President's Message

Emily Guglielmo, SE, PE, F.SEI

2023-2024 SEAOC President

As the president of SEAOC, I have the privilege of attending meetings of each of our four member organizations (Northern, Southern, Central, and San Diego). Attendance at these meetings results in personal inspiration and pride as I observe the collaborative spirit, innovative initiatives, and commitment to excellence at each gathering.

This month, we also honor the outgoing presidents of our member organizations: Wayne Low (SEAONC), Harshda Prasad (SEAOSD), Doug Mayer (SEAOCC), and Craig Chamberlain (SEAOSC). Their leadership and dedication have significantly impacted our California structural engineering community. In celebration of their considerable contributions, I offer you their words of wisdom and reflections on their tenure.

Wayne

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment during your tenure as president?

My biggest goal was to work to bridge the generations and have more members come back to meetings. I think this was a success as many did come out. I hope to leave behind legacy of inclusion and belonging. That all our members felt welcome, especially when they made the effort to join us.

Doug

What was the most challenging aspect of your role, and how did you overcome it?

Ask anyone that knows me, and they can tell you that the President's Message for the monthly newsletter was most challenging for me. Writing doesn't come easy for me, even more so when I try to relate my experiences, subject knowledge, and/or just trying to provide an inspirational message. As to how I overcame this challenge? Just like most other things I have to do in my life: perseverance and a deadline. I also did my best to remind myself to keep the message grounded and personal, hoping others would be able to relate to my experience.

Craig

Can you share a memorable moment of event from your presidency that stands out to you?

Our Northridge Symposium in January was one of significant events of the year for SEAOSC. It was great to see the engagement from our membership and community. The earthquake was a major impact on our society that day and we continue to see significant changes in how we design and retrofit based on lessons learned from that event.

Harshda

What initiatives or programs introduced during your term do you believe will have a lasting impact?

I started having quarterly committee chair meetings by grouping committees that shared some synergy instead of just meeting with each chair individually. This fostered cross-collaborations between committees and reduced some programs that each committee was trying to run on their own. This has led to committees working together and creating bigger and better initiatives with likely more impactful outcomes. For example, instead of YMF, SE3 and WiSE running their own mentorship programs…we will now have a combined mentorship program with access to a wider range of mentors.

SEISMIC SAFETY COMMISSION - SEAOC and NCSEA Past President Ryan Kersting presented structural engineering perspectives on Adaptive Reuse to the California Seismic Safety Commission on July 18 in Sacramento. Among other topics, Kersting shared SEAOC's newly adopted position on Adaptive Reuse (see below).

SEAOC Weighs in on Push to Convert Commercial Space to Housing

With state and local policymakers aiming to convert vast amounts of empty commercial space to residential use, SEAOC is working to ensure that engineering and safety considerations remain front and center during the transition.

An ad hoc group of reps from SEAOC's Existing Buildings Committee, Legislative Committee, SEAONC and SEAOSC developed a SEAOC Position Statement on Adaptive Reuse that was approved the Executive Committee in June. The group also developed a presentation on Adaptive Reuse for the California Seismic Safety Commission, which invited SEAOC to present on the topic at its July meeting.

SEAOC is making the case that Adaptive Reuse programs should explore the opportunity to advance building performance and community resilience by aiming toward a Functional Recovery standard. Programs must also keep intact local retrofit programs and not shortcut quality assurance on project.

Additionally, SEAOC is supporting state legislation, AB 2910 (Santiago), which as currently amended is designed to encourage Adaptive Reuse in the city of Los Angeles.

President's Cup Sponsorship Update

Our fundraising competition is underway for the 2024 Convention event — SEAONC has quite the lead!

SPONSOR YOUR TEAM

This year will see 5 teams competing for the President’s Cup – that’s right, our four SEAOC MOs and a team representing the Northwest Conference. We all love a bit of healthy competition, and the planning committee has something great in store for us. Along with the fifth team this year, we’re also offering each team a BONUS for fundraising. The event this year will be hosted in a hotel ballroom and will include a time component. For each $100 in sponsorship, your choice of sponsored team will receive a time deduction. Signage at the event will include your logo and we’ll be sure to thank all the sponsors! If you’d like to sponsor the event without tying your sponsorship to a specific team, we’ll gladly accept and apply it evenly across all 5 teams.

This event will be held on Friday afternoon after the final technical event of the conference. We look forward to everyone’s participation whether that be actually competing, cheering on your team or good-natured heckling of the other teams.

To sponsor, please contact us at SEAOC2024@seaoc.org, indicate in the subject “President’s Cup Sponsor” and we can connect with you to ensure your payment makes it to your team.

Looking forward to Seeing you all at the Convention in September!

Melissa Vickery (Convention Chair)

Megan Vandervort (Convention Vice-Chair)

Lauren Posey (Presidents Cup Lead Planner)

45 Days Until the SEAOC Convention + Northwest Conference!

Hyatt Regency at the

Oregon Convention Center

Portland, Oregon

Sept. 4-7, 2024

This year's convention features:

4+ Tracks of Technical and Professional Development Topics, Robust Pathways Program, AI Workshop
President's Cup, Business Lunch, Fellows Induction & SEE Awards
Thursday Dinner hosted by CSI & Friday Convention Dinner
Plus Much More!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONVENTION

Become A Convention Sponsor

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Click the button below to learn more and sponsor today!

BECOME A SPONSOR

Thank You to Our Convention Sponsors!

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Response to the Taiwan Earthquake

From the SEAOC Communications Committee

Structural engineers have a critical role in ensuring the safety and resilience of buildings and infrastructure, especially in the face of potential natural disasters. The recent April 2024 Hualien City Earthquake in Taiwan highlights the importance of preparedness.

Taiwan's strict building codes, advanced seismological network, and public education campaigns significantly enhance its resilience. The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction uses a 3D GIS model for real-time earthquake data and coordinates immediate responses. An early warning system alerted all phones, and the Central Emergency Operation Center mobilized resources immediately. Licensed volunteers tagged all affected buildings within 24 hours, with immediate demolition of unsafe structures by the following day. Post-disaster, critical infrastructure like power, water, and schools remained operational due to extensive retrofitting and preparedness planning.

These successful systems serve as a powerful reminder of why we must continuously strive to improve our own preparedness. Below are key preparedness guidelines tailored for structural engineers to help us be as prepared as Taiwan:

STAY INFORMED AND UPDATED

Monitor Alerts and Warnings:

Regularly check reliable sources such as the US Geological Survey (USGS) for earthquake activity and the National Weather Service (NWS) for severe weather updates.

Continuing Education:

Stay updated with the latest building codes, standards, and best practices in disaster resilience through continuous professional development. SEAOC offers a wide range of continuing education opportunities.

HELP THE COMMUNITY PREPARE

Conduct Vulnerability Assessments:

Perform regular inspections and assessments of existing buildings and infrastructure to evaluate and identify vulnerabilities.

Retrofit and Reinforce:

Recommend and implement retrofitting solutions to enhance the structural integrity of older buildings, similar to the practices seen in Taiwan.

Promote Disaster-Resilient Design:

Integrate disaster-resilient features in your designs to minimize damage and enhance recovery post-disaster.

DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT EMERGENCY PLANS

Coordinate with Stakeholders:

Work closely with clients, local authorities, and emergency services to ensure a coordinated response during a disaster.

PREPARE PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY

Personal Preparedness:

Ensure you and your family are prepared for emergencies with a well-stocked emergency kit and a family communication plan. Use FEMA’s Earthquake Safety Checklist for example.

Professional Preparedness:

Maintain an up-to-date list of contacts, including clients, contractors, and emergency services, for quick coordination during a disaster.

Preparedness is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment. By following these guidelines and learning from the proactive measures taken by Taiwan, we can better protect our communities and ensure a quick and effective response when disasters occur. Let's commit to being leaders in earthquake preparedness, ensuring that when the next big one hits California, we are ready and resilient.

Resources:

● Preparedness guidelines summarized from EERI and FEMA.

● Discussions with Wayne Chang and Maria Mohammed (EERI Housner Fellow), who went to Taiwan for EERI recently after the April 2024 Hualien City M7.4 Earthquake.

Update on Collaboration with SESOC

Collaboration continues between SEAOC and the Structural Engineering Society of New Zealand (SESOC). Ongoing efforts include:

Connecting members from both organizations to discuss topics of mutual interest,
Shepherding joint papers or conference presentations that share topics of mutual interest with the membership of both organizations, and
Coordination of joint participation in conferences and conventions. As part of this we anticipate a contingent from SESOC joining us at the 2024 SEAOC Convention.

As part of the collaboration, SESOC has shared their most recent organization newsletter, found at: https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/documents/Sesoc_-_newsletter_-_March_24.pdf The newsletter includes, among other things, interesting discussion regarding review by local authorities of submitted project plans.

If you are interested in this collaboration or have topics of mutual interest to suggest for collaboration efforts, please contact Joyce Fuss or Kelly Cobeen.

Applied Technology Council - Quarterly Update for Members

The Applied Technology Council (ATC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1973 through the efforts of the Structural Engineers Association of California. ATC’s mission is to imagine, develop, and promote the advancement of technologies to enhance societal resistance to natural and other hazards. ATC pursues this mission by engaging in technology transfer projects that advance natural hazard mitigation solutions and guidance to a primary audience of the engineering profession and broader audiences of stakeholders and interested persons.

https://atcouncil.org/

In December 2023, ATC held a 50 year anniversary event and unveiled a new branding for the organization. The organization website and outreach materials will be updated soon.

The following are highlights from a few of many efforts underway at ATC:

Recent Publication of Interest –

Guidance and Recommendations for the Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Multi-Unit Wood-Frame Buildings with Weak First Stories (FEMA P-807-1) enhances the understanding of the behavior of wood-frame soft, weak, or open front (SWOF) buildings and the associated risks, building on FEMA P-807 guidance that was published in 2012. A project webpage is available here.

Upcoming Opportunities to Connect with ATC: The following are upcoming opportunities to learn more about ATC projects and connect with ATC staff and project participants:

ATC has organized a session at the upcoming 18^th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (18WCEE) to be held in Milan, Italy. The session is entitled “ATC at 50 - Advancing Earthquake Engineering Knowledge and Application in the United States and Beyond (EVO10)” and takes place on Friday, July 5 at 10:30am in Suite 6. There are 6 additional presentations on ATC projects throughout the week of conference events.
ATC has organized a special session at the upcoming SEAOC Convention to be held in Portland, Oregon, September 3-6, 2024. The session is entitled “Major California earthquakes that shaped structural engineering practice” and takes place on Thursday, September 5, in Room Multnomah.

Contact ATC:

If you are interested in more information on ATC projects and publications, please find us at:

www.ATCouncil.org
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/applied-technology-council/

ATC projects include members of engineering and related communities serving as consultants. If you are interested in being considered for involvement in future ATC projects, please provide your information at: https://atcouncil.org/component/rsform/form/59:consultant-interest-form