Earthquake Engineering 1

[Calif]

Hello everyone

I have a graduate degree in Civil Engineering emphasising Structural Engineering. I am thinking of taking Earthquake engineering as a course, does it make sense to take a course like this or should I save my money and learn it on my own. I saw one time a posting for a job that required an engineer to have a graduate course in earthquake engineering and if I do not have to take it in terms that not taking one course will not hold me back as a structural engineering, then I will skip it.


Thanks

Calif

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Calif -

That's not really what I meant.

I actually meant that there are many different topics that can be covered in an earthquake engineering course. If your course is mostly related to very specialized topics (base isolation and damping systems) then it may not be worth it unless this is the area you want to specialize in. Universities will sometimes focus their course work on more academic topics that interest the professors, but which may not be particularly relevant to practicing engineers.

However, if the course covers more pratical earthquake engineering then it would be worth taking. By more practical, I would be referring to topics more commonly used or needed during the normal design practice of a structural engineer. This would included: General seismicity, response spectra analysis, steel and concrete detailing to resist seisic loads.... even push over analysis.

 

[msquared48]

Calif:

You asked "Besides designing support for buildings and bridges, what else can a structural engineer do?"

Structurally speaking, a licensed Structural Engineer is like an elephant. He (or she) does anything he wants (and feels comfortable doing).

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

 

[Calif]

JoshPlum

I think I understand what you are talking about. The course I think will be more academic and not practical to be honest but I do not know. I have never taken this professor before but I guess, I could ask. I am sure it will go over response spectrum and such but ASCE-7 codes or connections for seismic design, I doubt.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[a2mfk]

"Besides designing support for buildings and bridges, what else can a structural engineer do?"

Travel, surf, play sports, be into music, biking, kayaking, hiking, work out in the yard, hang out with friends and family, go to football games, watch too much TV, drink really good beer, puff on a nice cigar... Well that is just what this structural engineer does.

Career (sounds like this is Dick's resume): work in construction as a project manager or on site, steel fabricator, concrete pre-caster, concrete plant, specialty sales (Hilti, Simpson), tilt-wall contractor, government entity as a PM, threshold inspection, forensic engineering (mostly what I do these days), specialty engineering, aerospace engineering (if you really like FEA and mechanics of materials, yuck for me).... Yep, most of that is buildings and bridges for sure, not much dam work these days. Not sure what you were expecting, we deal with structures in structural engineering?

You sound a little down about your career my man. This comes with any field and with almost every person. Trust me, my lawyer friends complain plenty, my optometrist brother in law gets sick of looking at eyeballs, etc etc. Roll with the punches in these economic times and be glad you have a paycheck, and that said paycheck is derived from doing structural engineering and not landscaping or in a foundry (by far my two hardest jobs). Not every job is career building or changing, sometimes it is just a paycheck. And I don't have a lot of years behind me yet in my career, but I have gotten something out of every job I have had, including being a bag boy at a supermarket.

Take that course, maybe you'll use it directly, maybe it will just sharpen up your brain a little. It can't hurt if you are on the west coast. I sure did not need that minor in English literature but I am glad I took those classes... And if you are a single guy maybe there will be a lot of single girls in your earthquake engineering class, I heard they are virtual ladies nights...

Happy new year everyone!

-AK

 

[Calif]

I just need a change or do something. I feel like I am just pushing projects thru and that is it. There is nothing in it for me here and I want to be in a bigger company with more resources. I am on the east coast in a small firm in which I think I went as far as I can. There isnt anything that motivates me to be there except a pay check. Yeah and I am single and plan to stay that way.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[HSIII]

Calif,

If you are honestly that bored where you are, I would suggest moving on. After a while, your creativity will become stagnant...especially thinking in cookie-cutter mode over and over and over again (oh joy...another [fill in the blank]). Since you don't have kids established in a school system, I would say to venture out...maybe leave the east coast for a while. Bigger may not always be better. Sometimes just a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered.

But...that's just my opinion.

 

[Calif]

Easier said than done HSII. The economy is not exactly good these days.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[HSIII]

True, but some areas of the country are doing much better than others.

 

[Calif]

Has anyone taken a theoretical course and earthquake engineering? This is actually a graduate course at a university. Unsure if the course will help with career or work though. I here what people here are saying and I am all about learning things if I need it to but to take a course that is theoretical. Will it help me in understanding things at work or in the field?

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[Qshake]

Yes, as noted in my previous post, I've had both structural dynamics and earthquake engineering. The earthquake engineering course, graduate course, covered such topics as:

* Model specific civil engineering structures to SDOF and MDOF models that are excited by real recorded ground motions. (note that structural dynamics doesn't always have time to get into this).
* Seismicity and factors affecting ground motion characteristics
* Understanding seismic hazards, includes liquefaction and landslides and building problems,
* Response Spectra Analysis, Time History and multiple support excitation,
* Damping and yielding behavior,
* Seismic behavior of Masonry, Concrete and Steel buildings
* Code related matters

I've also taken a course in dynamics of earth materials.

There are a lot of earthquake related courses at the university.

But let me say that if you intend to limit yourself to one story steel clad buildings or one story reinforced masonry or other material you may wish to stick with the one or two day professional courses.

Regards,
Qshake

Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.

 

[a2mfk]

Because of the way the business side of engineering seems to work, many smaller SE firms generally deal with the same clients and may not get exposed to a great variety of work. This can work well on the economic side of things for the company, but can get a little boring for the engineers. And with the economic situation, boring is not bad as long as it pays the bills.

Interesting and exciting projects are sometimes luxuries for structural engineers, at some point to become as economic and profitable as possible most companies come up with lots of templates and things to make your job easier, but maybe more mundane. Computers further remove some of the challenges on the computational side of things. I think this would be even more true the larger the company, and you may be asked to specialize in a specific area or division. A small to mid-size company, IMHO, will offer you the opportunity for the broadest range of projects and materials. It also depends a LOT on your boss and his goals, his contacts, what he envisions your company doing. He may be with status quo and just happy riding it out with a few safe clients that don't result in too many head turning projects but always pay their bills (his goal is to make money and not make your job interesting)...

A larger company may offer bigger and more high profile projects, but I think bigger projects have the tendency to get split up into lots of pieces and you may only be involved helping a project manager with one portion. But maybe that is what you want, so you can work your way up into their position and be the lead engineer on big projects. I've been there, and that can be enjoyable too.

Personally I prefer small to mid size projects that I do mostly myself with input from other engineers as needed. I prefer a lot of variety and don't want projects that go on for several months, if they can be avoided.

Then one day you could finally get that super challenging project with an uber creative architect, and all it ends up getting you is gray hairs, long hours and less sleep

You have to find out what works for you, and no parent, buddy, mentor or random guy down in Florida from a message board can lead you there. You have to find out what makes you look forward to going to work every day (or at least not grimacing at the thought on Sunday evenings). To me it is all about balance and in no particular order:
-geographic location
-bosses and coworkers
-money and benefits
-type of work
-career opportunities / ability to advance
-independence
-hours (regular 8-5 or every other weekend against deadlines?)

And these can all change, they have for me in my life and career. Right now I am about to start a family and am still concerned with the econonomy- so I am OK with safe, stable, regular hours, decent pay type job.... Plenty of other ways to seek out excitement outside of work for now.

If you are in your mid to late 20s, which for some reason I get that vibe, and are not too tied down with responsibility, look for a job on the opposite coast or in a slightly different industry or in another country, why not? You have your whole life in front of you, and you are not sure what you want.

Or if you can swing it and MAN I wish I would have done it, sell everything you own and go see the world for at least a year or as long as you can afford it. It will open your eyes in ways you have never imagined, and likely refresh you and help you figure out what you want to do. Even if you have travelled or lived in another country, pick a new part of the globe and get out there and out of your element. Go someplace with weird foods, different languages, and at least a few places that are less financially blessed as the US.

At the very least, you will have gained some valuable perspective, and perhaps even that same job (or similar) will become a good place to hang your hat while seeking out other new adventures. You may discover you have one of the most interesting careers out there in one of the greatest places in the world!

(off my soap box now, good luck my man with your life decisions)