Prof. Dr Eva Lantsoght, Ecuador and the Netherlands
Q1. Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about your current and past roles in IABSE.
I currently work as a Professor of Structural Engineering at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, and also as a part-time Assistant Professor in Concrete Structures at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
Within IABSE, since 2021, I have served as the Vice Chair of the Editorial Board of Structural Engineering International (the Structural Engineering International journal), of which I have been an Editorial Board member since 2019. I am the Chief Reviewer responsible for the special issue in May 2024 based on recent research and structures in Latin America. I also serve on TG 3.4 (Existing Concrete Structures)—simulations of rather similar experiments and post diction analysis of proof loaded concrete structures—and I am also serving as a member of the scientific committee for IABSE Congress San Jose 2024. In the past, I have served as a member of the IABSE Awards Jury in 2023 for the IABSE Projects and Technology awards. I was also the lead Chief Reviewer for the May 2021 Special Issue of the journal Structural Engineering International (SEI) on recent research and structures in Belgium and the Netherlands. I also served on the Scientific Committee for IABSE Symposium Vancouver 2017 and IABSE Symposium Ghent 2021 (which ultimately was held online owing to the pandemic).
(L) IABSE Rotterdam 2013 (R) IABSE Netherlands and Belgium, Breda 2018
Q2. Please share the significance of hosting IABSE events in the Latin America region. As the Vice-Chair of SEI Editorial Board, you curated this special issue of SEI. In the introduction to the special series, our readers can read more about the papers in this issue. Would you like to talk about your experience while working on this special issue?
Hosting IABSE events, and especially the IABSE Congress in Latin America, is significant for a number of reasons. First of all, it reflects the recent growth of IABSE as an organization in Latin America. We have seen a number of new National Groups being established and becoming active within the Association, and we have also seen integration activities between different IABSE National Groups within Latin America. As such, IABSE also acts in the region as a catalyst for international friendships between bridge and structural engineers individually, as well as an organization to facilitate international collaboration—within Latin America as well as internationally. Secondly, hosting the IABSE Congress in Latin America gives bridge and structural engineers in the region the chance to share their long-standing professional traditions and practices (which sometimes are not known outside of the region because of the local language and limited translations of these insights and works into English) with the broader engineering community worldwide.
My experience in working on this special issue reflects indeed the broad range of topics of research and recent structures in Latin America on one hand, and the strong network of IABSE National Groups on the other hand. As I discussed in the Introduction to this special issue on recent structures and research in Latin America, the variety of research projects highlighted also reflects the topics of interest and importance for IABSE Congress San Jose 2024. I had the pleasure of learning new insights from a broad range of research topics, as well as learning about recent structures in the region such as the challenging task of making the new stage structure for the National Theater in Costa Rica, and the profile of the eminent structural engineer Jorge Gutiérrez from Costa Rica. At the same time, I learned about the power of collaboration with the National Groups of IABSE and the unique opportunity it provides for networking. Hosting a call for papers for an entire region is no small feat, and I am lucky that I could lean on the Chairs of the National Groups within Latin America, to reach out to their network and spread the invitation to submit papers for this Special Issue.
Q3. Please tell us about recent and ongoing landmark structural engineering projects in Ecuador and Latin America, and if IABSE has played a role in this. How can we increase the interaction between Latin American, European and Asian structural engineers?
As a bridge engineer, the recent landmark structural engineering projects in Ecuador that come to my mind are related to the expansion of the national transportation network in past years. In Quito, where I live, some of the feats of engineering include the opening in 2023 of the Quito metro, which is significantly improving transportation in the city, as well as the extension of the Simón Bolívar highway in the North of the city, which is relieving congestion in and around the city. For the latter project, two steel bridges (Villorita and Los Pájaros) were constructed using incremental launching for the first time in the country, and the second bridge was opened to the public in 2019. After the COVID-19 and safety crises that Ecuador has been facing in recent years, I am hopeful that construction of infrastructure projects will increase again, and that the expected bridge next to the Guayasamín tunnel in Quito will get a green light, as well as other infrastructure projects that have been under discussion.
I see IABSE as an organization that can bring together engineers from different countries who are facing similar challenges. As IABSE is truly international, there is an opportunity for engineers from the Global North and South to collaborate. For example, I would like to connect members from Belgium and the Netherlands with members from Latin American countries that are facing increasing flood risk under climate change, to exchange best practices regarding the climate resilience of bridges and structures under flood and extreme weather risks. In the next years, I expect that we will see more interaction between members from various countries that are facing similar challenges through both dedicated Task Groups, as well as technology transfer (virtual) events, where best practices and lessons learned from one country can be shared with members from other countries facing a similar challenge.
Q4. With members in over 90 countries and 60 National Groups, how can IABSE members benefit from this Association? You are working and contributing to Delft University in the Netherlands, and also in Ecuador, how do you bridge both cultures and countries? Also, as a young professor, any tips for our young engineers for career growth?
IABSE members internationally can benefit from the association in many ways: from actively participating in IABSE events and developing an international network within the association to learning from all the interesting material that IABSE has available for its members, such as the webinar recordings (free access for all), the Case Studies, Structural Engineering Documents (SEDs), and of course, SEI.
As I work in two different corners of the world, I am always looking for a synergy between my activities in both countries—and I’m often surprised to learn how similar some of the challenges that engineers face worldwide are!
One of my earliest childhood memories is from a major flood in my hometown in Belgium, when our entire street got flooded and our neighbour placed me standing on his windowsill, which was just above the water level at that time. Moving to the mountains of Ecuador, I did not expect to face flooding anymore, but recent heavy rainfalls have resulted in flooding both in the coastal regions as well as in Quito, where water accumulation led to flooding of the Ruta Viva highway last year. At the same time, I reflect on how solutions from the Global North may need to be adapted to fit the reality of the Global South. And last but not least, I think young people are the drivers of change for good in society, so I try to establish personal contacts for my students in Ecuador and the Netherlands: students from the Netherlands come to Ecuador to participate in projects with Engineers without Borders (https://www.ewb-international.org/), and some students from Ecuador continue their studies in the Netherlands.
My tips for young engineers for career growth are to invest time in relationships and learning. In our busy work days, it may be tempting to put our noses down and work without breaks. Over the years, I have learned that investing time in relationships, both within our immediate workplace as well as within an international network, is crucial—for fresh ideas, for feeling at home within our workplace and profession, for the overall social fabric of life which thrives on collegiality, and for being able to fall back on a supportive network when needed. So, make it a priority of grabbing a coffee with a colleague, exchange ideas, and travel to a conference to meet your international colleagues and friends.
The second aspect is learning. Our engineering education provides us with the first principles that are the foundation of practical applications. However, many aspects of our profession require continuous development: from changes to our codes, via new software and products, to changes in the structural engineering profession, where existing structures, sustainability, changing loads due to climate change and new building materials become increasingly important. For both purposes, IABSE is an excellent organization: for meeting international colleagues, as well as for learning about new advances in our profession at conferences and via the organization’s publications.
Q5. Any other remarks you wish to add for our SEI readers?
Thank you for your continued support to the journal, and I hope to meet many of you in San Jose this year! If any young engineer wishes to get in touch with me for any career advice, feel free to contact IABSE secretariat. If you are working on any codes, and need international collaboration from both my countries (Ecuador and the Netherlands), feel free to find me as Eva Lantsoght on LinkedIn or @evalantsoght on Instagram or Twitter.
An interview with Prof. Dr. Eva Lantsoght, Vice-Chair, SEI Editorial Board, by Brindarica Bose, Publications Manager, IABSE.
Pictures of the visit of Jose Matos, Portugal, to Universidad San Francisco de Quito
SEI Editorial Board meeting, 2023
