September 2021

State News for NSPE Members

Los Alamos Laboratory Launches from Spaceport America

Los Alamos National Laboratory partnered with UP Aerospace, a private company, on a successful suborbital launch experiment from Spaceport America in August. This was the first collaboration of its kind for LANL. The flight used a Los Alamos-developed diagnostic and communication payload.

“The ReDX-1 flight test…is just the first example of a unique collaboration between the Laboratory, UP Aerospace, and Spaceport America that will enable us to train a whole new generation of scientists and engineers by giving them rapid and frequent access to experimental flight test data,” said Deputy Director of Weapons Bob Webster. By partnering with private companies, the lab can conduct such tests more frequently and at a fraction of the cost within the State of New Mexico. The flight cost only $1 million and occurred only 15 months after the initial concept.

This summer, Spaceport America’s executive director asked state lawmakers for $2 million in funding. No actions in response to the request have been reported.

Texas Earthquakes May Be Caused by “Produced Water” from New Mexico

Earthquakes in west Texas’s oil basin, which have increased in strength and frequency over the past few years, could be caused by the brackish water that is a byproduct of oil and gas extraction in New Mexico. What is known as produced water is injected into the ground, a traditional disposal method for the toxic water, the Carlsbad Current Argus reports. Scientists believe this can cause seismic activity in the area.

New Mexico has also experienced more earthquakes within its borders. State regulators are encouraging alternative water disposal methods, such as recycling, which is expensive for operators. It is estimated that the amount of oil and gas wastewater that will need to be disposed of will grow to 20 billion barrels by 2024.

Company Facilitates “Earthship” Construction Using Upcycled Materials

People interested in building a type of home known as an Earthship may purchase construction plans from Earthship Biotecture, a company based near Taos, or pay for it to be constructed for them. The core principles of an Earthship are: building with repurposed materials; thermal/solar heating and cooling; solar and wind electricity; water harvesting; contained sewage treatment; and food production. Each of the design principles leverages existing natural phenomena and blends them to create a sustainable living environment, designed to collect water, produce electricity, and grow food.

The unique homes are constructed using both natural and discarded materials including used tires packed with earth, bottles, and cans to create structural walls. Earthships were referred to in the movie Nomadland, which won last year’s Academy award for Best Picture.The company offers workshops and hosts an academy in Taos that teaches these building techniques, the AP reports. The cost of building an Earthship is just $225 per square foot but building one yourself can take up to two years. Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center

Anti-Licensing Forces Miss the Point

Extreme anti-licensing bills have popped up in numerous states and are posing a threat to the rigorous and established professional standards followed by PEs, architects, and others who design and construct the built environment, according to an op-ed in The Hill.

Lawmakers calling for these extreme measures don’t differentiate between barbers and manicurists, for example, and PEs and architects, say Tom Smith, executive director of ASCE, and Michael Armstrong, CEO of NCARB. “In their absolutist free-market view, reflected in the language of their model legislation, a visit to a barbershop or beauty salon should be treated the same as designing a bridge or water treatment plant.”

The legislative proposals range from measures that would eliminate licensing entirely to so-called “Universal Licensing” bills that would require states to accept licenses from any state regardless of whether the out-of-state license had the same level of qualifications behind it.

NSPE Calls for PE Role in AI Risk Management

To protect the public from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence applications, NSPE is calling for the involvement of licensed professional engineers in the AI development process.

NSPE’s recommendations were submitted to the National Institute of Standards and Technology in response to NIST’s request for input on an artificial intelligence risk management framework. The recommendations advocate for professional engineers or certain certified individuals to be included within the risk management framework, which covers all levels of development and implementation.

“This individual would be responsible for making decisions related to protecting the public, including those who would use or potentially be affected by an AI application,” wrote NSPE President Rick Guerra, P.E., F.NSPE. “Oversight responsibility should include having the authority to approve or reject the process, methodology, or other characteristics of the specific AI project. Having a credentialed individual to ensure these considerations are made can reduce risk that an artificial intelligence application will fail.”

Meet the 2021 Scholarship Winners

The NSPE Education Foundation recently awarded several scholarships to support talented students pursuing engineering. Meet the 2021 winners:

Markie Ash, of Waupaca, Wisconsin, is winner of the Auxiliary Legacy Scholarship and the George B. Hightower, P.E. Fellowship . Ash is studying civil engineering with a structural emphasis at University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The $2,500 auxiliary scholarship is awarded annually to a female undergraduate entering, or continuing, her junior year of a four-year ABET-accredited engineering program. The $3,000 Hightower Fellowship is awarded annually to an engineering undergraduate or graduate student who is enrolled in, or graduated from, an ABET-accredited engineering program.

Justin Sivasothy is this year’s recipient of the Maureen L. and Howard N. Blitman, P.E., Scholarship to Promote Diversity in Engineering . The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a high school senior from an ethnic minority going into an ABET-accredited engineering degree program at a four-year college or university. Sivasothy, of Sugar Land, Texas, is attending the University of Texas at Austin.

The $5,000 Steinman Scholarship has been awarded to five students studying in ABET-accredited programs this academic year. Michael Kadus (Chicago, Illinois) is studying industrial engineering at Purdue University. Robert Schneider (West Coxsackie, New York) is studying civil engineering at Clarkson University. Annabel Sharnowski (Novi, Michigan) is studying mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan. Noah Struck (Alexandria, Minnesota) is studying civil engineering at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Jacob Witlin (Ellicott City, Maryland) is studying fire protection at the University of Maryland.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL KADUS, ROBERT SCHNEIDER, ANNABEL SHARNOWSKI, NOAH STRUCK, AND JACOB WITLIN

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 24, 2022, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Tickets will be available for sale in January. Apply or nominate a worthy engineer .

The 2021 Federal Engineer of the Year

Major Monica Pickenpaugh, Ph.D., P.E., of the US Air Force, was named NSPE’s 2021 Federal Engineer of the Year Award winner during a virtual awards event in February. As US Forces Korea’s chief of construction, she directed $5.7 billion of funded construction in the Republic of Korea. As part of a sharing agreement with the US, the construction program supports USFK commanders’ defense efforts through critical projects.