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Thankful for OpenSees

Original Post - 24 Nov 2019 - Michael H. Scott

Visit Structural Analysis Is Simple on Substack.

Thanksgiving is this week, which means campuses across the US will be pretty quiet. Monday through Wednesday should be a boon for faculty seeking “big blocks of time” to write. Let’s hope they feel inspired.

Come Thursday, we’ll reflect on what we’re thankful for. Family, friends, and health are perennial list toppers for me.

In addition to gratitude, faculty members should acknowledge how lucky we are to have a faculty position. For each part good (or great) we think we are today, ten parts luck got us to this point. If you disagree, check your ego at the dinner table this Thursday and do some soul searching over the long weekend.

With respect to OpenSees, I’m thankful that I was in the right place at the right time in graduate school. Thankful that I had a supportive advisor, committee members, and Frank helping me out. Thankful that OpenSees caught on when object-oriented finite element analysis packages were dime-a-dozen. Thankful that I can use OpenSees to teach structural analysis and to advise students on research. Thankful that I have colleagues who want to work with me and make their ideas reality using OpenSees. Thankful that I work with an incredible post-doc who has taken OpenSees to new levels with FSI and Python.

I get credit for all of that? I’m very lucky and very thankful.

Do you have any thankgivings, OpenSees or otherwise, you’d like to share?