Discover Engineering Family Day & Advice to College Students
The National Building Museum in Washington, DC, held its annual Discover Engineering Family Day on Feb. 17, 2018. Discover Engineering Family Day is a fun-filled day designed to introduce students 4 to 12 to the wonder of engineering. It attracts thousands of people and kicks off Engineers Week activities as well.
Engineers Week is a time for everyone to celebrate and wonder what the next big innovation will be. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for volunteers and educators to inspire students by engaging them in hands-on engineering outreach, showing them that their school subjects can help solve real problems, and, of course, encouraging them to wonder “is engineering my future?” It is always fun to be part of these activities and this year I enjoyed not only talking to many parents and young future engineers but also some of the readers of ASCE-NCS monthly newsletters.
And surprisingly we met some of our former students. Especially two engineers from our Saturday classes were very happy since they’ve conquered their FE and PE exams, thanks to our pro bono classes and ASCE-NCS, Dr. Z’s Corner articles.
We met some engineering students as well. Of course, as usual, they’ve asked for some tips for college students. I promised them I would include the advice of an MIT professor in this month’s column. As always, students and professionals alike are invited to visit Dr Z’s monthly practice problems here.
Dr. Edward Crawley is a professor of engineering and director of the Bernard M. Gordon Engineering Leadership Program at MIT. He gives the following advice to his students at MIT:
“Identify the people who inspire you and find out what makes them tick. If you love Apple products, Steve Jobs may be your idol. Then emulate his good traits in your personal, scholastic, and professional life.
“Develop a portfolio of your projects. Participate in every hands-on, experiential learning opportunity. This way, you’ll have something unique to show a prospective employer.
Learn the value of networking. When it comes to being a leader, whom you know is almost as important as what you know.
“In addition to E-mail, you can use LinkedIn or other social media tools to connect online. But remember: There’s no substitute for a traditional, face-to-face meeting, so if you can find a way to meet in person, that’s always the best.
“Work in teams as much as you can. Whether it’s creating a solar-powered car, participating in a sport, or writing for the school paper, get involved with an organization that requires a team effort to produce great results.
“Throughout your career, you can be sure you’ll work in teams, and the skills you develop in school will help prepare you to lead teams when you graduate.
“Seek informal leadership roles. You’re always a leader, whether you’re officially in charge of a team or not. Sounds counterintuitive, but you can lead from any position in an organization by influencing how people work together and how they make decisions.
“Find your flaws – and fix them. As with any skill, leadership needs constant improvement. When you are part of a team, try to create a way to get feedback from team members, group leaders, and professors.
“When you have concrete feedback on how people view you, you can work to improve your skills, including communication and leadership.
“Take a business class. As an engineer, it’s not enough for you to be technically proficient; you need to have business savvy. If you’re going to be a leader, you need to understand what a P&L is (also known as an income statement), read organization charts, know how to negotiate contracts, and be familiar with the myriad other functions that every top engineer needs to know.
A business course or two can take you a long way, and these classes are often easier to pass than your calculus course!
“Take design and other humanities classes. There’s a wide world out there beyond problem sets, laboratories, and theory.
“Tomorrow’s leaders will have to communicate effectively across international borders and be familiar with other cultures, so develop some proficiency in another language, travel abroad, or meet students from other cultures. Start “globalizing” right at college.
“Make your summers productive. Employers place tremendous value on practical experience. Seek out internship opportunities actively and early in your academic career. Try to demonstrate through your internships a series of evolving leadership experiences and use the internships to build your portfolio of actual projects/ products.
“Recruit and develop your personal board of directors. As an undergraduate, you might feel alone when confronted with hard decisions about the courses to take, jobs to apply for, or even balancing school work and your personal life. You won’t feel alone if you develop a personal board of directors just for you.”
Until next time,
Ahmet Zeytinci, P.E.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Specifications (2018) for Structural Engineering (SE) Exams, Part-2
Structural Engineering Exams Are Administered Over Two Days
Last month we started discussing the new specifications for Structural Engineering (SE) Exams. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) will be using new specifications for the Structural Engineering (SE) exams effective beginning with the April 2018 examinations. Registration for the pencil-and-paper April 2018 SE exams is currently open and will close at 3:00 p.m. EST on February 15, 2018. It is important to remind our readers that the registration for the computer-based FE and PE exams is open year-round and for details our readers should always consult with the NCEES website.
The new NCEES Structural Engineering exams will be administered as a single 16-hour exam given in two successive days (Friday and Saturday). The 8-hour exam on Friday focuses on vertical forces – gravity loads and lateral earth pressures. Both Friday and Saturday exams consist of breadth (morning) and depth (afternoon) modules. The 8-hour exam on lateral forces is offered only on Saturday and focuses on wind & earthquake loads. In summary:
Friday morning breadth exam: Vertical Forces (4-hour and 40 multiple choice questions. The exam uses the US Customary System (USCS) of units)
Friday afternoon depth exam: Vertical Forces (4-hour, examinees must choose either the BUILDINGS or the BRIDGES module. Examinees must work the same module on both components. Depth exam is not multiple choice; questions are constructed response, essay-type questions. The exam uses the US Customary System of units only).
Saturday morning breadth exam: Lateral Forces, Wind & Earthquake (4-hour and 40 multiple choice questions. The exam uses the US Customary System of units).
Saturday afternoon depth exam: Lateral Forces, Wind & Earthquake (4-hour, examinees must choose either the BUILDINGS or the BRIDGES module. Examinees must work the same module on both components. Depth exam is not multiple choice; questions are constructed response, essay type questions and the exam uses the US Customary System of units only).
In a nutshell, the new SE exam tests engineer’s ability to safely design buildings or bridges, particularly in areas of high seismicity and high wind.
Now let’s discuss the topics and number of questions for Friday and Saturday exams in detail:
Friday Morning Breadth Exam Specifications: Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) and Incidental Lateral Component. Topics and Number of Questions:
Friday morning breadth exam has total 40 multiple choice problems in which 13 questions are from Analysis of Structures and 27 questions from Design and Detail of Structures. As always, find Dr Z’s practice problems here.
Friday Afternoon Depth Exam Specifications: Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) and Incidental Lateral Component. Either BUILDINGS or BRIDGES
The BUILDING module covers loads, lateral earth pressures, analysis methods, general structural considerations (element design), structural systems integration (connections), and foundations and retaining structures. This 4-hour module contains one problem from each of the following areas: Steel Structures, Concrete Structures, Wood Structures and Masonry structures. All problems are equally weighted. At least one problem includes a multistory building, and at least one problem includes a foundation.
The BRIDGES module covers gravity loads, superstructures, substructures, and lateral loads other than wind and seismic. This 4-hour module contains three problems, one from each of the following areas: Concrete superstructure (25% of your score), other elements of bridges (e.g., culverts, abutments, retaining walls) (25% of your score), steel superstructure (50% of your score).
Saturday Morning Breadth Exam Specifications: Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake): Topics and Number of Questions
Saturday morning breadth exam has total 40 multiple choice problems in which 15 questions are from Analysis of Structures and 25 questions from Design and Detail of Structures areas.
Saturday Afternoon Depth Exam Specifications: Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake): Either BUILDINGS or BRIDGES
The BUILDING module covers lateral forces, lateral force distribution, analysis methods, general structural considerations (element design), structural systems integration (connections), and foundations and retaining structures. This 4-hour module contains one problem from each of the following areas: Steel Structures, Concrete Structures, Wood and/or Masonry Structure and General Analysis (e.g., existing structures, secondary structures, nonbuilding structures, and/or computer verification). In this section, all problems are equally weighted.
The BRIDGES module covers lateral forces, lateral force distribution, analysis methods, general structural considerations (element design), structural systems integration (connections), and foundations and retaining structures. For details the readers should see the NCEES website.
And finally, an important reminder. PE/SE is an open-book exam and make sure to bring the books to the exam that you are intimate with. You do not want to be fumbling through a strange book during the exam. Stay relaxed and confident and always keep a good attitude. Focus on the ultimate goal and remind yourself that you are going to do your best!
Until next time,
Ahmet Zeytinci, P.E.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
