February 2, 2000

Design Detailings: Engineering grads average $42,281

According to Jobtrak.com’s salary index for engineering, college students entering this field have an average starting salary of $42,281 -- well above $34,433, the average starting salary for other majors. Based on the results of the engineering index, there was a 2.8 percent increase in total job openings related to engineering posted in 1999 in comparison to the year prior.

• Average starting salary for new college grads in engineering in 1999: $42,281, up 3 percent from 1998
• Average starting salary for new college grads in all fields in 1999: $34,433

Average starting salary for new college grads by field:

• Engineering-related technology $42,229
• Chemical engineering $44,033
• Civil engineering $37,543
• Electrical engineering $45,691
• Industrial engineering $39,750
• Mechanical engineering $44,166

According to the survey, 12.1 percent of the job listings posted for college students fall into the engineering category.

Jobtrak.com is a job listing and resume service targeting college students and alumni.

CECW luncheon spotlights EEA project winner

The Consulting Engineers Council of Washington is holding a luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 23, that will feature a presentation by one of the firms that received an Engineering Excellence Award on Jan. 26. The luncheon will also present engineering scholarships. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Rock Salt Steak House on 1232 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle. Registration is $20 per person by Feb.16; $25 thereafter. To register, call the CECW at (206) 623-5936.

WSU seeks landscape architect

Washington State University is looking for an assistant professor in landscape architecture. The position is for nine months and may lead to a tenure-track appointment.

Requirements for the position include: a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture of a degree closely allied with landscape architecture; teaching or professional practice experience in landscape architecture, specifically construction technologies and computer-aided design and other computer applications.

Screening of applications began on Feb. 1 and will remain open until the position is filled. For more information, contact Beverly Brantner, program assistant at (509) 335-3943 or e-mail; or John Mack Roberts, search chair, Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646414/ Pullman WA 99264-6414 or e-mail.

Artist Trust holds auction preview lectures

Local curators will present their views on the work of contemporary Washington state artists through a series of three informal lectures about art work donated to the Artist Trust Art Auction. The donated works will be auctioned Sunday, Feb. 6, in the Seattle Center Pavilion at the Artist Trust's Annual Art Auction & Brunch. The lectures are free and run from 2-6 p.m. The art work will be displayed from noon to 8 p.m.

The Saturday lecture schedule includes curators for the Seattle Arts Commission, the Safeco Corp., the Henry Art Gallery, the Bellevue Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Cheney Cowles Museum. For a lecture schedule or for more information, call Jan Culp, director of foundation and corporate relations at the Artist Trust, at (206) 467-8734, ext. 17 or e-mail janculp@artisttrust.org.

Ronald Skaggs is AIA president for 2000

Dallas architect Ronald Skaggs, chairman and chief executive officer of the 500-person HKS Architects, has been inaugurated as the 76th president of the American Institute of Architects .

Skaggs succeeds San Francisco architect Michael Stanton and will represent the more than 63,000 members of the institute through 2000.

Singling out three major issues for his presidency, Skaggs identified inspiring those who are training to be tomorrow's architects, improving the livability of communities, and encouraging architects to become active civic and business leaders.

His firm’s work includes the Hartford Connecticut Children's Hospital, the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill and the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark in Wisconsin.

Skaggs received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from Texas A&M University.