Structural Engineering Institute (SEI)

The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Orange County (OC) Chapter allows our members to interact with other professionals in the structural field of civil engineering. We regularly send active Orange County branch members to SEI Congresses held on a annual bases across the country. We hope the Orange County Branch members will learn new ideas and find interesting speaker topics that we can bring back to our local branch members. Periodically SEI OC holds joint events with the Orange County Branch during branch general meetings. The Orange County Branch and the SEI OC work together to provide continuing educations events that are relevant SEI members. We hope you will come out and participate in our institute and work with us to build a strong organization.

The 2020-2021 SEI OC Board of Directors

Bita Shahla, PE
SEI Chair

Jason Fix, PE
SEI Vice Chair

Sonia Alonso
SEI Secretary

Tom Broz, SE
SEI Technical Director

Ali Hashemi, PE
SEI Marketing Director

Mathew Picardal, PE
SEI YMF Liaison

More Information

Below in the Related News section are some articles from past events. For more information contact sei@asceoc.org.

Tweets by @SEI_OC

Contacts

Bita Shahla, PE
SEI Chair
WSP USA
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Jason Fix, PE
SEI Vice Chair
McLean & Shultz
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Sonia Alonso
SEI Secretary
AZTEC Engineering
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Tom Broz, SE
SEI Technical Director
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Ali Hashemi, PE
SEI Marketing Director
Gannett Fleming, Inc
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Mathew Picardal, PE
SEI YMF Liaison
DCI Engineers
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Committee Files

There are no related documents at this moment.

Shaping Our Future World

Civil engineers reimagine the world and shape the future of our civilizations. Recent conversations with several Orange County Branch members reminded me of the inspiring initiative led by ASCE, known as Future World Vision. The effects of climate change, increasing population, and rapid deployment of new technologies drive civil engineers and the infrastructure industry to be at the forefront of changing trends and to constantly adapt. ASCE performed an in-depth analysis of future macrotrends to generate a projected evolution of our industry's infrastructure through the Year 2070.

Summer Bike Rides

My friend, Sam Ali, P.E., recently wrote a story on bike trail connectivity in Orange County. The article was published in the ASCE Civil Engineering Magazine. Since Sam and I share the same passion for cycling, I thought I would seize the opportunity to share a few enjoyable rides in our OC backyard.

Inflation and Shortage Supply Impacts

We have all been witnessing price inflation, whether it is at the gas station or at the grocery store. Both inflation and material shortage have become part of our design considerations when we select and specify materials for our projects. The approach has been further emphasized over the last couple of years: the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) community should initiate design and construction projects with a thorough understanding of material availability, fabrication, delivery lead time, projected construction index price, and an evaluation of equivalent alternatives.

Sudamericana Water Conservation

Last month, I traveled to Chile for my brother’s wedding and took the opportunity to wander in Patagonia, the Colchagua Valley (wine country), Santiago, and a few other places. I don’t know if the pattern is common across my peers, but as for myself, travels are generally punctuated by a constant evaluation of the local infrastructure, design details, construction means and methods, and an assessment of the infrastructure challenges that each region faces.

Connecting the Dots in 2022 and Beyond?

As we enter 2022, I wish our members a very happy and prosperous new year. It would be a shame not to recognize the accomplishments of the past year. Our hyperactive Orange County Branch committees did not stop interacting and implementing activities: I counted over 60 events held during the past year. I could not be prouder to belong to such a resilient and proactive organization. I thank my predecessor, Clint Isa, P.E., for spearheading the efforts, and all of our volunteers for your contributions over the past couple of years.

So It Goes…

With the new fiscal year having begun in October, we felt this month’s President’s Column would be a good forum for our new presidents (Remi Candaele, ASCE OC Branch President; Ashlyn Alexander, ASCE OC YMF President) to introduce themselves and for me and YMF counterpart (Melissa Hilsabeck) to reflect on our respective terms as president of the OC Branch and OC YMF. I hope that the Q&A that follows helps you get to know more about each of us.