officials from cities and agencies across Southern California joined for the 3rd annual SEAOSC Building Safety Month Webinar, this year focused on sustainable design. After a presentation by SEAOSC President-elect Patti Harburg-Petrich, the online meeting attendees broke into groups to address two questions, whose summary answers are below:

When asked how they’re addressing sustainability in building design and practice already in their work, most groups discussed that there has been a primary focus on the energy side of sustainability - electrification, limiting water use, etc. There have been some examples with smaller scale construction, but sustainability often appears as “extra.”

The conversation then moved on to the barriers they saw in implementing more sustainable building practices in their respective communities. The answers were more varied, with a primary barrier being the cost of these practices as well as the understanding of how it can be done.They also suggesting the following barriers needed to be addressed:

When we try to be creative, it enters into a gray area of the code, which leads to confusion and reluctance to act.
Science means new materials don't compromise structural safety
There is a concern that we’re not ready for this. Do we have the tools in place to do this work?
To be sustainable, we should focus on existing buildings -- financing, costs, people wanting to do this.
Access to materials
Access to training for personnel
People are resistant to change
The pressure that the building community is under to build housing fast and affordably means that sustainability is not the priority at times.
Working with multiple agencies/departments to get everyone to move into the same direction
Bottoms up has a hard time getting this down (top-down directives help make this happen; legislation does work.)
Code minimums can be a barrier

The barriers will be shared with the appropriate SEAOSC Committee to work with southern California jurisdictions to develop solutions and provide insights to support them in achieving their safety and sustainability goals. Building officials and city leaders are invited to access the resources and expertise of the SEAOSC Safer Cities Advisory program, where we can provide the expertise and pro bono support to cities working on these initiatives.

President's Message May 2022

Tue, 17 May 2022 03:51:22 GMT

Dear Members,

In September, I shared with you SEAOSC’s mission statement and the ways that the association was actively advocating “in service to our community”. I asked what the phrase “in service to our community” looks like for you, and how SEAOSC can help you with that vision? As the months have unfolded, I have seen our members work together on a number of projects that I truly believe not only advance the profession of Structural Engineering but to strengthen our communities as well.

Over the past months I have also been fortunate to glimpse ways in which our SEAOSC members carry the association mission into their personal lives and careers - stepping into leadership roles when the opportunity arises. Did you know that one of our members sits on the City of Alhambra Planning Commission and another participates in a City advisory body focusing on regional community resilience? These individuals, with training and expertise in Structural Engineering, are getting involved in their communities, spurring innovation and growth while also giving a face to our industry. Other SEAOSC members have taken leadership roles on School Boards, Scouting organizations, and ACE Mentoring – all of which are providing influence and setting examples for future generations.

It is not just the community, organization, or institution that benefits when you volunteer for leadership positions, but there are benefits for you as well:

You have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of individuals with experiences, background and mindsets that may very well differ from the professionals you work with on a daily basis.
It allows you to take on levels of responsibility, management, or leadership that may not be available to you in your office. Ultimately allowing you to develop skills that will propel you in your professional career.
It will grow your network, and possibly open new opportunities for you down the road.

These are all benefits I have experienced as I have navigated the executive positions of SEAOSC, and can honestly say for as much as I have given I have received it back two-fold.

And speaking of SEAOSC leadership, I am happy to share that all five individuals, nominated by the SEAOSC Nominating Committee have graciously accepted the invitation to join the 2022/23 Board. We introduced you to Margaux Burkholder in last week’s email and Steven Shepherd in this one, and we will continue those introductions in the coming weeks so that you will also get to know Daniel Zepeda, Richard Byrd, and incoming Treasurer Garrett Mills. Keep an eye on our weekly newsletters for this content.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our upcoming events, including the joint ACI/SEAOSC dinner in Fullerton next week. Please don’t hesitate to say “hi” and share your leadership story with me.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.

SEAOSC President, 2021-22

SE Pathways Cohort at the 2022 SEAOC Convention

Mon, 16 May 2022 21:20:21 GMT

The Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) is pleased to present a unique opportunity for Students and Early-Career Professionals during the 2022 SEAOC Convention in Indian Wells, CA. In continuing our response to the 2020 SEAOC Call to Action we are convening a group of Engineering Students and Early-Career Professionals to share ideas on enhancing the pathways into and through the profession of structural engineering in California. To accomplish this, SEAOC is inviting interested students and early-career professionals to apply to join the SE Pathways Cohort at the 2022 SEAOC Convention.

This will be a great opportunity to network with the practicing professionals and colleagues; learn keys issues the SE profession is facing, including Diversity Equality and Inclusion; meet representatives from trades that may assist you in your future as practicing engineers; and most important, have an opportunity to help shape the future of Structural Engineering practice in California. We strongly encourage all to apply for this opportunity. Additional benefits and opportunities you will receive include:

Full Access to the 2022 SEAOC Convention Program

· Two tracks of technical subjects

· One track on professional development topics

· Industry Receptions & Meals with Colleagues

Primary Expenses Paid

· Full Convention Registration

· On-Site Accommodations for 3 Nights

· Reimbursed Travel Expenses

· 1-Year Free SEAOC Membership

Special SE Pathways Cohort Activities Include:

· Private Reception with Cohort Members and Industry Mentors

· Participation is Pathways Workshops & Roundtable Conversations

· Invitation to YMF Speed Mentoring Session

This program's goal is to sponsor at least 20 students and 20 early-career professionals for inaugural SE Pathways Cohort. Students should be in at least their third year of undergraduate engineering (structural emphasis) studies and early-career professionals should be within their first three years of structural engineering industry involvement. Application & Registration information can be found on the 2022 SEAOC Convention Website at https://www.seaoc.org/page/2022ConventionMain.

Read SE Pathways Cohort Invitation for Student Members here.

Read SE Pathways Cohort Invitation for Young Members here.

Read SE Pathways Cohort Invitation for Faculty here.

Download the 2022 SEAOC Convention Cohort Program Application here.

Read the 2022 SEAOC Convention Pathways Track here.

Student Chapter Spotlight: California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:52:05 GMT

Cal Poly SLO SEAOSC Student Chapter is currently led by its President, Jay Skaff. They have recently built their club back up after being online due to COVID for over a year and began the year strong through the Big/Little Sibling program, making sure to welcome the first years with open arms. They achieved an all-time high of SEAOSC members registered for the chapter along with a strong young member involvement promising a great future for our club.

The chapter has held weekly meetings hearing from a variety of lovely companies from industry speak on projects, career paths, and more. As a chapter, they also hosted Quarterly SEAOSC trips to San Francisco, New York, and San Diego visiting firms and their respective projects led by their Vice President Robert Hardwick. Moreover, the chapter won the Annual AEI Canstruction competition, collecting a great number of cans donated to our local food bank.

The student chapter also implemented new events such as Graduate School Panels with various alumni sharing their Grad school experiences. Another new event was their first-ever Service Trip to Yosemite, retrofitting structures in the national park. Lastly, the infamous Structural Forum run by our Forum Chair, Tia Kelly, and her amazing Forum Committee, organized a fantastic Forum with over 50 companies in attendance and a handful of incredible speakers.

Overall, the goals of the chapter this year were to increase student involvement, continue connecting with professionals in our industry, and create an inclusive professional club for all SEAOSC members.

Their newly elected President Chapter, Sasha Padilla, strives to continue reaching the same goals along with creating new events such as Alumni gatherings, SEAOSC Student Chapter socials, and all in all continuing Cal Poly SEAOSC’s presence in the industry even more.

Cal Poly SLO Student Chapter at the MHP Office in Long Beach

Student Chapter Spotlight: EERI-SEAOSC at UCLA

Mon, 09 May 2022 20:39:18 GMT

EERI-SEAOSC at UCLA is a culmination of our students' efforts to build a community of scholars, faculty, and professionals who share a single goal: to reduce earthquake risk and to advance the field of structural engineering in California and beyond. Over the past year, together with parent organization SEAOSC, EERI-SEAOSC at UCLA again hosted its annual earthquake engineering networking fair in November of 2021, and its official career fair in January. Each quarter, they supported the research conducted by our student community by hosting research roundtable series where they invited student speakers across UCLA to present their research to fellow students, faculty, and industry leaders. The professional development team organized a comprehensive program with numerous office visits, information sessions, and networking opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. They also partnered with other student organizations such as CalGeo and ASCE at UCLA to bring diverse events to our student body, including FE Exam and PE Exam bootcamps, resume review workshops, and hosted industry speakers from across southern California. Each of their events were carefully conducted to further support our vision of community and innovation that binds our chapter together, a tradition we work hard to uphold each year.

Next year, EERI-SEAOSC at UCLA has planned to launch an initiative to promote accessibility and inclusivity in our programs. The organization's board next year will comprise of more undergraduate and transfer students dedicated to structural and earthquake engineering, and hopes to introduce more undergraduate-friendly opportunities to mentor, research, and take on higher-level internships through their partner programs in the coming years.

Technical Summit I: Sustainability in Structural Design

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 22:33:17 GMT

Over seventy attendees participated in SEAOSC’s technical summit, “Sustainability in Structural Design.” In the first all-day in-person training of its kind, engineers heard from industry leading presenters giving a comprehensive education on “Embodied Carbon 101” (Megan Stringer, Holmes) as well as “An Owner’s Approach to Carbon” (Sara Neff, Lendlease). Buro Happold’s Michael Hoehn shared about the available tools for calculating embodied carbon and projected future developments for automated workflows using the open-source BHoM tool. The morning concluded with a view of the policy landscape shaping design and product procurement by Natasha Balwit, and California state Assemblymember, Chris Holden, speaking to the group via video on his proposed “Carbon Intensity of Construction and Building Materials Act.” Fourteen SE 2050 signatory firms participated in discussing their embodied carbon action plans over lunch, which lead into an afternoon session that was geared at pragmatic carbon reduction strategies. The group heard from industry representatives: Brandon Wray (NRMCA), Mike Romanowski (Woodworks) and Aleeta Dene (APA Engineered Wood Association), and Andrea Chiu (Nucor). Lastly, the day concluded with three case studies by practitioners: 843 N Spring Street by Tye Bailey (LEVER) and Rachelle Habchi (Glotman Simpson), Intuit Arena by Margaux Burkholder (Walter P Moore), and a tech campus by Gina Kope (Holmes).

After a full day, the stimulated group then continued the conversation over happy hour.

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2022 SEAOSC Safer Cities Awards: Call for Nominations

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 00:32:09 GMT

Initiated in 2018, the SEAOSC Safer Cities Awards program celebrates contributions by the local community and civic leaders and organizations working to enhance the resilience of cities throughout the Southern California region. These awards recognize partners and individuals who in their own roles are supporting this vision, often in coordination and collaboration with the structural engineering community.

Awards presented in 2022 are for contributions made in 2021. Organizations and individuals who are not past recipients of the award are eligible. Nominations are open to the public, and self-nominations are also accepted.

To submit a nomination, visit: https://seaosc.wufoo.com/forms/seaosc-2022-safer-cities-award-nomination-form/

The deadline to submit nominations for this year’s SEAOSC Safer Cities Awards is on Tuesday, May 3rd at 3:00 pm.

SEAOSC's Diversity & Inclusion Committee Participates in the ACLA, Diversity by Design: Paul Revere Williams Day Event

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 23:59:58 GMT

On April 2, 2022, the SEAOSC Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted an interactive booth and represented structural engineering profession as one of the 40 partners across the AEC industry for the Paul Revere William's Day, a once-yearly event that connects professionals from architecture, design, engineering, and construction to students across many experience levels to introduce interest in design professions at a young age. Volunteers from SEAOSC -- Vickey Rogers, Noya Wang, Brett Beekman, Laura Basualdo, Carlos Zarate Jr., and Cheng Song -- demonstrated structural engineering concepts using shake tables and Mola Kits. Students were invited to build their structures with the materials from Mola Kits and bring them to test on the shake table that simulates an earthquake. They were guided by engineers to experiment modifying design parameters, such as removing structural elements and changing the frequency of shaking, to observe how structures change behaviors accordingly. Intrigued students asked many questions about various aspects of the profession, and the SEAOSC members shared passionately about their experience and perspectives.

1906 San Francisco Earthquake Anniversary

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 07:20:27 GMT

The great San Francisco earthquake occurred on this day in 1906. With an estimated magnitude of 7.9, this earthquake destroyed most of the City of San Francisco. The earthquake damage was exacerbated by the multiple fires that broke out as a result of broken gas lines from the earthquake shaking, and which burned over many days. Most of the City's residents were left homeless after the earthquake.This earthquake is noted as the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States with over 3000 casualties.

See the SEAOSC existing buildings fact sheet and use the Find an Engineer search feature on our website to help determine your building’s seismic risk and possible mitigation strategies.

https://seaosc.org/Fact-Sheet

https://seaosc.org/Member-Services-Search

Architecture, Engineering and Construction Professional Organizations Collaborate to Support and Advance Women in the Industry

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:49:47 GMT

LOS ANGELES, Calif., (April 12, 2022) – On the heels of Women in Construction Week and the last day of Women’s History Month, four architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry professional women’s organizations joined forces for the inaugural Women Working Together (WWT) Networking Event. A collaboration between the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Women in Architecture Committee (AIALA-WiA); National Association of Women in Construction Los Angeles Chapter (NAWIC-LA); Structural Engineers Association of Southern California Women in Structural Engineering Committee (SEAOSC-WiSE) and Women in Operations Southern California Chapter (WiOPS), the sold-out evening event took place on March 31, 2022 at City Green in Downtown Los Angeles.

With approximately 170 people in attendance, this was the first time these four organizations have collaborated to provide an opportunity for their members to interact. In keeping with the “women working together” theme, the event featured a selection of wine procured and made by women wine makers from Vinovore, as well as a special performance by Spags, an electric female violinist who is a master at creatively merging the classical violin with modern music.

“Working in male-dominated industries of varying degrees, women in architecture, engineering and construction careers may not have many other women to interact with and learn from in their daily work environments.” says Michelle Kam-Biron, WWT Steering Committee member representing SEAOSC-WiSE, mass timber specialist at Structurlam. “The WWT Networking Event provided an opportunity for the participating professional organizations and members to connect as a larger group and expand their voice, work to increase opportunities for principal positions in their industries and develop mutually beneficial relationships moving forward.”

“This event, during Women’s History Month, delivers allyship, support and collaboration that will lead to positive change in our professions well beyond this celebratory time,” said Jennifer Noel Wong, WWT Steering Committee member representing AIA|LA -WiA, Associate at CO Architects.

With the numbers beginning to improve due to company and professional organization efforts like the WWT event, women are still underrepresented in the AEC industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women comprise only 10.9% of construction industry workers, yet they make up 47% of the nation’s workforce. Architecture and engineering fare a little better with women comprising just 27% of the workers in this sector. Studies also show that AEC industry careers for women are often short lived due to inflexible hours, non-progressive culture, lack of advancement and limited mentorship opportunities.

“In response to the AEC industry experiencing pre- and post-pandemic talent shortages along with increases in market demands and realizing the advantages of having a diverse staff, attracting and retaining more women to AEC careers has become a growing industry-wide focus,” says Kam-Biron. “Exemplifying this movement, the organizations leading WWT are seeing an uptick in engagement among industry companies boosting our efforts to support and advance women in their AEC careers.”

“The company sponsorships and turnout for our inaugural WWT event were overwhelming,” said Ileana Holguin, WWT Steering Committee member representing NAWIC-LA, vice president, project executive at McCarthy Building Companies. “It was inspiring to meet and talk with so many supportive men and women in different AEC-industry roles and stages of their careers. With college interns, project managers, vice presidents, business owners and more engaging in conversations, everyone had the opportunity to develop fruitful new business connections and relationships.”

The event garnered the financial support of 21 companies including: Brandow & Johnston, Coleman Equipment Rentals, Clark Construction, IMEG Corporation, McCarthy Building Companies, Pacific Wall Systems, Inc., T&S Structural, Abet Laminati, Giroux Glass Inc., HBC, JRM Construction West, Martin Bros., Murray Company, Vulcan Materials Company, Structural Focus, Thornton Tomasetti, Hathaway Dinwiddie, Kimley Horn, MATT Construction, Miyamoto and USGBC-LA.

Kelly Strain, senior project manager at Chambers Group, and environmental consulting firm, said, “A highlight for me was having the opportunity to meet a vast array of interesting, bright, and accomplished individuals.” Other positive feedback about the evening echoed by multiple attendees reflected the pleasure they received in connecting with other women, discovering opportunities to positively impact the advancement of women, being part of the significant turnout—of both men and women—to support women in the industry, and last but not least, enjoying an elegant event, venue and entertainment.

The planning team reveals that this will likely not be an isolated event. “Due to this level of interest within the industry, the WWT steering committee is planning another WWT event next year and will continue to look for regular opportunities to network with one another,” says Kam-Biron.

The following individuals served on the WWT steering committee: Michelle Kam-Biron, SEAOSC-WiSE, Structurlam; Ashley Richardson, AIALA-WiA, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects; Jennifer Noel Wong, AIALA-WiA, CO Architects; Leah Wimberly, WiOPS, Pacific Wall Systems, Inc; Barbara Kotsos, NAWIC-LA, Giroux Glass; Ileana Holguin, and NAWIC-LA, McCarthy Building Companies.

President's Message April 2022

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 04:30:30 GMT

Dear Members,

As I reflect on the month of March - my first thought is “We’re Back”! The Association hit its stride this month with THREE unique in-person programs for your enjoyment and development. A majority of you join SEAOSC for technical training, the community, and/or the professional development. Well, I think we were able to check each of those boxes this past month.

The day-long Sustainability in Structural Design summit was a great success. It brought together engineers from across the state to learn and share how members of our industry are responding to the call for reduced embodied carbon in buildings. We reviewed the fundamentals of embodied carbon, explored the owner and policy side of reduced carbon initiatives, and took tips from successful projects right in our own backyard. I was struck by Sara Neff’s message (and I’m going to paraphrase here) that to an owner with aggressive target sustainability goals, Structural Engineer’s are now one of the first consultants invited to her table for programming and design development because structural material choices have such an impact in the bigger energy conversation. I left the day excited for the role we can play in bringing change to our communities, and with a promise to revisit and revamp my standard project specs. A sincere thank you goes to Sustainability Chair Luke Lombardi for orchestrating such a powerful event. For those who were not able to join us, check out this Resources Pocketbook, thoughtfully assembled by our event planning committee. Also mark your calendars for June when we intend to compliment this discussion with content that includes resilience, adaptive reuse, and circular economy.

For a different spin on professional development, our half-day public speaking workshop was not only successful, but a lot of fun too! Thanks to Nance Rosen’s energetic approach, we spent time exploring how to make each encounter meaningful and rich for the audience. I took many notes, but the one line that is circled and underlined at the top of the page is this… “all speaking is public speaking”. Whether an audience of 1 or 1,000 we should come to the conversation prepared and ready to illustrate a meaningful message. Thanks to the support of CSI and grant funding from NCSEA we will be providing all of our members with a 1 hour video that will allow you to explore some of this content in the comfort of your office chair.

And finally, last week SEAOSC’s WiSE Committee partnered with AIALA-AiA, NAWIC LA, and WiOPS to put on the Women Working Together Networking Event. This too was a success with over 175 attendees from across the A/E/C industry. It was exciting to see this cross association collaboration, and I look forward to future endeavors. A nod of gratitude goes to Michelle Kam Biron for her vision and leadership in this event.

If you missed these great opportunities, don’t fret, there is more coming up for you to take advantage of. On April 13th for example, we will be in Burbank for dinner and a panel discussion on how to navigate the business risks that Structural Engineers are faced with. Take a minute to jot it on your calendar and join us for the evening. I also encourage you to share your SEAOSC experiences with colleagues and friends. The most important component of our SEAOSC community are the people, and we would love to see that community grow. Please consider introducing us to one of your office mates by inviting them to accompany you to an upcoming event. We will even help with the registration - for each SEAOSC member who brings a guest on April 13th, your guest is welcome at our member rate. Additionally, we will provide you with 2 drink tickets. I look forward to chatting with each of you soon.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.

SEAOSC President, 2021-22

SEAOSC Board Takes Leadership Position on Low-Carbon Concrete

John Bwarie — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 03:04:15 GMT

The building and construction sector is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions. To meet the 1.5°C carbon budget, all new buildings and major renovations must be designed to be zero carbon today. The design decisions we make as structural engineers directly impact the ability for the design and construction industry to meet these goals. Structural engineers are in a key position to facilitate the mitigation of carbon emissions through the systems we design and materials we specify. You can find additional information and resources in this article by SEAOSC Sustainability Committee Chair Luke Lombardi.

There are a number of ways in which the structural engineering community can lead, and in a first step the SEAOSC Board has taken a leadership position addressing concrete construction specifically: SEAOSC supports the use of low-carbon concrete as long as it performs the same or better than concrete conforming with current code requirements.

So what does this mean for SEAOSC Members and SEAOSC Committees? Our Concrete Committee is empowered to work with technical and industry partners to help shape codes and design guidelines. Our Sustainability Committee is empowered to provide resources and advocacy in the use of low carbon materials. Our Legislative Action Committee is empowered to work with jurisdictions to create legislative change. And Members benefit from these efforts in the form of education opportunities for you and your colleagues, resources to share with clients, and tools for your projects, all while working together to reduce carbon in our communities.

In Context: Why Structural Engineers and Sustainability are Inextricably Linked

John Bwarie — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 16:55:42 GMT

By Luke Lombardi, PE, Co-Chair, SEAOSC Sustainability Committee

You may have noticed the increasing number of news articles about climate change or have received increasingly frequent client communications inquiring about embodied carbon, LCAs, and net-zero buildings--topics generally unfamiliar to the traditional day-to-day activities of structural engineering. If you’ve been buried in calculations, coordination, and construction administration, these topics and endlessly new acronyms might feel a bit overwhelming. Let’s break it down and explain why these issues are important and relevant for structural engineers and why structural engineers play a vital role in guiding this pivotal transition towards sustainable building design.

Full disclosure: we are sharing a lot of links. The intent isn’t to overload you, but to provide an ongoing resource. There is an abundance of foundational research and case studies available. Understanding a few basics is really all you need to know to start making an immediate impact. For quick reference, the most important points are underlined and bolded. Summary / action items are at the end.

Climate science has been around for decades along with the corresponding calls to mitigate emissions. We’ve recently seen increasingly alarming reports from scientists and calls for action in Paris, Glasgow (Arch 2030 1.5°C COP26 Communiqué), and most recently with the IPCC’s Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability report. Governments, clients, and our industry member organizations have joined in this call for action by declaring a state of emergency around climate change (e.g. Engineers Declare).

Globally, we have a limited “carbon budget” of approximately 460bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) to have a 50% chance of keeping warming below 1.5C – that’s just 11.5 years of current (2020) emissions. Every fraction of a degree matters as cities and communities around the world are at risk (negative impacts outlined by Nasa and Carbon Brief). It is simply not feasible to adapt our building code provisions - think wind speeds or temperature ranges - at the same pace as climate change.

Aggressive reductions are needed now for emissions to be reduced in half by 2030 to realistically meet this budget. The shift towards renewable energy sources such as wind and solar is important, but buildings are also a pillar of the U.S. decarbonization plan.

Buildings are responsible for 40% of the world’s carbon emissions (EIA report, 2018) with about three quarters coming from building operations and the remaining quarter resulting from materials and construction. In Los Angeles, this proportion is 43% of greenhouse gas emissions—more than any other sector in the city, including transportation. Globally, the emissions from cement, steel, and aluminum manufacturing represent a staggering 23% of all emissions.

By 2060, the global building stock is projected to double. This is the equivalent of constructing an entire New York City every month. Embodied carbon emissions between now and 2050 are expected to be the source of the majority of emissions from this projected new construction.

This is the purview of structural engineers. We specify the size and type of material needed for safe construction and have a responsibility to understand these elements best. Material quantity and the specified material, which has a corresponding global warming potential (GWP), form the basis for embodied carbon calculation. Though some might suggest this consideration is “out of scope,” has our industry not previously expanded other aspects of our expertise as new information is discovered? For example, every significant earthquake provides a new learning opportunity to access and adapt to better protect and serve our communities. We no longer use pre-Northridge steel moment connections. Management of embodied carbon in our structures is similarly an extension of practicing this responsibility to public safety.

Is it even possible? SEI has published How to Get to Zero outlining different paths of design change, electrification, material innovation, and purchased offsets--some more costly than others.

In the past year and a half, 75 structural engineering firms have joined SE 2050 to “support the vision that all structural engineers shall understand, reduce, and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects by 2050.” This list of progressive companies includes 18 local structural engineering firms in the SEAOSC region.

What is the next step? Get informed about strategies for reduction from AIA, CLF, or LETI (UK). Using less carbon-intensive materials in new-builds and finding ways to extend the functional life of structures (e.g. circular economy).

There is a growing precedent driving new policies that address embodied carbon similar to building operational emissions. Take the London Tulip for example. Embodied carbon legislation has now been introduced on the floor of British parliament, and as of this past February has been proposed in California as well.

As structural engineers, we have a collective leadership opportunity to embrace this transition during the climate crisis. We can choose to support the responsible use of natural resources in design through resilient seismic design as well as adaptive reuse. Moving towards using materials that contribute to ecosystems and carbon sequestration is a challenge structural engineers are trained to meet.

Summary: Carbon emissions generated from buildings, both old and new, significantly contribute to climate change. Structural engineers are in a key position to facilitate, rather than incumber, the mitigation of these emissions through the systems we design and materials we specify. Public perception, closely followed by public policy, is rapidly changing. By taking action now, as structural engineers, we can choose to define our leadership role rather than rely on others in the industry to prescribe changes to structural elements and design.

How you can get started:

Less than 20 minutes
1. Read an Embodied Carbon Action Plan from an SE 2050 Signatory Firm
2. Learn about the Top 10 Ways to Reduce Carbon in Concrete from NRMCA / AIA
3. Look up the difference in GWP between hollow and hot-rolled steel on EC3
Less than an hour
1. Start a conversation - with an architect, owner, contractor, community leader.
2. Attend a CLF-LA meeting or read a post from the Community Forum
3. Read up on high-impact materials on Carbon Smart Materials Palette
More than an hour (est. 4-8 hrs)
1. Review and update your specifications
2. Complete an LCA for an existing project
3. Attend SEAOSC's Education Summit March 18th
Long term:
1. Join SE 2050 - learn from others and make a plan.
2. Engage in the policy discussion around embodied carbon

Check out the SE 2050 Program Requirements Guidance Document for more ideas.

President's Message March 2022

John Bwarie — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 05:40:36 GMT

Dear Members,

It was great connecting with so many of you this past month at the SEAOSC Trivia Night and SLO Structured Connections. The conversations were energizing to say the least. A big congratulations goes out to MHP’s trivia team for their amazing win, taking home the SEAOSC perpetual trivia trophy. I would be remiss if I didn’t share my sincerest gratitude to CSI for their unwavering support of SEAOSC and the trivia evening.

February also brought us an engaging webinar on Business Development. This upbeat presentation by Lindsay Diven provided participants with networking tips and a gameplan to grow your connections. One of Lindsay’s nuggets of advice was to polish and refine your personal elevator pitch. If this is something you would like to work on, our Public Speaking Workshop is the place for you. Open to members of all age and experience levels, this workshop will allow you to develop effective communication techniques for client interactions, new business development, and internal collaboration and presentations.

Over this past month, I also had the opportunity to attend the Structural Forum, put on by the active students of Cal Poly SLO. While chatting with students, I found myself answering one question in particular many times: what got me involved in SEAOSC? Well…

My first introduction to SEAOSC was as a student in the undergrad ARCE program at Cal Poly. Although smaller at that time, we had an active student SEAOC chapter that promoted mentorship, networking (or parties), and field trip opportunities. Ultimately, this student club gave me opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and lead. I held the Secretary position and Structural Forum Chair, two positions I embraced and made my own.

The transition into SEAOSC as an emerging professional wasn’t an automatic step for me. When I graduated and started working, I wasn’t immediately surrounded by fellow SEAOSC members. Working in San Luis Obispo made regular participation in dinner meetings or committee work unrealistic (remember, this was long before Zoom). What ultimately led me back to SEAOSC was the technical expertise and educational opportunities the Association – and its connection with SEAOC/SEAONC – provided. As the industry transitioned out of the familiar 1997 UBC, SEAOSC’s resources are what helped me advance.

So, the technical expertise is what brought me in, but the community is really what hooked me to become active. I believe that SEAOSC has given me the opportunity to cross paths with some of the most outstanding and interesting engineers – people that I don’t think I would have met any other way. The Association has also given me opportunities that I wouldn’t have been available in my firm alone. Opportunities to advocate for the profession while connecting with local and state governments. Opportunities to lead and manage on a very different scale from my intimate office setting. Opportunities to speak and present in an array of different forums. I can say with the utmost sincerity that SEAOSC has given me much more than I could ever give in return.

If you are looking for some inspiration or an avenue to get more involved in our SEAOSC community, I invite you to join us this Wednesday for a virtual Night of Engineering Inspiration where we will introduce you to change-makers and trendsetters. Alexis Clark of HILTI North America will remind us what this profession is all about and the benefits that open up to us when we give back. Hear how some of our community members are leading the industry towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace environment. And if that’s not enough, you will also hear from the eloquent recipients of the 2022 SEAOSC Foundation Student Scholarships. Just to wet your appetite, here a few words of inspiration from some of my SEAOSC friends:

By learning from and mentoring others, I find that SEAOSC is a great platform to foster community and gain visibility within the structural engineering profession.
- Jessica Chen, S.E., SEAOSC Young Member Committee Co-Chair

I am involved with SEAOSC because it is a great organization of individuals dedicated to the profession of structural engineering. It is a privilege to learn from those at the pinnacle of our profession and inspiring to engage with the next generation and future leaders of our profession. I encourage everyone to get involved. - Kevin O’Connell, S.E., SEAOSC President 2014-15

Actively participating in SEAOSC allows me to make a difference in the structural engineering community and give back to my fellow engineers who also work hard to improve the built environment. - Maria Mohammed, S.E., SEAOSC 2021-22 Board Director

I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

PS. for you book worms out there, I have two recommendations: Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell and The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood. Happy reading.

President's Message February 2022

John Bwarie — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 18:56:47 GMT

Dear Members,

Wow! 2022 is off to quite a start. I don’t know about you, but my calendar is filled with some really exciting opportunities in the coming months. 2022 for SEAOSC started off strong with the SEAOSC Student Career Fair. I would like to thank all the firms who participated to make the event successful, and allowed us to connect with over 200 students. If you haven’t done so yet, I would encourage you to check out the 2022 SEAOSC Program Year; it is not just a calendar of membership meetings but a true reflection of the initiatives our committees and board are undertaking.

SEAOSC does have a full schedule, and that is thanks to our dedicated members - volunteers with a passion to enhance our structural engineering community. All of the new programs on our agenda are brought to you by your peers, because it is a topic or resource that they are passionate about – events that our SEAOSC community can and will grow from. There are three new programs in particular that I would like to share with you:

SEAOSC Mentorship Program - Thoughtfully fostered out of our Women in Structural Engineering committee, and in collaboration with the Young Members committee, the D&I committee, and some of our Student Chapters, the inaugural pilot program is being launched in Spring of 2022. This structured program will offer opportunities for one-on-one mentoring as well as small group mentoring. I am excited to participate as a mentor not only to support the future of the profession but because it will surely foster new authentic relationships and grow my professional network. I expect that it will give me some feedback and insight on how to be a better manager. And, I am hoping it will help improve communication and leadership skills. If you would like to learn more about the SEAOSC Mentorship Program, please reach out to our SEAOSC office.
SEAOSC Public Speaking Workshop (March 19th) - Open to all members, this program is brought to you by our Young Member committee. The workshop is designed to give attendees the fundamentals of public speaking and effective communication for client interactions, new business development, and internal collaboration and presentations. These are valuable skills for all engineers as they work to advance in their career. We are excited to offer this experience to our members at a reduced cost, thanks in part to grant support by the NCSEA Foundation.
Education Summit (March 18th) - Our Education Committee and Sustainability Committee have teamed up to bring you a day-long education program focused on Sustainability in Structural Design. In both the public sector and in private development, the industry is looking towards the future, and that future is “green.” The technical summit will kick off with "Embodied Carbon 101", address the life-cycle impact our main building materials have on the environment, and explore some successful case studies right here in California. Become familiar with emerging trends so that you can better serve your clients and our community.

Please stay tuned to our weekly email announcements, for the latest in event news. With the current surge in COVID cases, our schedule has been fluid. The health and safety of our members and staff is our top priority and we continue to monitor and adjust our schedule.

I hope you all find at least one new SEAOSC event that peaks your interest, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

Two SEAOSC Members Recognized as "Women of Influence"

John Bwarie — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 05:56:52 GMT

This month, two SEAOSC members were recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as Women of Influence: Construction, Architecture, & Engineering. This 4th annual distinction recognized 44 women from across Southern California.

SEAOSC’s president-elect, Patti Harburg-Petrich of Buro Happold, was recognized for her professional work and leadership, highlighting her work in sustainability within her project portfolio.

Member Liz Mahlow of Nous Engineering was also recognized as a leader for her project work around the globe and her work promoting the collaboration between architectural intent and structural performance.

You can read more about Liz and Patti (as well as the other 42 honorees) here.

The honorees in this special supplement were drawn from nomination materials submitted to the Los Angeles Business JournaI. “Those selected for inclusion were reviewed by the editorial department and chosen based on a demonstration of impact made on the profession and on the Los Angeles community.”

Two SEAOSC Members Honored for Work with the Next Generation of Structural Engineers

John Bwarie — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 18:49:17 GMT

Two of SEAOSC's members will be honored in February for their dedication to the next generation of structural engineers. The ACE Spotlight Awards honors outstanding mentors for their dedication, leadership, and support of high school students in the ACE Mentor Program. ACE brings Architecture, Construction and Engineering professionals into high schools twice a month to teach students and mentor them. This year, SEAOSC members Josh Rojo and Carmen O'Rourke, both of Degenkolb, are being recognized.

Josh supports STEM Academy of Boyle Heights. This year, he stepped up as Team Leader and did everything possible to make sure he met with his students in person, knowing how much being there in person helps keep the students engaged.

Carmen has served as Team Leader for the Downtown L.A. Team for many years and is one of ACE’s most involved mentors. This team includes students from three different schools which requires additional effort to coordinate, but Carmen is always there for her students.

Congratulations to both of these members who represent the association and profession with dignity and esteem.

President's Message December 2021

John Bwarie — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 16:09:46 GMT

Dear Members,

It's that time again… when we put a bow on our accomplishments of this year and prepare to ring in the new one. No matter your traditions this holiday season, I wish you all the best in your celebrations.

As I prepare my New Year's resolutions, the campaign tagline We SEE Above and Beyond keeps popping to mind. This is the slogan of the NCSEA marketing campaign that kicked off this fall, and something I want to make sure I promote in my work (both with my clients and within our community). The campaign is designed to draw awareness to the structural engineering profession and its vital role in society. Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) is more than through drawings and well executed calculations; it is the unique way we bring our communities to life. The campaign website, www.weseeaboveandbeyond.com, outlines key campaign messages which include:

We SEE our role in helping to form resilient communities.
We SEE the “big picture” vision of a project: its desired outcomes and its intended impact.
We SEE construction solutions using proactive leadership, communication, and creative problem-solving.
We SEE the integrity of building components and systems that create safety and security.

I hope there are a few words here that speak to you; themes that encourage you to show and share how you SEE Above and Beyond. Whether you share your experiences with colleagues in a staff meeting, show it to your clients at your next project kick off meeting, or teach it to our next generation; I hope you find a way to celebrate all that you do in 2022.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

President's Message November 2021

John Bwarie — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 05:47:47 GMT

Dear Members,

On June 13, 2021 Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors approved a motion regarding the assessment and safety of high-rise buildings in their jurisdiction. The motion directs the Department of Public Works (DPW) to take six actions; with Actions 3 and 4 having a direct impact on the practice of structural engineering.

Action 3 would require owners of certain buildings in select areas “to hire a structural engineer and to prepare engineering assessments.”
Action 4 directs a study of the “feasibility of requiring a certification inspection program for all similar type (high-rise) buildings in the unincorporated Los Angeles County area”. We understand a “certification inspection program” to involve engineering assessments beyond the normal scope of routine maintenance inspections.

Over the past two months SEAOSC has had the opportunity to collaborate with DPW as the department prepares a formal response to the motion. Our members prepared and presented case studies that helped to illustrate the history and rarity of building failures under modern building codes. Our Safer Cities Advisory Group also created and distributed a survey to help DPW understand the current process used by Structural Engineers to assess existing buildings. (You can read more about the survey findings here.)

During our weekly meetings with DPW, SEAOSC was asked that we utilize our contacts and connections across the state as we consider the motion - which we were able to do through the support of SEAOC. Understanding that multiple California jurisdictions are contemplating similar questions to those posed in Los Angeles County, SEAOC convened an ad hoc committee of members from across the state to provide insight and perspective on this topic. On October 13, 2021 SEAOSC, together with SEAOC, provided a formal position statement to DPW. Some key themes of the statement include:

For buildings with reported or known deficiencies, we encourage the County to achieve their objects using existing regulations to the extent possible. Relevant existing regulations include the CEBC (which requires the abatement of unsafe and dangerous buildings), the California Health and Safety Code, and the International Property Maintenance Code.
At present, we find that a new program of mandatory engineering assessments would be premature, and possibly counter-productive:
1. Without an inventory, and while the causes of the Champlain Towers South collapse are still under investigation, there is no equitable or reliable definition of "similar type (high-rise) buildings."
2. Without an extreme event like an earthquake, the sudden collapse of an occupied, maintained building in California is rare. We have no data that indicates mandatory “certification” prevents collapse.
The County can develop outreach materials to remind building owners of their responsibility to maintain their buildings, to inform them of the resources available through DPW, and to explain the applicable existing codes, regulations, and legal precedents.

We are expecting that DPW will be reporting to the Board of Supervisors in November, and will share additional information as it becomes available.

I would like to extend my gratitude to SEAOSC members Wayne Chang, Susan Dowty, Daniel Zepeda, Patti Harburg-Petrich, and our entire Safer Cities Advisory Group for their efforts in responding to this call in a timely fashion. It is our community of passionate engineers that positions SEAOSC as a resource to our community leaders. If advocacy, policy, and legislation is something that interests you, I would encourage you to check out the next scheduled Legislative Action Committee meeting.

With that, I wish you all a wonderful November, and look forward to seeing you at our ‘Structured Connections’ membership meeting on November 3rd.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

September 2021 SEAOSC Tall Building Condition Assessment Survey Summary

John Bwarie — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

To aid the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in responding to the Board of Supervisors’ approved motion of July 13, 2021: Assessing the Safety of High-Rise Buildings In Los Angeles County, SEAOSC’s Safer Cities Advisory group distributed a survey to understand the current process used by Structural Engineers to assess existing buildings. Licensed PE and SE members were asked to respond based on recent experiences conducting condition assessments of existing buildings five or more stories in height. The survey included a series of questions with two scenarios: where no structural failure is observed and when a failure occurs. Ninety (90) SEAOSC/SEAOC Members responded, and the majority of respondents practice in Southern California (78%).

A key finding from the survey reported that due diligence for a transaction (real estate, insurance, etc) or a broader evaluation due to a voluntary upgrade or mandatory ordinance-related upgrade are reasons why Condition Assessments are frequently performed. The survey also concluded that Condition Assessments were rarely performed due to specific failure or concerned occupant.

In the scenario where assessments are not due to an observed failure, most of the survey participants noted that they look for deterioration or damage when performing condition assessments. The most common deficiency observed in this scenario is concrete deterioration; however, steel deterioration and design deficiencies were also reported. Furthermore, nearly all respondents reported performing a job walk and review of as-built documentation as part of the condition assessment scope. 92% of respondents also reported prioritizing their findings, with life safety being the overwhelming top priority.

In the scenario where assessments are due to observed failure, the vast majority of respondents reported looking for the cause of damage, checking for conformance with as-build plans, and looking for deterioration when performing condition assessments after a failure. Reported deficiencies from assessments due to observed failure were similar to the previous scenario with concrete deterioration as the most common deficiency observed. However, failure of foundations is reported more frequently in this scenario. In line with the previous scenario, nearly all respondents (96%) reported performing a job walk and review of as-built documentation as part of the condition assessment scope. The majority of respondents prioritized their findings and life safety was again the top priority. Finally, many respondents reported that they will notify the jurisdiction if there are life safety issues or if issues are not addressed in a timely manner.

SEAOSC thanks those who participated in the survey. We value your time and input on this matter.

SEAOSC's Position on City of LA's Fire District 1 Proposed Expansion

John Bwarie — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 06:55:13 GMT

Over the past several months, SEAOSC members have been discussing the Los Angeles City Council’s proposed expansion of Fire District 1. On October 18, SEAOSC formally responded to Council President Nury Martinez and the LA City Council stating that SEAOSC will not be taking a position on the expansion of Fire District 1.

The current Fire District 1 is composed of dense, urban areas in the City. Within its boundaries, additional fire life safety regulations are required for new construction and additions. Fire District 1 limits the type of construction as defined in the California Building Code (CBC) to Types I, II and III, prohibits Types IV and V construction, and provides for additional fire life safety requirements. Fire District 1 is a building code provision found in Chapter 9, Article 1, Division 72 of the LAMC (Section 91.7201.1).

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and Councilmember Monica Rodriguez made a motion on June 5, 2019 to expand Fire District 1 to include all areas within the City covered by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Very High Fire Severity Zone and City’s High Wind Velocity Zone as well as high density population centers with a population density of at least 5,000 residents per square mile. The proposal was brought to SEAOSC’s attention in March 2021. At that time, the SEAOSC Board and SEAOSC Committees began discussing a response.

In August 2021, SEAOSC representatives had the opportunity to meet with John Popoch, Deputy Chief of Staff to Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. This interaction set the stage for collaboration with the Councilman on this and future topics. Mr. Popoch explained the public safety intent behind Councilmember Blumenfeld’s proposal and invited SEAOSC to provide comments and recommendations.

This is an interesting issue with diverse perspectives from our members. We discussed many different matters like the vulnerability of existing buildings, sustainability implications, the cost of various construction types, other hazards like earthquakes, and the importance of allowing structural engineers to make decisions on appropriate structural systems and materials. Many committees provided volunteers who participated in the discussion and contributed to SEAOSC’s response, including Seismology & Hazards, Codes & Standards, Wood, Concrete, Steel, Existing Buildings, Sustainability, and Communications. Thank you all, your contributions were extremely valuable.

Our members assess public risk and design to ensure safety. Department of Building and Safety issued a report on May 27, 2021 in response to the proposed expansion which states that 4.72% of “Building fire” incidents in 2015-2020 in Los Angeles occurred in Fire District 1, however Fire District 1 encompasses less than 1.5% of parcels citywide. This caused us to examine the question: Is Fire District 1 a tool that is making our city safer? There does not appear to be evidence to demonstrate that Fire District 1 has improved public safety in the past or that its expansion will lead to greater safety. In addition, we recognize that our current building codes are robust and effective. Therefore, while SEAOSC supports efforts to increase public safety, we were not able to take a position on this issue.

SEAOSC’s engagement on issues of local and statewide importance, like this one, continues to be a cornerstone of the efforts to raise the reputation of structural engineers in the wider community. We will continue to monitor this and other issues, work to provide the best technical information to decision-makers, and represent the interests of our members in City Halls, County Halls, and even in Sacramento. If you’re interested in these topics or want to learn more about them, please join SEAOSC’s Legislative Action Committee which meets monthly. Just email legislative@seaosc.org to be added to the committee list.

SEAOSC Kicks-off Program Year with Bar-raising Committee Showcase

John Bwarie — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 05:02:07 GMT

On October 6, 2021, more than 100 SEAOSC members gathered together for our first member meeting of 2021 for the annual Committee Showcase and Member Meeting. Attendees came from as far away as San Diego and San Luis Obispo to enjoy a clear night outdoors in LA’s South Bay. They all came with a clear purpose: to reconnect, become more engaged in the Association, make new connections, and to have fun.

Each of SEAOSC’s 15 committees were present to talk one-on-one about their important work and invite new members to join in their work. Nearly every attendee signed up for at least one committee!

This event set a new standard for post-pandemic SEAOSC activities: innovative, member-centric events. This year, the Annual Committee Showcase featured 15 carnival-style games, burgers and fries from The Habit Burger truck, and two autumn-themed beers on tap for a memorable and fun evening. Games of chance brought laughs and prizes for attendees including past board presidents, long-time members, and new members alike.

And besides the winners of the various games, the association came out a winner as the attendees responded with: “What a great event.” “This was so much fun!” “Can’t wait for the next one!”

SEAOSC is taking the approach that if we’re going to be together, we need to make it meaningful for our members. Plan to join us at our next member meeting: our first Structured Connections happy hour event at Los Angeles Union Station on November 3, 2021.

From the 2021 SEAOC Convention: Lorena Arce’s SEAOSC Update on the Diversity Panel

John Bwarie — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 20:33:48 GMT

Since the 2020 SEAOC convention’s forum on diversity, equity, and inclusion, SEAOSC (along with SEAOC and each of the other three Member Organizations) has made a concerted effort to incorporate this important work into the daily functions of the Association. At this year’s SEAOC Convention, the final day’s plenary session consisted of a panel of representatives describing the efforts by each of the MO’s. Lorena Arce, Co-Chair of SEAOSC’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, provided the update for SEAOSC and explained the committee’s efforts. As a panelist, Lorena answered some key questions to highlight this important work of the Association...

Who at SEAOSC is leading the diversity initiatives?

It is important to say that the Executive Board has been instrumental in this effort. Also, our Women in Structural Engineering Committee has been working toward equity in the workplace for several years now. Through their activities, they empower our members and educate firm leaders on the issues that concern women in the workplace. The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee was formed in June of 2020 to expand the diversity efforts for the Association. We didn’t plan it, but the D&I Committee is composed of board members, and liaisons to WiSE, YMC, Communications, and other committees. I think this presents a unique opportunity to interweave diversity efforts into the Association.

How did the D&I committee come about?

D&I began as an ad Hoc committee empowered by Ken O’Dell toward the end of his term. Matt Barnard, the incoming president for SEAOSC, quickly recognized a need for us to be a standing-alone committee. We met weekly for an entire year! There had been a lot of discussions, and we had to strip down the discussion to the very definition of diversity. We wanted to develop a strategy and execution plan that would be sustainable. We had to understand and manage our resources ranging from funds to volunteers to contacts, etc. There are a lot of great ideas -- we had to ask ourselves: what can we accomplish in a short amount of time that could be most impactful, while continuing to work toward the intermediary and long-term goals?

How did you get involved and were you prepared to take on a role like this?

Personally, I just dove in…I think all of us did. Also, personally, I was completely unprepared. We had to assess where we as a community stand…and so naturally, we looked atSEAONC SE3 and atNCSEA. I started to attend meetings to see what others are doing. It was frustrating at times because some groups were racing ahead with their programs doing an amazing job and I wanted us to move that quickly too. I also looked elsewhere; outside of the structural engineering profession. I found that a lot of the engineering professions (civil, transportation, and electrical) find themselves in the same situation as us: wanting to do more to affect change in our community. We aren’t alone in this movement. We are only getting started and the beauty of this Association is that you can help carry the torch forward by getting involved.

How are you supporting firms on their D&I journey?

To reiterate, the work that WiSE has been doing and planned out for the upcoming year is part of the answer; because their efforts to improve women’s experience as a structural engineer inherently improves diversity within the firms. At the D&I committee, we noticed how a lot of firms started to develop their own initiatives, in-house D&I committees, social media posts, etc. We want to create a platform for these firms to come together and collaborate with one another. We also recognize that a lot of our members come from small firms that may not have the resources to develop their own programs, so we want to make sure that those firms can lean on the association. And along the lines of recognition, upon direction from our Board, we are developing a Diversity and Inclusivity Award for firms that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to improving diversity within their company-more details to come!

As part of your student outreach, which students will you reach out to and how do you plan on doing so?

We want all students to know of our profession, right? With our limited resources, we analyzed at the student’s journey from kindergarten through post-grad hoping to pin-point those pivotal stages where they might steer their interests towards structural engineering. We also recognized that there are a lot of organizations and programs out there focused on STEM fields and minorities. They have been doing this for many years, quite well. We researched these to find out which ones would make the most sense for us to work with given our current resources. As a starting point, we identified high-school and early college as optimal ages to target. We are developing partnerships with ACE Mentoring, Boys and Girls Club of Southern California, and local NSBE chapters. Our goal is to create a program that minimizes the effort by our volunteers but maximizes their impact in a fun and rewarding way.

What do you mean by SEAOSC Stories?

With such an emphasis on lack of diversity, we want to recognize that we do have some diversity in our Association; certainly more than there has been in the past. Our membership includes women, persons of multi-national backgrounds, LGBTQ community, age, religion, etc. We wondered why we just don’t celebrate it enough or in a way that could make a difference. Through this initiative, we are telling the stories of our members and their achievements. We want to shine the light on the individual’s journey, challenges, and successes. Also, why stop at people? We also want to celebrate the diversity that exists in our firms and our projects. We want people both within and outside of our profession to update their image of the structural engineer and the profession.

How do you present SEAOSC Stories?

We want to create content for people to connect with our profession. Understanding that people receive information thru various mediums, we selected newsletter articles, social media, and films to start. We will be relying a lot on WiSE and Younger Member committees to help identify folks or projects to profile. We actually want to hear from the membership at large. In fact, we are releasing a 5-part web series of short films called Something from Nothing. The trailer for this web series premiered the convention. You can help by liking and sharing content, nominating members or projects to highlight, and by getting involved with our committee!

What specifically can your members expect for the upcoming year?

Well, WiSE has some exciting plans this year. They’re programming includes the launch a Mentorship program, modeled after SEAONC SE3’s long-term mentorship program. They will roll it out initially to the WiSE, D&I, and YMCs as a pilot program, with the intention of expanding it to the rest of the membership. Secondly, they are working towards a Business Management program aimed to support professionals interested in improving their skills around hiring and employee retention, business development, and project management. From the D&I committee, we are planning on ACE Mentorship recruitment events, speaker engagements for NSBE and Boys & Girls Club, recognition of our first ever Diversity and Inclusivity Award, and more SEAOSC Stories.

President's Message October 2021

John Bwarie — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 06:04:25 GMT

Dear Members,

It was wonderful to see our California Structural Engineering community come together last month in San Diego for the annual SEAOC Convention. Thank you and congratulations to all those volunteers who planned, presented and were recognized during the few days together. A special congratulations goes out to our Southern California members who’s projects received recognition for their Excellence in Structural Engineering:

Existing Structures, Award of Merit: UCLA Pritzker Hall Seismic Renovation, KPFF
Existing Structures, Award of Excellence: Essex Fox Plaza Tower, Saiful Bouquet
New Non-Building Structures, Award of Merit: Arroyo Bridge, SGH
New Non-Building Structures, Award of Excellence: Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement, ARUP
New Building Structures, Award of Merit: Long Beach Civic Center City Hall and Port Headquarters, SOM
New Building Structures, Award of Merit: UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studio, SGH

I would also like to extend another round of congratulations to SEAOSC member Michelle Kam-Biron for her induction into the SEAOC College of Fellows. Established in 1994, The SEAOC College of Fellows was established to honor esteemed members of our community who have provided distinguished service to the association and made outstanding contributions in the field of structural engineering. Michelle has been a leader, mentor, teacher, advocate, and so much more here in Southern California. It is wonderful to see her recognized on the state stage for her contributions.

This year, the convention gave me the opportunity to reflect on my membership and participation in SEAOSC. I was first introduced to the association as an active member of the student chapter at Cal Poly, SLO. I was drawn back to the association early in my career, finding it a valued and trusted source for technical information. What keeps me engaged at this stage is the people. Although the technical content of the convention was indeed extraordinary, the highlight of the event for me was the connection with colleagues. The one-on-one conversations - something we are not always able to carve out time for in our overflowing schedules - were powerful moments of collaboration and inspiration: glimpses into the different paths each of us have traveled in our careers, the pride we have in the work that we do, and the visions we have for the future. It is those conversations that sent me home with a renewed excitement for the future of the profession.

I am looking forward to more of those conversations this Wednesday, as our SEAOSC community comes together for an outdoor Committee Showcase. If you haven’t already signed up, I encourage you to join us in Gardena from 5:30pm - 7:30pm and challenge yourself to make a new connection.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

IBC 2024 Call for Code Changes Proposals

John Bwarie — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 04:55:14 GMT

Notes from the Building Codes & Standards Committee: IBC 2024 Call for Code Changes Proposals

The SEAOSC Codes and Standards Committee provides information on various code development processes, including the I-Codes, ASCE 7, ACI, AISC, AISI, AWC, etc. Our building codes are only as good as we, as structural engineers, make them. Get involved with the code development process by sending your code proposals for the endorsement by SEAOC. Here's how...

This month (September 2021), the SEAOSC Codes and Standards Committee is focused on the International Building Code proposed revision status/updates.

The International Code Council is now preparing to accept proposals to the structural provisions of the 2024 International Building Code, 2024 IBC. The SEAOSC Building Code and Standards Committee is collecting code proposals to be shared with SEAOSD, SEAONC, and SEAOCC for the endorsement of SEAOC. Each of the Building Codes and Standards Committees of the four SEAOC member organizations will discuss proposals and form a position of support to be transmitted to the ICC. The deadline for code proposals is January 10, 2022.

The timeline and information on the 2024 IBC development may be found on the ICC web site at https://www.iccsafe.org/products-and-services/i-codes/code-development/current-code-development-cycle.

Send your code proposals to the SEAOSC Building Codes and Standards Committee by simply emailing them at codes@seaosc.org.

Promoting Structural Engineering Excellence in 2021 and Beyond

John Bwarie — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:56:59 GMT

Got Milk?... Beef, It's What’s for Dinner…. These are powerful, strategic campaign slogans that not only represent a product but promote an experience.

Thanks to NCSEA (the national association to which we belong), the Structural Engineering industry is embarking on its own campaign. A program designed to promote the value of Structural Engineering and raise awareness for what we do. And the tagline is...

WE SEE ABOVE & BEYOND

Designed to promote Structural Engineering Excellence, the campaign will demonstrate how structural engineers create experiences in our communities - where we work, live, love and play. The campaign is designed to draw a connection between the work we do and the lives of our community members. All advertising and social media posts will drive viewers to the campaign website: www.WeSEEAboveandBeyond.com.

SEAOSC will play an active role in sharing the message materials provided by NCSEA via social media. Together we can increase our reach, so please follow SEAOSC on LinkedIn, Twitter, and/or Facebook. When you see a message that resonates with you, consider sharing it so that our voice will grow stronger.

President's Message September 2021

John Bwarie — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 03:59:08 GMT

Dear Members,

“The Structural Engineers Association of Southern California will empower its members and advance the Structural Engineering Profession in service to our community” - This is SEAOSC’s mission. A single simple sentence to let the world know what we are all about. Twenty-two strategically crafted words strung together, intended to define the vast types of works we do. It is the five words in service to our community that I would like to focus on today.

For me, “our community” is the neighborhoods, cities, and counties that we live, work, and raise our families in. To be able to serve this community is a powerful thing. That act of service is providing safe buildings for our community members to thrive. That act of service is educating the next generation of engineers, providing new research and technical resources to those already in the field, or developing new products. And that act of service also includes educating and advocating for our neighbors - protecting and improving the housing, economy, and character of those around us. SEAOSC has approached this advocacy recently on multiple fonts:

For nearly a decade, our SEAOSC Safer Cities Program has emphasized the value of strengthening existing buildings as a means of creating safer communities. Our volunteers have worked with a number of Southern California Cities to aid in the development of recent Seismic Retrofit Ordinances. And as recently as August, we once again activated our Safer Cities Advisory Program to support a local jurisdiction. To learn more about the current efforts our members are collaborating on, please join us for the State of SEAOSC address, September 8th.
This past year, SEAOC sponsored state Assembly Bill 1329, fighting to raise design standards above and beyond that of life safety. On behalf of all four California Member Organizations, SEAOC’s Legislative Committee gave us a powerful statewide collective voice on capitol hill. Here in Southern California, we lent support to the effort by connecting with state legislative offices to discuss vulnerabilities in our own backyards. If this type of work is something that peaks your interest, please check out our SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee during the October 6th Committee Showcase. (Although the bill did not make it to the Governor’s desk last week, the amount of effort put forth by the SEAOC committee and chair Ryan Kersting was enormous and much appreciated.)

What does in service to our community look like for you, and how can SEAOSC help you with that vision? As always, share your thoughts and feedback with SEAOSC@SEAOSC.org.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

Act Now: Share Your Expertise and Opinion CBC Amendments

John Bwarie — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 21:29:27 GMT

On September 3, 2021, the State of California launched the 45-day public comment period for the Building Standards Commission approved proposals to amend the California Building Code (CBC) by State jurisdictions (DSA, OSHPD, HCD, etc.). The SEAOSC Codes and Standards Committee is asking all members to review these proposals and offer your expertise and input. This can be done by emailing your comments to the Codes and Standards Committee, as it will have more weight if it is included with comments from the Association.

These proposals can be found at 2021 Public comments (ca.gov). You will see one bar for each jurisdiction. For example, if you click “DSA-SS/CC,” you will see the following:

From the options, “Initial Express Terms” are the actual proposals written in legal language. For a better understanding, you may consider reading the “Initial Statement of Reasons” (ISOR) first.

The proposals were written in April, and the Commission decision can be found by clicking “Commission Action Matrix.” The matrix shows most of them approved as written. (Note that those few that were not approved will not advance, and as such, commenting on them is not useful.)

Again, the SEAOSC Codes and Standards Committee recommends that you send your comments to their Committee by emailing code@seaosc.org where they will review comments and adopt them as part of the official position of SEAOSC. Please send your comments by September 30, 2021 for consideration by the committee.

SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee Launches in Fall 2021

John Bwarie — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Engineers typically focus on solving technical problems. However, policy and legislation can greatly affect our profession as well as local and state building requirements and related enforcement. In this light, SEAOSC has reestablished the Legislative Action Committee.

The committee’s charge includes engaging with policy makers and legislators within SEAOSC’s region to review the policy and legislation and coordinate input with other SEAOSC committees regarding issues within their scope. This includes identifying the issue, its scope, and whether it affects licensure, jurisdiction authority, or statewide seismic or resilience policy or legislation. Additionally, the committee will work to proactively develop policy positions that advocate for structural engineers and a more resilient built environment, as well as develop and maintain relationships with policymakers and their staff.

The committee will meet on the fourth Thursday at 4:30pm of every month beginning in October 2021. All levels of experience and interest are welcome to join. Come add your voice to better influence and shape policy so it more positively affects our profession, industry, and communities! Simply email legislative@seaosc.org to express your interest.

100+ Golfers Attend Annual SEAOSC Golf Tournament

John Bwarie — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:05:36 GMT

On Monday, August 9, 2021, more than 100 golfers hit the links at Friendly Hills Golf Course in Whittier for the Annual SEAOSC Golf Tournament. Foursomes and golfers made up of members, guests, sponsors, and industry partners spent the day trying to get the lowest score while having the highest amount of fun. Everyone had three chances to win $10,000 with a hole in one on three different holes, but that elusive prize wasn’t claimed by even the day’s best golfers! Thanks to our sponsors, including Tournament Sponsor Fyfe, as well as Nucor Vulcraft/Verco Group, Sika Corporation, Hilti North America, Concrete West, Simpson Strong-Tie, and Hardy Fall Protection System. Thanks to our golf Tournament Chairperson and current SEAOSC Treasurer, Craig Chamberlain.

SEAOSC Leadership Takes on Media Requests

John Bwarie — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 05:59:32 GMT

Structural Engineers play such a vital role in our society, not just for the built environment where we lend our technical expertise to the construction world, but also, in providing peace of mind, solace and a sense of security, especially in the aftermath of a tragedy such as the Champlain Towers condo collapse. Once the shock of such a tragedy has passed, the general public and our community leaders begin a quest for answers and seek experts to help provide those answers.

In the digital age where information flows so readily, Structural Engineers have a responsibility to the public and our profession to be a pillar of knowledge. But how do we get our message across? How can we make ourselves heard, and how do we provide the peace of mind to our neighbors, letting them know that Structural Engineers have the answers?

On August 4, SEAOSC leaders participated in a virtual, 2-hour media training to tackle these topics and more. We took a dive into the recent tragedy and reviewed several media clips where various engineers from across the nation, including fellow SEAOSC members, addressed various media outlets. During this training, attendees were able to participate in a mock media interview to add additional realism to the class.

Topics also included how to craft effective messages and what perceptions may be left in the minds of viewers, who are likely not engineers, based on how the information is presented. The participants were able to gain a better understanding of how the media seeks out its “experts,” and, if called to respond, how to be more prepared to better represent the profession.

Though many tactics and techniques were presented, the basis of this work was being intentional in the messaging the interviewee is trying to get across to the wider audience. This stems from four simple questions:

1. What do you want the audience to know; what is your key message? What is the information you have that they should have regarding that topic?

2. What do you want the audience to do when they hear your message? What is your “call to action” for them?

3. What is visual or descriptive about your message? What examples or analogies can you use to illustrate your key points that will resonate with non-engineers? (This is especially important for radio or print publications.)

4. When is your message relevant? When should you be pitching to media on your topic or be ready to respond because of some other circumstance?

With these four components, you can begin to form your key message that can be practiced and refined before it’s actually needed. SEAOSC’s Board has adopted key talking points for representatives to use during interviews that allows for the individuals expertise to shine while representing the association and profession.

From this training, it’s clear how much responsibility you have if a member of the media reaches out to you… your 5-minute interview may very well contain a 3-second clip that can impact the opinion millions of people have on the Structural Engineering profession.

SEAOSC will be offering additional media and communication trainings throughout the 2021-22 program year, so make sure to register for the next program.

State Policymakers and Local Officials Turn to SEAOSC for Expertise & Recommendations

John Bwarie — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:50:18 GMT

In response to the sudden collapse of the Champlain Towers South building on June 24 in Florida, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors July discussion and approval of Supervisor Janice Hahn’s motion regarding the mandating of building evaluations, SEAOSC swiftly took action to serve our public stakeholders. We invited our State Assemblymembers and Senators, as well as local policymakers and city officials, to hear from our Structural Engineering community in a discussion of the concerns and questions that are being posed in their communities. The conversation was well attended with over 50 participants from Southern California’s state legislative offices, counties and cities. Topics of discussion included:
the importance of building maintenance
potential vulnerabilities in aging building envelopes, concrete construction, and welded steel moment frames
feasibility and value of post occupancy inspection programs
possibility of using existing data to identify vulnerabilities in communities
legal liability taken on by jurisdictions in an inventory process

The program featured SEAOSC members as the expert panelists including John Wallace (UCLA), Jonathan Glassman, Vida Tarassoly (Rubicon Engineering), and Boardmember Maria Mohammed (Structural Focus). Each shared insights that enabled the attendees to begin to craft informed policies and programs to address the need to ensure the safety of existing buildings. From this conversation, multiple state and local offices have engaged with SEAOSC to get more information and advice, and have even requested the activation of our Safer Cities Advisory program.

Here at SEAOSC, it is our mission to advance the profession of Structural Engineering in service to our members and our community. Each of our members does this in their own way, and the association works to elevate and promote our profession as manifested by the active members. If you are interested in these types of community conversations, consider becoming engaged with our newly-formed SEAOSC Legislative Action Committee, starting up this fall. You can find out more about this and other ways to leverage your expertise on October 6, 2021 at the annual SEAOSC Committee Showcase.

President's Message August 2021

John Bwarie — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Dear Members,

Exciting and important changes are coming to SEAOSC this year - all in service of our members and our profession. Here are five main changes you can expect to see coming your way...

New Executive Director: We are excited to welcome John Bwarie as SEAOSC’s new Executive Director. As founder and CEO of Stratiscope, John has a passion for community engagement and activation. Together with his team, John is positioned to elevate your member experience while also helping the association strengthen its outward facing voice. Join me in welcoming John and the Stratiscope team.
New and Improved Member Benefits: 2020 brought changes to our industry and the way we do our jobs. SEAOSC understands this, and is making a point to align member benefits with the here and now. We'll be offering member-only resources and tools to help you thrive from trainings to access to policy-makers to new activities that raise the value and reputation of the structural engineering profession.
Updated Communications and Branding: SEAOSC putting a focus on communication this year, both internally among our members and externally to the communities we work in. You will see changes in our outreach, replacing the monthly newsletter with weekly emails - keep an eye out for us each Tuesday. We also have a growing presence on social media, so if you haven’t yet done so check us out on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. As the year progresses we will also be harnessing the momentum coming from NCSEA’s External Marketing & Public Relations Program. It is important to us that SEAOSC reflects the professionalism and energy each one of you show in your work.
Returning to In-Person: SEAOSC is scheduling in-person events in the Fall of 2021. Gatherings will be done in a safe manner, following Federal, State and Local guidelines. Save a spot on your calendar October 6th for our annual Committee Showcase.
Reimagined Events: As we emerge from a year of virtual interactions, SEAOSC will be rethinking how we connect. Meeting formats will vary each month and include happy hour gatherings, new venues, virtual/in-person hybrid interactions, and even breakfast gatherings for you early birds. Meetings will still be the first Wednesday of the month, so don’t be shy, come check out what we have in store.

SEAOSC is powered by the passion our members and supporters have for Structural Engineering. It is this internal network that allows us to continue striving forward in our community outreach, professional development, networking and technical knowledge. In turn, we want to make sure we are meeting your expectations. As valued members, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the SEAOSC office (seaosc@seaosc.org) with any comments or suggestions.

Warmest Regards,

Kelsey Anne Parolini, S.E.
SEAOSC President, 2021-22

SEAOSC Leads 2021 Building Safety Month Discussion

John Bwarie — Sat, 29 May 2021 14:19:19 GMT

As part of Building Safety Month 2021, SEAOSC hosted a group of building officials from across California, practicing engineers, and representatives from EERI and the National Association of Home Builders to discuss functional recovery. This second annual event was held in partnership with CalBO and ICC.

SEAOSC Board Member Susan Dowty of ICC presented FEMA P-2090: Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Reoccupancy and Functional Recovery Time, and Ryan Kersting of SEAOC updated the more than 75 attendees about pending California Legislation related to it (AB 1329).In addition, SEAOSC Existing Buildings Committee Chair Daniel Zepeda introduced the group to SEAOSC’s Safer Cities Advisory Program.

After hearing the updates, the attendees were separated into breakout rooms to discuss the issues and how functional recovery impacts individual jurisdictions. The groups recognized that our communities may need to respond to multiple hazards. Having the right resources available are critical to success, such as access to electronic records and enough staff available to respond. Many participants were taking lessons from the pandemic and seeing how they could be applied to the next disaster, for example expanding essential facilities to include grocery stores and pharmacies. Remote operations will be an essential tool in serving our communities in the next disaster.

The group discussed concerns about the cost impact of functional recovery, including the current shortage and the rising cost of materials. Functional recovery may best to be done at a state level rather than individual city level, given that different communities have different resources available. Availability and timing of funding from insurance claims and FEMA was also discussed. Political momentum can be difficult to achieve but it’s essential to execute these efforts.

There was widespread consensus that functional recovery needs to include existing buildings as well as new constriction. Understanding different construction types, building inventories, and building vulnerabilities is needed. It’s important that planning is holistic; for example, including stakeholders, first responders, and inspectors to ensure people know how to implement the plan.

Many participants spoke about the importance of communication and messaging. We need to help stakeholders and decision makers understand building performance and recovery time, as well as the nuance between functional recovery vs safety standards vs community resiliency. With education and political will, we can be prepared for a successful functional recovery in the future.