The Structural Engineers Foundation is an independent, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to one goal: the advancement of structural engineering. To attain this goal, and thus prepare for tomorrow's horizons, the SEF has committed itself to sponsoring and funding scholarships, lectures, awards, publications and research - all aimed at improving structural engineers and structural engineering.
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Thanks to our 2019 Corporate Partners
SEF Board of Directors
Nihar Shah, President
Stephanie Hautzinger, Vice President
Jeremy Kirk, Treasurer
John Viise, Secretary
Soliman Khudeira, SEAOI President-Elect
Eamonn Connelly
Bill Ipema
Andrew Keaschall
Jon Lewis
Chelsea Zdawczyk
Stephanie Crain
SEF Research Grant
Congratulation to Rory de Sevilla, the recipient of this year's SEF Research Grant and a one-time, fixed sum of $2500 to fund his research for the 2018-2019 academic year. Rory is a graduate student in the Architectural Engineering program at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He and graduate student Jerry Luong are working together on this project with professors Dr. Anahid Behrouzi and Dr. Peter Laursen. Rory will be joining the seismic design profession on the west coast once he graduates in 2019.
The proposed research aims to test an innovative solution to improve the performance of non-ductile reinforced concrete walls by employing FRP sheets and splay fiber anchors. This solution is expected to provide improved confinement to concrete and reinforcement in the wall ends and increase wall displacement capacity while minimally affecting wall lateral strength. The project will consist of three half-scale wall tests and analytical modelling work to examine the response of non-ductile and FRP-retrofitted walls.
SEF Scholarship Awards
The Foundation strongly believes that the future of structural engineering depends on today's students. Without them and their vision, there literally is no future for our profession. The Structural Engineers Foundation is privileged to provide merit-based tuition scholarships to encourage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in structural engineering programs.
Four scholarship categories are available:
- Undergraduate engineering scholarship, for students who will be entering the third or above year of an undergraduate program during the 2019-2020 academic year.
- Graduate engineering scholarship, intended for students who will be entering or continuing a graduate program during the 2019-2020 academic year.
- Max Zar Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding student pursuing his or her engineering studies in the State of Illinois
- Rubinos-Mesia Scholarship, named for Teresa Mesia Rubinos and Jacinto Rubinos, awarded to an outstanding engineering student of Hispanic descent
For all categories, applicants must be currently enrolled in good standing in a civil engineering program or architectural engineering program at a recognized university in the United States and plan to continue with a structural engineering specialization.
SEF is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019–2020 Scholarship Awards
The Structural Engineers Foundation is privileged to provide merit-based tuition scholarships to encourage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in structural engineering programs. Congratulations to the 2019–2020 Scholarship Winners!
The Undergraduate Scholarship is awarded to Katrin Chandra, Northwestern University.
The Graduate Scholarship is awarded to Armando Messina, Stanford University.
The Max Zar Scholarship (open to students attending Illinois universities) is awarded to Zachary Haney, Illinois Institute of Technology.
The Rubinos and Mesia Scholarship (open to students of Hispanic descent) is awarded to Alexandra Kawar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
SEF ACTIVITIES
Scholarships:
The Foundation strongly believes that the future of structural engineering depends on today's students. Without them and their vision, there literally is no future for our profession. The Structural Engineers Foundation is privileged to provide merit tuition scholarships to encourage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in structural engineering programs.
Sponsored Lectures
The Structural Engineers Foundation sponsors lectures in April and November designed to broaden the mind and heighten awareness of excellence in structural engineering. Foundation-sponsored lectures by prominent leaders in the field of structural engineering keep attendees informed with vital cutting-edge information.
Awards
SEF bestows awards and honors to recognize outstanding achievements. The John F. Parmer Award is presented annually by SEF and SEAOI. This award, in recognition of lifelong contributions in the field of structural engineering, is presented to an individual whose distinguished career is acknowledged by his or her peers to be an example of excellence.
Research
SEF understands the importance of research, knowing that it advances our profession by broadening its horizons and expanding our knowledge base. The Foundation offers grants to support graduate and post-graduate research projects.
Nihar Shah, President
Position: Project Engineer, RME, Inc.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S. Civil Engineering, M.S. Civil Engineering
Licensure: S.E., P.E., Illinois
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE
Stephanie Hautzinger, Vice President
Position: Associate Vice President, CannonDesign
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S. Architectural Studies, M. Arch. (Structures Option)
Licensure: S.E., Illinois; Architect, Illinois; LEED AP
Societies: SEAOI, SEAOI WiSE, AIA, AISC
John Viise, Secretary
Position: Associate Principal, Thornton Tomasetti
Education: University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, M.S. Civil Engineering; Virginia Tech, B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Licensure: S.E., Illinois; P.E., Illinois, SCEng, MIStructE, LEED AP
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE, ACI, IStructE
Jeremy Kirk, Treasurer
Position: Project Engineer, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLC.
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.Eng.; Geneva College, B.S.E.
Licensure: S.E., Illinois; P.E., Illinois
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE
Soliman Khudeira (SEAOI President-Elect)
Position: Section Chief of Major Projects, Chicago Department of Transportation - Division of Engineering; Adjunct Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology
Education: Illinois Institute of Technology, Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. - Civil Engineering - Structures
Licensure: S.E., P.E. Illinois
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE
Bill Ipema
Position: Senior Associate II, Klein and Hoffman
Education:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S.C.E.; University of Illinois at Chicago, M.S.C.E.
Licensure: S.E., Illinois; P.E., Illinois;
Societies: SEAOI, Landmarks
Andrew J. Keaschall
Position: Vice President: Structural Group Manager, Alfred Benesch and Company
Education: University of Illinois, B.S. Civil Engineering, M.S. Civil Engineering
Licensure: S.E., Illinois; P.E., Illinois, IA, NE, IN
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE, SEI, PTI, IRTBA
Chelsea Zdawczyk
Position: Senior Structural Engineer, Arup
Education: Cornell University, B.S. Civil Engineering; UCLA, M. Arch.; Princeton University, M.S. Structural Engineering
Licensure: P.E., Illinois
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE
Jonathan Lewis
Position: Principal and Unit Manager, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S. Civil Engineering; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Science, Structural Engineering
Licensure: S.E., Illinois
Societies: SEAOI, ASCE, AEI, IABSE, SEI
Eamonn Connolly
Position: James McHugh Construction Co., Director of Engineering
Education: BS Civil Engineering Structures, Illinois Institute of Technology, MPhil Civil Engineering , University of Aberdeen
Licensure: SE, IL; PE , FL, IN, MN, OK, TN, TX, WI
Societies: ASCC, ASCE, ACI, PTI, SEAOI
