COMMUNITY

Since our founding, Gilsanz Murray Steficek has been involved in our community.

Whether it be structural engineering, design, architecture, or other non-profit efforts, we volunteer, contribute, and make a difference.

ACE Mentoring

GMS sponsors the ACE Greater New York Mentor Program. Our staff serve as mentors to high school students to expose them to careers in Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE). GMS staff have proudly participated in the ACE Mentoring Program within the greater New York City region, the founding affiliate of this national organization, since 2006. The ACE teams of students and mentors meet weekly throughout the school year to develop a project which is then presented at the final competition against other regional ACE teams. And through the generosity of the sponsors and participating companies, ACE provides scholarships to students who continue to study engineering, construction management and architecture in college.

As the high school year progresses, the students are exposed to the basic principles of each discipline and learn how these principles are applied to real world projects. The teams learn structural behavior through the use Mola Structural Model kits. These models allow hands-on interaction, providing instantaneous feedback and allowing students the opportunity to really “see” how structures respond to loads and forces imposed on them. GMS was also involved in the development of the Mola kits, which have recently been released for sale.

Canstruction

Canstruction is an international charity competition where teams of architects, engineers, contractors and the students they mentor, competed to design and build giant structures made entirely from cans of food. At the close of the competition all of the food from the New York City competition is donated to City Harvest.

New York City is joined by over 100 cities across North America and other countries such as Australia and New Zealand who hold Canstruction Competitions throughout the year. Highlighting the creativity and compassion of top architectural, engineering and construction firms, these astounding structures are helping to change the world – by lifting the spirits of those in need, by raising public awareness, and most importantly, by collecting millions of pounds of food for local food banks.

GMS is proud to have participated in Canstruction for almost 25 years.

Scholarships

In addition to local scholarship funds, like the ACE Mentor Program of New York, GMS funds two scholarship/internship programs. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the internship provides up to $25,000 over five years to the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department to support internship opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students focused on structural design. Interns receive an hourly salary on the job, plus an additional grant upon completion of the program. At Northeastern University, students concentrating on structures within the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department are eligible for coop placement and to receive up to $5,000 during the school year.

Code Writing

GMS has worked to make New York City safer through our involvement in the Building Code revision process since the implementation of the first seismic design provisions, adopted in 1995. GMS staff continue to bring the latest concepts into the local and national codes, working with a wide range of standards and code writing groups including American Concrete Institute, American Institute of Steel Construction, American Wood Council, American Society of Civil Engineers, National Council of Structural Engineers Associations and the New York City Department of Buildings.

Professional Activities

GMS participates in a large number of professional organizations.