Gearing up for EdSymposium15

EDS15_Logo_Only_no_wordsDesign firms depend on a set of very important people to keep their businesses running smoothly: office administrators. These folks “manage, market, advance, streamline, protect, and regulate firms in the A/E/C industry,” according to Natalie Newman, current President of the Society for Design Administrators (SDA).

At the SDA’s upcoming national meeting in Golden, Colorado–EdSymposium15 (October 8-10, 2015)–a/e ProNet will be in active attendance. On Friday, a/e ProNet President Eric Moore, CIC, of Moore Insurance Services, will make a keynote presentation:

Your Application Matters – How to Influence Premiums for the Better

It is important to understand what underwriters and insurance carriers look for when renewing a professional liability application/submission. In this presentation, attendees will learn how to better understand the underwriting process, how information is presented on the application, and improve their understanding of limit and deductible options when making the decision to purchase coverage.

Eric Moore, CICEric Moore specializes in providing risk management and insurance services to Design Professionals, including Architects, Engineers, Environmental Consultants and Land Surveyors.

a/e ProNet will also sponsor lunch on Friday, and our Executive Director, Dave Johnston, will be present to answer questions about our organization and how we can be of service to design administrators.

Lots of other exciting topics and activities are on the conference agenda, including a talk on Cyber Security and a chance for attendees to go rock climbing! We wish all SDA members safe travels and an enjoyable conference.

Gilbert_AbaloneShell07_8359Water bears. Undersea snails with teeth harder than steel. Shrimp that clobber their prey with “hammer-like clubs that accelerate at speeds exceeding that of a .22 caliber bullet”. Do I have your attention?

These are just a few of the marine animals which engineering professor David Kisailus and his students will bring to the Riverside Metropolitan Museum this weekend. Why? To talk about how these strange, exotic, and even bizarre organisms can inspire human engineering.

The event will showcase research done in Kisailus’s Biomimetics and Nanostructured Materials lab by both Riverside undergraduates and a team of younger students from Mira Loma Middle School.

The event is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, 3580 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. It is free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required. Read more about the event at the UC Riverside website.

Nine student groups will present on Saturday. Here are just a couple of our favorite abstracts:

Water bears go where no man has gone before

Students: Steven Herrera, Ashley Carrillo, Irma Gonzalez and Tayler Halverson

Abstract: Water bears possess a talent for survival. They can live in the vacuum of space, resist the pressure of deepest ocean trench six times over, and bear temperatures from one degree above absolute zero to 300°F. Researchers at UC Riverside unravel the secrets of this microscopic lumberer.

Using snails with tough glowing shells for deep space expeditions

Students: Jessica Hernandez, Leslie Martinez, Jessica Richardson and Chris Salinas.

Abstract: Mollusks have evolved a wide range of calcified shells to survive in a variety of habitats. Certain mollusks (gastropods) have a shell with an architecture that makes it tough. Here, we study a very unique gastropod, which is tough and also has evolved to allow green light to penetrate through its thick shell. Investigation of the structure of this shell could lead to development of fracture resistant windows that control intensity and wavelength of light, which would be used for growing plants for food on deep space missions.

We’re intrigued!

All nine abstracts can be found in the original announcement on the UC Riverside website.

Longtime design industry advocate, a/e ProNet, announced this week that ProNet President Leslie Pancoast will make a presentation at EDSYMPOSIUM12, the 42nd annual education conference hosted by the Society for Design Administration (SDA), an affiliate of The American Institute of Architects.

For more than 50 years, the SDA has promoted education and best practices for design firm administrative personnel. EDSYMPOSIUM12 will take place from May 2-5 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Portland, Oregon. a/e ProNet will sponsor Saturday’s luncheon, where Pancoast will make a two-fold presentation: Introduction to a/e ProNet and Professional Liability—Coverages, Nuances and Endorsements. SDA members will learn more about a/e ProNet and its active support for the design industry, as well as receive a brief overview of professional liability coverage and the standard endorsements available from most professional liability insurance providers for architects and engineers.

About Leslie Pancoast

Pancoast has specialized in the insurance needs of architects, engineers and other design consultants for more than 20 years. She is a Managing Partner of Insurance Office of America (IOA), one of the largest privately-held insurance agencies in the country. She is also the Branch Manager of IOA’s San Francisco Bay Area office, operating in California as IOA Insurance Services, which she opened in 2005. Pancoast has earned the designations of Commercial Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU). She has been an active board member of a/e ProNet since 2005, and currently serves as the membership’s President.

About a/e ProNet

Established in 1988, a/e ProNet is a national network of specialist brokers. The group focuses on providing educational resources and risk management services to its members’ clients. Its member brokers represent a combined annual professional liability premium volume exceeding $300 million, giving top-tier insurance companies a major incentive to work closely with a/e ProNet to enhance their various a/e programs.

As well, a/e ProNet makes a wide range of Risk Management resources available to all design professionals via their website, including ProNet Practice Notes, Guest Essays, ProNetwork News, Contract Concerns, Typical Coverages, and Frequently Asked Questions.

a/e ProNet is excited about the opportunity to partner with the SDA in order to provide this value-added educational resource to design firm administrative personnel across the country.

Additional information is available about a/e ProNet by visiting their website, following them on Twitter, and/or Liking their Facebook page.