The School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech is offering continuing education seminars for the intern and practicing architects; Structural Technology for Intern and Practicing Architects. The continuing education seminars will be offered this May and September in Blacksburg and Alexandria, Virginia. Earn 26 LU/HSW hours. Every participant will receive a copy of the 2007 Architectural Precast Concrete DVD, a CD of the ARE sample tests and a course binder in addition to the certificate of completion.

The Boston Society of Architects and MIT's School of Architecture and Planning are initiating two open symposia starting in March 2008, gathering leading urbanists from the United States and overseas to frame the issues and opportunities facing the modern city in a period of global climate change and resource depletion. The goal is to establish a design and policy agenda for Boston and the New England region that benefits from best practices elsewhere and sets new standards for ensuring the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the city in a global economy. For more information, please visit the Mass Impact website.

The UNC Charlotte Office of Continuing Education is offering a new examination preparation course focusing on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for new construction. For more information, please view the full article from The Charlotte Observer.

Odysseus Consulting Services, Inc. is helping students and graduates to identify an internship in the U.S. At the moment Odysseus Consulting is working with 2 German architects who graduated from university 2 years ago. These architects work in an architecture office in Germany and have a good background.

Now they are planning to do an internship in the U.S. for approximately 18 months, starting around February 2008. They are flexible with times and they are both fluent in English.

If interested please contact:

Eric Buchmann, Consultant
Dipl.-Betriebswirt (FH)
Tunselweg 2a
79219 Staufen
Germany
Email Eric Buchmann
tel/Germany: 07633 982541

In our first visit to the East Coast in almost nine years - and our first to Boston in 16 years - the AIA will host its convention in one of the most dynamic cities in America. And what a perfect place to immerse yourself in this year's theme, We the People, which will explore the power of architecture on behalf of all people and society. It's the right topic for a growing profession that has been challenged to engage the public in designing a more sustainable world. For more information about the convention, please visit the 2008 Convention website.

AIESEC US, an international not for profit organization, connects companies all over the world with the top early career talent in their industry through its international exchange programs. Whether your need is fast tracking new hires by providing international experiences, building your global talent pipeline or recruiting and mobilizing top talent to fulfill your company’s temporary needs, AIESEC US’s expertise in creating customized global talent solutions can be a valuable resource in attracting and retaining the world’s next generation of highly skilled individuals. For more information please go to AIESEC or e-mail Ashlee M. Moore.

Grace McNamara, president of Grace McNamara Inc. (GMI) and Stacey Tiveron, CEO of TODL.com (Trade Only Design Library) announce the debut of the Green Design Pavilion, the newest destination at the International Window Coverings EXPO (IWCE), held March 26–29, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit windowcoveringexpo.com.

Click here for a survey put together from a group of MBA students from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The PSU student team is working alongside a jointly funded research project sponsored by the Ecoworks Foundation, Portland State University, and the City of Portland, Oregon. The overall mission of the project is to develop design tools that can be used to optimize the performance of green roofs; tools that are certainly lacking in the fast growing green roof industry. The data gathered from the survey will be instrumental in assessing the market potential for the final product.

The survey questions do not seek proprietary information, and the responses are returned via an internet based survey company. The students do not ask for, nor will receive personal information of any kind, including e-mail addresses. We appreciate your participation!

Have ideas of "Emotional Intelligence" and "Leadership Style" been mentioned around your office lately? Or perhaps you have been thinking about leading your company to improve upon its best practices. The University of Colorado at Boulder and Virginia Tech are collaborating with the AIA and ACEC on an in-depth research project investigating the leadership attributes of A/E executives. Your assistance is requested to fulfill this study.

Many researchers are discussing the idea that emotional intelligence could be one key to organizational success. For example, a study within the consulting industry found that partners who had high emotional competency produced more profitability than other partners. We would like to extend these ideas into the A/E industry.

You can participate in this study by going here. This website will guide you through a general questionnaire, a leadership questionnaire and an emotional intelligence assessment.

The total time to complete the above requests is approximately one hour, however the information provided will be invaluable for the future of our industry. Individual data will remain anonymous both by name and by company.

Thank you for your time and consideration to participate. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, or would like to learn more about this research endeavor.

Sincerely,

Paul Chinowsky
University of Colorado at Boulder
303-735-1063

Tony Songer
Virginia Tech
540-231-7255

Started in 2004 by interns in Dallas. ARE Forum is a nonprofit organization and website dedicated solely to the architecture examination process. The site is divided into the nine sections of the ARE. A portion of the site also focuses on the LEED certification process. Professionals who have already passed these exams are also most welcome to share their invaluable assets--experience and knowledge--with ARE candidates who certainly appreciate it.

Visit ARE Forum for more information.

Started in 1997 by an intern in Los Angeles. The goal of Archinect is to make architecture more connected and open-minded by uniting designers from around the world. Archinect maintains one of the most active discussion forums, covering an array of topics. The site's content is provided by guest contributors and a dedicated editorial team.

Visit http://www.archinect.com for more information.

Started in 1995 in Chicago. Arquitectos is a membership organization that unites Hispanic architects to promote professionalism, economic development, and guide young architects and students. Arquitectos is comprised of individuals with a variety of backgrounds, united by a professional, artistic, cultural, social and political interest in architecture, community, and the mentoring of young architects and students. The association consists of a professional chapter and two student chapters.

Visit http://www.arquitectoschicago.org for more information.

Mentorship: A Journey in Collaborative Learning. This resource provides insight into mentoring in the profession of architecture. It is for aspiring architects, educators, and practitioners of all experience levels who wish to discover the possibilities in a mentoring relationship. See more at: http://www.aia.org/mentoring/majicl/

From Practice Partners, Individuals, and the AIA

Architect's Essentials of Professional Development by Jean R. Valence
Architect's Essentials of Professional Development provides concise, how-to guidelines for establishing a proprietary professional development program for design firms and individual professionals dedicated to leadership in the marketplace. A national expert offers advice for planning, designing, and assessing a continuing skill-building program, including three practice-friendly approaches: training, lessons learned, and mentoring. Customizing programs to meet the needs of your firm is easy with a broad range of best practices from large and small firms and with useful pedagogical materials, such as worksheets, questionnaires, and assessment forms.

Architect's Essentials of Professional Development is a versatile and powerful resource for design firms of all specialties. ISBN: 0-471-23691-8, Paperback, 272 pages, July 2003.

Nine Shift by Julie Coates and Wm. Draves
In just twenty years, between 2000 and 2020, some 75% of our lives will change dramatically. We know this because it happened once before. Between 1900 and 1920, life changed. Nine Shift explores the uncanny parallels between today and 100 years ago, examining the changes between the two transition periods and the forces that restructure society in the new economic era. Discover each of the major nine shifts currently taking place and find out the implications of each shift for business and work, life and education.

Nine Shift is a business book. It describes how your own work organization should change and transition into the Internet Age in order to remain viable and successful. The book is also a self-help guide to help you in your personal and emotional journey through the current period of uncertainty and ambiguity.

Come explore the excitement of the 21st century with us. Welcome to our story. Welcome to Nine Shift. ISBN: 1-57722-030-7, $25.00, order by website.

Proving Your Worth By Dave Jennings, CAE
ASAE Professional Development Forum Online, November 2001.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

The Relationship between Business Planning, Professional Development and Learning by Sonja Winburn, SPHR (As published in ASAE Online Newsletter Fall, 2001)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Mentoring Interns: A Firm Commitment by Jonathan Kanda, AIA; Jeffery DeGregorio, Assoc. AIA; George Takoudes, AIA. (Payette Associates, Boston, Massachusetts, 2002 IDP Outstanding Firm Award)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Definitions of Architect Positions

Associate - Senior management architect who does not hold equity in the firm; responsible for major department(s) or functions; reports to a principal.

Manager - Licensed architect, with more than 10 years of experience; has overall project management responsibility for a variety of projects or project teams, including client contact, scheduling, and budgeting.

Architect III - Licensed architect with 8 to 10 years of experience; usually responsible for day to day management of significant projects.

Architect II - Licensed architect with 6 to 8 years of experience; responsible for daily design or technical development of project.

Architect I - Recently licensed architect, with 3 to 5 years of experience; responsible for particular parts of a project with parameters set by others.

Intern III - Unlicensed architecture school graduate in four or more years of internship

Intern II - Unlicensed architecture school graduate in second or third years of internship

Intern I - Entry-level, unlicensed architecture school graduate in first year of internship; develops design or technical solutions under supervision of an architect.

Technical Staff - Includes the following positions: Engineer (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural), Planner, Landscape Architect, Interior Designer, Construction Administrator, CAD Manager, Drafter, and MIS Manager.

Nontechnical and Administrative Staff - Includes the following positions: Controller, Bookkeeper, Marketing Manager, Marketing Assistant, Office Manager, and Administrative Assistant.

Good employees are hard to find. So more companies are figuring, why not rehire the former workers we like?

Architectural firm Gensler calls them "boomerangs" and presents each returning employee with a wooden boomerang with name, quitting date and date of returning to the fold. Please view the full article from chron.com.

Read the latest topics for discussion from the new website of ArchVoices.

Keep track of your professional licenses and certificate programs electronically at PDN, the Professional Development Network, Inc.

Intern Development Program: Introduction

Your education as an architect typically begins in a school of architecture. But it does not end there. Training in architectural firms, continuing education and professional practice furthers the educational process. Schools and firms offer many opportunities for acquiring knowledge and skills; however, you must take responsibility for developing your competencies to the fullest.

For the latest information, visit the AIA website and click on E for Emerging Professionals!

Also visit:
AIA National Associates Committee
AIA Young Architects Forum
AIA Internship Tools