President's Letter

Dear members, colleagues, and sponsors of Structural Engineers of New Hampshire,

This year I have the honor to serve as President of our organization and would like to begin by extending my gratitude to our previous President Tim Polson, and Vice President Jeff Karam for completing their 6 years of service on the Board of Directors. In their tenures on the Board, Tim and Jeff have dedicated a tremendous amount of time and energy in serving our members and making SENH a great organization. Thank you Tim and Jeff!

I would also like to share a little bit of my own experience with SENH. I first became a student member of SENH in 2012, while studying civil engineering at the University of New Hampshire. Since that time I feel fortunate to have been involved with the Younger Member Group, take part in committees, and meet a host of other engineers through events and member meetings. Looking back on this time, I believe our organization offers a wonderful opportunity for professional growth and involvement in the structural engineering profession. And I am honestly grateful for the experiences that SENH has provided. That's not to say that it has all been stern and serious business. Our skiing events and summer Board of Directors meetings have been a lot of fun, and I am excited for more engaging events over the next year!
 
Looking ahead, the Board of Directors will tackle several challenges in this next year, beginning with our active committees. The Board will better define and organize our committees so that their purpose and goals are clear to SENH members. Each newsletter will include a full list of our active committees and their current activities. Additionally, the purpose of each committee will be detailed in a mission statement which is listed on the SENH website. This will serve several purposes. It will make SENH committees more accountable to the membership, while also making it easier for each committee to engage with the membership. The goal of these changes is to motivate members to stay active in the organization and join committees which are of interest to them.
 
Next, SENH will become more sociable. We've all heard the jokes… the extroverted engineer is the one who looks at other people's shoes at meetings. But in all seriousness, the work that we do is fascinating and important and more people should know about it. In the next year, SENH will strengthen our public outreach through SENH's social media accounts on LinkedIn and Facebook, and through our scholarship program. By regularly publishing content and engaging more frequently with our members and the public, SENH will become a stronger organization. In that regard, we are calling for assistance from our members. Send us your interesting project photos, or tell us about your recent professional activities, and we will include them on SENH's website or media accounts. Please send your content to our two Public Relations committee members Ezequiel Galvan ([email protected]) and Andrew Griffin ([email protected]). 
 
Lastly, the Board of Directors will renew SENH's strategic plan. The strategic plan defines the overall mission of SENH and details key aspects of our organization including, professional development, membership engagement, and public outreach. The strategic plan was last updated 5 years ago and is due to be reassessed. Over the next year, the Board will review the performance of the previous strategic plan and create a new plan for the future of SENH. 
 
In closing, I want to address the recent events following hurricane Helene. This one storm has caused widespread damage to homes, businesses, and has resulted in loss of life across ten states. As these communities continue to recover and begin to rebuild, I think disasters like these can serve as reminder of the importance that structural engineers play in society. Through our professionalism and dedication, we can directly impact the public's safety by providing the infrastructure for shelter, transportation, and essential services for communities faced with disasters like this one. In short, the work we do is exceptionally meaningful. 

Sean Brown, PE

President, SENH

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Board Member of the Month

Kayla Hampe, PE – SENH Board of Directors Position, Treasurer 

Kayla is a Senior Project Engineer with Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. with a focus on Structural and Hydraulic Engineering for the Ground Transportation Division. She earned her BS in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and her MS in Structural Engineering from Lehigh University. Kayla is a Licensed Professional Engineer in New Hampshire and Maine, and she has over 10 years of experience with a diverse background in the design and analysis of bridges, building envelopes, and other structures for new construction and rehabilitation projects.

Kayla joined the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire (SENH) Board of Directors in 2023 and is currently serving as the treasurer. Prior that that, she was the Co-chair of the Professional Development Committee for SENH from 2018 to 2023. She is also a member of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations’ (NCSEA) Communications Committee and is a Co-chair of the Public Awareness and Outreach Task Group. She was named the New Hampshire Young Engineer of the year in 2022. 

Outside of work and professional activities, Kayla loves being with her family, including her pets, and volunteering. She is also an active member in her church community and has been on multiple service trips to the Dominican Republic in recent years. She has previously been on two service trips with Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) to build pedestrian bridges for rural communities in Rwanda, and she will be joining a service trip with Engineers in Action (EIA) to Bolivia this month to build another pedestrian bridge for a rural community. As part of her trip with EIA, she’s committed to raising $6,000 that will go towards the bridge. If you want to find out more about her latest trip, and to donate, visit her fundraising page.  

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Senior Member Spotlight

Coming in the next Newsletter!

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Committee Updates

Professional Development Committee

Co-chairs Katelyn Welch, PE, Eric Caron,
PE; Members: Matt Bean, Blaise Imbembe, PE, Rebecca Lubrano, PE, Jonathan Sproul, PE, Fernanda Fischer, PE
Board Liason: Kayla Hampe, PE

November Meeting Announcement:

In planning our bi-monthly meetings, the Professional Development Committee (PDC) focuses on the number one reason that attracts participants - the education program. The SENH members will be allowed again to present a project in the upcoming annual UNH meeting. Alternatively, members will be allowed to present on volunteer or extracurricular topics related to structural engineering; topics could include mission trips, disaster relief efforts, student outreach, etc. Individuals who are interested in presenting and sharing their knowledge and experience with the structural engineering profession are encouraged to submit a proposal by Friday, October 18, 2024.

Instructions for Submitting:

Please submit the following information for the presentation you wish to be considered:

Delegate: Bob Durfee, PE
Alternate Delegates: Tom Lamb, PE, Kayla Hampe, PE
Board Liaison: SENH Board

2024 Structural Summit

Delegate Bob Durfee and Associate Delegates Tom Lamb and Kayla Hampe will represent SENH at the annual NCSEA Structural Summit on November 5-8 in Las Vegas, NV.

2024 Leadership Retreat

Tom Lamb (NCSEA Alternate Delegate) and Dan Martel (Board Secretary) attended the 3rd annual retreat that was held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Des Plaines, IL. The event was attended nationally by approximately 75 people including NCSEA Staff, NCSEA Board Members, Member Organization Leadership/Delegates, and events sponsors MiTek and Atlas Tube.

Code Advisory Committee

Chair: Dan Martel, PE
Members: Joaquin Denoya, PE
Board Liason: Dan Martel, PE

Jeff Trexler has diligently served as the Structural Engineer member of the State Building Code Review Board, and his term will be expiring near the end of 2025. We thank him for his years of service representing the profession! We are seeking his replacement - please reach out to Dan Martel or the Nominating Committee if you are interested in being considered. SENH's charge is to nominate a candidate for consideration by the State PE Board. 

The statewide amendments to the current state building codes that were made into law this summer (including the 2021 IBC and 2021 IRC) were recently published on the state website. You can find them at this link.

The only notable structural amendment is that now both the IRC and IBC require the use of the 2002 CRREL ground snow load document, in lieu of the IBC/ASCE maps. 

Joint Committee of NH Engineering Societies

SENH Representatives: Tom Lamb, PE
Board Liaison: Sean Brown, PE

No updates at this time.

Northeast Coalition of Structural Engineers Associations (NECSEA) Committee

SENH Representatives: Tim Polson, PE
Board Liaison: Rebecca Lubrano, PE

No updates at this time.

Sustainable Design Committee

Chair: Tom Lamb, PE
Board Liaison: Rebecca Lubrano, PE

No updates at this time.

Membership Committee

Newly Formed!

The membership committee was recently established to increase member engagement in pursuit of SENH's goal to "improve and advance the practice of structural engineering for both the individual and the profession". The success of our organization is proportional to the effort of all of us volunteers. Fittingly, the membership committee is looking for its inaugural members! Please contact Dan Martel. 

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Announcements

SL Chasse Steel Tour - July 17, 2024 - Hudson, New Hampshire

Members and Non-Members attended a comprehensive tour of SL Chasse's steel fabrication facility on July 17th. The tour consisted of four areas: Miscellaneous Metals Shop, Structural Steel Shop, Design/Admin Area, Mobile Tower Crane Demonstration. Attendees have been granted 1.0 PDH for attendance at this event. This attendance list serves as record of your attendance and PDH.

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Last Meeting Attendance List & Meeting Minutes

May 16, 2024 5:30 PM at Puritan Conference Center, Manchester, NH

Minutes recorded by Dan Martel, Secretary

Business Meeting:

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