SEI News
The Advances in Performance-Based Design (APBD) Committee has received approval to begin development of performance-based prestandards for seismic and fire hazards. The new efforts build on the committee's ongoing work to develop a performance-based flood prestandard and reflect continued interest in advancing risk-informed approaches to structural design.
October 22, 2026
With support from a $500 grant from the SEI Futures Fund, the University of New Haven SEI Graduate Student Chapter expanded opportunities for students to engage with practicing engineers, develop professional skills, and strengthen connections to the structural engineering community during the 2025-2026 academic year.
October 22, 2026
It is an incredible honor to step into the role of SEI President for the 2026/2027 term. I look forward to leading this great organization over the next year and am excited about what the future holds for SEI and structural engineering. We are at a time of great challenges and opportunities in our profession. Never before have we had such powerful tools for exploration and learning yet at the same time we face new threats to our profession, and the high standard of care society demands of us.
October 22, 2026
What we learn over and over, is that many, if not most, SEI members join the institute and become more deeply engaged because a colleague invited them to do so. That’s true for me, for most of the SEI Board of Governors, and may be true for you. The SEI Board of Governors and committee leaders work hard for you — SEI members — to prioritize and deliver a wide range of opportunities and benefits for you to become engaged even more. This month there are so many ways you can join in activities to advance your career and the profession including joining a committee, contributing your voice to public comments or surveys, or nominating a deserving colleague for a prestigious award. As your colleague, I invite you to lean in and engage in SEI, advance your career and the profession, network, and have fun! Joining a committee is a sure way to contribute to cutting edge topics
September 24, 2026
SEI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have published a five-report series examining how future hazards and changing conditions may influence the design, performance, and resilience of buildings and infrastructure
September 04, 2026
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Without giving up too many secrets, I was practicing when the profession evolved from three regional codes to a singular, national, comprehensive series of model building codes. The International Code Council (ICC) published the first editions of the I-Codes in 2000, including the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC). At the time, this was a radical change in regulatory process. However, since then, the ICC development cycles systematically update the codes with advancements developed in referenced standards, such as ASCE 7 and ASCE 24.
August 21, 2026
During a recent business trip, I safely sat in my hotel room working on my laptop as severe storms blew across town and inundated the area for several hours. I surveyed the downpour through the window to evaluate the susceptibility of the hotel to flooding. Satisfied with the high elevation of the hotel and noticeable grade of the parking lot below, I had the fleeting thought that somewhere out there, flooding would occur – I just didn’t know where.
July 23, 2026
SEI members now have the opportunity to help shape the future of the Institute and the structural engineering profession through the FY27 SEI Board of Governors election.
July 01, 2026
I look forward to the summer holidays — the recently passed Juneteenth and the upcoming Independence Day — not only for the obvious day off, but also because of the community celebration of picnics, parades, and fireworks. The holidays remind me that I am part of something larger, a day celebrated collectively that evokes a sense of pride and a feeling of inclusion and belonging. I really like that feeling of being part of something shared, meaningful, and bigger than myself.
June 18, 2026
The Colorado School of Mines SEI Graduate Student Chapter, in collaboration with the ASCE SEI Colorado Chapter, hosted a student and engineer networking event centered around a pickleball tournament on March 1, 2026, in Thornton, Colorado. Designed to strengthen connections between structural engineering students and industry professionals, the event reflects a growing emphasis on hands-on, informal engagement opportunities that complement traditional academic and professional development pathways.
June 16, 2026