The NCSEA Foundation’s AI Grant Team recently participated in the Towards Zero Carbon 2025: Summit & Symposium, hosted by SEI and the University of Colorado Boulder. The event brought together structural engineers, researchers, and academics focused on driving progress toward a zero-carbon future.
Sheng Zheng, P.E. (Martin/Martin), a member of the NCSEA AI Grant Team, joined a panel discussion titled “Structural Design – Visions for the Future,” alongside Laura Karnath (Walter P Moore) and Ian McFarlane (Magnusson Klemencic Associates). While other sessions focused on innovative materials and low-carbon products, this panel explored how technology — particularly artificial intelligence — could transform design workflows and decision-making. AI presents exciting opportunities to efficiently explore a broader range of design alternatives, though its use in practice remains limited. While these tools will need to evolve to meet the profession’s needs, engineers can play a proactive role by rethinking data strategies — positioning the profession to better leverage emerging technologies as they mature.
The discussion sparked important conversations around how achieving low-carbon outcomes may require both cultural and technological shifts, including greater collaboration, improved data practices, and the integration of new tools into daily workflows. It also reinforces the NCSEA Foundation’s commitment to supporting the structural engineering profession as it explores AI’s potential to drive scalable, sustainable design. Through initiatives like the AI Grant Program, NCSEA continues to foster innovation, share actionable strategies, and promote leadership toward a more sustainable built environment.