Masonry Educators Workshop
4-Part Webinar Series
Practical Approaches to Teaching Masonry Design
Program Overview
This virtual series is designed to help educators incorporate masonry design into their courses using practical, ready-to-use content. Sessions focus on curriculum implementation, essential technical concepts, and real-world application.
Participants will be introduced to the Masonry in a Box curriculum, developed by Dr. Richard Bennett through a Concrete Masonry Checkoff grant provided to the Southeast Concrete Masonry Association. The series will also explore how masonry can be effectively integrated into engineering and construction-related coursework.
The series is intended to support both new and experienced educators seeking practical approaches for introducing masonry concepts into coursework.
Learning Objectives
- Understand how masonry design can be incorporated into existing courses
- Become familiar with the Masonry in a Box curriculum and supporting materials
- Identify essential masonry concepts appropriate for students
- Learn practical approaches for teaching masonry design and detailing
- Understand how masonry is used in practice and how to connect coursework to industry
Format
Registration Fees
Funding assistance for educators may be available through TMS and participating state and regional masonry associations. Please contact the TMS office for additional information.
What Attendees Receive
Who Should Attend?
Continuing Education Credit
Attendees may participate in this series either live through Zoom or on demand through recorded sessions available in the TMS Masonry Education Hub. Recorded sessions will remain available through the TMS Masonry Education Hub for ongoing reference.
Recordings of completed sessions will be available on the course page within 24 hours of the webinar.
Late registrants can still receive full credit for earlier sessions by watching the recording and completing a short quiz.
Program Sessions
June 23, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: Richard Bennett, PhD – University of Tennessee
This session will provide an overview of the Masonry in a Box curriculum and how masonry design concepts can be integrated into engineering coursework. Participants will review course structure options, sample schedules, key technical topics, and approaches for incorporating masonry design education into existing academic programs.
June 30, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: Richard Bennett, PhD – University of Tennessee
This session will focus on practical implementation of the Masonry in a Box curriculum, including teaching materials, homework assignments, exams, design projects, and classroom applications. Participants will review approaches for adapting masonry educational content to fit a variety of course structures and instructional settings.
July 7, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: W. Mark McGinley, PhD – University of Louisville
This session will focus on masonry systems, assemblages, performance attributes, and practical approaches for introducing masonry concepts within the classroom. Participants will review how masonry materials and systems perform structurally and environmentally, while exploring ways to connect technical concepts to broader discussions related to resilience, sustainability, and building performance.
July 28, 2026, 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: Brian Trimble, PE – International Masonry Institute
This session will provide an overview of how masonry design, construction practices, research, and industry expectations continue to evolve. Participants will gain insight into how masonry codes and standards support the design community and how masonry education can better connect classroom learning to current industry practice and workforce needs.
Program Speakers
Richard M. Bennett, PhD, PE, is Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee and a nationally recognized leader in masonry education, research, codes, and standards development. Dr. Bennett has been deeply involved in the development of TMS 402/602, serving as Chair of the 2016 code committee and currently serving as Vice Chair for the 2028 edition. He was also the editor of the 2022 Masonry Designers’ Guide.
Dr. Bennett developed the Masonry in a Box curriculum to support masonry education within engineering programs and has spent decades advancing masonry design education and technical practice. He is an Honorary Member and Fellow of The Masonry Society.
W. Mark McGinley, Ph.D., PE, FASTM, FASTM, Professor and Endowed Chair for Infrastructure Research, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of The Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research, University of Louisville is a structural engineer and building scientist with more than 40 years of research and forensic engineering practice in building systems. He joined the faculty in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Louisville in 2006 and is a recognized expert in masonry building systems, in particular, masonry building envelopes. His research has included basic research on the structural performance of masonry walls, water penetration experiments on envelopes, the energy use performance of built systems and the building envelope performance of brick veneer and steel stud wall systems. Over 160 publications have resulted from his research efforts. Dr. McGinley has won numerous awards in masonry research and standards development and leads technical committees in both the TMS 402 and ASTM. He was the Chairman of ASTM C 15 for 2019 – 2025, Chair of the Design Subcommittee of TMS 402, past Chair of ASTM C 12 and was the President of the Masonry Society 2022-2023. He is a Fellow and Honory member of ASTM and a Fellow of TMS.
Brian Trimble has over 30 years’ experience in the masonry industry, assisting design professionals in the design of masonry structures. He is a frequent lecturer to local, regional, and national construction industry groups. He has authored many articles and papers on various masonry subjects. Brian started his career with a brick manufacturer and worked at the Brick Industry Association for over 20 years serving in various positions. For the International Masonry Institute he coordinates activities in the Western PA and Western NY areas promoting masonry to a wide variety of audiences including owners, contractor, architects, engineers and craftworkers.
Brian received his engineering education at Penn State University, where he received a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering Degree – Structural Design Option in 1986. He was granted his professional engineer’s license in the state of Virginia and is also registered in the state of Pennsylvania. Brian is actively involved in many organizations including the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), The Masonry Society (TMS), and the International Brick Collectors Association (IBCA). Brian is a Fellow of ASTM International.
Supporting Organizations / Program Support
The Masonry Educators Workshop Series is supported in part through a grant provided by the NCMA Foundation.
The Masonry in a Box curriculum featured in this series was developed by the Southeast Concrete Masonry Association through a Concrete Masonry Checkoff grant.
