President's Letter

Dear Members, Colleagues, and Sponsors,

What a busy few months it has been. SENH has been fortunate enough to sponsor members to attend the National Council of Structural Engineering Association’s Summit, made updates to the webpage as outlined in the September newsletter, and we have begun preparations for future meetings. As a quick note, membership renewal will be taking place at the beginning of January, and we will be discussing during our November meeting. 

As mentioned above, earlier this month the National Council of Structural Engineering Associations (NCSEA) Summit was held in Las Vegas, NV. The Summit is an annual conference that brings together structural engineers from across the country to discuss advancements in our industry, share technical prospectives through project case studies, and to network with leaders in our profession. SENH sponsored three members to attend this year’s Summit event including Bob Durfee, PE (NCSEA Delegate), Tom Lamb, PE (NCSEA Alternate Delegate), and Kayla Hampe, PE (NCSEA Communications Committee Member). Please be on the lookout for an update from the attendees, including takeaways from the Summit, in future newsletters and on our website.

One topic addressed at the NCSEA Summit that I would like to discuss further is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential application within the structural engineering industry. This new technology has been an ever-increasing topic of conversation amongst structural engineers, and particularly its application to structural design software. My observation is that the knee-jerk reaction for most engineers is a hesitancy toward implementing this new technology out of a sense of caution. This caution is reasonable and well placed. As engineers our fundamental responsibility is to hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public (Canon 1, ASCE Code of Ethics). With that weighty responsibility, it’s sensible that engineers are leery of the easy convenience that AI poses. 

However, technological change is inevitable. From the arch’s debut as a building element, to the incorporation of computer-aided drafting and design software (CADD), engineering practice has evolved and adapted as human technology advances. As the use of AI technology becomes more widespread in the years to come, it will be up to us as engineers to consider how best to incorporate AI into professional practice. A recently published paper summarized it well, “By not expanding the knowledge of AI and its use within the profession, developments within the profession will progress slower… which will impact the implementation of safe, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure as other technologies advance,” (Widdop, 2024). 

A brief update on changes since the September newsletter. Over the last several months, SENH has organized our active committees and updated the Officers and Committees page on our website. I encourage you to check out these updates! Chairpersons and Board Liaisons are now listed, along with a mission statement describing the function and goal of each committee. With these changes, our active committees are clearly defined and SENH members can more easily engage in committees which are of interest to them. We look forward to your future participation in these committees. 

Lastly, our upcoming November meeting will be held at UNH and feature presentations by UNH students and SENH members. Please see the newsletter update from the Professional Development Committee below for additional information. This meeting is always a great opportunity to engage with students and encourage the next generation to pursue structural engineering. 

I look forward to seeing you at UNH!

Sean Brown, PE
President, SENH

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Board Member of the Month

Jonathan Sproul, PE – SENH Board of Directors Position, Vice President

Jonathan Sproul is a Senior Structural Engineer at PROCON where he performs structural design for various commercial, residential, aviation, medical and hospitality building developments across the Northeast. Jonathan earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis on Structures, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech). Jonathan is a Licensed Professional Engineer in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.  He has over 14 years of experience in structural engineering for a diverse array of commercial projects.  In addition to his work at PROCON, he has been with Massachusetts Task Force 1 (MA-TF1) as a Structures Specialist for the past 5 years. In this time, he has deployed to Hurricane Ida (2021), Hurricane Ian (2022), the 2023 Vermont Floods and Tropical Storm Helene in North Carolina (2024) to assist the team with search and rescue operations. Jonathan joined the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire (SENH) Board of Directors in 2024 and is currently serving as the Vice President.  He has also been on SENH's Professional Development Committee for the past 5 years. Jonathan lives in Litchfield with his wife, Stephanie, his daughter, Ayla and their dog, Yarra. He enjoys being outside and spending summer weekends at the lake with family.

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Senior Member Spotlight

Coming in the next newsletter!

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Calendar of Events

SENH Meeting Announcement

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Place:

University of New Hampshire
DeMeritt Hall Room 112 (Large Lecture Hall on first floor)
9 Library Way
Durham, NH 03824

Parking:

Please use visitor parking lots, which are "pay and display", or other "pay and display" spots around campus. Free parking is available in designated faculty/staff and commuter lots after 6:00 pm (recommended lots are A, B, F, H, and P). Please be careful to read all parking lot signs and hours before parking and see the parking map on the SENH event page.

Agenda:

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm  Registration/Social Hour/Dinner
6:30 pm - 6:45 pm  Business Meeting
6:45 pm - Presentations

Dinner:

Pizza, assorted sodas and water. Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Pizza will be available.

Cost:

Student: FREE
UNH Faculty/Staff: $30.00
Member: $30.00
Non-Member: $60.00
Government Employee: $20.00
Retired Member: $20.00

"No-shows" will be billed at full amount. Refunds will not be issued.

RSVP:

By noon on Monday, November 18, 2024. There will be a $10.00 late fee for anyone wishing to RSVP past this date.

Registration and payments can be completed online at https://senh.org/meetinginfo.php. Please contact Julia Chartier ([email protected]) with questions about registration and payments.

Note:

2.0 PDHs have been assigned for attendance. Attendees are responsible for ensuring their check-in on the attendance list upon arrival at the meeting.

Presentations:

UNH Student Presentations

UNH Concrete Canoe Update
UNH Steel Bridge Team Update

Member Presentations

Downtown Cary Park
by Rebecca Lubrano, PE

Description:

Completed in 2023, This nature-inspired park encompasses seven acres in the center of Cary, North Carolina. The community-driven project creates winding paths that transport visitors between outdoor features—such as children's play areas, game courts, gardens, and a dog park—and to interior spaces like the marketplace, gathering house, and special event pavilion. The building designs help to blend interior spaces into the surrounding nature with conic roof forms and wood-clad walls.

Rebecca is a Senior Project Manager with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger where she has over 14 years of experience in the Structural Engineering group. Rebecca draws from cross-disciplinary experience in structural engineering and building technology to provide comprehensive and innovative solutions. She has worked on a large range of project types, including structurally complex sculptures, historic renovations, and new building designs. Rebecca obtained her Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics and her Master of Engineering in Structural Engineering, both from Cornell University.

ABC Rehabilitation of Hall Road Bridge, Andover, NH
by Josif Bicja, PE and Holly Lauzon, IE

Description:
Hall Road Bridge over Bradley Brook was a 16’ long steel stringer bridge with prestressed deck panels superstructure supported on stone masonry abutments. This bridge serves 4 residences on a dead-end road in Andover, NH. After a routine NHDOT inspection, it was recommended that the bridge be closed due to extensive deck deterioration. Hoyle Tanner personnel assisted the Town in keeping the bridge open, designing the rehabilitation, and providing construction engineering services. Due to limited funds, the Town decided to construct the project using Town forces. The Highway Department crew of 4 had no knowledge of bridge construction, but with the assistance of engineers completed the rehabilitation project in 15 days using Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques. The structural design aspect of the project was quite simple, given the nature of the bridge. This presentation will focus on the engineer's role in helping a small town with limited resources, experience, and funding to successfully and safely construct a bridge that restores public safety. This project was truly a success, as it replaced a structurally deficient bridge and restored emergency access for residents on a dead-end road, all at a fraction of the cost if it was constructed by a bridge contractor.

Josif is a Project Manager with Hoyle Tanner and has over 20 years of experience in the inspection, evaluation, rehabilitative and new design of numerous types of bridges. Josif has co-authored several historic bridge papers. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.

Holly is a Structural and Resident Engineer with Hoyle Tanner. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2023. Holly has experience in the design and analysis of bridges for new construction and rehabilitation projects, as well as resident engineering experience on bridge construction projects.

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Committee Updates

Code Advisory Committee

Chair: Dan Martel, PE; Members: Joaquin Denoya, PE
Board Liaison: Dan Martel, PE

The Nominating Committee is pleased to nominate Lily Beyer, PE as the next structural engineer member of the New Hampshire Building Code Review Board. Lily is a Senior Structural Engineer at Summit Engineering. She has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire and a M.S. in Structural Engineering from Tufts University. She has 13 years of structural engineering experience and has been a licensed NH Professional Engineer since 2017. Lily graciously and enthusiastically accepted the invitation to serve on the BCRB, whose primary charge is to recommend State Building Code adoptions and revisions to the legislature.

The term of the current structural engineer member, Jeff Trexler, PE, a founding member of SENH, expires in September 2025. Lily will serve as the alternate member, getting acquainted with her duties in the interim.

NH Engineer and Young Engineer Awards Committee

Co-Chairs: Josif Bicja PE, Katelyn Welch PE
Board Liaison: Jonathan Sproul, PE

No update at this time.

Professional Development Committee

Co-Chairs: Katelyn Welch PE, Eric Caron PE
Members: Fernanda Fischer PE, Blaise Imbembe PE, Holly Lauzon, Dustin Wells
Board Liaisons: Kayal Hampe PE, Rebecca Lubrano PE, Jonathan Sproul PE

(See November meeting announcement)

Public Relations Committee

Chair: Bob Durfee, PE; Co-Chair: Sean Brown, PE
Board Liaison: Sean Brown, PE

Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 SENH Scholarship program! As a reminder, up to two scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each will be offered to resident or non-resident UNH students and NH residents pursuing structural engineering courses at an ABET-accredited institution outside of New Hampshire. Additionally, SENH has extended eligibility to students who are currently in their senior year. See full eligibility information on our website through this link.

The deadline to apply for these scholarships is Friday, December 6, 2024. Fill our and submit your application through the SENH website here.

Lastly, we encourage SENH members to solicit applicants from their alma maters at regional out-of-state engineering schools. In addition to UNH, we hope to receive applications from one or more of the following regional schools:

Structural Engineering Excellence Awards Committee

Chair: Bob Durfee; Co-Chair Bob Champaign
Members: Fred Emanuel, Josif Bicja
Board Liaison: Dan Martel

The Committee is currently reviewing the Awards Program rules and entry requirements, and is considering some changes at the request of the Board. The goal for changes to the program will be to encourage more entries from New Hampshire Based Engineering Firms  and from New Hampshire Based Small Engineering Firms.

The Committee will issue a Call for Entries at the November 20th meeting at UNH with the new entry requirements.

Structural Engineering Licensure Committee

Chair: Kayla Hampe, PE; Assistant Chair: Eric Caron, PE
Members: Sean Brown, PE; Eric Caron, PE; Bob Durfee PE; Matt Low
Board Liaison: Kayla Hampe, PE

The SE Licensure Committee is continuing the final phase of our efforts, which is completing a report that will include the research we have done, the survey results from our members, our discussion with the NH Board of Professional Engineers, and any recommendations we have for our SENH Board of Directors and Members.

Sustainable Design Committee

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

No update at this time.

Younger Member Group

Chair: Dustin Wells
Board Liaison: Sean Brown, PE

Upcoming Event

Where: Striker's East Bowling, Raymond, NH
When: November 14 at 6:00!
What: Come join us at Striker's east in Reymond where we will be enjoying some happy hour refreshments (which may be reimbursed in part or in full depending on quantity)! followed by playing an hour of bowling!

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions, comments, or suggestions! Additionally, if you know you are attending, please contact me and let me know for planning purposes!

Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity (SE3) Committee

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

No update at this time.

Membership Committee

Chair: Dan Martel, PE
Board Liaison: Dan Martel, PE

No update at this time.

SENH Appointments

Joint Committee of NH engineering Societies

SENH Representative: Timothy Polson, PE
Board Liaison: Sean Brown, PE

This committee is currently searching for a new chair and has not met recently. There are no other updates at this time.

NH Quality Base Selection Coalition

SENH Representative: Christopher Fournier, PE, SE
Board Liaison: Vacant

No update at this time.

National Council of Structural Engineer Associations (NCSEA)

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

The Board sponsored three attendees to the Annual Summit this year, Bob Durfee, Tom Lamb, and Kayla Hampe, which was held on November 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Hotel & Conference Center.

Delegate Bob and Alternate Delegates Tom and Kayla attended NCSEA Committee meetings (Tuesday 11/5) that they sit on, and then attended the NCSEA summit and conference sessions (Wednesday to Friday, 11/6-11/8).

A common theme during many technical sessions was AI (artificial intelligence) and how it will affect and change our Profession.

The Delegates will issue a full report to the Board on their attendance at 2024 NCSEA Summit, and what was learned that can improve SENH and the practice of Structural Engineering. Report will be posted on the website and highlights of the report will be published in the newsletter.

Northeast Coalition of Structural Engineer Associations (NECSEA) Committee

SENH Representative: Tom Lamb, PE
Board Liaison: Rebecca Lubrano, PE

No update at this time.

NCSEA Brand Ambassador

SENH Representative: Tom Lamb, PE
Board Liaison: Rebecca Lubrano, PE

No update at this time.

SEI Delegate

SENH Representative: Vacant
Board Liaison: Vacant

No update at this time.

UNH Liaison

SENH Representative: Vacant
Board Liaison: Vacant

No update at this time.

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Last Meeting Attendance List & Meeting Minutes

ASCE/SENH Joint Meeting October 2, 2024 5:00 PM At The Derryfield Restaurant, Manchester, NH

Minutes recorded by Dan Martel, Secretary

"Using Local Species in Cross-Laminated Timber - Eastern Hemlock and Spruce-Pine-Fir South"

by Andy Fast, Extension Profession and Extension State Forest Industry Specialist with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension

Andy discussed forestry in New Hampshire, including how local species are utilized in CLT construction. There is currently no CLT manufacturer in New England, and Andy discussed how CLT panels can be sourced using local species.

Attendance at this meeting grants the attendees listed below with 2.0 PDHs

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