The document provides information about careers in structural (bridge) engineering. It discusses what structural engineers do, such as designing, constructing, and maintaining bridges. It also outlines the education and experience needed to become a structural engineer, including obtaining a bachelor's degree in civil engineering with a structural focus, getting experience through internships, and obtaining professional registration. The presenter is a senior structural engineer at the Federal Highway Administration who reviews bridge management systems and provides technical assistance on bridge inspection and management.

1. Careers In Transportation……
Structural (Bridge) Engineering
Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences
Job Shadow Program
February 8, 2012

2. Topics
 Introduction
 Background
– Engineering
– Structural (Bridge) Engineering
 Careerladders
 Knowledge, skills and abilities for
success
 Guidance for those interested in Bridges

3. Who am I?
 LarryO’Donnell
 Senior Structural Engineer
– Bridge Management and Inspection
 Federal Highway Administration
– Resource Center

4. What do Engineers do?
Engineering
What is Engineering?
– The application of scientific principles to
practical ends for the design, construction
and operation of efficient and economical
structures, equipment, and systems

5. Structural (Bridge) Engineering
The application of scientific principles to
practical ends for the
design, construction and operation of
efficient and economical structures
(Bridges), equipment, and systems

6. What is a Bridge?
 Bridge. A structure including supports erected over a
depression or an obstruction, such as
water, highway, or railway, and having a track or
passageway for carrying traffic or other moving
loads, and having an opening measured along the
center of the roadway of more than 20 feet between
undercopings of abutments or spring lines of
arches, or extreme ends of openings for multiple
boxes; it may also include multiple pipes, where the
clear distance between openings is less than half of
the smaller contiguous opening. (NBIS - 23 CFR 650.305)

7. What is a Bridge?

8. Bridges

9. What materials are used to
build bridges?
 Built with various materials
– Concrete
– Steel
– Timber
– Composites (fiber reinforced polymers)

10. How many highway bridges
are there in the U.S.?
 Thereare over 603,000 highway
bridges in the U.S.
– The average age is about 45 years
– Some are in good condition
– Some are in fair condition
– Some are in poor condition
 Inspected periodically
– Typically every 24 months

11. A lot of work needs and
limited resources ($)

12. Bridge Management
 Planning
 Programming
 Design
– New and repairs
 Construction
 Operation
– Inspection and maintenance

13. What do I do?
 Reviewand evaluate Bridge
Management System (BMS) software
and concepts, and the integration of
BMS with other management systems

14. What do I do?
 Providetechnical advice, assistance
and leadership to:
– FHWA Division office, Resource
Center, Headquarters personnel
– State, local and regional agency officials
– High level officials of
industry, associations, and groups

15. What do I do?
 Interpret extremely complex
data, policy, legislation and
regulations, procedures, requirements,
and technological advancements
 Furnish assistance in the most complex
and unique issues which develop and
which have been resistant to resolution
through normal approaches

16. What do I do?
 Provide technical expertise to FHWA
Headquarters’ policy officials
 Take a lead role in developing national
policy, in evaluating new
techniques, and in developing
approaches for agency wide use

17. What do I do?
 Plan and implement national efforts for
extremely complex, broad-based
initiatives for technological advances
and technology transfer
 Plan, implement, and evaluate
sophisticated models as tests of
potential national initiatives

18. What do I do?
 Troubleshoot complex policy and
technology problems
 Foster new partnerships, marketing
approaches, and customer participation
 Serve on intra-agency task forces to
furnish expert advice and representation

19. What do I do?
 Lead teams at the regional/multi-
regional level which address significant
regional issues
 Provide training in engineering
concepts for bridge inspectors, routine
bridge inspection procedures and use of
BMS software

20. What do I do?
 Providebridge management and
inspection:
– Technical Assistance
– Technology Deployment
– Training

21. What do I need to know?
 Program Knowledge
– Thorough knowledge and understanding of
the linkages of the highway bridge program
to the overall surface transportation
program, including knowledge of applicable
laws, regulations and policies

22. What do I need to know?
 Technical Knowledge
– Advanced knowledge of highway
bridge/structural engineering
theories, standards and practices

23. What do I need to be able to do?
 Professional Ability
– Establish and maintain effective working
relationships that promote
leadership, negotiation, cooperation and
teamwork, including the ability to identify
and foster new and innovative partnerships
and avenues for marketing one's expertise
in structural engineering

24. What do I need to be able to do?
 Outreach Ability
– Effectively draw upon my knowledge and
expertise to advance and achieve
organizational goals and mission
– Effectively express and present ideas in
writing and in person to communicate
technical and program information
– Effectively negotiate and market my skills

25. What do I have?
 Comprehensive knowledge of
engineering
theories, concepts, principles, methods,
practices, standards, and/or procedures
related to Bridge Management Systems
(BMS) and National Bridge Inspection
Standards (NBIS) as they apply to
Federal Highway projects

26. What do I have?
 Broad knowledge of BMS and NBIS
programs as conducted within the
FHWA, including the applicable laws
and regulations, policies, operational
and/or technical demands, program
interrelationships, program
precedents, and customer needs

27. What do I have?
 The ability to communicate
effectively, both orally and in
writing, including demonstrated ability to
develop and present briefings and
training, as well as prepare highly
technical reports and standards

28. What do I have?
 The ability to establish and maintain
effective working relationships which
promote
leadership, negotiations, cooperation
and teamwork, including the ability to
identify and foster new and innovative
partnerships and avenues for marketing
FHWA expertise

29. What are my qualifications?
 Bachelors of Science Degree in
Civil/Structural Engineering
 Registered Professional Engineer
 NHI Certified Instructor
 22 years of experience with FHWA in
structural (bridge) engineering positions
– Design, Construction, Inspection, Manage
ment

30. Career Ladders
 Technical
 Managerial/Supervisory

31. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
for Success
 Advancedmath and science knowledge
 Good communication skills
– written and oral
 Advanced computer application skills
 Ability to use knowledge and skills
efficiently and effectively
 Team work

32. Guidance
 Guidance for those interested in
Structural (Bridge) Engineering
 Complete a BSCE degree with
structural specialty
– Internship with
DOTs, Consultants, Contractors, etc.
 Get advanced degree
 Get experience and professional
registration

33. Structural (Bridge) Engineers
are needed and you can
become one!

34. Chicago Locality Pay
Federal Employees
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2012
Annual Rates by Grade and Step
Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
1 22272 23016 23756 24493 25234 25669 26401 27139 27168 27859
2 25041 25637 26465 27168 27473 28281 29090 29898 30706 31514
3 27322 28233 29143 30054 30965 31875 32786 33697 34608 35518
4 30672 31694 32716 33738 34760 35782 36804 37826 38849 39871
5 34316 35460 36603 37746 38890 40033 41177 42320 43463 44607
6 38252 39527 40801 42076 43351 44626 45900 47175 48450 49725
7 42508 43925 45342 46760 48177 49595 51012 52429 53847 55264
8 47076 48645 50214 51783 53351 54920 56489 58058 59626 61195
9 51995 53728 55461 57193 58926 60658 62391 64124 65856 67589
10 57260 59169 61078 62987 64896 66805 68714 70623 72532 74441
11 62909 65006 67102 69199 71296 73392 75489 77586 79682 81779
12 75403 77916 80429 82943 85456 87969 90482 92996 95509 98022
13 89664 92653 95641 98630 101619 104607 107596 110585 113573 116562
14 105956 109488 113019 116551 120082 123614 127145 130677 134209 137740
15 124635 128789 132944 137098 141253 145407 149562 153717 155500 155500

35. Questions
Larry O’Donnell, PE
Sr. Structural Engineer
FHWA-Resource Center
4749 Lincoln Mall Drive http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/
Matteson, IL 60443 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/index.cfm
(708) 283-3502
(708) 283-3501 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/
Larry.O’Donnell@dot.gov http://www.usajobs.gov/