Structural Engineering Institute Boston Chapter Group Report

The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) is one of 18 specialty institutes and technical groups of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The mission of SEI is “to advance and serve the structural engineering profession.” SEI Boston Chapter supports this mission by providing a variety of online and in-person initiatives that bring our local community of structural engineers together to advance their careers through attending technical events, sharing ideas, and providing networking opportunities. 

Our meetings over the past two years have been limited to a virtual format via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Last year we successfully hosted the 2021 Fall Lecture Series titled Rehabilitation and Repair of Structures, replacing the in-person lectures with remote Zoom webinars covering the following seven topics:

• UHPC for Bridge Rehabilitation, 
• Non-Destructive Testing, 
• Emergency Response and Repair to Bridges Following Vehicle Impact, 
• Historic Bridge Rehabilitation, 
• Revitalizing Urban Waterfronts, 
• Design for Sea Level Rise, and 
• Strengthening of Concrete and Masonry Structures with Externally Bonded Systems. 

The four lectures received positive feedback and the survey results showed an interest in scheduling more in-person events.

Additional technical webinars were offered during the year, including the presentation and discussion on Protecting Adjacent Structures on Urban Construction Projects – What Exactly is the Role of the Engineer of Record?, the webinar featuring Designing the Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and the very informative Revitalization of Route 147 – Bridge Replacement with Complete Streets Cross Section. 

We have already started planning the 26th Fall Lecture Series this year, which will incorporate the hybrid meeting option. This will allow attendees to use the advanced features of the virtual communication and the unquestionable networking features of the in-person discussion providing valuable opportunities for informal professional development that is difficult to replicate in the virtual format. The theme of the upcoming Lecture Series event will be related to the evolution and driving priorities of the structural engineering profession through the years. It will be a special reboot of the 1995 lecture series titled Structural Engineering 2000: Shifting Paradigms in Engineering.

The members of SEI Boson Chapter helping with the planning and development of the annual Lecture Series have a wide range of engineering experience and expertise. They are engineering professionals with academic, bridge, and building backgrounds. Each member of the Executive Committee can also serve on one of the following three subcommittees:

• Lecture Series Subcommittee - where members concentrate on planning the Biennial Fall Lecture Series.
• Programs Subcommittee – where members concentrate on planning events during the year, such as technical lectures, case study presentations, and site tours.
• Membership and External Affairs Subcommittee – where members promote efforts towards SEI membership, community service, outreach, and publicity, often teaming with the BSCES’s Younger Member Group in planning a social event with structural topic presentation.

SEI Boston Chapter also works towards engaging with high-school students through involvement in mentoring programs, with college student chapters through participation in our meetings and events, and with the BSCES Younger Member Group through co-sponsored social events. It is through this important engagement process that we can improve information sharing and strengthen the knowledge base of current and future engineers in the civil engineering industry. I encourage you to look at ASCE's website, and particularly at the Structural Engineering Institute to learn more about the mission and vision of SEI. Please consider becoming more involved and bringing your expertise to our local chapter.

With the care for keeping our world safe and adequately prepared for the future, I encourage structural engineers to build their professional development for the prosperity of our communities. Volunteering with SEI Boston Chapter Executive Committee and one of our subcommittees is a good way to accomplish this. 

The SEI Executive Committee meets once per month, while our subcommittees have one additional monthly meeting. If you are interested in learning more or considering joining, please reach out to me at isvetieva@collinsengr.com or SEI@bsces.org, Diego Arabbo, vice chair, at DSArabbo@sgh.com, or Zachary Mino, secretary, at zacharymino@gmail.com.