We are future seekers

Author: Faith Wainwright FIStructE

Date published

19 January 2018

The Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers
Back to Previous

We are future seekers

Tag
Author
Date published
Price
Blog
Author

Faith Wainwright FIStructE

Date published

19 January 2018

Author

Faith Wainwright FIStructE

2018 President, Faith Wainwright, discusses the Kenneth Severn Award, the future of the profession, and three factors that could change the way structural engineers work.

Every year the Institution’s Kenneth Severn Award challenges members under the age of 28 to write an essay in response to a question set by the new President.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for students and young professionals to share ideas, building on the Institution’s pivotal role as a centre of excellence and a forum for debate.

I based this year’s question on one of the three key the themes of my Presidency: ‘Lead to Inspire’.

I believe that leadership exists at all career stages and it is our profession’s collective responsibility to help shape the future by looking ahead, thinking about the challenges and how we turn them to opportunities, inspiring the next generation of structural engineers to be part of that future.
 

We must be future seekers

As engineers, we are and must be future seekers, and the 2018 Award question encourages members to explore how we will work in the future.

Whether you are interested in potential technologies, materials or working practises, this is an invitation to share your ideas of how structural engineers of the future may exploit these to the benefit of society.

Factors like automation already generate a huge amount of debate when we discuss the future of the profession, but there are a number of other interesting areas that don’t always receive so much attention and might provide inspiration for entrants to the Kenneth Severn Award.

I think the following three topics will impact how we work –


Machine learning

could have huge implications for us, and many areas are being looked at which help us see the potential – for example natural flood management, where we can teach computers to recognise important features in the landscape, and glass façade design, where computers could generate increasingly accurate projections of glass performance under various conditions.

More on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Block chain technology

is not typically associated with the built environment, but it holds promise as a way to develop trust networks, enhance BIM, and help overcome the often talked about disconnects in what remains a fragmented construction industry.


Social and demographic change

could create more unpredictable challenges for the profession: increased life expectancy, for instance, could mean that more people want to move into engineering later in life from other professions, leading to entirely new perspectives entering engineering discourse.

I’m looking forward to reading this year’s competition entries and discovering the exciting prospects others see in structural engineering’s future.

Additional information

Format:
Blog
Publisher:
IStructE

Tags

Blog Awards Awards Digital

Related Resources & Events

Blog
<h4>Six reasons to attend the Digital and Computational Design workshop</h4>

Six reasons to attend the Digital and Computational Design workshop

In this blog, Calum Lockhart shares his reasons why all engineers need to attend the Digital and Computational Design workshop.

Date – 23 April 2025
Author – Calum Lockhart
Blog
<h4>What we’re learning from CROSS: Improving structural and fire safety through voluntary reporting</h4>

What we’re learning from CROSS: Improving structural and fire safety through voluntary reporting

In this blog, Paul Livesey BEng MSc CEng FIStructE, Head of Operations for CROSS previews his upcoming talk at the Structural safety and risk conference on 12th June 2025.

Date – 23 April 2025
Author – Paul Livesy FIStructE
Blog
<h4>What we’re learning from CROSS: Improving structural and fire safety through voluntary reporting</h4>

What we’re learning from CROSS: Improving structural and fire safety through voluntary reporting

In this blog, Paul Livesey BEng MSc CEng FIStructE, Head of Operations for CROSS previews his upcoming talk at the Structural safety and risk conference on 12th June 2025.

Date – 23 April 2025
Author – Paul Livesy FIStructE