Hear from Koby Stewart, a civil engineering senior at the University of Michigan, as he shares his experience as a Simpson Strong-Tie Student Scholarship recipient. Koby dives into his background in construction and his introduction to Simpson Strong-Tie’s “No Equal” philosophy of excellence. Koby discusses how the experience broadened his professional network and influenced his career plans, including participation in ASCE competitions and pursuing a master’s degree in structural engineering.
Tag: civil engineering
Structuring Success: How Cal Poly’s Team Designed Victory in the 2024 Timber-Strong Design Build™ Competition
Nick Mackechnie, a senior at Cal Poly majoring in civil engineering and minoring in mathematics, recounts his project management role on his Timber-Strong Design Build team, which won at the 2024 Pacific Southwest Symposium. This event challenges engineering students to design and construct a two-story wood-framed building, providing practical experience in structural engineering and project management. Nick discusses navigating the complexities of design, team dynamics, and unique collaboration while sharing valuable lessons and insights.
Beyond the Classroom: A Scholar’s Adventure on Simpson Strong-Tie’s Scholarship Trip
Laura Hernandez- Cancelado, a senior at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, pursuing civil engineering, was a recipient of our 2023 Simpson Strong-Tie scholarship. She traces her journey from childhood curiosity to her path into civil engineering. Lara reflects on her scholarship trip visit this summer, highlighting the educational significance of being able to visit our testing lab. She delves into Simpson Strong-Tie’s engineering innovation and the opportunity for networking among professionals and students that the trip provided.
From Intern to Aspiring Engineer — My Internship at Simpson Strong-Tie
Meet Anthony Fung, a lab intern at the Karen Colonias Research Lab in Pleasanton, who joined Simpson Strong-Tie this summer to explore the world of testing and research. Throughout his internship, Anthony gained valuable hands-on experience in the lab, deepening his understanding of structural engineering. Additionally, he had the opportunity to engage in activities hosted at our Pleasanton office, providing him with insights into our company culture and the people behind our endeavors.
A Student’s Perspective: Attending the 2022 Simpson Strong-Tie Scholarship Trip
Every year, Simpson Strong-Tie awards scholarships to students in the fields of engineering, architecture and construction management to help them on their educational journey. The company also flies all the scholarship winners out to Northern California to spend a whole week learning about the construction industry, Simpson Strong-Tie, and more. This year was no different. Scholarship recipient and engineering student Robert Inman discusses his first-hand experience on the trip and the wealth of knowledge he accumulated.
CFS Designer™ v2.5 Makes Cold-Formed Steel Design Easier Than Ever
With the use of engineering software tools, structural engineers can design buildings faster and more efficiently than ever before. In this blog post, Clifton Melcher, P.E., a senior project manager for cold-formed steel connectors, discusses the various enhancements included in version 2.5 of Simpson Strong-Tie® CFS Designer™ software.
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Timber Strong Gives Engineering Students Real-World Experience
Structural engineering, like every other research field, advances by educating new generations of students in the principles and practice of the discipline. Knowing that, Simpson Strong-Tie has teamed with the Binational Softwood Lumber Council and the American Wood Council to co-sponsor and coordinate the Timber Strong Design-Build Competition, an annual design contest held at the ASCE Pacific Southwest Conference in Tempe, Arizona.
Engineering students will test their civil and environmental engineering skills this spring when they compete in the annual Timber Strong Design-Build Competition. Eighteen universities will send teams of students to Tempe, Arizona, to participate at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC).
The objective of the competition, taking place April 12–14, is to give students valuable real-world engineering design experience:
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Q&A About Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix
On February 14, we hosted the third interactive webinar in the Simpson Strong-Tie Composite Strengthening Systems™ Best Practices Series: “Introducing Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM).”
Simpson Strong-Tie engineering manager Brad Erickson, S.E., P.E., and Simpson Strong-Tie senior product manager Mark Kennedy, PMP, conducted an informative discussion of this new product solution. You can view the webinar in our Training Center and take a course to earn one hour of CEUs, PDHs and AIA LU/HSW credits. The course and webinar discuss installation steps, identify projects where FRCM would be ideal, and cite testing and industry standards associated with FRCM.
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Facebook Tips for Structural Engineers
In our last social media–related blog post, I shared the Top 5 LinkedIn Groups to Follow for Structural Engineers. Following groups on LinkedIn allows you to share content, post or view job openings, network and help establish yourself as a key opinion leader in your industry. But what about critical design questions or help? How do you deal with office dynamics or a difficult client as a structural engineer?
LinkedIn groups may assist with questions like these, but there are other social media platforms that might make it easier to have a more in-depth discussion about issues that you face. While LinkedIn is certainly an important social media platform for professionals such as structural engineers, it is not the largest social media platform. That title goes to the social media giant Facebook. Facebook has the social advantage of engaging more than 1.7 billion active users.
You are probably using Facebook already for personal social networking. However, there are some professional applications for structural engineers on Facebook that you may not have heard about. Here are some Facebook tips for structural engineers that you can use to jumpstart your professional social media arsenal:
Follow Industry-Related Pages
There are a variety of pages that you can follow on Facebook to give you an idea of what is happening in the industry. Following and engaging with pages like Structural Engineering World for design inspiration or Civil + Structural Engineer magazine for project management ideas allows you to have a more professionally focused newsfeed around content that matters to you (while still allowing time for cat memes and Buzzfeed quizzes if you want those, too). One useful page for engineers is the Autodesk Revit page, because it has things like tips on how to share large BIM files.
Join Structural Engineering Groups
Groups are a great way to connect with other Facebook users. As a structural engineer, you are bound to come across an issue that you would like some advice on. By joining a group of other structural engineers, you can ask design questions, questions about calculations and get tips on the best tools for your profession. I would ask your colleagues which groups they recommend joining.
Jumpstart Your Job Search
If you are looking for a new position, I am sure that you already know about LinkedIn. But did you know that there are things like the Career Center App on Facebook pages like the ASCE? The app works for employers looking to hire, too!
Do you have Facebook tips that would you recommend for structural engineer? Let us know in the comments below.