presentation topic ideas requested

huangyhg

presentation topic ideas requested
i have agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to provide a presenter for a march meeting of our local structural engineers association.  i would appreciate some ideas of new and exciting products, techniques, etc. and possibly a contact for said idea, if available.  examples of past presentation topics are: precast concrete (we've done that one to death), soil stabilization, decorative concrete, and moisture control in masonry, to name a few.
any suggestions would be appreciated.
find a job or post a job opening
our local structural engineer's group have had presentations on the following subjects:
asce 7 wind loads
open forum discussion with a wood truss supplier
how to design for concentrated loads on slabs
contractor presentation on helical and resistance piles
presentation by precaster
a few other ideas that we are considering:
finite element applications to solve everyday design problems.
open forum discussion with steel erector(s)
open forum discussion with steel fabricator(s)
tour a nearby project under construction
plant tour of a local fabricator
design of fire walls
quality assurance and inspection
open problem solving session
drag strut design
these are just a few ideas that can provide lots of time for discussion and learning among   
sduggan,
i think jike hit on some good ideas.  my suggestion was going to be to look back through the last few months of posts to this or other structural forums.  look at those with a lot of replies / interest.  i think you will see a lot of jike's list.  i recently posted a question on pemb foundation design when working for the contractor, thread 507-137399.  it touched on the engineer's responsibility for follow up.  another topic might be who is the engineer of record on a design build pemb?  the foundation engineer?  the structural engineer who seals the pemb?  in this era of specialization, design build, and architects wanting to limit our scope (read fees) the eor position becomes blurred.  good luck.
adding to the comments of mwpc..
in the last 2 months there have been a couple of threads that deal with the rdp's role during the construction phase...the rdp's responsibilities during this phase...relationship with the contractor etc. i am sure a topic or two can be derived from the two threads below:
here are a few:
   common field problems and solutions (of course   
     this should contain all the trades)
   
    common costly design drawing omissions
    connections primer (all trades)
      including service load design vs.
               ultimate load design and what should the engineers not let the fabricators and contractors decide.
i think most engineers have seen design up the yang.  questions regarding lateral analysis and gravity loads are a bookshelf away, but a lot of what makes the engineer is how they handle what happens when someone else isn't perfect and: the caisson is filled with water, the masons are laying brick and its -5 degrees f outside, the steel fabricator used 3 bolts on a w21.  i am a structural design engineer and a steel contractor/fabrication pm, and the things certain trades do because they really do not know any better is unimaginable. wood joist hangers, if not called out on drawings, are decided by price not capacity. pre-engineered wood trusses are designed by some kid at home depot from a chart not by the analysis of a registered professional.  let me know if this helps.
best of luck
   
   
   
perhaps a presentaion on remedial work would be of interest
how to repair failing structures is always useful and there is a lot of information available on repair methods. ifind a lot of engineers have little knowedge of structural
repair
intrusion prepakt