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SEAMASS Briefs, Event Announcements
Member News & Special Offers 

JULY/AUGUST 2013

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IN THIS ISSUE 
  • 2013 Annual Meeting Recap
  • SEAMASS Sponsor Opportunity & Special Offer   
  • Member News & Announcements
  • SEAMASS Joins SEI to Establish MA SEER Plan
  • MA Board of Reg. Proposes Updates to 250 CMR
  • Young Member Group Announcements 
  • Sep. 13: Post Disaster Assessment Training
  • Nov. 22: Snow Loads Evaluation & Protocols
  • SECB Updates & NCSEA Member Discounts  
  • In Memory of David T. Gill, PE    
2013 Annual Meeting Recap
The SEAMASS 2013 Annual Meeting, hosted by Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger on June 4, was a great opportunity for members and guests to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, thank our outgoing officers and all volunteers who participated in the organization, welcome our new leaders, and kick off the new fiscal year 2013-2014.

Wayne-PresAward-2013 Pictured:  Incoming SEAMASS President Michael Fillion, PE, SECB, (left) presents outgoing President Wayne M. Siladi, PE, (right) with commemorative plaque in recognition of his service.

The event also featured a presentation titled In Defense of Allowable Stress Design: A Practitioner's Perspective, presented by David P. Brosnan, P.E., President of Structural Integrity Engineering Group.   Overall event feedback from the participant-survey was very positive, as the majority ranked it outstanding (50%) or good (44%).

SEAMASS extends a warm welcome to our 2013-2014 Officers & Board of Directors, who generously donate their time and talent to supporting our organization and profession.

NEW: Your Opportunity to Sponsor SEAMASS
As a member, you now have an outstanding opportunity to sponsor SEAMASS, and gain the valuable benefit of one-stop shopping to pay your member dues, promote your company, and more, including free admission to SEAMASS-sponsored events depending on the package you select.
 
Visit our new SPONSORSHIP page and select from three (3) new Sponsorship Options & Benefits: CORPORATE Sponsor, BUSINESS Sponsor, and VENDOR Sponsor.  We also continue to offer Event Sponsor opportunities for most SEAMASS events.

DON'T WAIT!  Register now and pay conveniently via PayPal, to begin enjoying the advantages of your sponsor benefits.

SPECIAL OFFER for the FIRST 5 Sponsors to sign up per category:
20% OFF DISCOUNT - First come, first served!
Corporate Sponsor:  20% OFF = $1,200 instead of $1,500! 
Business Sponsor: 20% OFF = $400 instead of $500!
Vendor Sponsor: 20% OFF = $280 instead of $350!

In August, the SEAMASS website will expand to promote the company names and key contacts of SEAMASS Professional and Vendor Sponsors.

Member News & Announcements
Craig E. Barnes, P.E. of CBI Consulting Inc., Glenn R. Bell, P.E., of Simpson Gumpertz & Hager, and Jerome F. Hajjar, PE, Ph.D of Northeastern University were recognized as Fellows of SEI (Structures Engineers Institute) at the 2013 Structures Congress in Pittsburgh, PA. Glenn and Craig are on the Local Planning Committee for the 2014 Structures Congress to be held in Boston in 2014.

Jeffrey Struble, P.E. and David Grandpre, P.E., SECB are co-chairing the now-active SEAMASS SEER committee, and committee members include Michael Fillion, P.E., SECB and Peter J. Quigley, P.E. The committee is working collaboratively with the MA-SEER committee, chaired by Mehrdad Sasani, P.E., Ph.D. of Northeastern University.

Craig E. Barnes, P.E., has stepped down after six (6) years as NCSEA's representative to the American Institute of Steel Construction's (AISC) Partners in Education (PIE) Committee.  Brian Quinn from Michigan will be the new representative.  Also, after more than thirteen (13) years, Craig has stepped down from the position of Chair of NCSEA's Basic Education Committee (BEC).  A recent accomplishment of the BEC is the survey of 285 schools and universities in the U.S. to determine the structural curriculum each school offers.  Craig will remain on the STRUCTURE Magazine Editorial Board and continue as a director on the magazine's Media Board.
REMINDER:  Renew Your SEAMASS Membership
If you haven't already renewed your SEAMASS membership, please take a moment to renew today!  Just $50 per year gives you access to a wide range of opportunities, and demonstrates your support of our industry. Just click here to download and complete the simple one-page renewal form, which includes instructions for how to conveniently pay via PayPal, or by check.

OR please consider becoming a SPONSOR (which bundles the cost of your membership) to gain further exposure for your company and yourself.

We depend solely on member dues and sponsorships in order to grow the organization as a useful resource for structural engineers in Massachusetts. Thank you for your support, and if you have questions or suggestions, please contact Michael Fillion, PE, SECB.    

SEAMASS Joins SEI to Establish SEER Plan in MA
Members of SEAMASS have joined volunteers from the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the BSCES to establish a standing committee of volunteer structural engineers that can assist emergency management agencies in responding to large-scale disasters that overwhelm local authorities' technical facilities.  Known as the Structural Engineers Emergency Response (SEER) Committee, it will be the MA chapter of what is hoped to become a nation-wide network of such volunteer groups that would be trained and ready to be deployed after disasters occur, to rapidly evaluate wide-spread damage to buildings and infrastructure when called upon by local/regional Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ's).  


SEAMASS members John Born, Michael Fillion, David Grandpre, John Looney, Peter Quigley and Jeffrey Struble are participating in the formation of the MA SEER Committee. They attend monthly meetings held at Northeastern University, with SEI chair Mehrdad Sasani. READ FULL STORY    

MA Board of Registration Proposes Updates to 250 CMR
The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and of Land Surveyors has proposed updates to its regulations, which are found in Title 250 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations ("250 CMR"). The Board's regulations set the standards for the practice of engineering and land surveying throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  READ MORE   
SEAMASS Young Member Group Announcements
The SEAMASS Young Members Group (YMG) proudly announces their new 2013-2014 Board:
Chair: Peder Hals, EIT - Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Events Coordinator: Bassem Almuti, EIT - Cannon Design
Digital Media Coordinator: Nicole Baldvins, EIT - Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Outreach Coordinator: Uchenna Okoye, PE - McNamara/Salvia Inc.

The YMG founders and past Chairs will also continue to provide support:
Ellen Kuo, PE - Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Sofia Zamora, EIT - CBI Consulting

Going forward, the YMG will focus on providing:
Social and networking events (August 29 is the next one, at a location to be announced);
Technical events to provide practical/hands-on experiences such as construction site visits and manufacturing plant tours (October 3 is the next one, at Duncan Galvanizing);
Participation in structural conferences, as forums to practice presenting in professional settings  
SAVE THE DATE:
Sept. 13, 2013 Post Disaster Assessment Training
DATE:  September 13, 2013 (Friday)
TIME:  Full-day seminar (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
LOCATION: Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern Univ., Burlington MA.
COST:  To be announced
DESCRIPTION:  This training will be conducted in coordination with the newly formed MA-SEER (Massachusetts Engineers & Architects Emergency Response Committee), a Collaboration of SEAMASS & BSCES, each SEI members.Participants will have the opportunity to become a certified as a Safety Assessment Program Evaluator (in MA and nationally)Click here for full details
SAVE THE DATE:
Nov. 22, 2013 Snow Loads Evaluation & Protocols Seminar
Registration will open soon for: Snow Loads Evaluation & Protocols Seminar
DATE:  November 22, 2013 (Friday)
TIME:  Half-day seminar (8:30 a.m. - Noon)
LOCATION:  To be announced
COST & REGISTRATION INFO:  To be announced
DESCRIPTION:  Jointly-presented by Joseph Zona of Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger, and Michael O'Rourke of RPI & Author of Guide to the Snow Load Provisions of ASCE 7-10, this event will cover Snow & Rain Loads, performance of buildings in the winter of 2011 and protocols for evaluating buildings loaded with snow.  Click here to learn more, and view other events
SECB Certification Updates & Certification Discount Offer
The Structural Engineers Certification Board (SECB) has agreed to issue a student SECB certificate.  The specifics of the plan will be rolled out by the National Council of Structural Engineers (NCSEA) at its annual conference in Atlanta, GA on September 18-21, 2013.

During the 2013 Structures Congress, SEI announced that SEI and SECB have entered a cooperative agreement to strengthen the credentials of SECB certificate holders.  As part of that agreement, SECB has opened a two-year grandfather provision for practicing Structural Engineers. CLICK HERE to learn more. 

SECB Discount Available For NCSEA Members:
If you have been procrastinating about applying for SECB certification, now is the time to send in your application! SECB is offering a waived exam requirement, plus a $150 reduction on the application fee, for members of NCSEA.  
Click here
for details 
Click here for an application

In Memory of David T. Gill, PE
We are deeply saddened and offer our condolences to the family of David T. Gill, PE, who passed away on July 19, 2013.   David was a respected colleague and friend, and a former principal partner of Souza, True & Partners, Inc. where he designed many local and international buildings. His obituary from the Boston Globe can be found here.