State News for NSPE Members
High-Altitude Airships Coming to New Mexico
A Switzerland-based company has selected New Mexico as the site of a new production center for high-altitude airships, reports KOB4. The facility is expected to create 140 high-paying manufacturing and engineering jobs. The stratospheric flights will monitor crops and help improve access to broadband. The company, Sceye, is negotiating a deal to provide better broadband access to the Navajo Nation and other underserved areas in New Mexico. The company reports that its solar-powered airships fly at some 65,000 feet and can remain aloft for year-long missions, either over a fixed spot or fly long-range missions. The airships are designed to lift large payloads of terrestrial equipment, including cameras, sensors, hyper-spectral imaging, radar, and communications infrastructure.
NMSU Program Supports First-Generation Students
First-generation, low-income students at New Mexico State University now have a new backer: a $2.1 million National Science Foundation grant to the College of Engineering, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. The five-year program will be a collaboration among NMSU faculty members, representatives from national laboratories, and local industry.
Member in the News: Walter Gerstle, P.E., Ph.D.
New Mexico oil and gas methane regulations criticized for ‘loop holes’
Carlsbad Current-Argus, 8/7/20
“Regardless of how the regulations are devised or what form they take, University of New Mexico Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering Walter Gerstle argued the industry’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent climate change and pollution must be strictly regulated by the State.
“I am very concerned about greenhouse gas-induced climate change,” he said. “If action isn’t taken, the recent increases in oil and gas production will result in even further greenhouse gas emissions. Every effort should be taken to prevent natural gas from escaping into the atmosphere.”
NCEES Monitors Pandemic as October Exams Near
NCEES is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the October 2020 pencil-and-paper exam administration. All exam site locations are currently proceeding with reduced capacity restrictions in place. Changes to state and local requirements that further reduce capacities for groups and events may impact the number of examinees that are able to test at a specific site. NCEES will continue to monitor these changes between now and exam day.
NCEES is aware that capacity restrictions are preventing many examinees from being able to register for the October exam administration. To accommodate as many examinees as safely as possible, NCEES has moved up the transition to computer-based testing for the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam (registration is open with appointments starting on December 1) and will offer a regional pencil-and-paper exam administration in January for PE Civil examinees.
Regional Pencil-Paper PE Civil Exams Slated for January
To accommodate as many pencil-and-paper examinees as safely as possible, NCEES has added a regional exam administration in several locations on January 26, 2021, exclusively for PE Civil examinees. Registration for the regional PE Civil exam administration will open November 1, 2020, and close December 13, 2020, at 3 p.m. (EST).
The exam will be administered in the following cities: Phoenix, Arizona; Pomona, California; Denver, Colorado; Hartford, Connecticut; Orlando, Florida; Topeka, Kansas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, TX; and Seattle, Washington. Additional cities may be added before registration opens.
Examinees who are located outside of these states should check with their state licensing board prior to registering to determine their eligibility to test outside of their jurisdiction.
Access ncees.org for exam updates.
Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center.
Society Releases Policy Guide on Emerging Tech, Public Safety
A new NSPE policy guide has added the professional engineer’s voice to the growing conversation around the safe development and deployment of emerging technologies. The guide’s safety recommendations begin with the premise that the public’s interests are best served when licensed professional engineers oversee the design, development, and/or deployment of emerging technologies.
NSPE’s Emerging Technologies Task Force crafted the recommendations as a starting point for adopting standards that protect public safety and to provide guidelines to measure the safety readiness of technologies before they are deployed. The guide is intended for public policy decisionmakers, regulators, manufacturers, and others.
The Society strongly encourages the adoption of these recommendations and is available as a resource for information and drafting of regulations.
Nominations Open for Federal Engineer of the Year Award
Honoring the commitment of federal engineers to innovation and service is the hallmark of the Federal Engineer of the Year Award . Nominations for the award, which attracts participation from more than a dozen federal agencies, are open until October 31.
The FEYA ceremony is scheduled for February 18, 2021, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Tickets will be available for sale in January and sponsorship opportunities are available.
Timothy Sullivan, P.E., who has brought mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering expertise to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center in San Antonio, Texas, was named the 2020 FEYA winner. Sullivan developed the first-ever comprehensive execution guidebook to support $604 million in nationwide construction, and as part of that three-year project, he crafted a project risk management process to identify vulnerabilities of construction projects greater than $5 million.
Apply or nominate a worthy engineer today.
Upcoming Webinars: Traffic Signals, Forensic Engineering, Communications Skills, Vintage Trolley Cars, Design Safety
NSPE’s PE Institute helps members stay current in the profession, earn PDHs, and advance in their careers through webinars on important topics. The webinars are held at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST at a member price of $99 ($129 for nonmembers).
September 23
The Physics of the Yellow Traffic Signal: ITE’s First Recommended Practice
The webinar will focus on the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ first recommended practice for calculating the duration of the yellow traffic signal.
Presenter: Brian Ceccarelli, P.E.
September 30
So, You Want to Launch a Forensic Engineering Consulting Practice
Forensic engineers can operate as sole proprietorship, partnerships, professional corporations or be part of a multifaceted forensic engineering company or one of the many national forensic engineering investigation firms. This session addresses the opportunities for engineers interested in performing forensic engineering services as well as the issues they will need to address.
Presenters: John Certuse, P.E., Michael Leshner, P.E., James Petersen, P.E., and Samuel Sudler P.E., F.NSPE
October 7
The Four Languages of Influence
Improve your influence by customizing your interactions to four distinct communication styles that will help make better connections.
Presenter: Roger Grannis
October 14
Vintage/Heritage Trolley Cars in Transit Use: Past, Present, and Future
The presentation will help attendees better understand the unique nature, challenges, and opportunities of vintage and heritage trolley cars in actual public transit use in the modern age, including vehicle engineering support and technical assistance, for these vehicles.
Presenter: Matthew Nawn, P.E., PMP
October 21
Too Many Crashes at Your Roundabout? Learn Design Techniques to Optimize Safety
This presentation will discuss how design safety principles affect how drivers receive and process information. For optimal safety and operations, the roundabout design must simplify decision-making and provide clear, concise information as to the correct way to drive the roundabout.
Presenter: Mark T. Johnson, P.E.