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Kansas Professional Engineer eNews

September 2009, Issue 6

In this Issue:

• Summer is Time for Growth

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Douglas Danaher, P.E.

For those of us who have family members who attend or teach school, the reality that is fall has bestowed itself upon us.  The lazy days of summer are a fond memory and we are quickly becoming entrenched in our duties of the season.  This is quite a reality check for those who get a summer break - which somehow impacts us all.

KSPE is quickly gearing up for a great year.  Chapter and state committees are quickly developing.  Getting involved with a committee is an excellent opportunity for members to network with peers and senior leaders throughout the chapters and state, while serving your profession.  Ideal committees have enough members that it is fun and rewarding for all and not too burdensome for anyone.  These committees have senior guidance and youthful emerging leaders, with broad representation throughout the chapters.

We are blessed with great line up of KSPE Committee Chairs this year:  Jason Duncan (Annual Conference), Simon Sun (Young Engineers), Larry Stoss (Awards), Mark Williams (Budget), Mike Crow (Government Relations), Amy Houghton (MATHCOUNTS) and Stacey Lamer (Membership).  Members are strongly encouraged to get involved by contacting one of your local chapter Board Members and indicating to them that you would like to serve on a committee.

The Government Relations, Budget, and Membership Committees have already met and planned a productive year.  Thank you and keep up the good work!

Your Executive Director, Ron Gaches, and I are planning the annual President / Executive Director Chapter visits. We have about half of the ten chapters booked.  Please take a few minutes to invite a non-member or two to attend these chapter meetings with the Executive Director and President.  This is an excellent opportunity to showcase what the local chapters and state society have to offer.  We will discuss the history and importance of PE licensure, the changing age demographics impacting our society, and planned activities for the upcoming year.  Let’s engage the young engineers throughout the state and invite them to get involved.

KSPE was well represented at the NSPE Annual Conference in St. Louis in July, with six KSPE members and staff attending.  We learned how many of the issues we are already seeing in Kansas are also impacting many state societies.  NSPE has established a task force to study additional membership options to help states address declining membership.  KSPE and the North Central Region are well represented, and we look for good things to come out of that committee. Pictures from the NSPE Annual Conference:

Photo taken during the NSPE Awards Luncheon.

Kansas leaders out with other North Central NSPE conference attendees and NSPE staff.

Left center: Doug Danaher (KSPE President) and President Elect Brian Armstrong (right center)
enjoy lunch with fellow conference attendees.

KSPE leaders enjoy an evening in St. Louis.

We found time to catch a Cardinals game while in St Louis as well.  I hope Tom Roberts has recovered from the emotional scars of letting a foul ball slip through his hands.  Most of us were too busy protecting our $7.00 adult beverages to go for the ball.  Tom gets an A for effort.

The PE Licensure Recognition Event held in the Statehouse in July was a great success.  The new PEs and their families were very appreciative, Deb Miller was the guest speaker and spoke about the importance of licensure, KSPE got some great exposure, and the Land Surveyors were appreciative of being invited to participate as well.  Great job Stacey and the Membership Committee!

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

by Ron Gaches, J.D.

As the dog days of summer pass into Labor Day, the pace accelerates in life and work.
 

EFK Golf Event Funds New Initiative - This year the Engineers’ Foundation of Kansas is launching a new fundraising effort to finance a study of the economic contribution of engineering and engineers to the Kansas economy.  In the next couple of years, Kansas policy makers are going to be making decisions about infrastructure investments, higher education and K-12 policy critical to the output of our three ABET accredited engineering programs.  The Foundation believes it is vitally important that a comprehensive study be conducted to document for policy makers the essential role that engineers and engineering plays in the availability of high quality jobs and vibrant businesses in our state’s economy.
 

To generate a quick $10,000 to $15,000 to fund the study by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, EFK is creating a new Underwriter sponsorship level for the annual golf event on October 2.  Underwriters are being asked to contribute $2,500 each to the Foundation with the initial proceeds to be used first for the economic study.  Any additional funds will be used to increase the annual grants to the engineering schools for professional development of students and faculty, increase recognition for state MATHCOUNTS participants and enhance the Future Cities competition.
 

Firms or individuals interested in becoming an Underwriter for the Foundation’s efforts should contact EFK President Greg Weatherd, PE, at 913-312-4837 or me at 785-233-2121 at your earliest convenience.  Information about additional sponsorship levels and registration for the golf tournament are available at www.kansasengineer.org.
 

President Danaher Plans Chapter Visits – Plans are already finalized for several of our annual chapter visits with KSPE President Doug Danaher, PE, and yours truly.  We are hoping that each visit can be turned into a significant new member recruitment effort.  Chapter presidents have recently been sent a database that includes all of the non-member licensed PEs in your chapter area.  We are hoping that chapter leaders will work that list and contact our office if we can be of assistance in communicating your chapter meetings to non-members.  Chapter visits are currently planned for:
 

October 15^th – Eastern Chapter legislative meeting
October 20^th – Smoky Valley Chapter meeting
October 22^nd – Wichita Chapter meeting
November 5^th – Southeast Chapter meeting
November 12^th – TriValley Chapter legislative event
November 18^th – Topeka Chapter legislative event
November 19^th – Eastern Chapter meeting
January 13^th – Topeka Chapter meeting

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Kansas Professional Engineers & Surveyors Licensure Recognition Ceremony

Thank you to those KSPE members who attended the Kansas Professional Engineers and Surveyors Licensure Recognition Ceremony on Friday, July 10, 2009 at the Kansas Statehouse. In conjunction with the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions, KSPE congratulated the Professional Engineers as they received their Kansas Certificate of Licensure. Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller was the keynote speaker for the event.

Above, left to right: Doug Danaher (KSPE President), George Barbee (Kansas Board of Technical Professions Board Chairperson)
and Tom Roberts (KSPE Past President) pause for a picture at the Statehouse.

Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller, keynote speaker, addresses the group.

Newly licensed Professional Engineers and Surveyors pose for a group photo after the ceremony.

Thank you to all those KSPE members who attended and made this a very special event for the newly licensed engineers!

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KSPE Leadership Sets Membership goals
by Ron Gaches, Executive Director

More than 25 KSPE state board members, chapter presidents and state Membership Committee members met in Topeka on August 21 to discuss how to reverse the Society’s slowly declining membership base.  In the past ten years, KSPE membership has declined from 1007 in 1999 to 584 in 2009.  With 3929 licensed PEs currently living in Kansas, KSPE has only a 14% membership penetration of Kansas PEs.

Several causes for declining membership were discussed at the meeting: fewer employers are paying for membership in NSPE/KSPE, many PEs wrongly believe that their technical professions are actively lobbying on their behalf in the Kansas Statehouse, and many younger engineers are less enthusiastic about joining professional societies and have many other activities and organizations to engage their time.  While everyone agreed that these challenges are real, they also acknowledged that the state Society and local Chapters had been less engaged in year round membership recruitment and retention efforts than they had been when KSPE was at its highest membership levels
 

Also discussed were the merits of membership in the National Society of Professional Engineers and how the many important programs and activities of the National Society are not being communicated as effectively as needed to attract and retain members.  Problems with NSPE membership invoicing and database issues were also identified as distractions that had hurt NSPE’s image with members.  The “value” of NSPE membership was also discussed with most participants agreeing that KSPE members receive significant value from membership in the National Society, but that NSPE should continue to improve its performance in support of needs of Professional Engineers.
 

Following a serious discussion about setting an aggressive but reachable goal for membership growth it was decided to work towards a 15% annual increase in membership for the next five years.  Accomplishing this multi-year goal would allow KSPE to represent approximately 25% of all licensed PEs living in Kansas.  Each chapter would be encouraged to meet this target but it was understood that some smaller chapters, like Smoky Valley Chapter, already have a much higher percentage of members than do the larger chapters of the state.
 

A detailed plan for reaching the new membership goal is to be presented at the next KSPE Board meeting on Thursday, October 1.  Several worthwhile ideas were discussed including broadening KSPE activities at several key engineering conferences across the state, inviting more non-members to participate in chapter meetings and aggressively working the drops and delinquents lists to recapture individuals who were previous loyal members.  State staff agreed to prepare some “retention call” scripts for volunteer leaders to use at the chapter level and to take the lead in improving the look and content of the KSPE website.

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Put the Brakes on Fatalities!

KANSAS - Beginning on September 14^th KSPE members can participate, a new way, in the 9^th annual October 10^th - “Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day.”

The Kansas Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day Committee will have “BLOG’s” for the event on the Kansas Transportation Online Community (KTOC) link (found on the KDOT Homepage website).  On September 14^th the first blog will appear in which you can participate.  This will be Secretary Deb Miller sharing the history of the program and several safety issues.  A new blog topic will be posted as submitted by a new author each day through October 9^th.  To participate, sign-in and join KTOC – at http://ktoc.net/Default.aspx . If you have questions please email Kimberly@ksdot.org .

Your company, organization or agency can provide support for traffic safety by recognizing Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day the week of October 4^th – 10^th.  Examples include: placing posters on bulletin boards and passing out stickers.  To order posters, include your name, company name, address, email address and phone number in an email to the following address: FHWA Report Center at Report.Center@fhwa.dot.gov.  In the email also give the number English and/or Spanish posters needed.   To order stickers, fax the number of 2’ English and/or Spanish and 4” English and/or Spanish needed to the following address: DOT Warehouse at Fax Number 301-386-2194. Your request should also include:  Name, organization, phone number and email address.

If you wish to host an event, please go the National Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day website (www.brakesonfatalities.org ) and click on the “Toolkit” page for ideas and options.  Please let Jeff Shamburg (KSPE representative on the Kansas committee) know if you have held an event or recognized the day with posters and stickers.      

The Kansas Committee has scheduled a “Proclamation” signing with Governor Parkinson.  The Committee has also been conducting a Poster Coloring Contest for Kids 5-13 in three age groups.  There will be a total of 18 kids who win bicycles and helmets or three winners in each of the KDOT districts and also there will be a statewide winner for each age group.  These three statewide winners will receive weekend stays in three Kansas cities.  Entry posters contest information had a September 4^th entry date.

Questions regarding becoming involved in Kansas events should be emailed to Jeff.Shamburg@bartwest.com.

 NATIONAL – Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day® - October 10th
 

“The bottom line is distracted driving is dangerous driving.” Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation’s, message is right on target. The 9th Annual Put the Brakes on Fatalities Awareness Day on October 10, 2009 - aims to save lives by increasing driver safety. Our 2009 theme is “Don’t be Driven to Distraction – Drive to Arrive.” On October 10th organizations throughout the country will be encouraged to promote the need to reduce transportation crashes and fatalities on American highways, roads and streets. The sad facts are that for the past eight years (2001- 2008) there have been 335,459 fatalities or an average of 41, 970 per year, over 110 per day and one occurring nearly every 13 minutes. In order to reduce fatalities, the idea behind Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day is to call attention to what some call an epidemic. Nearly all Americans are unaware that annually, there are more people killed in traffic accidents than babies born in four of our smaller states. This is evidenced in a report completed by the AAA in March 2006 where only 8% of those surveyed were aware of the nearly 42,000 fatalities that annually occur and others had no idea or guessed a smaller or larger number.

On October 10th, and each and every day thereafter drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians should 1) drive courteously and defensively, 2) know the rules of the road, and obey all signs and signals, 3) use protective gear – safety belts, car seats or helmets, 4) don’t speed, 5) don’t drive in an aggressive manner, 6) Don’t drive while impaired, 7) don’t drive distracted (including not talking or text messaging on a cell phone), and 8) text messaging should not be done while driving – period. Cell phones are valuable in an emergency and when use is necessary drivers should park in a safe location.

In case you were not aware, good news was stated in a July 2, 2009 media release the U.S. Department of Transportation reported the fatality data for 2008 placed the highway death count at 37,261, a drop of 9.7% from 2007. The fatality rate was 1.27 persons per 100 million Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT), about 7 percent below the rate of 1.36 for 2007. “While the number of highway deaths in America has decreased, we still have a long way to go,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. For more detailed state data use the NHTSA website http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/USA WEB REPORT.HTMe. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Safey Home Page (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/) is a source for roadway safety related information. Truck related safety information can be found on the Federal Motor Carriers Administration Safety Home Page(http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetysecurity/csa2010/home.htm).

While a slow economy played a large part in reducing fatalities; the roadway, driver and the vehicle continue to be key elements involved in traffic injuries and fatalities. These elements must all be addressed to improve safety and reduce fatalities. The drivers and the entire transportation community’s involvement in the “4Es” – engineering, education, enforcement and emergency health services working together can lead toward reaching a goal of zero fatalities. The Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day Program was initiated in 2001 by NSPE and numerous partners. In 2006 management of program and website (www.brakesonfatalities.org) were transitioned to T&DI’s Transportation Safety Committee. Today members of the subcommittee are also on the National Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day Committee which creates and promotes the annual program. Numerous federal agencies, states, local agencies, organizations and individuals are involved in promoting the annual event. ASCE members and new partners are welcome and encouraged to become involved. Interested individuals and agencies/organizations public or private are encouraged to contact T&DI at pbfd@asce.org to volunteer and become an advocate for traffic safety and saving lives either this year or next year when we kick-off a new program. The website (www.brakesonfatalities.org) provides recent information and promotional material for organizing an event with potential partners, media info, a sample proclamation and other information. For 2009, the website includes the theme which stresses the need to minimize driver distraction in order to reduce accidents and fatalities. Other safe driving habits are also included.

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Improvements to the NSPE Leadership toolbox

NSPE has recently added some new resources to the NSPE Leadership Toolbox (www.nspe.org/toolbox) including:

* State Leader Directory (static PDF file)

* Lending Library Order Form (borrow various canned presentations for your state or chapter)

* PEs in Elected Office (download this canned presentation from PEPP YEAC to put on at a meeting)

* NSPE culture results from Dr. Lillibridge

* PEPP YEAC created products PowerPoint

* Get Licensed Get Ahead video (which is also on YouTube among other videos at http://www.youtube.com/NSPEVideo)

Note: Now all NSPE members (and all potential leaders!) can access the NSPE Leadership Toolbox when they log into their account from the NSPE home page.

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What's New with NSPE Blogs

NSPE is continuing to add new features to its website. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of three NSPE members, we now have three new NSPE blogs, in addition to the president's blog, which started last year. The new blogs focus on three highly important topics for the engineering profession.

1.  PE Licensing Blog: written by Craig Musselman, P.E., F.NSPE
2.  Sustainability in Engineering Blog: written by Brad Aldrich, P.E., F.NSPE
3.  Young Engineers Blog: written by Austin Lin, the Young Engineers Advisory Council Representative to the NSPE PEI Executive     Board

You'll find them at http://community.nspe.org/blogs/.

Remember, you can sign up to receive an e-mail notification whenever a new post is made. Simply enter your e-mail address under "Email Notifications," which you'll find on the left-hand side of any blog post. (If you want to receive notification for all three of the new blogs, you will need to enter your e-mail address under each blog.) You will also have the ability to unsubscribe from these notifications if you decide you no longer want to receive them.

Additionally, please check out NSPEs latest efforts in social networking. NSPE is now on Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube. You'll find links to all three in the middle of the NSPE homepage at www.nspe.org.

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NSPE Seeking to Recognize Members Who Serve in the Military

NSPE member Joseph M. Leahy, P.E., of Poplar Bluff, MO was recognized at the annual conference in St. Louis by the NSPE Board and the House of Delegates, for his recent active military service. If you know of any fellow NSPE members who have been on active duty in the military, particularly in Iraq or Afghanistan, please e-mail David Siegel (NSPE Communications Director) at dsiegel@nspe.org, to have these individuals recognized.

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2009-2010 Future City Competition Challenge

CREATING GREEN LIVING SPACES TO HOUSE THE NEEDIEST;

 THAT’S NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK FOUNDATION’S

2009-10 FUTURE CITY® COMPETITION CHALLENGE FOR

AMERICA’S MIDDLE SCHOOLERS

WASHINGTON DC, May 26 2009 - Designing affordable housing for those most in need is enormously complicated.  But how to do it while adhering to LEED recognized green building standards, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint?

That’s the challenge for America’s middle schoolers as they prepare for National Engineers Week Foundation’s 2009-10 Future City® Competition. Now entering its 18^th year, Future City Competition invites seventh and eighth graders nationwide to create the cities of tomorrow and encourages interest in science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on applications.

“Future City motivates students to learn more about the possibilities and opportunities for careers in engineering,” said Leslie Collins, Executive Director, National Engineers Week Foundation. “As they participate in the competition, they realize that engineering is exciting and creative and that they can use what they know to make a difference in the world.  Helping young people discover what the field has to offer is a critical step in insuring that the engineering profession continues to grow in the years ahead.”

Themed Providing An Affordable Living Space For People Who Have Lost Their Home Due to a Disaster or Financial Emergency, this year’s Future City Competition will attract more than 33,000 students from 1,100 middle schools in regions located across the country.  Participating students will be asked to design a model of their city using SimCity 4 Deluxe software, provided by Electronic Arts, and then build a physical model of the city using recycled materials.  They will also write a research essay describing their design and a second narrative outlining the key features of their city.
 

The regional competition gets underway with the new school year in September and culminates with the regional finals in January.  One winning team from each region qualifies for a trip to the national finals in Washington DC, which take place during Engineer’s Week, February 15-17, 2010.  The National Finals Grand Prize winners receive a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, provided by National Finals host Bentley Systems, Incorporated. The second and third prize winners receive $5,000 and $2,000 scholarships for their schools’ technology programs.
 

“We learned that engineering is more than just making sure that buildings work the way they are supposed to,” commented Tom Krajnak, 14, a member of the 2009 Grand Prize winning team from Bexley Middle School in Bexley, Ohio.  “Engineers are involved in every aspect of building a city.  We discovered how necessary they are and now we know the reasons why.”
 

Registration deadline for schools nationwide is October 31, 2009 but, to help students get an early start before the close of the current school year, Future City is offering early registration to interested students.  Future City is also looking for professional engineers who may be interested in serving as mentors. For information, school registration, or to volunteer in the Future City Competition, visit www.futurecity.org or call Kansas Regional Coordinator, Howard Lubliner at 785-296-4139.

About Future City Competition

The 18^th Annual Future City Competition, for seventh and eighth grade students, is held from September, 2009 through February, 2010. The National Future City Competition is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a consortium of professional and technical societies and major U.S. corporations. Major funding comes from Bentley Systems, Incorporated, Ford Motor Company and Shell.  

About Engineers Week

The National Engineers Week Foundation, a formal coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies, is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science.  Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society.  Founded in 1951, it is among the oldest of America's professional outreach efforts.  Co-chairs for 2010 are ExxonMobil Corporation and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 For more information, visit www.eweek.org.

CONTACT:

Kansas Regional Coordinator:

Howard Lubliner

785-296-4139

HowardL@ksdot.org

Sayles & Winnikoff Communications:

Jennifer Buglione

(212) 725-5200 ex. 112

jennifer@sayleswinnikoff.com

Rick Gomes

(212) 725-5200 ex. 114

rick@sayleswinnikoff.com

Jamie Goldman

(212) 725-5200 ex. 122

jamie@sayleswinnikoff.com

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Welcome new members!

KSPE would like to welcome the following new members who have joined since our last issue.

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Mark your calendar!

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