SPECIAL EVENTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
12:00 - 1:45 p.m.
OPENING PLENARY LUNCHEON AND
AWARDS PROGRAM
The Opening Luncheon gives attendees an opportunity to hear an expert leader share his knowledge, renew acquaintances, and consider the future of the Structural Engineering profession. The Luncheon includes the presentation of ASCE/SEI Awards for outstanding achievements and contributions to the practice and advancement of structural engineering.
KEYNOTE TOPIC: STRUCTURAL ART FROM ROBERT MAILLART TO FAZLUR KHAN
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: David P. Billington, a Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Princeton University
Professor Billington will illustrate the principles of Structural Art through the bridges of Robert Maillart and Christian Menn, the thin shell roofs of Felix Candela and Heinz Isler, and the urban buildings of Fazlur Khan.
Each structural engineer was characterized by an ethos of efficiency in the use of materials, an ethic of economical construction, and an aesthetic motivation that gave an elegant final result. Each had a builder's mentality, always thinking through the constructability of their designs. For each designer, construction and appearance were never separated, and as a result each designer achieved major innovations in structural engineering.
Structural Art is a new art form arising from the Industrial Revolution and its new materials of iron, steel, and structural concrete. It parallels the older discipline of architecture but is independent of it, in the same way that photography is parallel to but independent of painting. This address will underline the need for structural engineering education to include as an important part of its introductory curriculum the 20th century history of Structural Art. It does not replace the usual emphasis on mechanics and materials, but rather infuses it with examples of major engineering personalities and their designs that can inspire as well as train future professionals.
David Billington received a BSE in Engineering from Princeton University in 1950. In 1996, he became the first Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor of Engineering Emeritus at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of 32 awards and honors, with the most recent honor being A Symposium in Honor of David P. Billington in 2004. He has authored 10 research books and 180 scholarly articles. His interests include thin shell concrete cooling towers, highway accident analyses, thin-shell silos, bridge design, the Millau Viaduct in France, and a study of federal dams.
Included In Thursday Daily And Full Registration Package.
Please check the box on the registration form if you plan to attend.
Additional Registration Fee: EB/ADV: $65; ONS: $65
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
SEI and PCI WELCOME RECEPTION IN EXHIBIT HALL
The Congress Welcome Reception is a social occasion that provides a great forum to network, mingle with friends and colleagues, and visit our exciting exhibits. There is no better way to kickoff the Structures 2012 Congress than by attending the Welcome Reception. And this years' reception boasts a spectacular Food & Wine Gala hosted by PCI.
Join us for this food lover's cornucopia of specialty food and tempting spirits. Your first two drink tickets are on us. After that, the cash bars are open.
Included In Thursday Daily, Full, Guest and Student Registration Packages.
Please check the box on the registration form if you plan to attend.
Additional Registration Fee: EB/ADV/ONS: $75
SPONSORED BY
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
CHICAGO! MID-AMERICA CLUB RECEPTION **
Catch the view of the Chicago skyline, enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, and listen to Chicago inspired blues 'n jazz for a thrilling evening at an historical Chicago landmark. Located "a step above" on the 80th floor of the Aon Center in the East Loop, the Mid-America Club is the only club in Chicago that offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city's distinctive skyline and incomparable vistas of Lake Michigan, Millennium Park and the Gold Coast; and is the 4th tallest building in the United States. Sleek, contemporary decor and refined touches, accentuated by a balance of simple elegance and luminescent, warm surroundings, create an inspired setting for Chicago's most influential civic and business leaders; and now for our Congress participants!
Included in Full, Guest, and Friday Daily Registration Packages.
Please check the box on the registration form is you plan to attend.
Dress Code: Business attire. NO tennis shoes or jeans.
** Please Note: everyone attending this Mid-America Club reception must show a valid drivers license with photo ID or a current passport when entering the AON Building. Also, only business casual attire (no jeans or sneakers) is permitted, at any time of the day, on the Mid-America Club level.
Additional Registration Fee: EB/ADV/ONS: $95
SPONSORED BY
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012
12:00 - 1:45 p.m.
CLOSING PLENARY LUNCHEON AND
BUSINESS MEETING
The Closing Luncheon will include the final plenary session as well as the annual SEI business meeting, which provides an overview of recent initiative and program developments.
KEYNOTE TOPIC: DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Glenn R. Bell, P.E., M.ASCE, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
The future promises unprecedented opportunity and challenge in the structural engineering community. Globalization is accelerating, offering expanded work in offshore markets, while also enabling greater competition onshore. Energy and sustainability imperatives demand higher-performing, more efficient structures. Increasingly, overspecialization and fragmentation in the AEC industry are recognized as sources of waste and inefficiency in project execution. Economic pressures and technological advancements are driving rapid change in project participants’ roles, as we develop alternative means of delivering value. And the dizzying pace of knowledge creation and dissemination has made it seemly impossible for practitioners to keep up.
Such far-reaching developments require a new breed of structural engineer, more broadly capable than ever before, to be global leaders in meeting many of society's greatest needs.
Glenn R. Bell is CEO of Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, a 400-person structural engineering firm practicing in all fifty states and in thirty other countries. Under Glenn’s leadership for the past sixteen years, the firm has expanded greatly in size and geographic reach, and has won numerous awards, including frequent recognition as one of the best structural engineering firms in the Unites States for which to work. Glenn has also overseen the development of the firm’s progressive professional training and development program.
Glenn is an author, speaker, and active committee member in ASCE and other industry professional organizations. He is an advisory board member to five civil/structural/architectural engineering programs at top U.S. universities. Glenn delivered the well-received Engineering Driven Architecture keynote at the Structures 2007Congress in Long Beach.
Included In Saturday Daily, Full, and Student Registration Packages.
Please check the box on the registration form if you plan to attend.
Additional Registration Fee: EB/ADV/ONS: $65
