An Iowa State professor recently was named president of the Structural Engineering Institute.

Max Porter, professor of civil and construction engineering, last year served as vice president for SEI, a nationwide, 17,000-member professional organization. He was voted president by fellow members.

Along with heading the ISU branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Porter also serves as a fellow of the ASCE, the American Concrete Institute and the American Board of Forensic Engineers.

He has held various leadership positions in the Masonry Society, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Concrete Institute.

At ISU, Porter teaches several of the reinforced concrete courses, and he said his presidential term will benefit the students who take his classes.

“It will definitely put the students’ fingers on the pulse of relating to current engineering practices,” he said.

Porter said he is giving his students a realistic grasp of what they will face once they go out into the job field.

Porter said he has three main areas for the group to work on when he starts his one-year term in October.

“The institute would like to elect two members from each local chapter to be representatives for their areas on the national level,” he said.

He also said that SEI “would like to continue working on additional arrangements with other related structural organizations.”

The Structure publication, produced this year in cooperation with The National Council of Structural Engineering Association, The Council of American Structural Engineering and SEI, is an example of this.

Porter’s last goal includes “a number of targeted activities for each of the three divisions of SEI.”

Lowell Greimann, chairman of the civil and construction engineering department, said Porter’s position affects the university on a larger scale.

“This will enhance ISU’s visibility and stature nationwide, besides being a great personal honor for Porter himself,” Greimann said.