More than 350 students from grades 9-12 in the Mead School District in Spokane designed popsicle-stick bridges to be tested in a competition funded by SEFW. The students produced 280 bridges in the first round. The top 25 from each school went to the final competition, where the winning bridge held more than 400 pounds! SEFW funded the competition and was pleased to see the students learn all about structural engineering.
SEFW was proud to sponsor the first annual SEAW Student Competition, which featured teams from the University of Washington and Seattle University designing, constructing, and testing wooden bridges. The teams presented their experiences and a winner was crowned at the January 2015 SEAW meeting.
After discussion with SEAW, SEFW created a Disaster Preparedness and Response fund, specifically for earthquake and disaster reconnaissance that can assist Washington state in its research and preparatory efforts. Tax-deductible donations are being collected and will be distributed accordingly as the need arises.
Hillary Tervet, of Federal Way, received her BSCE from Seattle University and is currently earning her masters at SU.
Jonathon Waldrip, of Port Angeles, earned his BSCE from Washington State University in May 2014 and is currently earning his masters at WSU.
The SEAW Scholarship Program presented two $3,000 awards to Washington structural engineering students, funded by SEFW.
SEFW provided funding and mentors to the Mountlake Terrace High School (MTHS) STEM Magnet program. Two SEAW YMF members helped 90 students design and construct six-foot-long wood-framed truss bridges designed to carry a minimum of 150 pounds, then test them to failure. The best bridge held 603 pounds! Additionally, another YMF member helped the MTHS FIRST Robotics team identify and design for loads to its structural elements, like its lifting arm mechanism. In total, 115 STEM students learned about structural engineering from these experiences. SEFW's experiences at MTHS were highlighted in the October 2015 issue of Structure magazine.
Nearly 500 guests attended the 5th Annual Fall Forum, "One World Trade Center: Then & Now." The opening remarks, by Jon Magnusson from Magnusson Klemenecic Associates, discussed the original WTC structures and terrorist attack. The main presentation was by Dr. Ahmad Rahimian from WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, who discussed the WTC redevelopment and the new tower, arguably the most anxiously awaited skyscraper in U.S. history.
Mark D'Amato, incoming Chair
Richard Hemmen, incoming Vice Chair
At the final Board meeting of 2015, outgoing Chair David Peden (2013- 2015), nominated Vice Chair Mark D'Amato for the Chair position. He will serve from 2015-2017. Richard Hemmen was named Vice Chair, and Ted Smith remains Secretary/Treasurer.