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President’s Message

VOL. LXI, NO. 09 FOUNDED 1930 September 2006

575 MARKET STREET SUITE 2125 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105-2870 415/974-5147 WWW.SEAONC.ORG OFFICE@SEAONC.ORG

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Meeting Notice

SEAONC Business Forum MeetingWed, September 20, 2006

The City Club155 Sansome Street, 9th Floor

San FranciscoRegistration Deadline: 12:00 p.m.

Sept 14th (Details on page 10, reg. form on back

of news)

Structural Engineers Association of California

Position StatementCriteria for an Effective Structural Plan Check

August 2, 2006

1. All buildings should be plan checked, including government-owned build-ings and single-family residences.

2. Jurisdictions should adhere to standardized submittal requirements for documents submitted for plan checking so that sufficient information is pro-vided to perform a quality plan check. These requirements should be readily available to the public. Jurisdictions should reject submittals that do not meet the standardized requirements.

3. Plan checking should be performed in substantial conformance to the Guideline for Effective Plan Checking. (See ICC Peninsula Chapter docu-ment on page 2)

4. To help ensure that an effective plan check is performed, the plan checking function should be insulated from political pressure and either be performed by or managed by a licensed professional engineer. In the case of govern-ment buildings, the plan checking function should not be under the control of a person or agency directly responsible for budget or schedule.

5. Plan checking is most effectively performed by a licensed engineer with practical design experience.

ExceptionFor buildings where prescriptive provisions are appropriately utilized, such as buildings designed using the provisions for conventional light-frame con-struction, an individual that possesses a thorough understanding of construc-tion can likely perform an effective plan check.

6. An effective structural plan check involves the plan check engineer gain-ing a comprehensive understanding of the gravity and lateral force resisting systems, including the connections. In addition, the plan check engineer should have sufficient expertise to approximately verify the input and output of computer programs utilized.

7. The plan check engineer should not have the authority to make revisions to the structural drawings. All revisions to the structural drawings shall be made by the Engineer of Record.

SEAOC Plan Review

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Printed below is the SEAOC approved document regarding Improvement of Struc-tural Plan Check that originally was produced by a collaboration of the SEAONC Professional Practices Committee and the Peninsula Chapter of the ICC. It is now being forwarded on to NCSEA for possible national Adoption.

YOU CAN ATTEND THE NEXT SEAOC

CONVENTION FOR FREE

Squaw Creek Resort at Lake Tahoe The SEAOC Convention site for 2007

Not this year’s (it’s happening next week), but next year’s. The SEAONC Board has made a perk available to a highly productive member of each SEAONC committee not available to anyone else in SEAONC – a free registration at the annual SEAOC convention.

Free registration will be provided to a SEAONC presenter of a paper that is a product of a SEAONC Commit-tee, is identified as such and is ap-proved by the Board. Interested com-mittees may submit their abstracts to the Board at any time in advance of the abstract deadline for the conven-tion proceedings.

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Continued from page 1

Centennial Contribution

A Message from the President “Plan Review” Continued from page 1

$150 for up to 450 characters / spaces

$15 for each additional 45 characters / spaces

All Job Forum ads will be printed in the newsletter

and posted on the SEAONC web site.

JOB FORUMInsertion Fees

The Sustainable Design Committee is presenting such a paper at this year’s convention in Long Beach. It is titled “Structural Engineering Strategies towards Sustainable Design” and will be posted after the convention on the SEAONC website.

On August 8, 2006, the SEAONC past and present Board engaged in a short strategic planning session prior to the Annual Committee Chairs meeting. Not surprisingly, a finding was that the Committees are a large part of what SEAONC is about and where much that is of value to the profession gets done. SEAONC Com-mittees are also a source of satisfy-ing professional relationships.

Let’s remember that much of our most valuable and worthwhile work is done as volunteers, and thus as independent professionals, rather than as hired guns. Make some time to improve yourself by participating in SEAONC Committees.

President, Doug Hohbach

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Construction Quality Assurance FAQ

By Tim Hart

The following is the first in an occasional series of articles that will provide answers to frequently asked questions to construction and inspection ques-tions from experts in the field. These articles are reproduced here with the permission of the California Council of Testing and Inspection Agencies (CCTIA). The opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not neces-sarily reflect those of either CCTIA or SEAONC. If you have any questions on construction or inspection that could be featured in future FAQ articles please e-mail them to either terry@testing-engineers.com or hart@dasse.com, or send them to Q&A, CCTIA, 2811 Teagarden St., San Leandro, Ca., 94577 – Tim Hart, Construction Quality Assurance Committee Chair.

Q: I need some advice on the UT acceptance criteria for CJP welds. The welding inspector for the project that I’m working on claims that the accep-tance criteria specified in AWS D1.1 differs from that specified in FEMA–353, and he is asking us to specify which criteria they should use. The inspector is recommending using the AWS D1.1 criteria since it is more conservative than FEMA 353, but he wants us to provide specific direction. Our project uses special moment resisting frames, so the welds at the connections and the column splices are critical elements. The project specifications state the following: “Ultrasonic testing (UT) shall be conducted by the Owner’s Test-ing Agency for the percentage of joints designated in Table 2-1. UT shall be performed in accordance with AWS D1.1.” FEMA-353 is cited elsewhere in the specifications but not in regards to UT. I looked at AWS D1.1 and cannot determine if or how it differs from FEMA–353. I also reviewed AWS D1.8 and it appears to match FEMA-353 and thus adds to my confusion. Should we be using FEMA-353/D1.8, D1.1, or both?

Submitted by a S.E. from Oakland, CA.

A: Response Submitted by Dave Palfini, Testing Engineers, Inc.AWS D1.1 has two ultrasonic testing procedures and acceptance criteria. The pri-mary one, used for decades and most commonly accepted, is contained in Section 6, Part F. Annex K, referenced in FEMA 353, UT Examination of Welds by Alternate Techniques, is relatively new.

Since FEMA-353 was not specified for ultrasonic testing in the project documents, AWS D1.1, Section 6, Part F would be the procedure to be used. Some reasons for this are as follows:

FEMA-353, Section 5.8.3 allows the engineer the option of either AWS D1.1 Annex K or Table 6.2 (Section 6, Part F).Annex K (moved to Annex S in 2006), states, “This annex is non-mandatory unless specified in the contract documents.”AISC 341s1-05 and AWS D1.8-06 specify AWS D1.1, Section 6, Part F unless alter-native procedures are approved by the engineer.Dave Palfini is a principal at Testing Engineers, Inc. and an ASNT Level III and AWS – Senior CWI. He can be reached at DPalfini@Testing-Engineers.com

A: Response Submitted by Doug Williams, P.E.If given the choice, I prefer the D1.1 criteria, primarily because there are precious few UT technicians that can accurately and reliably size flaws in 3 dimensions. As the welding inspector suggests, the FEMA-353 criteria may not be as conservative as D1.1, particularly considering the lower probability of detection and accuracy of siz-ing for technicians whose experience is predominantly with the D1.1, Sec. 6, Parts C & F criteria and methods.Doug Williams is a consulting metallurgical and welding engineer with over 35 years of experience in metalworking industries. He can be reached at Doug@WeldEngineers.com

STRUCTURE MAGAZINE

Perhaps some of our members do not realize that STRUCTURE is the official magazine of the National Council of Structural Engineer Associations, of which you are all members by way of membership in SEAOC, which, in turn, is a member of NCSEA. You should receive a copy of STRUCTURE every month as one of your benefits of mem-bership.

STRUCTURE has grown from a small, intermittently-published magazine with a six-engineer editorial board five years ago to a monthly 70- to 80-page publica-tion with an editorial board of twelve, consisting of nine practicing engineers from NCSEA, SEI and CASE, plus repre-sentatives from ACI, AISC, and AF&PA/American Wood Council.

The unique feature of STRUCTURE is that all articles are shepherded by one of these engineers, which accounts for the high interest and quality of its contents. Members of the Board go after subjects that are on the cutting edge of structural engineering because it is what they are involved with every day. They know what questions to ask and who to ask for the examples of developing technology, and the problems and concerns that we all face.

Each monthly issue has a theme and a subject area for technical articles, re-source guides and structural insight top-ics. For example, for January, February and March of 2007, the main themes are Concrete, Steel, and Wood, respectively. Other issues feature masonry, light frame construction, bridges, founda-tions, and non-building structures.

I am honored to be on this Editorial Board, and I am writing this to ask for your help in providing a broad range of articles and news items for the future. Pick up the issue that you just received and think of what you could add. Want to see what has been included in the past? Visit www.structuremag.org and click “archives” and the year of interest. If you want to share your reaction to one of the articles, write us. If you have an idea for an article or think that a current news item involving our profession should be published, send me a one- or two-paragraph abstract. You may be surprised at how interesting it can be to be involved.

Richard Hess, S.E.(562) 799-9787RLHess@HessEng.com

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YMF Spotlight: Troy Morgan

By Karl Telleen

YMF Spotlight is a monthly article, high-lighting some of the talented young per-sonalities that characterize the SEAONC community. If you would like to nomi-nate a young engineer with an interesting perspective to share, please email Karl Telleen ktelleen@ruthchek.com.

As our youngest members wrap up their internships and head back to the classroom, the Sep-tember YMF Spotlight features the back-to-school experience of one of our more practiced younger members, Troy Morgan. Troy

YMF: Tell us about the research you did in Japan while in school. What can we in California learn from the Japanese practice of structural engineering?Troy: I was part of a group of NSF-funded graduate students that went to Japan to participate in a research and cultural exchange. It was a unique experience for me because of the major steps taken by the Japanese in implement-ing seismic protective systems in practice. While my research focused on a hybrid elastomeric-friction isolation device for bridg-es, I learned a lot about attitudes toward seismic design. The US academy has been a leader in the development of new technologies in many areas, but the Japanese have been far more successful in actually using them. I believe continued collaboration with our Japanese counterparts is essential to the progression of our field

earned his BS and M. Eng. from UC Berkeley, and he worked with Forell/Elsesser Engineers for four years before returning to Berkeley to pursue a PhD. Concurrent with his doctoral research, he provides independent consulting services

Troy Morgan

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to several design firms. He has served as Chair of SEAONC’s Continuing Education Committee and Vice-Chair of the Protective Systems Committee, in addition to involvement in EERI, ASCE, and Engineer’s Alliance for the Arts. He has performed research, published papers, and delivered lectures at conferences in the US, Italy, and Japan. Troy’s unique blend of enthusiasm, professional activity, and research experience led to his recent appointment as Chair of the SEAOC Subcommit-tee on Seismic Isolation and Pas-sive Energy Dissipation.

YMF: What inspired you to go back to school, and what has been most valuable about this experi-ence? Troy: My return to school was ac-tually motivated not out of dissat-isfaction with my job, but rather from the fascinating body of proj-ects I had the opportunity to work on while in practice. While it was both interesting and edifying to apply innovative seismic design techniques, I found it frustrating that the academic state-of-the-art with respect to seismic protective systems seemed to substantially outpace the state-of-the-practice. While the pursuit of a PhD has been fraught with challenges, the overall experience has been rewarding. I’ve never been a big risk-taker, and this was a chance for me to get out of my comfort zone. No major regrets so far.

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and seismic hazard mitigation in general.

YMF: How did you get involved in the Subcommittee on Seismic Isolation and Passive Energy Dis-sipation? What are its goals?Troy: This committee is subordi-nate to the State level Seismology committee. I was asked to chair this committee to further the goals of the Northern California protective systems subcommit-tee. The basic motivation for the re-activation of this committee is that the provisions on seismic isolation and passive damping devices (which now have their own chapters in ASCE 7) have not been reviewed by SEAOC in their current form. Because ASCE 7 will form the basis for the Cali-fornia Building Code in the near future, it is necessary that SEAOC issue documentation as to its position on these provisions, and this will be in the form of articles for the Blue Book. Additionally, many feel that the requirements for isolated buildings and those using supplemental damping systems have evolved at a trajec-tory that excessively complicates analysis and design, and discour-ages their use. I feel that this does a disservice to our profession and building stakeholders, and I am interested to see what changes we can make at the state level.

YMF: How do you envision seis-mic isolation affecting the future of structural engineering practice?Troy: Seismic isolation is the most efficient means of significantly re-ducing earthquake-related losses. As engineering practice and building codes adapt to the no-tion that damage is a function of both drifts and floor accelerations, seismic isolation quickly emerges as our best available tool to miti-gate seismic hazard for most types of buildings. In light of this, the rather modest cost premium of implementing seismic isolation will be seen as money well-spent.

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“YMF” Continued from page 4

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Job Forum

Biggs Cardosa Associates has immediate openings in our San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, CA offices! Are you interested in a long-term career with an exciting and growth-oriented firm? In San Jose, we are looking for two Senior Engineers or Project Managers (one with min. 10 years experi-ence in building design and California SE required; and one with min. 10 years experience in bridge design and California CE required). Please email your resume to mharms@biggscardosa.com. Find out more about our firm at www.biggscardosa.com. EOE.

Degenkolb Engineers is looking for tal-ented engineers to join our San Francisco team. As recognized leaders in seismic engineering, we offer a diverse, challeng-ing mix of projects on new and existing structures. We offer an excellent salary and benefits package. Currently, we are look-ing for engineers with a M.S. in Structural Engineering with 0-3 years of experience. Experience in structural/seismic engineer-ing analysis and design of buildings is a plus. Please see our website at www.degen-kolb.com. EOE. To apply, send a narrative letter about yourself with your current resume to malley@degenkolb.com or to Degenkolb Engineers, Attn: James Malley, 225 Bush Street, Suite 1000, San Francisco, California 94104.

DESIMONE Consulting Engineers, a lead-ing national structural engineering firm with a staff of more than 160 employees, has immediate openings in our growing San Francisco office for engineers at all levels, especially experienced Project Managers and Project Engineers. Presently, we are designing a diverse mix of interesting and technically challenging projects, including museums, resorts, and residential projects, along with several high-rise buildings rang-ing up to 75 stories. Ideal candidates should have strong technical, management and communications skills, with a PE license (preferred). We offer a competitive benefits package, coupled with a dynamic work environment. Additional opportunities are available in our New York, Miami, New Haven and Las Vegas offices. Please send your resume via e-mail to rpolivka@de-simone.com.

Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc Are you looking for that “dream job” that will allow you to work in a dynamic downtown San Francisco office with a collaborative, fun group of engineers on some of the most challenging and exciting structural and seismic projects in California and around the world? If so, Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc. is anxious to hear from you! Named in 2004 as one of the top 15 Best Structural En-gineering Firms to Work For in the United States by Structural Engineer Magazine, Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc., is seeking talented engineers to be members of our team. Join an exciting and thoughtful team in a dynamic work environment that ac-tively encourages and supports individual professional growth through ongoing edu-cation, training, and mentoring. Our firm offers a competitive compensation package

that includes major medical, dental, vision, life/disability insurance, 401(k) match, profit sharing plan, incentive compensation plan and a flexible spending account. Find out more about Forell/Elsesser at www.forell.com Please contact Mason Walters at (415) 837-0700 or send resumes to Mason Walters, Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc., 160 Pine Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111 or e-mail mason@forell.com

H. D. Rueb, Structural Engineer, a medium size firm located in Pleasant Hill, has been providing structural engineering services for the past 35 years. We are currently seeking a self-motivated project engineer/manager with 5 years minimum experience who is looking for growth opportunity working on various building types. Appli-cants must have CE license with SE and MS degree preferred. Job requires independent person with good communication skills to do project management and client interface. Applicants must be team players, work to meet deadlines and have concrete, masonry, steel and wood design experience. We of-fer an extremely competitive salary and benefits package. Learn more about us, and the position, at our website at www.hdrse.com. Contact us at: 360 Civic Drive, Suite F, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 or Fax to (925) 825-9561 or email us at dave @hdrse.com

Hoogerwerf Engineering Group, Inc. is seeking both engineers and CAD techni-cians for a San Jose firm specializing in the design and detailing of post-tensioned concrete structures. All levels of experience will be considered. Please fax resume to 408-323-2005 or e-mail it to hr@hoogerwerfegi.com. See our website at www.hoogerwer-fegi.com for more information.

Jon Brody Structural Engineers is an award winning San Francisco firm with a reputation for design creativity and a high level of professional service. We work on a wide variety of new and retrofit project types, with a focus on the integration of structural requirements with architectural design objectives. Committed engineers with strong design, analytical, and inter-personal skills and min. 2 years design experience in CA are encouraged to apply for Structural Designer, Project Engineer and Project Management positions on our team. Please e-mail resume/cover letter to inquiries@jonbrody.com.

KPFF Consulting Engineers is seeking Project Engineers & Project Managers for full time employment. Applicants must be motivated and possess excellent written and verbal skills. KPFF offers our employees an environment that supports personal growth, education and training, and the freedom to pursue individual career goals. If you have at least 5 years of design experience, a PE license, an advanced degree in structural engineering, and an interest in Structural Design, we want to hear from you. Send cover letter and resume to KPFF 1160 Battery St., Suite 300, SF, CA 94111. EOE

LTK Associates, a structural engineering consulting firm in Los Altos is seeking resumes from engineers with a minimum of 5 years structural design experience. Please send resumes to ltk@ltkse.com, or fax to: (650) 967-5148.

MIDDLEBROOK + LOUIE , invites STRUCTURAL DESIGN ENGINEERS and CAD SPECIALISTS to contact us about the great career opportunities now available at our firm. We are currently working on a wide range of exciting assignments, including airports, high rise structures, hospitals, research labs, sports stadiums, corporate campuses, and landmark cul-tural facilities. In addition, our teams are led by some of the Bay Area’s most distinguished structural designers. We also offer competitive salaries and excel-lent benefits. We’re especially interested in MSCE-degreed engineers who have at least 1 year of experience, and CAD specialists with proficiency in AUTOCAD and/or REVIT. If working closely with award-winning designers in a stimulating, professional environment appeals to you, please contact us by faxing your resume to “Human Resources” at 415-477-9099 or e-mailed to CAREERS@MPLUSL.COM. For more information on our firm, please visit WWW. MPLUSL.COM.

Nabih Youssef & Associates has imme-diate openings for highly talented and motivated engineers with 3 to 10 years of structural experience, wishing to use their creativity on a range of large-scale, complex projects in the Bay Area and beyond. NYA offers the opportunity for upward mobility, a superb salary package, and a dynamic working environment. Send resume to mgemmill@nyase.com or 50 California St, 31st Flr, SF, CA 94111

NISHKIAN MENNINGER SEEKS EXPE-RIENCED REGISTERED ENGINEER with 5 or more years experience in various types of structures; office buildings, high-rises, schools, multiple-tenant residential & other commercial projects, garages and seismic rehab. Resume & salary requirements to: 1200 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 or e-mail: lnishkian@nishkian.com.

PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Inc., has moved to our new home at 450 Sansome Street, 5th Floor, and we are looking for talented Proj-ect Manager, Senior Project Engineer, Project Engineer and Staff Engineer level individuals to come join our dynamic and creative team. At PARADIGM, we work in a collaborative environment which focuses on developing you as a professional while producing some of the most innovative design solutions for our clients. Now is the time to take control of your future and make a “PARADIGM Shift!” Visit us at www.paradigmse.com and see how your qualifications and talents can help you become a contributing member at PARADIGM. Send re-sume and cover letter to jchislett@paradigmse.com or fax to Jennifer at (415) 362-8945.

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Job Forum 2006-07 Committee Chairs

Business Forum James Mogannam 415/837-0700mo@forell.com

Bylaws J.E. Goudie925/399/5876jegoudie@cs.com

Construction Quality & Assurance Tim Hart 510/433-9370 hart@DASSE.com

Continuing Education Committee Natalie Tse 415/989-1004natalie-tse@kpff-sf.com

Disaster Emergency Services Steven Lew 415/957-2480slew@trseinc.com

Existing Building David Bonowitz 415/865-8034david.bonowitz@jud.ca.gov

Legislative David Wilson 415/834-2010 dwilson@cdengineers.com

Membership CommitteeKevin Mortonkmorton@hohbach-lewin.com

Professional PracticesJeff Taner 510/845-6600 jtaner@atmainc.net

Program Hamid Fatehi 415/957-9445 hamid.fatehi@arup.com

Program (South Bay) Patrick Chow 650/428-2860 patchow@rpse.com

Public Affairs Jennifer Eggers415/243-2408JEggers@degenkolb.comCo-ChairLucie Fougnerlfougner@degenkolb.com510/272-9040

Seismology & Structural Standards Mark Moore 415/568-4433mmoore@ruthchek.com

Sustainable DesignAlan Kren 415/568-4433akren@ruthchek.com

Transportation Structures CommitteeMark Ketchum 415/989-4135mketchum@opacengineers.com

Website Darrick Hom 510/910-4142 dbhom@structvis.com

Younger Member Forum Heinz Kuo415/568-4433hkuo@ruthchek.com Co-Chair Scott Henderson scott.henderson@kpff-sf.com

PEOPLES ASSOCIATES STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS INC., a top ten professional engineering consulting firm according to Silicon Valley Business Journal, is always looking for great people at all levels of experience. We are a mid-sized firm, with a high percentage of licensed SEs and PEs, specializing in a variety of challenging projects including commercial, industrial, residential, municipal, and bridges. We offer competitive salaries, excellent ben-efits, including medical, dental, vision, company-funded retirement and profit sharing, and a team-oriented atmosphere that encourages/values personal develop-ment and professional growth. We are close to the Great Mall Light Rail station. A BS is required and an MS is preferred. Send resume & cover letter to mail@pase.com, fax no. 408-957-9221 or 529 South Main Street, Milpitas, CA 95035. Visit us at www.pase.com.

RPSE Seeking Resumes for Structural Engineers:Rinne & Peterson Structural En-gineers (RPSE) seeks and executes diverse, challenging projects. Are you customer-focused, detail-oriented, flexible, with great communication skills? Want growth opportunity, flexible hours, competitive salary, great benefits and superb working environment? Please send cover letter and resume to Human Resources, via fax at 650.428.2861, or e-mail HumanRes@rpse.com.

Tipping Mar + associates seeks an ener-getic, creative individual to join the staff of a dynamic, emerging structural engineering firm. If you have imagination in addition to technical expertise, and would enjoy work-ing in early collaboration with architects and contractors to provide exceptional seismic and sustainable design, please send a resume and cover letter to Tipping Mar + associates, 1906 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704; fax to 510-549-1912; or e-mail steve.tipping@tippingmar.com.

Tri-Valley Engineering, Ltd. has several positions open for part-time or consulting (“moonlighting”) engineers – work from home. Requirements are B.S. Civil or Structural Engineering, 2 years minimum experience in residential or commercial building structural engineering. Autocad experience a plus. Mail or email resume to: Tri-Valley Engineering, Ltd., 309 N. Livermore Ave., Livermore, CA 94551, wgjones@trivalleyengineering.com

PROJECT ENGINEER Walker Parking Consultants, a leading nationwide E/A firm specializing in the design of multi-level parking structures, has an opening for a Project Engineer in its San Francisco office. The prospective candidate shall have knowledge of concrete design. Experience in the design of Pre-cast & Post-tensioned concrete structures is a plus. Good com-puter skills (CADD included), written and oral communication skills are required. Must be able to work in a team environment. The qualified candidate shall have a MSCE with a structural engineering emphasis and minimum of 5 years of experience. We of-

fer an excellent compensation and benefits package. If you share our commitment to excellence please e-mail your resume with cover letter and salary requirements to Mr. Sanjay Pandya, P.E., Managing Principal at sanjay.pandya@walkerparking.com

Watry Design, Inc. is looking for just the right individuals to join our highly skilled team of architects, engineers and parking consultants. Are you interested in forging new territory? Our firm is doing just that . . . We currently have openings for entry to mid-level structural designers who would like to work for clients such as Pixar, Stan-ford, BART, Kaiser, IKEA and Marriott. Email resumes to jobs@watrydesign.com or fax 650.298.8151.

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) seeks a senior structural engineer for our Emeryville office. WJE is a nationwide firm whose focus is evaluation and repair of structures. Our projects include complex structural problems, collapse investiga-tions, forensic studies, and seismic evalu-ations of historic structures. We perform damage assessments after earthquakes worldwide and after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. We offer out-standing compensation. Send cover letter and resume to ksasaki@wje.com.

ZFA STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS has an immediate opening in San Francisco for a Design Engineer with of minimum of 3 years experience in structural design and analysis. Join a team that is dedicated to growth with unlimited opportunities for motivated individuals. Minimum qualifica-tions: B.S. degree in civil engineering with a structural major. Excellent salary, 401K, semi-annual bonuses, vacation and benefits package. Contact Principal; Ahmad Issa: AhmadI@zfa.com or 415-243-4091.

DISPLAY ADSFull Page $900/mo.2/3 Page $600/mo.1/2 Page $480/mo.1/3 Page $360/mo.1/4 Page $270/mo.1/6 Page $225/mo.

Inserts/Flyers1 sided $1000/mo.2 sided $1200/mo.

Rates are for finished camera-ready black and white ads or proofed picture files with embedded fonts. Full payment is required at time of insertion order. For advertising contract, size specifications, and special rates for running an ad for multiple months, contact the SEAONC Office at by e-mail at: anantell@hp-assoc.com or phone at 415/974 -5147.

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YMF: What are your plans for the future? Teaching? Professional practice? Both?

Troy: It’s a tough question, and I’ve avoided it in the past by simply saying that I didn’t know. How-ever, that’s the same as saying that I’d like to do both, which is true. I would look forward to the oppor-tunity to work in academia, moti-vated by the prospect that the in-novation that happens there could be distilled and organized in such a way that public safety would be served. This only happens when the practitioners of seismic hazard mitigation are aligned with the research community, and I would like to help facilitate that align-ment. However, life is rarely so kind as to allow one to pursue all of one’s ambitions, and opportuni-ty can be subject to the whimsy of luck, so I suspect I’ll pursue what feels right when the time comes.

Welcome New Members “YMF” Continued from page 5

Opinions expressed in the SEAONC NEWS are not necessarily those of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. Advertising rates and information sent upon request. Acceptance of advertising and informational brochures in the SEAONC NEWS does not constitute endorsement or approval by SEAONC of the products or services advertised. SEAONC reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

The SEAONC NEWS is published monthly by the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, 74 New Montgomery Street, Suite 230, San Francisco, CA 94105-3411. It is distributed to members of SEAONC as a membership benefit. Reproduction for noncommercial purposes is al-lowed if the source is acknowledged.

Hoang Nguyen CEMCO Associate

Rupa Garai Skidmore Owings & Merrill, LLP, Grad Student Associate

Kristin Evans Peoples Assoc. Assistant Engineer Associate

Mrinal Bose Degenkolb Engineers Project Engineer Associate

Ada Kornmeyer David Duncan Associate

Muniraju M Muniswamy M / S. Tecsoul Proprietor Corresponding

David Bernard Allen Allen Consulting Group Principal Member

Stuart Oliver Holmes Consulting Group Project Engineer Member

Nilgun Yucekul NY Engineering Member

Hung Do Caltrans Member

Nathaniel Stanton GFDS Engineers Associate

Bob A. Taniguchi Taniguchi & Associates Principal Member

Michael Long UC Berkeley Graduate Student Student

Justin Bettner, Project Manager Allana Buick & Bers, Inc, Member

Thomas Bower, Civil Engineer Port of San Francisco, Member

Evelyn Bravo, OLMM Consulting Engineer, Member

Craig Dodge, Ideate Industry

Christian Holbrook, Civil Engineer MKM & Associates Associate

Pamela Illes, EIT, Middlebrook + Louie Member

Steven Patton, Senior Design Nabih Youssef & Assoc. Associate

Albert Robelo, Structural Design Engineer II Walker Parking Consultants Associate

Jeremy Stanley Staff Engineer Summit Engineering, Inc. Associate

James Suggs Regional Sales Manager Earthbound Technical Services Affiliate

William Tremayne Project Engineer Holmes Culley Associate

Thomas Walker Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. Member

Pending Members

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Designing for Failure - Lessons for California Courtesy of Katrina

By Pat Chow

On October 12th at SEAONC South Bay Meeting, John Oster-aas, Ph.D., P.E., Principal Engi-neer and Group VP at Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, will discuss what lessons Cali-fornia can learn from Hurrican Katrina and other disaters.

While Katrina was clearly a natural disaster, the severity of the disaster and difficulty of recovery in New Orleans were greatly aggravated by shortcomings in the engineer-ing of public works. The catastrophic failure of levees and flood walls led not only to widespread flooding but also disabled the system of pumps and canals designed to unwa-ter the City. The extensive and sustained flooding of the City also damaged or destroyed much of the highly interdepen-dent infrastructure of the City, complicating and delaying the recovery. In retrospect, failures of the levees and flood walls are attributed to a number of overly simplistic and optimis-tic engineering assumptions made regarding design details, including not considering all potential modes of failure. At

South Bay Meeting Oct. 12th

Meeting Notice

SEAONC South Bay MeetingTuesday Oct. 12th, 2006Michael’s at Shoreline

2960 Shoreline Blvd. Mnt. View

Registration Deadline: 12:00 p.m.Oct 5th (Details to the left)

Are you interested in referrals from the SEAONC office for Single Family Residence Seismic Retrofits?

The SEAONC office weekly receives inquiries seeking engineers that are will-ing to seismically evaluate and/or retrofit their residences. If you would like to be included on a dedicated list provided to the public of willing engineers that have the expertise to design retrofits of single family residences and are a member, please e-mail the SEAONC office at office@seaonc.org to be included on the SEAONC Referral List.

the highest level however, was the failure to consider the consequences of failure of the engineered systems, either due to defect in design or construc-tion, a lack of maintenance or monitoring, or the inevitable exceedence of design assump-tions.

In a future major earthquake, California is at risk of a fate similar to New Orleans, where catastrophic failure of key components of our highly interdependent infrastructure could lead to a protracted recovery for the affected areas. While there is neither time nor money to harden our infra-structure to the point where it will survive any conceivable earthquake unscathed, the next best thing is an infra-structure that is designed to fail in a predictable and non-catastrophic manner and be able to be repaired quickly. Since everything from imme-diate humanitarian relief to long-term economic recovery depend upon a functioning infrastructure, developing resiliency in our infrastructure must be our top disaster miti-gation priority.

Speaker Profile: JOHN OSTERAAS, Ph.D., P.E. is a Principal Engineer and Group VP at Exponent Failure Analysis Associates. For thirty years he has been

involved in the investigation of engineering failures, spe-cializing in investigation and analysis of buildings damaged by extreme forces, with empha-sis on earthquake damage. He has studied damage patterns following major earthquakes of the past 20 years, including Mexico City, Coalinga, Loma Prieta, Northridge, and Kobe. He earned his PhD and MS Degrees in from Stanford Uni-versity and his BSCE from the University of Wisconsin. He is a Fellow in ASCE and a mem-ber of SEAONC and EERI. He also serves as a Structures Spe-cialist in FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Program and was deployed to the Oklahoma City Murrah Building Bombing in 1995, the World Trade Center Attack in 2001, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

$150 for up to 450 characters / spaces

$15 for each additional 45 characters / spaces

All Job Forum ads will be printed in the newsletter

and posted on the SEAONC web site.

JOB FORUMInsertion Fees

Meeting Notice

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The Public Affairs Committee is starting to plan our first annual fall volunteer project!

Each Spring, the committee works with Rebuild-ing Together San Francisco to organize a group of SEAONC volunteers to renovate a home or facility in San Francisco. We are expanding our efforts this year to include a smaller project this fall in the East Bay. We are currently looking into opportunities that make use of our skills as engineers and builders. Do you have a com-munity project that you think would be good for us? If so, please contact us!

Are you interested in joining our committee? Join us to make a positive impact on our community. We have one lunchtime meeting monthly, with simultaneous meeting locations in Oakland and San Francisco.

Your Public Affairs Committee Co-Chairs,

Lucie Fougner Jennifer Eggers

lfougner@degenkolb.com jeggers@degenkolb.com

September Business Forum Luncheon

MEETING TOPIC:Strategic Planning: Designing, Communicating, and

Implementing a Process that Yields Results

DATE & TIME:Wednesday Sept. 20, 2006

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch/Program

LOCATION: City Club – San Francisco

155 Sassome St. San Francisco

The subject of September’s meeting will be Strategic Planning. The presenter will be Kathryn Sprankle of Sprankle Leadership in San Francisco. Kathryn will lead an interactive discussion on various aspects of successful strategic planning and specifically talk about designing, communicating, and implementing a process that yields results. Among the specific points that will be addressed are the importance of having a “process” to begin with; identifying and promoting a meaningful, ambitious and unique vision; who leads the process and who partici-pates; and tracking and communicating progress.

As a consultant to AEP and environmental consulting firms for 20 years, Kathryn Sprankle helps companies identify and implement strategic business initiatives in the areas of leadership development and succession, mar-keting and communications, strategic talent recruitment and acquisition, competitive staff retention, and profes-sional development coaching. She currently advises executives on strategic governance including Board func-tion and dynamic, top-tier organization, and personal ca-reer plans (including CEO legacy planning). Since 2002, Kathryn has served on the Board of Directors of a $55M, privately-held environmental consulting firm.

Kathryn co-directs the Northern California chapter of PSMA (Professional Services Management Association) and hosts the chapter’s monthly West Coast CEO Round-table series and Sacramento Management Roundtables. For the chapter in 2004 and 2005, she developed and orga-nized Step Up to Leadership, a two-day “best practices” seminar for national firm leaders and emerging leaders comprising a series of sessions led by a faculty of top in-dustry management consultants and seasoned company executives.

Cost: $25 Business Forum Members $35 SEAONC Members $40 Other Attendees

Meal Selections: Lunch will be provided. If you prefer a vegetarian meal please specify this when you send in your registration.

RSVP: Contact the SEAONC office at office@seaonc.org or 415/974-5147 (RSVPs sent via e-mail will receive e-mail confirmations)

Registration Deadline: Friday, Sept 15th at 12:00pm

The following are individuals that have contributed to the SEAONC Scholarship Fund. Thank you to our

contributors

Robert J. BentsonRichard V. Bettinger

John E. ClintonCharles D. De Maria

K.C. DewellHarold M. Engle Jr.Ben C. Gerwick Jr.

J.E. GoudieGeorge E. Greenwood

David J. HammondJohn H. Hom

William R. HorstmanWilliam S. KaplanArnold F. Kohnert

Paul FeinbergRaymond Lundgren

James W. MurrayLowell A. NapperDavid NicholsonJoseph NicolettiJohn E. PaquetteF. Robert PreeceDaniel Shapiro

Roland L. SharpeLarry Totten

Geoffrey Stuart CliffordHarry S. Attri

Scholarship Contributors

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SEPT 13-16 SEAOC 2006 Convention Long Beach, CA 20 SEAONC Business Forum Meeting City Club, San Francisco

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3 SEAONC Monthly Meeting City Club, San Francisco

13 SEAONC South Bay Meeting Michael’s at Shoreline, Mnt. View

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RSVP by Fax: 415/ 764-4915, e-mail: seaonc@ix.netcom.com, Phone: 415/974-5147

SEAONC - SEPT 20th BUSINESS FORUM MEETING

Registration Deadines: Monthly Mtg: Noon, Thur. Sept 14, 2006

• Paying by check make payment to SEAONC.• Paying online (monthly meeting only) go to: http://www.seaonc.org/member/member_s/events/order_form.asp • Paying by credit card provide the following: (SEAONC Accepts VISA, MC, AMEX)

Note: Payment is required by evening of either meeting. We will no longer be able to invoice you or your company.

Register early, seating is limited. No cancellations after deadlines listed above. No-shows are still responsible for full attendance fee.

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Cost - Business Forum Pre-Regisration SEAONC Business Forum o $25 SEAONC Mbr. o $35 Student o $15 Non-Mbr o $40

Mini-Seminar 3/08

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