2025 SEA Grant Recipients

Each year, NCSEA’s SEA Grant Program empowers Structural Engineers Associations across the country to bring fresh ideas to life—expanding outreach, advancing leadership, and strengthening the future of the profession. The 2025 recipients are leading initiatives that inspire the next generation, elevate inclusion and mentorship, and foster innovation in professional growth.

From hands-on K–12 programs and licensure study groups to leadership workshops and mentorship networks, these projects demonstrate the power of local engagement to create lasting national impact. Together, they reflect the shared commitment of the structural engineering community to build not only stronger structures—but stronger people and connections, too.

Caring is Our New Currency: Building Women Leaders in Structural Engineering 

Supported by a 2025 SEA Grant, SEAoNY’s Caring Is Our New Currency initiative is reimagining what leadership looks like in structural engineering. The event—held in celebration of International Women in Engineering Day—will empower engineers of all genders to develop people-centered leadership skills, foster inclusivity, and strengthen community within the profession.

Through an interactive keynote led by construction leadership expert Cathy Dolan Schweitzer, participants will explore neuroscience-based approaches to project management, communication, and collaboration—recognizing that structural engineers shape not only the built environment, but also the human experience within it.

By elevating women’s voices and championing empathy as a core leadership skill, this program marks an important step toward a more inclusive and dynamic future for structural engineering.

Young Member Group

With support from a 2025 SEA Grant, the Tennessee Structural Engineers Association’s Young Member Group (YMG) is strengthening its foundation and expanding opportunities for emerging engineers.

Launched in 2024, the group connects students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals through networking events, educational workshops, and professional development activities. With additional funding, the YMG aims to grow its membership and create more meaningful programs that foster collaboration, mentorship, and engagement within the local structural engineering community.

By investing in young professionals today, TNSEA is helping to ensure a stronger, more connected future for the profession.

Blueprints for Leadership: Building Connections in Structural Engineering

With support from a 2025 SEA Grant, the Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA) is launching Blueprints for Leadership—a networking and professional development event designed to connect and empower engineering leaders across South Florida.

Targeting project, team, and firm leaders from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, this event reframes what FSEA offers beyond continuing education—focusing instead on cultivating community, collaboration, and leadership growth within the profession.

Attendees will engage in guided discussions on leadership challenges, hear insights from a professional coach, and even receive complimentary headshots—a small but meaningful gesture of investment in their careers. Blueprints for Leadership marks the beginning of a new chapter for FSEA’s local engagement, building momentum for future leadership programming across the state.

Building with Bricks

With support from a 2025 SEA Grant, the Structural Engineers Association of Alabama (SEAoAL) and the Alabama Center for Architecture are inspiring the next generation of builders through Building with Bricks—a weeklong, hands-on exhibit where kids become engineers for a day.

Held during Spring Break, the program invites children—many from low-income families—to dream, design, and test their own LEGO® structures on a seismic shake table. The result? A vibrant, 8-foot city built entirely by young imaginations and structural curiosity.

Guided by volunteer engineers and architects, participants learn how real buildings stand strong and why solid foundations matter—all through play, collaboration, and creativity. With growing attendance and enthusiasm each year, Building with Bricks is helping spark a lifelong passion for engineering and design across Alabama.

Spring 2026 Mentorship Event 

With the support of a 2025 SEA Grant, the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia (SEAOG) and its SE3 Committee are expanding their successful mentorship program—creating more opportunities for connection, guidance, and professional growth among engineers at all career stages.

The Spring 2026 Mentorship Event builds on the success of SEAOG’s first speed mentoring session, which brought together students, junior engineers, and experienced professionals for an evening of candid conversation and shared insights. By pairing small groups of mentors and mentees in rotating discussions, participants gain valuable advice on leadership, career development, and overcoming industry challenges.

With a larger venue and more participants planned for 2026, this event will continue to strengthen Georgia’s structural engineering community—fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning that benefits both emerging and established professionals alike.

Committee Leadership Training Program

Supported by a 2025 SEA Grant, SEAOSC’s Committee Leadership Training Program is building a stronger foundation for the future of volunteer leadership in structural engineering.

Through a mix of interactive workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and an annual leadership summit, the program equips new committee chairs and vice-chairs with the tools to lead effectively—fostering skills in facilitation, conflict resolution, inclusivity, and volunteer engagement.

By investing in emerging leaders and pairing them with experienced mentors, SEAOSC aims to strengthen committee participation, improve volunteer retention, and create a scalable model that other SEAs can adapt—ensuring the long-term vitality of leadership within the profession.

The Licensure Launchpad

With support from a 2025 SEA Grant, the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAOA) is empowering the next generation of engineers through The Licensure Launchpad—a year-round, community-driven study program designed to guide early-career professionals on their path to licensure.

The initiative features two alternating 10–12 week tracks: a Foundations Track that reinforces core structural principles and real-world applications, and an Exam Prep Track that offers focused support for the NCEES SE exams through guided practice, code navigation, and peer accountability.

By combining structured learning with mentorship and community, The Licensure Launchpad helps engineers gain confidence, improve exam outcomes, and strengthen Arizona’s pipeline of future licensed structural engineers.

Building the Future Emerging Engineers: Outreach for Students

With support from a 2025 SEA Grant, this Building the Future initiative is inspiring K–12 students to imagine themselves as the next generation of structural engineers.

Through interactive activities and school outreach, the program helps young learners understand how engineering shapes their communities—and why the profession needs creative, curious minds like theirs. For younger students, hands-on LEGO® design challenges will introduce structural concepts in a fun, tangible way, while middle and high school students will connect with practicing engineers through classroom visits, STEM programs, and career fairs.

By sparking interest early and showing the real-world impact of structural engineering, this program strengthens the profession’s future pipeline and reinforces the Foundation’s commitment to people and advocacy.