The National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Foundation recently announced that STV’s Chris Cerino, vice president and technical director of structural engineering, urbanism and planning, and KiSeok Jeon, vice president of digital advisory, will lead and advise a research team tasked with developing a roadmap for artificial intelligence (AI) knowledge and adoption in the structural engineering profession.
“As structural engineers, and many others, grapple with the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, NCSEA aims to elevate the structural engineering profession by identifying and supporting groundbreaking advancements in the field of AI,” Cerino said. “With this program, our focus is on addressing design-specific challenges and spurring innovation through collaboration, guiding our profession towards a future where AI plays a central role in advancing our processes and workflows.”
Established in 2020, the NCSEA Foundation is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of structural engineering by providing support to NCSEA and practicing structural engineers across the nation. The Foundation’s Innovation in Structural Engineering Grant Program provides funds to enable research aimed at advancing the technical development of the profession. In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) has been designated as the focal point for the grant program, facilitating a year-long study focused on establishing an AI roadmap to propel the structural engineering profession forward.
Cerino and Jeon were selected as key advisors joining a stellar project team of top national architects, academics, entrepreneurs and structural engineers. Cerino, who currently serves as vice president of the NCSEA Board and director on the NCSEA Foundation board, assumes a role on the program’s four-person executive team, while Jeon serves on the seven-person advisory panel.
The project team is tasked with crafting an AI roadmap for the structural engineering profession that includes education, privacy and legality, and identifies areas for both individuals and firms to invest time in training and process enhancement. Serving as a launchpad for future initiatives, this roadmap aims to define a new trajectory for various facets of the structural engineering profession.
The team will kick off the project with a workshop in San Francisco in February. The results of the program will be disseminated to the public during the 2024 NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit in Las Vegas in November.