November 2020
Four Steps for Making a Difference
Most professional engineers I know are problem solvers who understand the value of good planning. Which is probably why the pandemic and the current climate of unrest in our country is driving us crazy! We are critical thinkers, and we love orderly processes. Ethics and accountability are very important in our lives. So, as we join together as members of NSPE, and other engineering societies, to improve the world around us, we acknowledge that uncertainties abound.
Even with the uncertainties facing our profession and our country, we know that planning and process execution is essential in meeting the goals we outlined in our strategic plan. NSPE members are working hard to fulfil our vision in spite of all of the challenges: A world where the public can be confident that engineering decisions affecting their lives are made by qualified and ethically accountable professionals.
The NSPE Strategic Plan guides us in doing so and sets up four key focus areas that we are working on across the organization to make a difference: driving growth; shaping public policy; educating for the future; and diversity and tomorrow’s engineers.
NSPE Names Staff Leader for Ethics and Professional Practice
NSPE has named Rebecca Bowman, Esq., P.E., as the Society’s new senior director of ethics and professional practice. Bowman, who began on November 2, is the principal of a woman-owned business in forensic, civil and structural engineering, dispute resolution, real estate, and legal services. She is experienced in boundary law issues, engineering design and forensic analysis, construction/project management, dispute resolution, real estate, and small business start-ups. Bowman is also a certified arbitrator, mediator, and Christian conciliator.
In addition, Bowman wrote the “Risky Business” column for the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers’ PE Reporter, and her book, Residential Construction and Remodeling in Pennsylvania: Working with Homeowners and Small Contractors, is going into its second edition. She is a frequent CPE lecturer for a variety of providers.
Bowman received her B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma University, and J.D. from Duquesne University. She is married with two adult sons and 2.9 grandsons.
PEs, Technicians, and Teamwork
Construction projects come with numerous roles and responsibilities that must be carried out with skill and efficiency to achieve success. For professional engineers, perhaps the most critical relationship is with the project’s engineering technicians.
In a recent NSPE webinar on PEs, technicians, and the engineering team, Shannon Looney, P.E., F.NSPE, called the contributions of skilled technicians “invaluable.” As the senior project manager for the Glenn E. Mitchell and Company Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, Looney specializes in concrete construction. He relies heavily on the data collected by technicians—“the technicians with their hands on the ground that work directly with the labor force and is able to tell us the data we need…to make real-time decisions on important aspects of production.”
The webinar covers many aspects of the PE-technician dynamic and the factors that make a strong team. In addition to Looney, the webinar panel included Kent Dvorak, P.E., of Terracon’s Salt Lake City office; John Quidley, SET, president and senior quality consultant with Caliber Consulting Services LLC; and Kenny Johnson Jr., P.G., with expertise in the geotechnical and materials testing industry.
The webinar, “Put Me in, Coach! The Engineering Team from Concept to Completion,” can be accessed online for free.
Georgia Adopts Structural PE Requirement
Beginning January 1, a professional engineer who designs, signs, and seals plans for “designated structures” in Georgia must be licensed as a structural engineer. Legislation signed into law in August, creates a professional structural engineer licensing process, which includes a requirement that a licensure applicant take the 16-hour PE Structural exam.
The process establishes several paths for current licensees to be grandfathered into obtaining an SE license, which is supplemental to the PE license. An individual licensed in Georgia will have to submit an affidavit form and pay fees to the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors from November 1 to December 31, 2020 to participate in this grandfather process.
In June, NSPE and the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers expressed concerns that a SE license requirement would create an additional layer of bureaucracy, requiring an engineer who is qualified to practice in more than one area to obtain multiple licenses.
NSPE believes that fragmenting the professional engineering license into discipline-specific title or practice acts weakens rather than strengthens the integrity of the license. The Society advocates for an alternative structural engineering certification that could be obtained after earning a PE license to offer more flexibility and without drawing a hard line between structural and other engineering disciplines.
In Response to Pandemic, NCEES Schedules Regional Testing for PE Civil Exam
To accommodate as many pencil-and-paper examinees as safely as possible, NCEES has added a regional exam administration on January 26, 2021, for PE Civil examinees only.
Registration for the regional PE Civil exam administration opened on November 1, 2020, and closes on December 14, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. EST. The exam will be administered in the following cities: Phoenix, AZ; Pomona, CA; Denver, CO; Groton, CT; Orlando, FL; Topeka, KS; Louisville, KY; Minneapolis, MN; Raleigh, NC; Las Vegas, NV; Cleveland, OH; Salem, OR; Houston, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA.
Additional cities may be added. Visit the NCEES website for details.
Officer Nominations Open
Nominations are now open for the positions of NSPE 2021–22 vice president and 2021–23 treasurer. The individual nominated for vice president will advance to president-elect in 2022–23 and president in 2023–24. The deadline for submitting nomination packages for either position is January 11, 2021.
Please share this information with those you believe should be considered for the next leaders in our Society. Additional details can be found in the Leadership Toolbox. If you have any questions, email the NSPE Executive Office at executive@nspe.org.
Upcoming Webinar: Engineering Ethics
NSPE’s PE Institute helps members stay current in the profession, earn PDHs, and advance in their careers through webinars on important topics. Members can access webinars for $99 ($129 for nonmembers). This latest webinar on ethics will be held at 12 p.m. (EST) and will be FREE to engineers in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
November 13 (12 p.m. – 1 p.m. EST)
Engineering Ethics: The Basics
Join NSPE-DC President Dan Hanlon, P.E., F.NSPE and NSPE Treasurer and Chair of the Board of Ethical Review Susan Sprague, P.E., F.NSPE as they explore the ethics—specifically the NSPE Code of Ethics—that are at the heart of the engineering profession and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Engineers in DC, Maryland, and Virginia can register for and attend this webinar at no cost.
Call for 2021 PECon Proposals
The Society is now accepting presentation submissions for consideration for the 2021 Professional Engineers Conference, July 7-11, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PECon attracts professional engineers and industry leaders from across the US and internationally for two full days of professional development and networking.
Sessions are organized under the following focus areas
- Leadership and Risk Management
- Sustainability/Infrastructure/Multidisciplinary
- Innovation
- Volunteer Leader and Association Management
Individuals interested in presenting sessions on topics of interest to professional engineers should complete the Call for Presentations form online by November 30, 2021 for full consideration.
Check Out the Latest Issue of PE
Persevering Through the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has created both new and harsh realities with uncertainty around when conditions will get definitively better. NSPE members, just like everyone else, are trying their best to persevere through both personal and work-life challenges brought on by the pandemic.
A Load That’s Hard to Bear
Two-and-a-half years after the fatal pedestrian bridge collapse at Florida International University in Miami, NSPE members, regardless of discipline, are still trying to make sense of the failure. The question that’s typically asked, like a reflex: What can we learn so something like this never happens again?
Don’t Miss…
- Connecting History to Engineering Practice. NSPE member Zohaib Alvi, P.E., admits to not being fond of learning history as a youth. In a commentary, he shares how he developed an appreciation for studying history and its connection to engineering practice.
- PPP Loan Forgiveness. The US Small Business Administration has released a simplified loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $50,000 or less.
- Buildings that Survive Generations. A USC Viterbi School of Engineering master’s student learns what fortifies structures, while bolstering her civil engineering future one opportunity at a time.
- Access 15 Free PDHs. Take advantage of the 15 free online courses you get each year as part of your NSPE membership.