EERI Friedman Family Visiting Professional Lecture

"Make a Difference in Your Career An Engineer’s Role in Our World’s Future"

As the world has learned over the past decades, earthquakes and other natural disasters can cause huge losses of life and devastate economies taking years to recover. Using earthquakes as an example, to increase our communities’ resilience requires the hard work and collaboration of seismologists, geologists, planners, policy makers, economists, social scientists and structural engineers. David Cocke will review his own career path including his engineering education, early career steps, opening a branch office and starting his own firm. Along the way, he will discuss his engineering philosophy, a few example projects, the importance of Structural Engineers’ role in the world, and share some potential tips for career success and making a difference.

Brief Bio
David Cocke, S.E. has practiced structural engineering since 1981, beginning his career in the San Francisco Bay Area before relocating in 1995 to establish Degenkolb’s Los Angeles office following the Northridge earthquake, where he led major seismic repair and retrofit projects, including work for Warner Bros. He founded Structural Focus in 2001 and is a registered Structural Engineer in California and several other states, with expertise in seismic evaluation, historic preservation, retrofits, and new structural design. His notable projects include the Hotel del Coronado, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Netflix Egyptian Theatre, Amazon Studios in Culver City, and numerous facilities for major Southern California film studios. Throughout his career, he has held prominent leadership roles, including Past President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the national Structural Engineers Institute of ASCE, and has served on multiple structural and preservation boards. He currently serves on the California Historical Building Safety Board, the NIST Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, the Board of Directors of the Applied Technology Council, and the University of California Seismic Advisory Board.
Zoom Logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG