Article by The Board
By Corey Price, SEAU Secretary
The definition of value, per the Merriam-Webster dictionary includes the following:
- To consider or rate highly.
- Something that can be bought at a low or fair price.
When I think about SEAU, I think about value. I think about the conferences that SEAU has done over the years and I’ve attended every one of them. They have been of great value to me, and they are also a great value.
There have been several conference sessions that were influential in work I was doing at the time or on work I planned to do. I remember attending a session about special concrete moment frames, a foreign system to me at the time. I didn’t know it but only a few weeks later I was tasked with designing special concrete moment frames in a building, and the session was key to understanding important design aspects. I referred to the slides on many occasions while designing the frames.
There have been building code update sessions that have helped us understand the reasons behind building code changes. The sessions on building code updates continue and are well worth attending as they help us not only with the changes but see the bigger picture. It’s important to me to stay on top of recent changes and how these might affect the work I’m doing. Of course, there are controversial code changes that came with long conference sessions such as Appendix D of ACI 318 (now implemented as a full chapter), but even these help.
The conference has been two full days and you will be hard-pressed to find a conference that can offer so many development hours for such a good price. It’s not always conveniently local to everyone, but it offers a great majority along the Wasatch Front a convenient event. I know of people who come from out-of-state to attend due to the value it is. I will be attending next year and I encourage you to as well. We can all benefit from learning more, connecting with people, and enjoying a short break.
Looking Ahead to the 2026 SEAU Education Conference
By Craig Wilkinson, SEAU Programs Committee Chair
As we head into the new year, the SEAU Programs Committee is excited to share a preview of the 2026 Education Conference that will be February 25–26 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. This year’s event is shaping up to be one of our strongest yet. We have had a record number of abstracts submitted from engineers, researchers, and industry professionals from across the country, and the final program will feature a mix of both local and national presenters, bringing diverse perspectives and expertise to each session.
The conference will include presentations about updates that are coming to the building code. There will be a two-part presentation with updates to the ACI 318-25 Building Code to help attendees understand revisions and their implications for reinforced concrete design. While the concrete revisions won’t be adopted in Utah for a few years, there are some provisions our Codes Committee has worked on getting adopted with the 2024 IBC later next year. In addition to the concrete code revisions, we’ll also have a session presenting the changes to the AISC Steel Manual and Specification that are included in the 2024 IBC. These sessions will offer timely guidance as we prepare to implement the new code.
The conference will also feature a variety of sessions centered on steel, concrete, masonry and timber design. In addition, we have scheduled a number of sessions where we’ll hear engineers present projects they’ve worked on throughout the Western United States—some are high profile structures we’ve all seen in Structure magazine and many with novel and innovative approaches to solving engineering challenges.
In addition to this strong technical lineup, the schedule includes the usual time for vendor engagement and networking. The conference provides the best opportunity for our members to learn, collaborate, and strengthen the professional ties that help elevate our practice.
We look forward to seeing you in February for two days of meaningful education and industry engagement. Full session details and registration information will be released soon—please mark your calendars and plan to join us.
