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   SEAMASS News Briefs   
& Event Announcements

APRIL 2015  

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IN THIS ISSUE 
  • Seats Filling Fast for April 8: Lateral Load Design Using the IBC & ASCE 7-10 (8 PDHs)
  • Winter 2015 & the IEBC by Mike Fillion, PE, SECB
  • Recap: Birth of the Steel Skyscraper
  • Recap: Vibrations in Reinforced Concrete
  • Recap: Visiting Consultants at Northeastern Univ.
  • SEAMASS Young Members Group Upcoming Events
  • Upcoming 2015 Events - Save These Dates:
    • May 12: SFNE Spring Dinner Meeting
    • May 14: SEAMASS 2015 Annual Meeting
    • June 5: SFNE Engineers' Conference at WPI 
  Register NOW for Next Wednesday, April 8:
Lateral Load Design Using the IBC & ASCE 7-10 (8 PDHs)
Don't miss this one!  Seats are filling fast for NEXT WEDNESDAY, April 8:
Lateral Load Design
Using the IBC and ASCE 7-10
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | 8.0 PDHs
Speaker: Ed Huston, PE, SE     

This is your opportunity to learn the nuances of using lateral loads specified in ASCE 7-10, which will be the reference standard in the upcoming 9th Edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code.   

View SEAMASS CALENDAR for Complete Details & How to REGISTER

Thank you to our Event Sponsor:
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Winter of 2015 & the IEBC
Contributed by Michael Fillion, PE, SECB| Fillion Group, Inc.
This winter, over 108.6 inches of snow fall was measured at Boston's Logan Airport, setting a recorded history record.  According to the Mass. Department of Public Safety, over 200 buildings experienced issues due to the snow of 2015.

At the BASE dinner meeting on March 18 at Babson University, SEAMASS members Michael Fillion, PE, David Grandpre, PE, Rachid Farah, PE & Ed Moll, PE presented a timely lecture on the 2015 snow season and how buildings in Massachusetts were affected.  Also discussed were the Mass. State Building Code provisions (IEBC) regarding repair to snow damaged buildings.  The Mass. State Building Code Structural Advisory Committee Chair Joe Zona, PE  & NCSEA Existing Building member David Odeh, SE contributed to the discussion as audience members, as well as other BASE members.

On April 7, the SEAMASS Structural Advisory Committee will meet to discuss the repair provisions of the IEBC and potential amendments to the upcoming 9th Edition of the Mass. State Building Code (2015 IBC & IEBC).   
RECAP: Engineers Week Distinguished Presentation:
Birth of the Steel Skyscraper by Ben Schafer, Ph.D, PE
On February 26, in celebration of Engineers Week-New England, SEAMASS hosted
Ben Schafer, Ph.D., PE and Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at John Hopkins University, who presented Birth of the Steel Skyscraper.  Dr. Schafer shared his presentation with an audience of Civil Engineering students and professors as well as practicing structural engineers.  Preceding Ben's lecture, Michael Fillion, PE, SECB made a short presentation on snow loads and their effects on buildings in the winter of 2015. This gave students an idea of what some practicing structural engineers have been up to this winter.
A reception was held prior to the presentation, enabling students to mingle
with practicing engineers in celebration of Engineers Week-New England.

The event was jointly sponsored by Northeastern University, SEAMASS & BASE.  This is the second year that this group has sponsored the Distinguished Presentation at NU.  In an effort to unite students with practicing engineers, it is anticipated to become an annual event.  Many thanks to Jerry Hajjar, Ph.D., P.E., Chair, Dept. of Civil Engineering at NEU for helping to facilitate the event, as well as Bassem Almuti, SE who chaired a committee of young members and students to coordinate with Jerry.  We will look forward to seeing what Bassem, the SEAMASS Young Members Group & students have up their sleeves for next year's lecture.
 
RECAP: Vibrations in Reinforced Concrete Seminar
On March 26, Mike Mota, Ph.D, PE, F.ASCE, F.ACI, Vice President of Engineering at the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) presented Vibrations of Reinforced Concrete Floor Systems to more than 30 attendees at the Kostas Institute.


Attendees earned 4 PDH Credits and a discounted rate on the CRSI-developed
Design Guide for Vibration of Reinforced Concrete Floor Systems, the first design guide developed to assist Structural Engineers with vibrational analysis of reinforced concrete floor systems.

Mr. Mota's presentation focused on helping design professionals to  choose an appropriate reinforced concrete floor system for situations where the effects from vibration must be considered.  He provided simplified methods to determine key vibration characteristics of reinforced concrete floor systems that can be used to evaluate whether anticipated vibrations will be acceptable.  He covered flat plate, wide-module joist, two-way joist and voided slab systems subjected to walking and rhythmic excitations, as well as guidelines for sensitive equipment.

SEAMASS once again thanks our Event Sponsor, Cobiax USA

RECAP: Visiting Consultants Event at Northeastern University
On March 31, SEAMASS members Charles Pustizzi, PE, SECB and Michael Fillion, PE, SECB participated in Visiting Consultants Event at the ARCH-5120 Comprehensive Design Studio at Northeastern University with consultants from other engineering disciplines to help mentor senior and graduate students in developing resilient buildings.  This is the start of a mentorship program that the SEAMASS YMG is developing to help inspire young blossoming engineering students at our local universities.  Please contact the SEAMASS Board of Directors or Young Members Group to learn more about being a student mentor.
Students work with volunteer mentor
Mike Fillion, PE, SECB
Students work with volunteer mentor Charles Pustizzi, PE, SECB
The Design Studio met on Tuesday afternoon for 3.5 hours, and volunteer mentors consulted with students on up to seven different projects, for 20-25 minutes each. Students complete all projects this semester in student teams of two, so the mentors served as informal "desk critics" as they sat and chatted with the students, who were prepared with drawings and models and questions. To add a layer of complexity, students were asked to sit in and observe/join a consultation of another team's project, as a way to broaden the conversation and their learning.

Each pair of students benefited from consultation with two different experts in the course of the event. This represented a significant learning opportunity for them, and often precipitated major developments in their project. View all SEAMASS Past Events
SEAMASS Young Members Group (YMG) 
UPCOMING EVENTS
The SEAMASS Young Members Group announces upcoming events. 
Please RSVP (even for free events, so the YMG may plan accordingly).

April 16: SEAMASS YMG Social Event 
When: April 16, 2015, 6:00 PM 
Where: Avenue One, 1 Ave de Lafayette, Boston 
Cost: FREE. RSVP required

April 29: Concrete Restoration Seminar 
When: April 29, 2015, 12:30 PM 
Where: 311 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210 
Presenters: William Lyons (Euclid), David Schnerch (WJE) 
More details to be posted soon on the SEAMASS Calendar 
Cost: FREE. RSVP required; Seating Limit: 20)
 
June 11:  Etiquette for Engineers Workshop 
Details forthcoming - Please save the date

Learn more about the SEAMASS Young Members Group

Upcoming Events - SAVE THESE DATES: 
May 12 (Tuesday) | 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Steel Fabricators of New England (SFNE) 
Spring Dinner Meeting
The Steel Fabricators of New England (SFNE) invites SEAMASS members to attend the SFNE Spring Dinner Meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at the Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth, NHSEAMASS members will enjoy the same event cost as SFNE members ($60). The event will begin with a guided brewery tour and beer sampling, followed by dinner and a keynote presentation by Jules Van de Pas, VP of Computerized Structural Design and a member of the Rocky Mountain Steel Construction Association (RMSCA).  

At the SFNE Dinner Meeting last fall, fabricators and engineers came together to discuss ways to streamline the communication process and improve efficiencies in the construction process. At that meeting we learned that the Rocky Mountain Steel Construction Association members operate with a communications model that provides all sectors the chance to interact on a regular basis throughout the construction process.

Here is your opportunity to learn how the steel fabrication industry in New England can learn from and emulate the RMSCA model to improve communications and increase productivity and profits within your own projects.  We all aspire to achieve cooperation between all sectors of the construction process, so come to this meeting and learn how to make it happen.

View SEAMASS CALENDAR for more details & links to register

May 14 (Thursday) | 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
SEAMASS 2015 Annual Meeting  
Soon it will be time to elect a new SEAMASS Board of Directors for 2015-2016, and to celebrate our 2014-2015 SEAMASS year at the Annual Meeting on May 14, 2015 at Northeastern University Alumni Center from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.  Guests are encouraged! Please save the date, and stay tuned for details.      

June 5, 2015 (Friday)
 
Steel Fabricators of New England 
34th Annual WPI Engineers' Conference 
SEAMASS is coordinating a one hour presentation for the Steel Fabricators of New England Engineers' Annual Conference on June 5, 2015 at WPI.  Details are forthcoming, so please save the date!

Visit the SEAMASS CALENDAR for frequently-updated information
Become a SEAMASS Sponsor Today
Please patronize all the firms listed in the SEAMASS Corporate Directory, Professional Directory and Business Directory. Their sponsor commitments enable SEAMASS to fund key programs and initiatives in support of members.

Not yet a directory member?  Click How to Get Listed to learn the benefits of registering for the SEAMASS Directory, as well as how to sponsor SEAMASS Events.
Thank you SEAMASS Corporate Sponsors
Thank you to these SEAMASS Members who have contributed their  
Corporate Sponsorship in support of this member-driven organization: 
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