WELCOME to Learn, Innovate, Excel! Our goal with this newsletter is to provide useful information and tips that will help you save time, be more productive, and also reduce risk. This information complements our SE University program, by introducing you to tips on a wide variety of topics affecting structural engineers.
If you have any tips you would like to share as part of a future Learn, Innovate, Excel newsletter, please email Lisa Willard or Brian Quinn. |
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 USING THE UL DIRECTORY TO FIND FIRE RESISTANCE
RATED ASSEMBLIES
Our recent SE University session by Kevin LaMalva, PE from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (www.sgh.com) provided some interesting information for structural engineers about structural fire protection. As Kevin discussed, the vast majority of structures in the U.S. are designed to resist fire exposure according to prescriptive methods in the building codes in which the designer selects qualified fire resistance rated assemblies from available listings for the purpose of achieving an intended level of safety. The level of fire resistance required for a given building is based upon certain factors such as the building's height and area per floor. Qualification of fire resistance rated assemblies is based upon standard furnace testing that has remained relatively unchanged since the early 20th century.
Kevin further elaborated that while the IBC allows for different methods to specify fire resistance, one common method is to use UL Directory listings. When a specific UL listing is given in the specifications, how would the engineer determine the requirements of that UL listing?...Read More, and view a video clip from our July 2013 SE University Session
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FIND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FROM SOFTWARE COMPANIES THROUGH COMPANY NEWS AND BLOG PAGES
What is the easiest way to find out the most up-to-date information about the software programs you use in your office? If you are part of an email list, you probably receive emails when a new release is available, or when there is a tip to share. Are there other ways you can proactively seek out information about your favorite program?
Both RAM/Bentley and RISA have blogs or news pages available that highlight helpful information for users of their programs...Read More
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STATES WITH UPCOMING LICENSE RENEWALS
It's not too early to start thinking about license renewals through December 2013 - start earning hours now to avoid the last minute rush (of course, if you find yourself needing last minute hours, we can help with recorded sessions from our SE University Session Archives).
States with license renewals before December 1st:
Louisiana (September 30th, Some Engineers)
Pennsylvania (September 30th, All Engineers)
Colorado (October 31st, All Engineers)
Michigan (October 31st, Some Engineers)
Illinois PE (November 30th, All Engineers)
States with license renewals for all engineers on December 31st:
| Alabama | North Carolina | | Alaska | Ohio | | Maine | Washington | | Mississippi | Wyoming |
States with license renewals for some engineers on December 31st:
| Arkansas | New Mexico | | Iowa | North Dakota | | Missouri | Oregon | | Nebraska |
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In addition to the states listed above, there are other states that may require renewal based on your initial date of licensure or other rules for that state. Please check your license information to confirm your renewal dates.
For more information about license renewal, please visit our Continuing Education Requirements by State page, where you can click on states in which you are licensed to see the license renewal date, as well as the continuing education requirements for that state. If you would like a complete summary of all 50 states, a PDF file is available for download below the map. This option can also be selected if you are viewing the page from a mobile device.
We hope that you find this information beneficial. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Willard.
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UPCOMING SE UNIVERSITY SESSION:
BRACING MASONRY WALLS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
On August 14th, we are welcoming back Scott Walkowicz from Walkowicz Consulting Engineers for an SE University session on masonry. Scott will be presenting on Bracing Masonry Walls During Construction.
This SE University session will focus on the recently updated Standard Practice for Bracing Masonry Walls Under Construction, published by the Mason Contractors Association of America, as well as the newly issued Internal Bracing Design Guide for Masonry Walls Under Construction, published by the International Masonry Institute.
It is helpful for structural engineers to understand how masonry walls are braced under construction for several reasons. If the engineer will be doing site observation or site visits, they will want to be aware of the bracing that is in place and the Restricted Zones, and recognize that the walls are braced either for 20 or 35 mile per hour winds. Engineers may also be involved in the bracing design process. While currently the bracing is often the responsibility of the masonry contractor, the Structural Engineer of Record may review the bracing plan, to see if there are changes that will affect their design.
During the session, Scott will cover general concepts and application of the Standard Practice and how that Standard can be applied to Internal Bracing. In addition, the session will include a brief introduction to software applications that can be used for analysis of Internal Bracing.
Handouts and registration emails for this session will be sent to SE University companies on Friday, August 9th.
To learn more about subscribing to SE University, please contact either Lisa Willard at (805) 482-8436 ([email protected]), or Brian Quinn at (616) 546-9420 ([email protected]).
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CONGRATULATIONS TO BEST STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRMS TO WORK FOR
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Thank you for reading our Learn, Innovate, Excel Newsletter - we hope you found this information useful. If there are any questions we can answer, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or email.
Additionally, if you would be willing to help other structural engineers by sharing tips that you have, please email your tip to [email protected]. If we choose your tip to publish, you will have your choice of a $50 Amazon gift card or a $50 donation sent to the Structural Engineering Association of your choice.
Regards, Your SE University Team
Brian Quinn, P.E.
[email protected]
Lisa Willard, P.E.
[email protected]
Linda Benson
[email protected]
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Coming Soon to SE University
August 14, 2013
Bracing Masonry Walls Under Construction
Scott Walkowicz, PE
Walkowicz Consulting Engineers, LLC
August 28, 2013
SEU BIM Forum: Increasing Your Efficiency With Revit Structure
Betsy Werra
Werra Consulting
This session will be 1 hour
September 11, 2013
Roof Drainage: Not my Problem...Maybe
John Lawson, SE
Cal Poly, SLO
This session will be 1 hour
October 9, 2013
Improving Your Writing Skills as a Structural Engineer
Janel Miller
Business Process & Quality Management
October 23, 2013
SEU BIM Forum: Increasing Your Efficiency With Revit Structure
Betsy Werra
Werra Consulting
This session will be 1 hour
November 13, 2013
Seismic Design of Buildings Applied to Industrial and Power Structures
Tom Heausler, PE, SE
Heausler Structural Engineers
December 11, 2013
Design of Maintenance Access and Fall Protection Systems for New/Existing Buildings
Kelly Streeter, PE
Vertical Access
For updated session descriptions and schedules, visit the SCHEDULE page.
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