Simpson  Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) will host its fourth annual Engineering Day for local sixth graders on Monday, March 15. Students will participate in seven interactive sessions that demonstrate a range of engineering principles.

The new I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, the Saint Anthony Falls Bridge

The Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) announced the winners of its biennial 2010 CRSI Design Awards program. For more than 37 years, the CRSI Design Awards program has honored excellence in reinforced concrete structures and acknowledged their designers. The CRSI Design Awards program is open to architects, engineers, contractors and fabricators — entrants may be individuals or teams. Eligible structures must be located in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Here are the winners and honorable mentions in the Bridges category...

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the Modular Building Institute (MBI) have formed an alliance, Start Today and Rebuild Together (START), to leverage resources from the construction industry, nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies to provide aid to areas affected by natural disasters.

In response to this weekend's 8.8-magnitude quake in Chile, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has worked quickly to produce a comprehensive website that will compile news, reports from the field, resources, and opportunities to collaborate and contribute over the challenging days, weeks, and months to come. Visit the Chile Earthquake Clearinghouse.

WEST LAWN, PA. — Civil engineering firm McCarthy Engineering Associates Inc. has expanded its service offerings to include geotechnical engineering, adding to its portfolio of site development and environmental services for both public and private sectors throughout eastern Pennsylvania. McCarthy Engineering Associates said this new service enables the company to offer a wider array of services, including well monitoring, soils investigation, soil testing, foundation systems, compaction grouting, nuclear density testing, structural engineering, design and inspections.

LAS VEGAS — A new networking organization for women in the concrete industry was announced last month at World of Concrete 2010. The Women in Concrete Alliance (WICA) debuted at the annual Women in Concrete (WIC) breakfast and forum. The objective of the WICA is to supply information, opportunities, and mentoring to women working in the concrete construction industry.

CHICAGO — William F. Baker, P.E., S.E., FIStructE, structural engineering partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), will be recognized May 13 with a gold medal from The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) for his work as an internationally acclaimed structural engineer.

CHICAGO — The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has issued a call for entries for its 2010 Design Awards competition. The competition, now in its 48th year, demonstrates how designers are continuing to utilize precast, prestressed concrete components to achieve more cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, and quickly constructed projects. The deadline for submissions is May 21, 2010.

HOUSTON — Walter P Moore has announced the promotion of Mark Larsen, P.E., to operations director for the company’s Structural Engineering Services Group. In this role, Larsen will provide overall operational leadership for the firm’s structural engineering activities, encompassing 11 offices and projects nationwide and around the world.

NEW YORK — The international engineering firm Buro Happold has welcomed a new partner, Erleen Hatfield P.E., LEED AP. Hatfield, who is based in New York, has almost twenty years of experience in the structural design of commercial, residential, and sports projects. She is actively involved in the advancement of building information modeling (BIM) and integrated project delivery (IPD) in the A/E/C industry and sits on numerous national and local BIM committees

EXTON, PA. — Hanif Kara from innovative engineering firm Adams Kara Taylor (AKT) and Mark Burry, Professor at RMIT and Executive Architect and Researcher to the Temple Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain have been confirmed as keynote speakers for the SmartGeometry 2010 Symposium Day. Together with the Shop Talk Day on March 23, 2010, the March 24, 2010 Symposium Day will offer intimate details about the leading edge of digital and parametric design

CHICAGO — For the second consecutive year, Fast Company has recognized Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) as one of the world’s most innovative companies. This year, SOM is one of 59 Innovation All-Stars, which is culled from past Top 50 honorees. In 2009 SOM was ranked number 32 on the 50 most innovative companies list, the only architecture firm listed, and number one on its list of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Architecture

FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — Several technical sessions at the ACI Spring 2010 Convention, March 21-25, 2010, in Chicago, Ill., USA, will highlight concrete repair in nontraditional and extreme conditions. Technical tours will supplement sessions by providing a hands-on look at unique concrete projects in the Chicago area

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Wood Council, a trade group comprised of America’s leading wood building products companies, pledged its assistance to help Haiti rebuild safer, more earthquake-resistant buildings in the wake of its recent devastating earthquake.

DARIEN, ILL. — Wight & Company has expanded its engineering group to include structural building engineering. The company also announced that Matthew J. Aquino, P.E., SE, will be the director of its structural engineering practice.

Colorado Springs, Colo. — Engineering Ministries International (EMI) was part of the initial first responders to the Haiti earthquake. As the leader of EMI’s disaster response program, Scott Powell went to Haiti on January 16th with a team of two other men to partner with Samaritan’s Purse and Food for the Hungry. Powell’s team consisted of himself, a civil engineer; Zack Graham, a structural engineer from Montana; and LTC Scott Peck, an army officer stationed at Peterson AFB who went as a volunteer. The team was tasked with providing support to set up clean water systems and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps

Oakland, Calif. — The World Bank, supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), announced that it has mobilized scientists and technical experts around the world to help assess the impacts of the earthquake in Haiti. The initiative, called Operation GEO-CAN – which stands for Global Earth Observation – Catastrophe Assessment Network, will estimate and classify building damage based on high resolution aerial imagery in areas severely affected by the earthquake, including Port-au-Prince.

Leslie E. Robertson Associates, a structural engineering firm known for the design of landmark projects including New York’s World Trade Center, the Shanghai World Financial Center in China, and the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Arkansas announced its 2010 promotions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) announced that supplement No. 1 to AISI S100, the North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members, 2007 Edition has been published and is available free of charge through the AISI’s website.