President's Letter

Dear Members, Colleagues, and Sponsors,

I hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday Season with your families and are enjoying a happy and healthy start to the New Year. It is hard to believe we are almost through the first month of 2024 - it has proven to be a very busy and exciting start to the year for SENH.

We just wrapped up our first meeting of the New Year on the 25th - we had a great turnout and nearly maxed out our room at the Common Man with over 50 attendees. It was great to reconnect with old colleagues and meet some new members. A big thank you to our presenters: Jennifer Reczek from NHDOT and Nick Caron and Patrick McAlpine from HDR. Our January meeting has always been well attended, having great presenters each year is a big reason why.

Just a few hours before our meeting on the 25th, I was informed that Katie Welch was selected as the recipient of the New Hampshire Engineering Society's 2024 Young Engineer of the Year Award. SENH nominated Katie for this year's award. Katie has been an active SENH member since joining in 2015 - she has worn (and continues to wear) many hats in our organization, currently service as the Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee. In her professional life, Katie has been in responsible charge of a variety of unique and challenging projects throughout New Hampshire. Next time you see Katie, be sure to congratulate her, this is an incredible and well-deserved honor!

During our January meeting, we held our annual SENH Scholarship raffle. SENH annually awards up to two (2) $1,000 scholarships to applicants who demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the structural engineering field and its impacts on the quality of life and safety of the public. I would like to recognize Sean Brown, Fernanda Fischer, and Kayla Hampe for spearheading the fundraising efforts this year. A big thank you to our sponsors who supplied great prizes for our raffle:

• Gunstock Mountain Resort - two pairs of lift tickets
• Hardesty & Hanover - A voucher to Bretton Woods and H&H Swag Bag
• NCSEA Summit swag bag - donated by Kayla Hampe

This year the raffle was able to collect $700 in direct donations, our largest collection in recent history! Recipient(s) of scholarships will be announced in February and recognized during E-Week. SENH directly funds these annual scholarships from our scholarship raffle, direct donations to the scholarship fund, and corporate sponsorships. If anyone is interested in making a direct donation to the scholarship fund, this can be done directly on the SENH website by following this link. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

If you were not able to join us for our January meeting, don't fret - there are more events planned in February and March!

• WTS-SENH Joint Ski & Snow Tube Outing - February 9, 2024
• February Webinar: Topic to be announced soon - February 13, 2024 (free to SENH members)
• SENH-SEAMASS Young Members Group Ski & Tubing Outing- March 2024 (more information to come)

I am very excited about the opportunities 2024 holds. I want to build from the very strong start to the year that our organization has enjoyed. I encourage all our members to get involved - join one of our committees engage in your local community, help to promote our industry and organization with your ideas and expertise. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or comments. [email protected]

Tim Polson, PE
President, SENH

Back to top

Dues Renewal Notice

2024 SENH Membership Renewals

It is time for membership renewal! As a reminder, if you are a licensed PE in New Hampshire, you may renew as a 'Regular Member'. If you are not a licensed PE in New Hampshire, you may renew as an 'Associate Member'.

Memberships may be renewed online, or with this form. Please mail completed form and payment to:

Structural Engineers of New Hampshire
P.O. Box 226
Manchester, NH 03105-0226

Membership renewals are due by March 31, 2024.

Back to top

Announcements

2024 SENH Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Call for entries

Structural Engineers of New Hampshire (SENH) announces the Call for Entries for the 2024 SENH Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program. The purpose of the program is to recognize creative achievement and innovation in structural engineering by SENH Members.

Eligibility

Entry must be submitted by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Member of SENH whose practice or activity is primarily in the field of structural engineering. Projects must have a majority of the structural design performed by SENH Members (50%). The project must have been completed, constructed and achieved substantial completion between January 1, 2021 and March 1, 2024.

Categories of Awards

Awards will be presented in three project categories:

• Buildings: Commercial, industrial, institutional, public, or residential buildings
• Bridge and Transportation Structures: Vehicle, railroad or pedestrian bridge, other transportation structures
• Special structures: Towers, dams, parking garages, marine structures, signs, specialty structures, and unique structures.
• A Small Firm Project Award may also be presented for an eligible project at the discretion of the jury.
• One entry in each category will be chosen to receive the SENH Excellence in Structural Engineering Award. Non-winning projects from last year's program (2023) may be re-submitted (one-time resubmittal only) if all eligibility requirements are met.
  
  

Submission of Entries

Visit the SENH website for program information, entry form, entry requirements and other criteria.

Deadline for Entries

All entries must be either emailed (limit file size to 20mb) or mailed to the SENH admin by 6:00 PM EST on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Presentation of Awards

The awards winners will be announced and the awards will be presented at a ceremony during the SENH May 2024 meeting and be featured in the next issue (August 2024) of the SENH newsletter and be posted on the website.

Raffle

SENH held a raffle at our January meeting to raise money for our scholarship fund. As you know, SENH awards up to two $1,000 scholarships each year to college students studying structural engineering. To continue to support the next generation of structural engineers, we were generously given the following prizes which were raffled off at the meeting: 

We want to thank our members who participated in the raffle and also recognize those who supplied the prizes. Thank You!

Interested in donating to the scholarship fund? Click here!

Back to top

Calendar of Events

SENH Meeting Announcement

WTS-SENH Joint Ski Event

February 9, 2024

Join SENH at a joint outing with the New Hampshire Chapter of WTS (Women's Transportation Seminar) at Gunstock on Friday, February 9^th! Enjoy a late afternoon into evening of skiing or snowboarding from 3pm to 5pm, and meet up for a social hour at the Barrel Bar & Grille in the Stockade lodge from 5pm to 6pm. Appetizers and a round of drinks will be provided courtesy of WTS & SENH. Order lift tickets through Gunstock Mountain Resort via their website (https://www.gunstock.com/) and meet us on the slopes! Please let us know if you will be attending by registering here! Further meet up details to come for those who register. Rain date will be Thursday, 2/15.

Night Lift Tickets (3pm-8pm):

• Adult Ticket (rentals included, if needed) = $52
• Youth Ticket (rentals included, if needed) = $44
• Snow Tubing (see requirements online) = $38
  
  

Schedule:

• 3pm to 5pm – Skiing/Snowboarding with WTS-SENH
• 5pm to 6pm – Socialize at the Barrel Bar & Grille at the Stockade Lodge
• 6pm to 9pm – Optional Skiing/Snowboarding until Last Chair (to 8pm on the 2/15 rain date)
• 6pm to 8pm – Optional Snow Tubing (2 people already planning to go!)
  
  

Back to top

Corporate Advertising

SENH Accepts corporate advertisements for posting on its website and inclusion in five (5) newsletters delivered electronically to its members. The postings will include a hyperlink to the firm's website if desired.

The proceeds from these sponsorships support SENH Education and Outreach to members and students throughout the year.

Gold Sponsorship:

• Advertisement in the Newsletter
• Announcement as a sponsor at each of the 5 annual SENH meetings
• Your logo displayed in a slideshow at the beginning of the meeting
• Your logo displayed as an advertiser on SENH.org
  
  

An annual fee of $250 is required for structural engineering-related firms that employ at least one (1) Member or Associate Member of SENH. An annual fee of $350 is required for structural engineering-related firms that do not employ a member or Associate Member of SENH.  Advertisement fees are for the period of January 1st to December 31st. Advertisements received outside of the annual renewal cycle will be assessed a fee of $20/month, and $30/month, respectively.

Silver Sponsorship:

• Your logo displayed on SENH.org
• Your logo included in 5 newsletters
  
  

An annual fee of $200 is required for structural engineering-related firms that employ at least one (1) Member or Associate Member of SENH. An annual fee of $300 is required for structural engineering-related firms that do not employ a member or Associate Member of SENH.  Advertisement fees are for the period of January 1st to December 31st. Advertisements received outside of the annual renewal cycle will be assessed a fee of $20/month, and $30/month, respectively.

Format:
All advertisements shall be in the form of a 1.3" x 2.3" business card and shall be submitted electronically in a .jpg or .pdf format.

For purposes of SENH advertisements structural engineering-related firms shall include the following:

• Structural Engineering Design Companies
• Architectural / HVAC Design Companies
• Survey Companies
• Geotechnical Engineering Companies
• Manufacturers whose products are utilized in building or bridge construction
• Architectural Historians / Archaeologists
• Companies providing professional services to structural engineering companies (Accountants, Lawyers, etc.)
• Software companies providing structural analysis, CADD, estimating or scheduling software
• Other companies approved at the discretion of the SENH Board of Directors

The SENH Board of Directors reserves the right to limit the type of advertising accepted for use.

Please fill out the forms linked above OR complete the Corporate Advertising Form, and return the completed form to Julia Chartier [email protected]

Back to top

Committee Updates

Nomination Committee Update

Submitted by Bob Durfee

Co-Chairs: Bob Durfee and Sean James
Board Liason: Tim Polson

We are pleased and excited to announce that Katelyn Welch, P.E. has been selected by the NSPE-NH Jury for the 2025 Young Engineer of the Year Award in New Hampshire. Katelyn was nominated by SENH, having been a member since 2016.

Please join us in congratulating Katelyn on her award. Katelyn will receive her award at the annual Engineers Week Banquet, to be held February 22, 2024, at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. We encourage SENH members to sign up and attend the banquet to witness Katelyn receiving her award and to congratulate her in person.

Ad-Hoc Awards Committee

Submitted by Bob Durfee

Chair: Bob Durfee
Co-Chair: Bob Champaign
Fred Emanuel
Josif Bicja

The committee has issued the call for entries for the 2024 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program. Entries are due by March 1, 2024. The awards program will be held at the May SENH meeting, location TBD. Three awards may be presented for Buildings, Bridges, and Special Structures. All award winners will be highlighted in the June newsletter.

2024 Excellence in Structural Engineering Forms

Back to top

Last Meeting Attendance List & Meeting Minutes

November 28, 2023

University of New Hampshire, Kingsbury Hall, Room N101

Business Portion:

• President's Report - Tim Polson
  • The Professional Development Committee is planning a webinar for December 14th. The topic is to be determined - stay tuned for more information.
  • 2024 Excellence Awards applications are now open. Applications are due March 1, 2024.
  • The next general meeting will be in late January or early February. It will include the annual NHDOT Bridge update.
  • Membership renewal dues are due at the end of the year.
• Younger Members Group Report - Eric Caron
  • Social Hour: December 14 in Exeter - stay tuned for more information

UNH Student Presentation - Concrete Canoe Update

• Currently in the planning stage
• Applying lessons from 2023 experience, including construction challenges, and lack of reinforcement adhesion. This year they are using basalt chopped fiber reinforcement.
• Aggregate is expanded glass. Local/natural sand. Self-consolidating mix

UNH Student Presentation - Steel Bridge Team Update

• First UNH team competing since 2016.
• 5 students participating.
• Currently in planning stages. Will receive welding training for assembly.
• Using SAP200 and AutoCAD for design tools.

Technical Presentation - 5-Story Wood-Framed Building Design - Dan Martel, PE, Team Engineering

• All wood construction, including trusses and modular wall panels.
• Highlight is continuous anchor tie-down system for shear wall anchorage.

Technical Presentation - Riverwalk South Mountain Phase II - Lily Beyer, PE, Summit Engineering

• 5 stories to expand Phase I building. Includes complicated and steep roof lines.
• Framing system includes composite steel beam with concrete floor slabs, steel braced frames, and CFS roof trusses.
• Used Revit, Risa, and SDS2 design tools.

Technical Presentation - Structural Engineering in Urban Search and Rescue - Jonathan Sproul, PE, ProCon

• Structures specialist for FEMA's National Urban Search and Rescue Response System - one of few structural engineers amongst first responders.
• Jonathan deployed out of Beverly for "MA-TF1", one of 28 task forces in the country.
• He provides advice, engineering judgement, to FEMA managers, in support of rescue personnel.
• Minimum 80 hours of commitment and 40 hours training annually.

Attendee List - 2 PDH November 2023 Meeting:

Back to top

Welcome New Members

• Fernanda Fischer, PE
• Philip Brogan, PE
• Zachary Goin
• Andrew Hummers
• Daniel Gelinas, PE
• Matthew Severson, PE
• Patrick Raistrick, PE

Back to top