aei national student magazine: spring 2014
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ArchitecturalEngineering InstituteNat ional StudentMagazine Spring 2014
design & planning
internships lighting
student competitions goals
volunteeringsustainability
integrated project delivery
green design technology
innovation limit states design
loadssafety &
security
energy efficiency solar power
building controlsmaterial testing
daylighting plumbing
professional development acoustics
electrical
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Summary of AEI Activities
Moving Forward as a National
Group
Opportunities for Involvement
4 Spring 2014
1. California Polytechnic State University
2. Drexel University
3. Illinois Institute of Technology
4. Kansas State University
5. Lawrence Technological University
6. Milwaukee School of Engineering
7. Missouri University of Science &
Technology
8. North Carolina A&T State
University
9. Oklahoma State University
10. Pennsylvania State University
11. Tennessee State University
12. Texas A&M University-Kingsville
13. University of Colorado at Boulder
14. University of Kansas
15. University of Miami
16. University of Nebraska-Lincoln at Omaha
17. University of Oklahoma
18. University of Texas at Austin
19. University of Wyoming
20. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Established in 1998, the
Architectural Engineering Institute
(AEI) is a multi-disciplinary
organization for professionals in the
building industry comprised of
architects, architectural engineers
(including structural, mechanical,
electrical), and others. AEI seeks to
encourage excellence in practice,
education, and research with a
mission to serve the building
community.1
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The mission of the AEI
National Student Organization is
to unite student chapters and
enable them to learn from each
other, to pursue further education
in shared academic interests, and
to provide a united student voice
within the Architectural
Engineering Institute.2
1AEI Website: http://www.asce.org/aei2AEI Students page:
http://www.asce.org/aei/Content.aspx?id=257
69807700
National AEI offers opportunities
for student members, including:
• Charles K. Pankow Student
Competition
• Annual AEI National
Conference
5AEI National Student Magazine
Dear AEI Students and Faculty,
We are excited to present the first issue
of our biannual AEI National Student
Magazine. The idea for this publication
arose out of the 2013 AEI National
Conference officer elections as a way to
bridge the communication gap between
student groups and spread ideas. We
hope this dissemination of information
will enhance discussion and interaction
between students at the upcoming AEI
National Student Conference.
In addition to this magazine, the
national officers have pursued other
initiatives such as helping to develop an
AEI Online Forum for questions and
discussion between AEI students and
professionals (in progress), assisting
individual chapters, and reaching out to
industry professionals.
We hope you will join us at the 2014
AEI National Student Conference,
hosted by Drexel University on March
27-29 . A special thank you to Drexel
University, the AEI Academic Council,
AEI Conference Committee, and AEI
office staff for their leadership and
support.
Thank you for your continued support of
AEI students.
Sincerely,
Josh, Arez, and Kate
Josh Szmergalski, President
Milwaukee School of Engineering
AEI Focus: Outreach to industry
for student connections
Arez Ardalani, Vice President
University of Texas A&M-
Kingsville
AEI Focus: Outreach to national
and international AE programs
Kate Fickle, Secretary
University of Nebraska-Lincoln at
Omaha
AEI Focus: Student chapter
communication
The next issue will feature:
• Letters from Professionals (advice and current
developments in architectural engineering)
• Recap of the 2014 AEI Student Conference.
This magazine was created by the
officers using Microsoft PowerPoint and will
be shared with future officers as a template
for further development.
6 Spring 2014
AEI National Conference • Greenbuild
Conference • Simpson Strong-Tie
Symposium • Structural Forum •
RISA Technical Seminars •
Architectural Engineering Options
Conference • AutoCAD training by
certified instructor • Class
notes/tutoring • Building Tours •
Office Visits • Construction Site Visits
High School Outreach • Charity Runs
• Habitat for Humanity • Canstruction
• Green Apple Day of Service •
Green Roof Project • Middle school
library restoration • Clean up the
streets • ADA Awareness Week •
Pie-A-Professor fundraiser • Local
historic preservation projects
Mentoring • Mixers • BBQs • Golf
tournaments • Tailgates • T-shirt
designs • Bowling Nights • Potluck
Dinners • Dodgeball Tournaments
Washington D.C. • Seattle •
Philadelphia • San Diego
Sukkah Design Competition • Giant
Lego Structures • Truss Competitions
• Tower building competitions • K’nex
cantilever competitions • Graham
cracker skyscraper competition
Speaker Topics: Acoustics and
Vibration Control • BIM • Building
Envelope Design • Company
presentations • Designing in
Tornado Alley • Entrepreneurship •
Internship advice • Etc.
7AEI National Student Magazine
8 Spring 2014
Chair:
Georgine
Mooney
Advisor:
John Lawson
Meet the student chapter from
California Polytechnic State
University at San Luis Obispo!
Although nationally recognized
as an AEI chapter, we are also
locally recognized as a
SEAOC chapter (Structural
Engineers Association of
California). Our AEI/SEAOC
joint affiliations give us an
important national and local
pressure. SEAOC is a
professional organization of
structural engineers from every
region in California.
Since Cal Poly is located in
California, many students want
to continue to live and work in
California. By partnering with
SEAOC, the students are
provided with great
professional networking for
firms throughout the Golden
State.
This year, the club’s
membership has reached 140
students including a record 40
freshmen. The board members
are delighted with this spike in
membership and are focusing
efforts on getting the freshmen
involved with AEI and SEAOC
as early as possible. In fact,
New Membership Chair Amy
Burruss started a new big-
sib/little-sib program this
year called ARCE FAM which
pairs two older ARCE students
with six freshmen. The goal is
to create a bridge between the
older and younger students in
ARCE as well as to provide
mentoring for the freshmen. So
far, the program has been a
great success with a few social
events including a beach
barbeque and peer class
counseling meeting.
9AEI National Student Magazine
As a student organization,
Cal Poly AEI/SEAOC
strives to expose members
to what is beyond the
classroom. This is achieved
through weekly
presentations by industry
professionals, field trips,
and social events. A few
examples of typical events
include the annual
Structural Forum, last year’s
Seattle spring break trip,
and Seventh Week Stretch
barbeques.
Structural Forum is an
event that Cal Poly
AEI/SEAOC hosts every
year at the beginning of
February. This day-long
event starts in the morning
with presentations from
various guest speakers
followed by a career fair.
The night ends with an
upscale dinner where the
students sit at tables with
firm representatives of their
choosing. Structural Forum
is Cal Poly AEI/SEAOC’s
biggest fundraising event of
the year, and it is also the
best way for ARCE students
to practice networking skills
and experience face-to-face
interactions with potential
employers.
10 Spring 2014
List of involvements
• 7th week stretch barbeques
• Beach barbeques
• Club-sponsored end-of-the-quarter
parties at local brewery
• Quarterly trips
• Golf tournament
• Halloween Pumpkin carving
• Club-sponsored Thanksgiving meal
• Construction site visits
• Parents weekend
• Simpson Strong-Tie Symposium
• Spring break trip
• Open house
• Structural Forum
• Club activities (building K’Nex
cantilevers, building towers with
miscellaneous supplies, etc.)
• Club speakers (various firms, alumni,
and teachers to talk about how to get
jobs, advancements in the field,
interesting projects etc.)
• Big sib little sib program
• Freshman tutoring
• T-shirt design competitions
• Club merchandise sales
• Build an Engineer day
• RISA technical seminars
Looking Ahead
• More community involvement
• Habitat for humanity
• School visits
• Donating extra food
from club lunches to the
homeless shelter
• More interdisciplinary
involvement
• Host events with other
professional clubs in
the college
• Spread awareness of
architectural
engineering outside of
the club and major
Above:
Students
viewing a
recycled water
drainage
system on
Seattle trip
Left: Hope-
Amundson
Office Visit
11AEI National Student Magazine
Left: National Building Museum
in D.C.
Through Drexel University’s
AEI program, we offer a variety
of events throughout the year
including building tours,
professional lectures, volunteer
work, and travel. Our growing
group currently has 150
undergraduate members, and
we have been busy this year
preparing for the 2014 National
AEI Student Conference, which
we will be hosting in March.
One of my greatest
experiences in AEI was our trip
to Washington D.C., which
included a tour of the National
Building Museum and time for
our group to explore the
beautiful city. The trip’s cost was
$10 per student for round-trip
transportation thanks to Drexel’s
AEI being able to cover the rest
of the cost.
This year, our group has
been pursuing more volunteer
work including helping with
Greenbuild 2013, an
international conference and
expo, which was held this in
Philadelphia this past year.
Drexel AEI students served as
volunteers at the conference
and were granted access to the
remainder of the conference as
a result of their 8-hour
dedication. It was a unique,
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,
and we are grateful to have
taken advantage of it.
We are also working on
another project to restore a
middle school library which is
unusable by students until
certain tasks are completed. It is
expected that a few days’ worth
of work for several volunteers
will allow the school library to
open its doors to students again.
Recently, we had four
members run in the Free to
Breathe 5k in support of Marc
Kuchler, a Drexel alum battling
lung cancer, and it was a great
opportunity to run alongside
Marc. We were a part of the
largest team at the event, Miles
for Marc, which was 140 people
strong. Marc and his fiancé,
pictured below in the orange tux
and wedding dress, were able to
raise over $25,000 to go
towards lung cancer research.
President
and
Conference
Coordinator:
Nate Barry
Advisor:
James
Mitchell
12 Spring 2014
We are still looking to expand our
volunteering work since reaching
out to the community is a big
concern. We would like to organize
an effort to “clean up the streets,”
where we would do a couple of
hours of service every weekend to
the neighboring community of
Powelton Village. We are also
interested in getting involved in
Canstruction.
At last year’s AEI conference, we
heard about student groups having
an American Disabilities Act
(ADA) Awareness Week to
emphasize the importance of ADA
compliant buildings. We’ve
discussed renting wheel chairs for
an hour or two for students to
understand the difficulties of
navigating our campus. Other
events could include wheel chair
basketball and even obstacle
courses.
Four Drexel students supporting Marc Kuchler (center), a
Drexel alum, battling Stage IV lung cancer by running the
Philadelphia Free to Breathe 5k
13AEI National Student Magazine
The K-State AEI Competition Team
celebrates their 1st place finish in the
Electrical division
President:
Landon
Stephens
Advisors:
Russ
Murdock &
Chris Ahearn
The Kansas State University
chapter of Architectural
Engineering Institute has had a
very successful start to the
2013-2014 academic year full of
great social and academic
events. AEI has hosted four
seminars with four more
planned for the spring. These
educational presentations are
generally by companies about
new and exciting projects and
different challenges they have
overcome to succeed.
Kansas State AEI also
arranges various tours to
provide students a better
understanding of the building
systems learned about in class.
Social events, such as a golf
tournament, dodgeball
tournament, bowling night,
and other activities, provide
an opportunity for students to
relieve stress and bond with
fellow classmates.
AEI National Conference –
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
This past year at Penn State,
the Electrical team took first
place in the competition with an
innovative design that featured
a DC power distribution system
in conjunction with micro-
turbines used for Combined
Heat and Power (CHP).
Golfing with a team of two students, a
company representative, and a
faculty member.
14 Spring 2014
Henderson Engineering representatives along
with two students collect themselves to read a
putt.
National Greenbuild Conference -
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
At the 2013 Greenbuild
conference, AEI students were able
to attend numerous presentations on
implementing energy efficient
products, programs, and designs to
further our exposure in sustainable
design. Getting exposure to these new
technologies improves our
engineering knowledge base and
allows students to begin networking
with various companies.
The AEI executives have an
opportunity to attend this every year,
and if sufficient funds are raised, a few
other students in the department are
invited to attend as well. Fundraising
for this annual trip is done through AEI
T-shirt sales, a golf tournament,
memberships, and donations.
AEI Classic Golf Tournament –
Colbert Hills, Manhattan, KS
The annual golf tournament
involves pairing students with
company representatives as a great
networking opportunity. This is the
second year the tournament has been
hosted at Colbert Hills, and AEI has
turned this event into a great source of
fundraising as well. All Kansas State
University AEI members are invited to
play in this event. This fall, 8
companies sent at least one or two
representatives to play with 25
students.
Kansas State AEI is
planning a Habitat for
Humanity workday for
the spring semester of
2013 as a way to give
back to the community
and work for the
generous donations that
support our educational
activities and trips each
year. We plan to make
this an annual event.
15AEI National Student Magazine
Our AEI group has grown rapidly due
to the community formed and the fun
shared experiences. We host several
community-building events such as
potluck dinners, cook outs, and pie-a-
professor day. We are also in the
planning process of creating a
semiannual ping-pong tournament.
Additionally, this semester, the Oklahoma
State AEI chapter participated in several
community service events to help the city
of Stillwater.
Finally, we have started to reach out
to the professional architectural
engineers in our area. We recently took a
tour of Wallace Engineering, a structural
design firm, with an excellent experience
of talking with engineers. We hope to
increase our interaction with
professionals in this upcoming semester.
We have started a tutoring program
for older students to tutor younger ones
while serving as a resource for questions.
As a result, students have benefitted with
a deeper understanding of the material
taught.
AEI also brought in NCSEA president-
elect Carrie Johnson, a Wallace
Engineering Principal, to teach us about
designing in tornado alley. She has
helped us understand some of the
challenges of designing FEMA-rated
structures.
In the spring, we hosted our annual
truss competition, in which students
create a truss system out of popsicle
sticks and then test their strength with the
SSA1000.
• Our major event– helping the
community of Stillwater.
• AEI Holiday Card competition.
• Graham cracker skyscraper
competition
• Wood truss competition
• Carrie Johnson presentation –
“Designing in Tornado Alley”
• Wallace Engineering field trip
• Pie a professor
• Potluck Dinners
• AEI kickoff cookout
• AEI soda fundraiser
• Into the streets- a community service
event
• Steel and Statics Tutoring sessions
President:
Jeff Cassel
Advisor:
Carisa
Ramming
Our chapter of
AEI here at OSU has
grown rapidly from
15 to 50 members in
just a few years.
This year, our
organization has
expanded into new
areas with a focus on
education,
community, and
professionalism.
16 Spring 2014
President:
Brian
Bernens
Advisor:
Moses Ling
Established in 1965, the
Student Society of Architectural
Engineers (SSAE) exists to
create a social network to bring
all AE’s together, no matter their
option or graduating year. We
strive to connect all AE students
with other students, faculty,
alumni, and professionals. In the
Penn State AE department,
there are many option-specific
professional/student
organizations in which we serve
as an “umbrella club”, meaning
we act as a parent organization
promoting their events.
SSAE is split into two units:
Administrative and Mentoring.
The administrative unit handles
communication with the PSU AE
department, merchandise
sales, funding, history initiatives,
professional development,
involvement with
Penn State’s Dance Marathon,
yearbook creation, tours of
the PSU AE environments,
and social events.
In the mentoring unit, we
place students into 4 “houses” to
help incoming students bond.
We offer mentoring services
between 2nd year students and
3rd year students as well as
alumni mentoring to 4th year
students. The mentoring unit
was started in 2010 and has
proven to be a great way for
students to acclimate to their
major, and SSAE provides all of
the resources they could need.
Our two largest events
throughout the year in the
Mentoring Unit are:
Connections Kickoff, a large
picnic in the first month of the
year where students meet their
student mentors, and Options
Conference/Leadership Panel,
where students still deciding an
emphasis learn more about all of
the options within the AE major.
Some other events in the
Mentoring Unit include: House
Cup Ceremony, a final
competition between houses in
the spring semester, and House
Dodgeball.
17AEI National Student Magazine
SSAE also held a Family Weekend
last year. Centered around Penn State
Football’s Blue and White game, we
invited the parents of students to come
for a weekend to learn more about their
son or daughter’s education. On the first
day, we held a tailgate before the game
where all of the parents and students
could interact and enjoy some food.
After the game, we played tailgating
games such as cornhole. The following
day, we hosted a Student-Parent-
Faculty mixer where we served food
and had some faculty members share
their involvement in student education.
We also took parents on a tour of the
AE building and spaces that the
students utilize including: Studio,
Computer Labs, Thesis Labs, AE
Faculty offices, AE Department Office,
etc. Family Weekend was organized by
sending emails of itineraries and RSVP
forms to the parents in advance. We
plan on doing this event every-other
year, since parents may not want to
come to the same event annually. We
also hope to invite alumni to this event
in the future.
This Connections Kickoff is our
first event of the year, and it draws in
one of our largest crowds. The event
invites students, alumni, and faculty of
the Architectural Engineering
Department to gather together for food,
networking, and entertainment.
18 Spring 2014
Our Connections Kickoff typically
begins with a scavenger hunt for the new
student members. SSAE is divided into
four houses, and the members of each
house participate in a mentoring program.
The purpose of having four houses allows
the students to meet a variety of people in
different years of the program, and it
sparks competition between the houses.
Second-year students are sorted into a
house and assigned a compatible third
year mentor. On the scavenger hunt,
existing house members take the new
members around to complete various tasks
with photo documentation. After the
scavenger hunt, there is a large picnic for
faculty, students, and alumni to mingle in a
more casual setting. The four houses
break off again and provide entertainment
for the alumni and faculty, and the students
compete in various activities that range
from a balloon toss to a hula-hoop team
race.
Every year, the Connections Kickoff
has expanded and become more and more
successful, as it has been enjoyed by all.
For other groups looking to pursue an
event like this, we recommend partnering
with your AE department to help plan and
invite people to the event. Many faculty
members will come, and this is great
chance to get to know them as well!
19AEI National Student Magazine
(not previously mentioned)
• Major Night – held by the AE department,
Freshman come out to learn about all of the
student organizations in AE
• Annual PSU AE merchandise sales: T-shirts,
hoodies, and polos with different designs are sold
each year. Mentor-specific apparel feature the
faces of the professors the houses are named
after: Alden, Moses, Bowers, and Boothby• High School Outreach Program – Students can
return to their high school’s Physics, Drafting, or
Science class to educate high school students on
Architectural Engineering at Penn State• House Potlucks – As part of the mentor program,
each house holds a potluck dinner where each
member brings food!• AEI Student and National Conference – We
attend the conferences every year (hosted in 2013)
and plan on traveling to Drexel this year• Book prices – Our website compiles book used in
our AE classes and pricing• Class notes – General class notes are available to
SSAE members
• We want to visit the
commonwealth campuses of
Penn State and educate them
on the AE program (since
University Park campus is the
only one that offers the major).
We plan on this being a part of
our Outreach program.
• We are working heavily with
ASAE, the alumni society of
architectural engineers at PSU,
so that we can include them in
our events. It is a good way to
bring in industry professionals
as well as getting leadership
and mentor advice.
• We are reshaping our mentor
program to be more available to
all AE students as well as more
accessible for alumni mentors.
Tentatively scheduled to adapt
changes for 2014-2015.
20 Spring 2014
President:
Dominique
Jones
Advisor:
Dwight
Martin
disciplines of AE such as structural
design, mechanical design, electrical
design, and construction
management.
AEI of TSU has resurfaced and
grown since Fall 2012. Since then, we
have participated in tours, community
service projects, competitions, and
hosted technical presentations. We
host bi-weekly meetings to discuss
the latest issues within the
organization as well as organize
upcoming events.
AEI of TSU promotes giving back to the
community as well as sustainability.
We strive to increase awareness about
going green and protecting our planet.
Participating in community service
helps others as well as the students.
We partner with Habitat for Humanity
and Go Green Nashville to educate
students about building design,
construction, energy conservation,
LEED, structural framing, and many
other topics.
AEI of TSU is an
architectural engineering
(AE) related
organization for TSU
students to gather and
discuss issues within the
building community. We
pride ourselves on the
motto “Innovate…
Design… Sustain” as we
learn new ways to
improve and design
buildings and their
components. We
explore all four
21AEI National Student Magazine
AEI of TSU will be participating in two
major competitions this school year.
Canstruction is one of the most unique
food charities in the world. Canstruction, Inc.
is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
that holds annual design and build
competitions to construct giant structures
made entirely out of canned food. In each city
after the structures are built and the winners
are declared, the creations are viewable by the
general public as giant art exhibits. At the
close of the competition, all Cansculptures are
dismantled and donated to local food banks.
The AEI competition will challenge students
to address the design, integration, and
construction issues that must be considered
for a new high profile 30-story high rise office
building located at 350 Mission in San
Francisco, California.
AEI of TSU will compete in the structural
and mechanical design categories.
In order for AEI of TSU to continue to
participate and promote student activities, we
need help from industry leaders. Sponsorship
allows AEI to gather materials, host tour
events, travel for community service activities,
participate in competitions, host technical
presentations, and attend the annual AEI
National Conference. If interested in
supporting TSU’s AEI group, please refer to
the chapter contact information:
http://www.asce.org/aei/Content.aspx?id=2576
9808714.
22 Spring 2014
small business located in Port Aransas,
TX, where she will be operating the
engineering portion of the business.
Our chapter also had a significant
pool of internships in the past year.
President Amber Cherry worked for
Prime Contractor, and Secretary Teresa
Norton worked alongside Professor
Glusing while working on the Alamo
Project as guest historians while the
Alamo was documented by Texas A&M
University. One of our active members
Melissa Lopez, interned for Henderson
Engineers as a CAD Technician. She
performed job duties for electrical and
plumbing design including: drafting
various plans, detailing and scheduling,
attending various discipline-specific
training sessions, performed project base
setups, and issued deadlines while under
the instruction of professional engineers.
Our chapter has had the pleasure of
supporting the National Vice President,
Arez Ardalani, for the duration of his
Green Roof Project. His team and
advisor worked to bring a number of
various opportunities to our small
campus through the first green roof.
Our chapter has also had a significant
amount of students conducting academic
research. President Amber Cherry and
Vice President Payton Ortiz are working
with the Dean of our College of
Engineering to help design and
renovate two buildings that the
university has purchased. These
buildings will showcase student
achievement in downtown Kingsville as
well as provide a space for student
workers to go to in order to carry out their
duties in a workplace environment.
Amber and Payton coordinate with the
architect, the owner, and engineers as
well as come up with some of their own
ideas to provide as input to the project.
Former Vice President and currently
active member, Lydia Tanner, had
researched HVAC Systems alongside Dr.
Caeiro, a well-respected professor on our
campus.
We plan to attend the national AEI
conference at Drexel University,
Philadelphia this spring as well as take
our chapter to the Texas A&M University
Career Fair in February.
President:
Amber
Cherry
Advisor:
James
Glusing
Our AEI student
chapter has
accomplished many
goals relative to our
small university by
coming together as a
group and supporting
the pursuits of individual
students.
Several of our AEI
members have
undertaken interesting
responsibilities through
projects and internships.
Secretary Teresa Norton
has accepted to become
the co-business owner
of Aransas Buildings, a
23AEI National Student Magazine
President:
Hector
Castaneda
Advisor:
Dr. Gang
Wang
including architecture as well as
architectural and civil engineering.
Though the number of interested
students was not as high as we would
have liked, those who did join the chapter
have been highly involved and participate
in a number of great and exciting events.
Some of these events included organizing
and co-hosting UM’s annual Sukkah
Design Competition, having two
professional speakers come talk about
their experience and expertise in their
respective fields, holding AutoCAD
tutorials for members of our chapter, and
volunteering at an alumni/freshmen
mixer for engineering students.
This past September, our chapter co-
hosted and participated in the 3rd
Annual Sukkah Design Competition.
Alongside UM Hillel, the Jewish group on
campus, we helped organize and plan all
of the logistics for the competition. The
event challenged participants to design
and build a small structure that could
shelter 3-10 people at a time. With only a
week to come up with a design and build,
“Building the sukkah structure
brought us closer together as a
club through teamwork; it was a
great experience!” –Kamilah
Acebal-Acevedo, 3rd Year
Architecture Student
“This event not only allowed us to
improve as designers, builders
and engineers, but it also
enhanced our ability to work with
future architects and fellow
engineers.” –Hector Castaneda,
UM AEI President
The University of
Miami’s AEI chapter hit
the ground running with
our inaugural semester
as an official
organization on
campus. There was
much work to do for our
executive board, whose
main objective this
semester was to
advertise and reach
out to students from
the College of
Engineering as well
well as the School of Architecture. Our
chapter found some immediate success,
with interest from a variety of majors
24 Spring 2014
participants were not only able to work on their
designing skills, but also on project
management, budgeting, and teamwork. The
final sukkahs were showcased on campus for
a week, and the chapter was recognized for
their commitment and success in organizing a
great event. We plan to have this competition
as part of our yearly agendas and make it a
tradition on our campus.
Jackie A. Aguilar, Turner’s VDC/BIM SE
Region Engineer, came to our campus and
talked to AEI members about Turner
Construction and the advantages of Building
Information Modeling. A total of 26 students
attended the presentation, and many
attendees expressed that they had not been
introduced to BIM previously, or heard about it
but didn’t know much about it.
Rick De La Guardia, CEO of DLG
Engineering, Inc. and Vice Chair of the Curtain
Wall Committee of the Architectural
Engineering Institute, gave a presentation
about “How to Start Your Own Business in
Engineering”. He has been working in this
industry for 14 years now, and had a lot of
valuable information to share with students. He
covered topics such as how to start preparing
for entrepreneurship as a student, how to
manage employees, and the importance of
“finding your niche” in order to be successful.
At the end of the presentation, Mr. De La
Guardia opened the floor for questions and
offered some great advice for everyone.
Additionally, he agreed to assist our chapter
with future events as he is currently an active
member of the national AEI chapter and will be
able to provide us with some guidance. We
definitely look forward to working with him in
the future.
“AEI did a really great thing by bringing in
a guest speaker to talk to us about BIM.
The presentation got me excited about my
future as an architectural engineer and I
look forward to utilizing this powerful tool
one day.” – Miguel Amezcua, Architectural
Engineering student
25AEI National Student Magazine
AutoCAD Tutoring Sessions – Since the
University of Miami does not offer a course on
AutoCAD or any other type of designing program,
our AEI chapter and UM’s American Institute of
Architects student chapter worked together to bring
an Autodesk-certified instructor to campus. The
instructor held a total of three 8-hr tutoring sessions
on AutoCAD this semester which covered a wide
range of topics that were relevant to both architects
and engineers. The same instructor is planning to
return to campus next spring to teach Revit.
Participate in the U.S. Department of Energy
Solar Decathlon
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar
Decathlon, which occurs biennially, challenges
students to design, build, and operate a solar-
powered house.
Community Outreach
Our chapter would like to visit local high
schools and middle schools to expose
students to architectural engineering and
encourage them to seek a career in the
building industry. We also plan to bring
interested students to our campus and have
events and competitions.
• Build a giant Lego structure and exhibit it on
campus
This would promote team building and group
communication within the chapter, which are
very important skills to have in the professional
world. It would also promote our chapter and
hopefully peak interest in students to join AEI!
We would need to obtain sponsorship to be
able to order the Lego pieces.
Construction Site Visits
We have many interesting places in mind,
especially Universal Studios in Orlando for the
construction of upcoming rides.
26 Spring 2014
President:
Geoffrey
Wright
Advisor:
Dr. Clarence
Waters
freshmen go on office tours with their
mentors, interview their industry
mentor, and complete laboratory
assignments involving building plans
with some guidance from
upperclassmen.
In the future, freshmen student
groups will likely be assigned a building
the industry mentor helped design, and
students will prepare a presentation
related to the building’s design process
and engineering decisions based
discussions with their industry mentor.
In addition to coordinating the
mentoring program, AESLAC also
organizes the Fall Welcome BBQ and
other social events for mentors and
mentees to become better acquainted.
Architectural Engineering Banquet
Each year, AESLAC coordinates
the Architectural Engineering (AE)
Banquet as a way to bring together
students, professionals, and faculty for
a formal dinner, presentation, and
award ceremony. Awards are voted on
by students and include faculty
teaching and mentoring awards, an
industry mentor award, and a Masters
of AE student award. Additionally, the
recipients of the Outstanding Alumni
Project Award give the main
presentation for the evening. Many
students look forward to the event as
an opportunity to network and meet
alumni.
The University of
Nebraska-Lincoln’s AEI
group is combined with
and led by the
Architectural Engineering
Student Leadership
Advisory Committee
(AESLAC), a select group
of up to 25 students in the
AE program ranging from
freshmen through
graduate years who are
responsible for
representing the
concerns and interests ofthe AE student body. Through three
subcommittees (Student Affairs, External
Affairs, and Student Activities), AESLAC
coordinates the following:
Freshmen Mentoring Program
As part of the Introduction to Architectural
Engineering course taken by freshmen, small
groups of 4-5 freshmen are matched with an
upperclassmen mentor and an industry
mentor to provide guidance and insight for
the years ahead. As part of their introductory
course and the mentoring program,
27AEI National Student Magazine
Career Fair Liaison Program
For the last two years, we have organized a
career fair liaison program to match our Durham
School career fair companies with AE
undergraduates. Students assist by contacting
companies in advance to offer assistance,
helping with setup the day of the career fair, and
sending thank you letters.
AEI Activities
Some examples of our AEI events include
the Annual Golf Tournament (students,
faculty, and professionals), movie nights,
bowling nights, the Fall Welcome BBQ, etc.
UNL’s AESLAC is also grateful to have an
annual meeting and evening mixer with the
Architectural Engineering Industry Advisory
Committee (AEIAC), whose professional
members provide additional guidance and
support for student leaders.
28 Spring 2014
In August, our AEI group toured the
Gateway Center, a new building on
campus. Twenty-one students and three
faculty members attended the tour led
by the project manager. We learned
about the steel construction process,
organizing a project, and the costs
involved for a large university welcome
center. Building tours help to expand on
aspects we might not learn in the
classroom— costs, organization of on-
site materials, construction techniques
of specialized workers, and workplace
organization.
President:
Libby
Hungerford
Advisor:
Dr. Anthony
Denzer
Our AEI Chapter at
UW began the year
with 4 members:
Libby Hungerford,
McKenzie Danforth,
Shane Halverson, and
Divantha Ekanayake.
We set a goal for the
year to increase
membership and
student involvement
by having an activity
once a month.
Building tours are a recurring AEI event
due to our chapter’s great relationship with
contractors.
Our AEI Chapter also organized a local
event for the United States Green Building
Council’s “Green Apple Day of Service”.
As a chapter, we traveled to the Laramie
Rivers Conservation District and helped
with their fall clean-up. We assisted by
cleaning the greenhouse and preparing a
wooden planter by leveling a ground area,
constructing the wooden planter, and filling
the planter with soil.
29AEI National Student Magazine
Gateway Center
Construction Site Tours
Green Apple Day of
Service
Guest Speaker: Milton
Geiger, University of
Wyoming Extension
Pint Glass Fundraiser
AEI Student Design
Competition
2014 AEI National
Student Conference
The students who helped with this event
were: Katlin Kaliebe, McKenzie Danforth,
Sabrene Rahiman, Rachel Mills, Kat
Benkman, Libby Hungerford, Lane Falk, and
Divantha Ekanayake. This event was a great
help to the Laramie Rivers Conservation
District. They were very appreciative of our
help, and we were glad to be there!
Afterwards, several students returned to
the Conservation District to help build a
chicken coop for a local school.
“Green Apple Day of Service” is a great
opportunity for chapters help their
communities. Our chapter would love to
continue this tradition.
30 Spring 2014
experiences with the rest of the
Architectural Engineering community.
• Guest Lecture Series
This academic year, the Worcester
Polytechnic Institute’s chapter has hosted
three guest speakers, each speaker
focused on a different field related to
architectural engineering. Among these
speakers was Christopher Storch, a senior
consultant in Cavanaugh Tocci Associates,
specializing in the areas of architectural
acoustics, noise and vibration control,
and environmental noise abatement.
Through case studies of concert hall
acoustics, Mr. Storch described the role of
acoustic consultants in building concert
halls from design phase to completion of
the building. Another lecture was about
Envelope Design by Niklas W. Vigener,
P.E., LEED AP, a Senior Principal and
Group Head with Simpson Gumpertz &
Heger Inc.
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Kurt Roth, Director of
the Building Energy Technologies Group at
the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable
Energy Systems
Dr. Roth came to WPI in late September
to lecture on Building Energy Technologies
R&D and the 5 Channel Center “Living
Lab.” The presentation focused on the
different systems incorporated into the new
office for the Boston Fraunhofer Center
for Sustainable Energy Systems. This
new office, located in a renovated 50,000
square foot historic building in Boston’s
Fort Point Channel district, includes a
building management system (BMS) that
can monitor and control energy systems for
optimal comfort, efficiency, and economy.
President:
Veronica
Rivero Gorrin
Advisor:
Leffi Cewe-
Malloy
Since our start in
November 2012,
Worcester Polytechnic
Institute’s (WPI)
Architectural
Engineering Institute
Chapter has expanded
to provide its members
with opportunities to
learn about the many
disciplines of
Architectural
Engineering. In April, a
few members attended
the 2013 Architectural
Engineering
Conference at
Pennsylvania State
University. This past month, a larger
group of students were able to visit the
Fraunhofer Labs in Boston and see new
energy-efficient systems in practice.
Our chapter has also been able to host
multiple guest speakers who have spoken
on topics ranging from acoustics to
building envelope design. We are excited
to continue to increase opportunities for
our members and share some of our
31 Spring 2014
In addition to the main events previously
listed, our chapter provides Freshman
Mentoring, Autodesk Seminars, Ice Cream
Socials, and Sustainable Building Tours.
• Community Service
The Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Architectural Engineering Chapter plans to
serve the Worcester community through
community service opportunities. Recently,
a few members have helped preserve
valuable architecture in the city of Worcester
through volunteering at Preservation
Worcester. These members volunteer once
a week to help create better resources for
presentations used to promote awareness in
elementary schools in the city. They have
been working on creating a database of
photos of historic buildings. Preservation
Worcester. is a private, non-profit
organization that aims to preserve for existing
structures that have cultural, historical, and
architectural values to the city. The WPI
chapter shares the goal of Preservation
Worcester and looks forward to working with
the organization to protect and preserve the
best of Worcester’s architectural heritage.
• Participate in National Conferences
Since we are now an official chapter of
the Architectural Engineering Institute, we will
continue to attend AEI national conferences.
• Networking Events with Local Firms
Our chapter will to continue to build
relationships with local firms through
networking events, building visits, and by
hosting guest speakers.
Dr. Roth explained systems such as
radiant baseboards, a cool roof membrane,
LED lighting, and an elevator with
regenerative braking technology and the
advantages of using these technologies in
their “Living Lab” building. The next month,
several students and advisors from WPI
were invited to tour the Boston office to
see the mechanical room, various office
spaces, and the roof. As a student
pursuing a degree in architectural
engineering, it was a great experience to
see first-hand the systems at work in the
building. (For more information about the
Fraunhofer Center:
http://cse.fraunhofer.org/5cc/)
• AEI National Conference
This past spring, AEI held its annual
conference at Pennsylvania State
University. As a relatively new Architectural
department, it was our first time as a club
representing Worcester Polytechnic
Institute at such an event. One of our
personal highlights at this event was
viewing the presentation by different
schools for the AEI design competition,
where the students were asked to address
the design issues that must be considered
for a LEED certified Elementary School
located in Pennsylvania. This event
encouraged students in our club to
participate in a future AEI competition.
32 Spring 2014
33AEI National Student Magazine
34 Spring 2014
applications with a focus on
marine structures and bridge
design.
The recent fall quarter trip to
San Francisco involved visits to
four companies including a visit to
Simpson Strong-Tie to view
products and the production
facility as well as a site visit led by
Degenkolb. Rutherford +
Chekene showed students the
San Francisco Exploratorium with
a recent retrofit of Pier 15 for the
new museum location. After a
structural tour, students were
given time to see all of the
amazing museum exhibits. At the
office tour of Simpson Gumpertz &
Heger (SGH), students were given
various presentations on different
Nicole O’Hearne, a 3rd
year student in
architectural engineering,
serves as Cal Poly’s
current AEI Vice President.
Through her leadership
role, she has planned the
chapter’s quarterly site and
office visits including visits
to seven firms and four
sites in San Diego and San
For this issue of the AEI Student Magazine, we
asked each student chapter to nominate an
exceptional member. One particular nomination
stood out, and we are grateful for the chance to
share how one student’s leadership and
contributions have led to amazing experiences for
her chapter and others in architectural engineering.
Francisco. Visits to San Diego’s Hope-Amundson
Structural Engineers, Lovelace Engineering, and
Moffatt & Nichol gave students a sense of company
culture and exposure to recent projects. Lovelace,
a smaller firm, took the group on a tour of a high-
end residential building. Moffatt & Nichol
showcased the variety of structural engineering
35AEI National Student Magazine
aspects of engineering the firm is involved with,
followed by a site visit of the Transbay Terminal
Site, a 4-block-long and 65-foot-deep excavation
that will open in 2017 as the “Grand Central
Station of the West.” Students were able to see
the current phase of shoring and excavation and
walk on the rebar cage— an amazing experience.
Nicole was also one of 11 students to go on
the first ever ARCE Study Abroad program to
Lithuania, and she was integral in organizing pre-
departure meetings as well as weekend
excursions to discover the local culture. The
students took three classes during a six week
period at Vilniaus Gedimino Technikos
Universitetas: an Indeterminate Structures
course, an associated computer lab involving
Matlab programming and SAP, and surveying.
The Cal Poly ARCE students were partnered with
10 Lithuanian Surveying students and benefited
by collaborating and sharing their strengths in
structures and surveying.
On weekends, students still had time to
venture beyond Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, to
experience the culture and history of structures in
Lithuania. The group visited a medieval castle in
Trakei, a UNESCO-protected site. Another visit
included an open-air museum in Rumsiskes
which showed the infrastructure and lifestyle of
different regions of Lithuania with everything from
small huts to windmills and a beautiful wooden
church. Nicole and others even stopped at a
“secret” site and climbed into a hidden bunker
which once housed rebel soldiers who were
fighting the Soviets.
Through these office tours, site visits, and
travel, AEI students gain the insights and
experiences that can provide a sense of direction
for their future careers.
36 Spring 2014
37AEI National Student Magazine
38AEI National Student Magazine
The national officers are extremely
grateful for the updates sent by
individual chapters for this national
magazine. Through these submissions,
it is far easier to recognize both the
diversity and the common goals of AEI
student chapters.
To deepen the sense of unity among
AEI students and do our part to serve
the architectural engineering community,
it has been proposed that a national
initiative be undertaken each year by the
national student officers to further the
goals of individual chapters.
The national initiative will be
selected in consideration of the
following:
1. The goals of AEI and individual
chapters
2. Areas in which students can
contribute to the architectural
engineering community and local
communities
3. Benefits to students and chapters
4. Feasibility and Cost
moving forward as a national group
Several potential initiatives are listed below and will
be further discussed at the 2014 AEI National Student
Conference:
1. AEI Database:
To compile an online database of video
presentations and other educational videos for use at
AEI meetings. (Only accessible by AEI students and
faculty.) Videos could include (with permission):
1. guest speaker presentations, filmed by
individual chapters
2. company presentations
3. select AEI National Conference
presentations
4. additional videos / interviews with
professionals as coordinated by the national
officers
The database would also include a list of building-
related educational videos already accessible on the
web.
2. Development of K-12 Educational Materials:
Groups within student chapters would develop
creative and understandable educational materials
(fiction/story-based or nonfiction) while integrating
knowledge of architectural engineering concepts,
current research, and/or interesting building-related
topics. The winning AEI chapter submissions would
be printed or made electronically available for
engineering outreach purposes. If nationally
sponsored, the winning chapter(s) would also receive
a monetary award to support future endeavors.
Any additional ideas can be sent to the current student president: [email protected]
40 Spring 2014
National Academy of Engineering
Video Contest
In celebration of its upcoming 50th
anniversary, the National Academy of
Engineering is launching Engineering for
You (E4U), a video contest to show the
impact that engineering has or will have
on society. We are offering a $25,000
prize to the most inspiring 1-2 minute
video focused anywhere between 1964
and 2064. The contest will run from Nov.
1, 2013, to March 31, 2014. Learn more
at www.e4uvideocontest.org
You are invited to join us in highlighting
engineering achievements past, present,
and future as well as make others aware
of how the engineering endeavor has
benefited humankind. This contest would
make a great class assignment or
enhance a capstone project or paper
that students are already working on. In
addition, the resulting video could easily
end up being useful to your own
institution for recruiting members and
presenting the goals of your organization.
We hope that you will participate in the
contest and also encourage those in your
local communities to participate!
For any additional questions, please
email [email protected].
2013 Daniel W. Mead Student
Contest
“Established in 1939 in honor of the
67th President of the American Society
of Civil Engineers, the contest provides
an opportunity for alert young civil
engineers to further their professional
development and gain national
attention.
AWARD: Up to five winners will receive
cash prizes (1st place $1000, 2nd place
$800, 3rd place $600, 4th place $400,
5thplace $200).
TOPIC: ‘Body of Knowledge – Is it
Ethical to Associate Credentials
With Competency’”
For more information:
http://www.asce.org/ContentWide.aspx
?id=25769811249
Images
Front cover, Seattle Public library
(yellow-green segment):
http://www.archdaily.com/11651/sea
ttle-central-library-oma-lmn/
pg. 1, Gold texture:
http://paulinemoss.deviantart.com/a
rt/Gold-Texture-309704004
pg. 4, U.S. Map:
http://www.clker.com/clipart-blank-
gray-usa-map-white-lines-1.html
pg. 35, Light bulb image:
http://inhabitat.com/repealing-light-
bulb-efficiency-standards-would-
cost-americans-12-5-billion/
