It is a fact that a structural engineering education is focused almost exclusively on technical topics with practically no exposure to human engineering. Could that be the reason why we are undervalued? Why do structural engineers’ professional fees and compensation not even begin to reflect the profession's immeasurable contributions to humanity? And why our profession is not even in the running for any high‐profile recognition or prize, such as a Nobel?

Research conducted at the Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering has suggested that only 15% of your financial success is due to your technical expertise. The other 85% is due to your skills in human engineering, i.e. your personality and your ability to deal effectively with people. And as strategic use of economic power translates into influence and recognition, perhaps a closer look at the need for an education involving human engineering is in order.

In this talk, Ashraf emphasizes the need for a human engineering‐based education. He convincingly demonstrates, with his usual enthusiasm and humor, why it is important to cultivate deep personal beliefs, to develop public speaking skills and to become familiar with the arts, human psychology and human chemistry. These talents will enable young engineers to enter the professional world ready to lead, influence and inspire so that they can command the fees that are commensurate with their immeasurable contributions to society. It is structural engineers, after all, who preserve the past, build the future, and save lives… every time the wind blows.

This is a presentation that will change your perspective —forever— on everything you thought you knew about our noble profession!

Ashraf Habibullah, Registered Civil & Structural Engineer, is President and CEO of Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI). Founded in 1975, CSI is recognized globally as the pioneering leader in software tools for structural and earthquake engineering. CSI software, including SAP2000, CSiBridge, ETABS, SAFE, and PERFORM‐3D, is used by thousands of engineering firms in over 160 countries worldwide.

The body has an extensive network of cells, tissues and organs. The structural engineering for normal function is complex. We can now engineer 3‐D tissues and organs that can be implanted in patients. Dr. Atala will present an overview of this emerging work.

Anthony Atala, MD, is the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the W.Boyce Professor and Chair of Urology at Wake Forest University. Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and a researcher in the area of regenerative medicine. His work focuses on growing human cells, tissues and organs.

Dr. Atala works with several journals and serves in various roles, including Editor‐in‐Chief of: Stem Cells‐Translational Medicine; Therapeutic Advances in Urology; and BioPrinting.

Dr. Atala was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences in 2011, to the National Academy of Inventors as a Charter Fellow in 2013, and to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2016. Dr. Atala is a recipient of various awards, including the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society, the World Technology Award in Health and Medicine, presented to individuals achieving significant and lasting progress, the Edison Science/Medical Award, the 2016 Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, the R&D 2016 Innovator of the Year Award, and the Fast Company 2017 World Changing Ideas Award for Bioprinting Tissue and Organs.

Dr. Atala’s work has been described in the lay press and was listed as Time Magazine’s top 5 medical breakthroughs of the year in 2007 and 2011, and as one of 5 discoveries that will change the future of organ transplants in 2013. He was named by Scientific American as one of the world’s most influential people in biotechnology in 2015, by U.S. News & World Report as one of 14 Pioneers of Medical Progress in the 21st Century, and by the American Association of Retired Persons as one of the 50 influential people who will make life better. In 2017 Dr. Atala was named by Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review as one of 50 key influencers in the life sciences intellectual property arena, and by Nature Biotechnology as one of the top 20 translational researchers in the world.

Dr. Atala has led or served several national professional and government committees, including the National Institutes of Health working group on Cells and Developmental Biology, the National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Consortium, and the National Cancer Institute’s Advisory Board, and was the Founder of the Regenerative Medicine Foundation. Dr. Atala heads a team of over 450 researchers and physicians. Over 14 applications of technologies developed in Dr. Atala's laboratory have been used clinically. He is the editor of 20 books, including Principles of Regenerative Medicine, 3D Biofabrication, Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, and Methods of Tissue Engineering. He has published more than 600 journal articles and has applied for or received over 250 national and international patents.