Greetings: Mr. Stephen J. Safranek, General Counsel, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, will give a Structures graduate seminar this coming Tuesday (February 18) at 4:30 PM, in HAMP 1144. The title of Mr. Safranek's talk is Risk "Management": Objective, Subjective, and Personal. The General Counsel's View. Abstract: Think of the collapses of I-35W bridge in Minnesota, the Champlain Towers South in Surfside and the FIU pedestrian bridge in Miami, Florida. Can you tell how the collapse risk was created in each case? Who do you think was in the best position to prevent it? Why didn't they? Come and hear a General Counsel's view on how you may recognize and manage the types of risk you would be taking as engineering professionals. Short bio of Mr. Stephen J. Safranek: Stephen Safranek joined WJE in 2007 and has served as General Counsel since 2008 and Corporate Secretary since 2012. He reviews contracts, manages all litigation matters, and provides recommendations on WJE's overall legal needs. Prior to joining WJE, Mr. Safranek was a practicing lawyer, legal consultant, and law professor. He began his legal career clerking for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Safranek continued his career as an associate at Latham & Watkins in Chicago, one of the ten largest law firms in the United States. While there, he was involved in work for major clients including Sears, Midway Airlines, Toyota, and other publicly traded companies. After Latham & Watkins, Mr. Safranek taught for several years at three law schools in Michigan, where he specialized in contract law, business associations, and constitutional law. As a recognized legal expert, he has been hired as a consultant on important legal cases nationwide and as an expert witness in contract disputes. Mr. Safranek has published numerous articles regarding various constitutional and legal issues in several legal journals and reviews. He also has many published cases to his credit. Mr. Safranek has been interviewed for television and radio hundreds of times. He appeared on CNN and Good Morning America, and was interviewed for an article appearing in TIME magazine. You are all kindly invited. Sincerely, Ayhan Irfanoglu Professor and Associate Head of Civil Engineering Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering ayhan@purdue.edu<mailto:ayhan@purdue.edu> | HAMP 4117 | x6-8270