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March 5, 2020 By EMI

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The photo features Stan Caldwell with one of his projects – The Ponte Avenue Bridge in
Addison, Texas

In episode 20 of The Structural Engineering Channel podcast, we talk with Stan R. Caldwell,
P.E., SECB, a structural engineering consultant who primarily consults on construction
litigation. After almost 50 years of managing and mentoring dozens of young structural
engineers, Stan has seen firsthand the various struggles that engineers face in building
successful careers. This is the first of a two-episode series in which Stan provides 5 tips for
structural engineers that will help them to succeed in this high-liability profession. The next
episode with Stan will focus on five tips for structural engineering managers.
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Engineering Career TV

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Stan in This Episode: Engineering Technology

What led to the development of your Five Tips for Young Engineers? TCEP-The Civil Engineering Podcast
What do you mean by “Mind the Gap”?
TECC Podcast-The Engineering Career
Your second tip for young structural engineers is to “Ensure Stability.” What does that Coach Podcast
mean?
TGEP – The Geotechnical Engineering
You mention that one should deliberately avoid their computer until after they have
Podcast
manually designed their structure. How can this be? 
TSEC-The Structural Engineering Channel
What do you mean by “Be a Sponge”? Is that related to learning?
What do you mean by “Own Your Work”? Uncategorized

Women in Engineering
Here Are Your Top 5 Tips for Structural Engineers:

Mind the Gap

A complete load path defines how your carefully calculated vertical and lateral loads are
going to find their way to the foundation of your structure. 
Reliable load paths are essential for all structures and their absence is one of the leading
causes of failures.
I recommend that every engineer track their load paths and close any gaps that they find.
When tracking your load paths, don’t rely on your computer software to detect the gaps
because the gaps most often occur as the system changes. It can be easily done without
any calculations, and just with a trained eyeball. 
When tracking your loads, think about Mother Nature. It is all about first principles. She
could care less about codes and equations. 
Unlike you and I, Mother Nature always chooses the path of most resistance. That is,
stiffer elements will always receive proportionally more load than relatively flexible
elements nearby, regardless of your design intent.

Ensure Stability
Young engineers have been trained in college to design beams and columns accurately,
but the devil is not there — it is in the details. Structures rarely fail because beams or
columns are substantially undersized. 
More often, failure is due to unanticipated loads, inadequate load paths, inadequate
connections, or instability, which can take many forms. Typically, when a structure fails
due to instability, it is during construction, not after a project has gone into service.
Pay attention to the stability of your structures, not just when they are completed, but
also while they are under construction.

Design First, Then Compute

Engineers should avoid their computers until after they have manually designed their
structure. 
The proper way to design any structure or bridge is to first lay out the geometry and
initially size all of the principal elements by hand. Your initial designs will be more
accurate, and you will develop a much better understanding of structural behavior. 
After you have completed an initial design, then turn on your computer, access your
favorite structural engineering software, build your model, and verify or refine the design
as appropriate.
Over time, you will find the refinements become less as your ability to accurately design
by hand increases.  

Be a Sponge
Being a sponge is related to mentoring and to learning in the workplace. 
 Mentoring is arguably the most important aspect of workplace training. This is the process
by which young engineers are actively coached by the experienced engineers around
them. It is a critical process because it is the most effective way to transfer knowledge and
wisdom from one generation to the next.
Not all firms have mentoring programs, so be proactive and absorb knowledge like a
sponge. Start asking questions of those around you from the moment you walk in the
door. 
Do not repeatedly ask the same questions, and remember that the only dumb questions
are those not asked. 
Keep a notebook handy and write down every tip and trick you learn. 

Own Your Work

Adopt a self-reliant attitude to “own your work.” Invest the time necessary to be sure of
yourself and your designs. 
Structural engineering is a high-liability profession and it always will be. Accept that
reality, and act accordingly.

More Details in This Episode…

About Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., SECB
Stan Caldwell currently provides structural engineering
services as a sole proprietor in Plano, Texas. His focus is on
construction litigation, working primarily as a consultant to
defense attorneys. After earning BSCE and MSCE degrees
at UW-Madison, he has gained 49 years of experience in
the analysis, design, and management of more than 800
projects, including buildings, bridges, and specialty
structures. The buildings range from 1,000 sq. ft. to
1,000,000 sq. ft., and the bridges range from 100 ft. to
22,000 ft. The specialty structures include retaining walls,
spillways, levees, large underground vaults, wharves, offshore oil platforms, pipelines, and
elevated LNG tanks. His experience encompasses all types of steel, concrete, masonry, and
timber construction, as well as all common foundation systems. Beyond the workplace, he has
served as a leader with SEAoT, ACEC, and TBPE in Texas, and with ASCE, SEI, AEI, SECB, and
NCSEA nationally.

Sources/References:
Structural Engineering Life
TSEC 10: The Design of Amusement Industry Roller Coaster Projects
The Structural Engineers Association of Texas (SEAoT)
American Council of Engineering Companies
Texas Board of Professional Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
Structural Engineering Institute | ASCE
Structural Engineering Certification Board
NCSEA
Five Tips for Young Engineers
Five Tips for Engineering Managers
Connect with Stan Caldwell

This episode is also brought to you by Maser

Consulting P.A., a privately owned,
multidiscipline, consulting and engineering
design firm with a unique balance of public and
private sector experience. Established in 1984 by Richard M. Maser, PE, PP, CME, Chairman &
Chief Executive Officer, the firm has an expert staff of licensed engineers, planners, surveyors,
landscape architects, and environmental scientists with offices strategically located
nationwide. Click here to learn more about Maser Consulting P.A. today.

Please leave your comments or questions in the section below on what you think about these
tips for structural engineers. 
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To your success,

Mathew Picardal, P.E., & Alexis Clark, P.E., M.ASCE

Hosts of The Structural Engineering Channel

Filed Under: TSEC-The Structural Engineering Channel Tagged With: 5 Tips for Young Engineers, Be a Sponge,
computers, Design First, engineers, Ensure Stability, learning in the workplace, load path, mentoring, Mind the Gap,
Mother Nature, Own Your Work, stability of your structures, Stan Caldwell, Then Compute, Tips for Structural
Engineers, Young engineers

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