Developing the Next Generation of Structural Engineers
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STRUCTURAL FORUM opinions on topics of current importance to structural engineers Developing the Next Generation of Structural Engineers Part 1: A Crisis of Opportunity Note: is is the rst article of a four-part series on the opportunities and challenges we face in By Glenn R. Bell, P.E., S.E., SECB developing the next generation of structural engineers. It is based on the author’s keynote address at the SEI Structures Congress in March 2012. A Crisis of Opportunity opportunities in this changed world. e approaches. It also requires that engineers take A year ago, I was invited to join the SEI Young massive population in developing countries leadership roles in major policy questions in Professionals Committee, which is addressing will need aordable, sustainable housing and hazards management, or even in some cases issues of interest to future generations of struc- infrastructure on an enormous scale. ere is advising societies on where not to build. tural engineers. e members of this committee a lot of building to be done! have concerns that I share… Our business is No. 5: Complexity becoming commoditized as computers and soft- No. 2: Globalization ware are doing more of our work. We face the Our large-scale civil/structural systems are threats of global outsourcing and competition. In the future, our workplace will be worldwide. becoming increasingly complex, and lessons Increasingly, we are having trouble attracting e global engineering workforce will be leveled. from recent natural disasters like Katrina and retaining the best and brightest to our We already face oshore competition, much of and Fukashima Daiichi have pointed out profession. At the same time, these young pro- it high in quality and lower in cost. But we also the vulnerability of such complex systems. fessionals yearn to tackle the future challenges of have more opportunities to work elsewhere in To manage complexity, we need to under- the world in a much more profound way than the world, especially in developing countries. For stand systems engineering, and we need to be they are empowered to do today. American engineers to compete internationally, able to work better together on collaborative, While some may see this as a crisis, I prefer to see we must become more mobile – more willing interdisciplinary teams. it positively, as a crisis of opportunity – a chance to travel to far-ung places. A globally attened to change the practice of structural engineering market means that engineers of the future will No. 6: Knowledge Exchange in a profound way. is starts with developing a need breadth, both in technical and soft skills, to and Global Competition new breed of structural engineers, more broadly operate in many diverse locations and cultures. Access to knowledge is enabling developing capable than ever before – more creative, collab- Perhaps most importantly, we need to be adept countries to educate high-quality engineers at orative, and communicative – to become global at collaborating on teams with members scat- an enormous rate. Many of them are able and leaders in society’s grand challenges. tered around the globe. willing to work very hard for a fraction of the The World of Future No. 3: Sustainability wage rates within the United States. is means Engineering Generations that, for the future, American engineers must We in the United States are consuming the oer added value through superior knowledge To understand what this new breed of structural earth’s irreplaceable resources at an unsustain- and skill. Our dierentiators will be leadership, engineer will look like, I invite you to consider able rate. If developing economies adopt our innovation, and entrepreneurship. with me what the world of future generations rate of consumption, we will bankrupt our will look like. I suggest that we glimpse about planet of these resources in short order. No. 7: Technology forty years ahead. is may seem like a long While energy concerns are at the forefront of is last point has perhaps the most signi- time from now, but it is actually within the our public dialogue, the challenges are much cant impact on our practice. Advancements in likely career span of today’s engineering students. broader. For example, a recent report by the computer techniques and simulation mean that United Nations projects that, within the next we simply do not need the manual number- New World Reality No. 1: 20 years, virtually every nation in the world will crunching resources that we have supplied in Developing Population face some type of water supply problem. Moving the past. Sure, our engineers will need to be forward, the building and operation of all of our By 2050, there will likely be about 9 billion skilled in modeling and knowing how to extract constructed works will require a drastically more people on our planet; 8 billion of them will correct and reliable results from simulations; but responsible approach. Balancing quality of life live in developing countries. Pundits predict much of what we have been doing in the recent with natural resources will be critical. that, by 2050, the most prevalent language will past will be done by machines in the future. not be English; it will be Chinese, followed by No. 4: Climate Change is leaves us wondering what our roles will be. Hindi and Arabic, with English and Spanish In the next article, we will consider the vying for fourth place. Many domestic indus- Recent awareness of the impact of climate opportunities that these New World Realities tries will not exist in their present forms. Ones changes on natural hazards are causing us to present to future generations of structural that do exist may no longer be headquartered question the ecacy of our criteria and approach engineers, and the attributes required to meet in the United States. for design against natural hazards, particularly those opportunities.▪ e structural engineer of the future will wind, ooding, and sea level. is will drive Glenn R. Bell, P.E., S.E., SECB need imagination to seek dierent business us toward more exible, performance-based ([email protected]), is the Chief Executive Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other Ocer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger in participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) Waltham, Massachusetts. and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C3Ink, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board. STRUCTURE magazine 50 September 2012 STRUCTURAL FORUM opinions on topics of current importance to structural engineers Developing the Next Generation of Structural Engineers Part 2: Structural Engineer Opportunities and Attributes By Glenn R. Bell, P.E., S.E., SECB project team members is an important strategy for is is the second article of a four-part series on the opportunities and challenges we face in providing value through innovation. We need to developing the next generation of structural engineers, based on the author’s keynote address at accept ambiguity as a new permanent condition. the SEI Structures Congress in March 2012. No. 6: Expert of Technical Fundamentals While many things about the engineer of the Structural Engineering strong technical fundamentals and knowledge future look dierent, we must not only retain of performance-based design will be critical. Opportunities but strengthen our solid expertise in technical Just as important, however, is the ability to fundamentals. Blind reliance on computers can What does our view of the future world mean embrace dierent cultures, values, languages, erode our ability to make reasoned judgments for future generations of structural engineers? and business practices. Tomorrow’s engineer that involve common sense and intuition. I see opportunities on three levels: must be globally aware and adept. 1) e creation of all of constructed No. 2: Collaborative Leader works needed to meet these global Needed Change Tomorrow’s engineers must be able to see their challenges – aordable housing, role in its societal context. is entails being able How do we develop all the competencies of this public transportation, renewable to dene society’s important problems, not just extraordinary future engineer/leader? We rst energy, and water distribution and solve them – to champion major initiatives and must take as a given that, tomorrow more than treatment systems – all involve, on help to craft public policy, not just implement it. ever, a career in engineering requires a commit- some level, structural engineering. Projects are becoming increasingly complex. ment to life-long learning. Comprehensive gain With the possible exception of Technical knowledge is exploding. We need to of knowledge and skills will be an intensive, construction management, structural engage stakeholders of many backgrounds. is ongoing eort until the engineer retires. Given engineering is the most broadly all demands that the new breed of structural this, the single biggest need in advancing the applicable of the civil disciplines. engineer be able to lead collaborative teams. To development of the next generation of engi- 2) American engineers are well-positioned be a collaborative leader, tomorrow’s engineer neers is to sort out what we expect from each to take global roles by doing the higher- must be dynamic, agile, and exible. Most of the phases in the career-long spectrum of a value, more creative work. We are good importantly, great collaborative leaders have to professional’s development; from formal uni- at thinking outside the box. America’s be great communicators – orally and in writing. versity training to pre-licensure apprenticeship national culture facilitates leadership, to post-licensure professional development. innovation, and entrepreneurship. A No. 3: Creator/Innovator Presently we have redundancies, gaps, inef- key strategy, then, is positioning our To meet the imperative for resource-responsible ciencies; missed opportunities in our system.