Many pages on this site are password protected for Members use only

Kansas Professional Engineer eNews

July 2010, Issue 3

In this Issue:

• Summer is Time for Growth

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Brian Armstrong, P.E.

Welcome to summer in Kansas and the start of the 2010-2011 KSPE Year!  It is my honor and privilege to serve as KSPE President this upcoming year.  We have some exciting challenges ahead and I look forward to working with each of you to help strengthen the position of the Licensed Professional Engineer. 

WOW!  What an Annual Conference in Topeka last month.  It was one of the best content programs KSPE has ever put together.  The theme “Engineering a Sustainable Future” was timely and tied everything together.  Thanks to Jason Duncan and his planning committee for a superb effort.  Thanks to all the KSPE Staff!  Our Executive Director Ron Gaches, Brandy Johnson, Amy Schlink, Christina Driggs and Judy Swanson all helped make the Conference a success and are very valuable to KSPE.  On a Conference side note, I received a message from Shawnee Country Club that the Sexe, Duncan, Holland, Richey golf team was being investigated for playing golf holes out of order.   

At the Annual Conference, KSPE added two new members to the Executive Committee.  Ken Lee, P.E., Wichita Chapter, will be serving as Second Vice-President and Stacey Lamer, P.E., Topeka Chapter, will be serving as Secretary.  Mark Williams, Eastern Chapter, will continue a second term as Treasurer.  Keith Beatty, Tri-Valley Chapter, will be serving as First Vice President and Glenn Knak, Smokey Valley Chapter, will serve as President Elect. 

NSPE is considering some monumental changes that will allow KSPE and all states to offer “State-Only” and “National-Only” memberships. At my first NSPE Conference last year, there were white papers circulating on “State-Only” memberships and how they were vital to the survival of some State organizations.  There were not enough votes to make that happen, but it did start a “Continuity Task Force” charged with creating a compromising plan that would work moving forward. 

KSPE was very fortunate to have Mr. Gaches serve on the Continuity Task Force (CTF). They worked diligently to develop a plan that can be widely accepted and hopefully will help all of NSPE move beyond this issue.  The NSPE Board has unanimously voted to send that plan to the House of Delegates for approval at the NSPE Annual Conference in Orlando, July 15 – 17.  I’m currently serving a two-year term as the House of Delegates representative for Kansas.  I will be taking our Kansas votes in support of the CTF recommendations.  In fact, our entire North Central Region (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas) are all in support of the CTF.   

If all goes well, we will be moving forward, working with NSPE, to better both our state and national societies.  We will again be focusing on how to increase membership and improve on the value and services you receive from KSPE and NSPE.  Please let me know if you have any ideas or concerns and THANKS for supporting KSPE.  

There are many ways you can help serve KSPE.  We have numerous committees on both the local and state level.  We will again have a strong effort in membership retention and recruitment.  Please contact your local chapter, the KSPE office or myself to get involved.  I look forward to visiting with many of you on our upcoming chapter visits this fall.  Have a great summer!

To Top of Page

Past President's Message

by Doug Danaher, P.E.

I hope everyone had a great 4^th of July holiday and remembered all of those who have sacrificed in the past and those who continue to sacrifice for our freedom. 

To the KSPE membership, thank you for allowing me to serve and supporting me as your President for the 2009-2010 year.  It ’s a huge privilege, very rewarding and a ton of fun collaborating with talented professional engineer peers from around the state to “get things done” towards the NSPE / KSPE Missions, Goals and Strategic Plans.  It’s an on-going joy ride for the good of our great society here in Kansas, and at NSPE.  Individually it’s difficult for any one person to make a large impact, but by working together we accomplish great things and have fun at the same time.  I saw that over and over again through our Chapters, Committees, Executive Committee and Board of Directors. 

We are set up for another excellent year in 2010-2011 with a committed and talented KSPE Board of Directors, led by Brian Armstrong.  Please let Brian and all the chapter and state leaders know they have your support as grassroots members, this will allow them to lead with confidence.  Please also let them know if you have any questions or comments regarding our organization.

Get involved!  Networking with peers by volunteering for activities, serving on committees or boards, or just attending local chapter meetings is one of your greatest member benefits, and in my experience will benefit you exponentially throughout your career.

A huge thank you goes out to Gaches Braden & Associates!  In my humble opinion, the services that Ron, Amy, Brandy, Christina, Judy, Staff and Partnership provide are second to none, in Kansas or anywhere.  Ron is a leader in the NSPE State Society Executive Council because of his passion for our Society and his proven leadership abilities.

KSPE’s presence (represented by GBA) in the Kansas Statehouse is top notch as well.  Ron provides us full access to our state legislature as evidenced by our outstanding chapter legislative events last fall, the successes of our Government Affairs Committee this year, and the heavy state leadership presence at our Annual Conference (including Governor Mark Parkinson).  We really appreciate and are fortunate to benefit from the services provided by Gaches Braden & Associates.  Thanks Ron and GBA!

Last, but definitely not least, please take the time to talk with your non-member PE peers about the benefits of KSPE / NSPE membership and convince them to join. We have great member services in KSPE and to keep them we need to grow membership or raise dues.  I vote to grow membership, not only to keep the dues down, but because it’s the right thing to do for PEs and licensure.

Thanks again for allowing me to serve and have a great remainder of the summer and fall!
 

To Top of Page

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

Summer: Is it Over Already?

by Ron Gaches, J.D.

For reasons I don’t understand, summers seem to fly by.  No sooner than the kids get out of class than we’re celebrating July 4 and suddenly they are getting ready to return to school.  Along the way we squeeze in the KSPE Annual Conference and NSPE Annual Conference.  Notwithstanding the whirlwind pace of the season, here are a few reasons to slow down, pause for a moment, and proceed in a more deliberate pace.  Consider for a moment:

The BP catastrophe in the Gulf Coast reminds us of the importance of licensure of Professional Engineers and the important difference between serving the public and serving an employer.  Someone with technical expertise should have had felt the professional responsibility to tell the responsible parties that cutting corners and pushing the well to production was not going to happen.  I do not accept that occasional accidents of this magnitude are acceptable or just the cost of doing business.  This is an unacceptable outcome and should result in a dramatic rethinking of who we have making key decisions in deep water mining.  I’d like to think that a Professional Engineer would have confronted the person or persons making bad decisions and said “we’re not going to make that choice.”

The 2010 election cycle is upon us and your vote is critically important.  Actually, your vote is just the beginning.  You really need to get your hands busy this election cycle and volunteer on behalf of a candidate of your choosing.  We published the list of candidates who supported the Transportation Plan and funding package in the last issue of the KPE newsletter.  Your KSPE Political Action Committee Board met in late June and voted to endorse the following candidates, each of whom has an opponent in the primary:
            Senator Terrie Huntington – Fairway (running to complete the senate term)
            Representative Gail Finney - Wichita
            Representative Don Hill - Emporia
            Representative Sheryl Spalding - Overland Park
            Representative Vern Swanson – Clay Center
            Representative Jill Quigley - Lenexa
            Representative Bill Otto - Leroy
            Representative Tom Moxley – Council Grove
            Representative Charlie Roth - Salina
            Representative Jo Ann Pottorff - Wichita
            Representative Don Hineman - Dighton
            Representative Gary Hayzlett – Lakin
            Brenda McCants – Goodland (running against incumbent Representative Jim Morrison)
            Stephen Alford – Ulysses (running for an open Representative seat)

These candidates warrant your support and consideration.  REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION TUESDAY, AUGUST 3^RD.  The KSPE PAC Board will meet again after the primary to finalize their endorsements for the general election.

The National Society of Professional Engineers Annual Conference will consider this weekend the proposal from the Continuity Task Force to amend the National Society’s By-Laws to allow state societies to create “state-only” membership categories.  KSPE took this action in January of 2009 and now has about 50 state-only Associate Members.  Without this action, KSPE membership would be down about 8% from a year ago.  The Associate Member initiative has stabilized our membership by offering new members a lower cost option to participate in state and chapter society activities (but without the benefit of NSPE services and programs).  It is our hope the NSPE By-Laws changes will be approved and we and the other state societies with similar programs will be allowed to continue this valuable option.

The summer season is passing quickly.  Your new KSPE President Brian Armstrong and I encourage each of you to let us know how we can improve KSPE and our chapters to meet and exceed your expectations.  Your state and chapter leadership is committed to offering you the programs and services essential to your professional success.  Please continue to make recommendations about how we can improve our work for you.

To Top of Page

Installation of officers at KSPE annual conference
Congratulations to our new Officers! The Officer installation ceremony was held Thursday, June 17th at KSPE's Annual Conference in Topeka.

KSPE Officers for the 2010-2011 Membership Year

President – Brian Armstrong, P.E. (Topeka)

President Elect – Glenn Knak, P.E. (Smoky Valley)

1st Vice President – Keith D. Beatty, P.E. (Tri-Valley)

2nd Vice President – Ken Lee, P.E. (Wichita)
Secretary – Stacey Lamer, P.E. (Topeka)

Treasurer – Mark Williams, P.E. (Eastern)

Past President – Douglas Danaher, P.E. (Eastern)

NSPE President-Elect Michael Hardy, P.E. prepares to install KSPE Officers.

KSPE Officers Take Oath

Left to right (Doug Danaher, Stacey Lamer, Ken Lee, Keith Beatty, Glen Knak, and Brian Armstrong)    

Outgoing KSPE President Doug Danaher (right), hands over the
KSPE gavel to incoming President Brian Armstrong.

KSPE Executive Director Ron Gaches (left) presents outgoing KSPE President Doug Danaher
with a thank you gift for his presidential service.

Following the Installation of Officers, KSPE President Brian Armstrong delivers his first address to Conference attendees.

Thank you to our current and newly elected Officers! We appreciate your dedication and hard work to promote the engineering profession.

To Top of Page
 

Highlights of the 2010 KSPE Annual conference

The 2010 KSPE Annual Conference was a great success! The event, held June 16-18, 2010 in Topeka, had nearly 150 in attendance. KSPE members enjoyed an exciting round of golf, had a blast at evening receptions, and had the opportunity to listen to dynamic speakers such as: Governor Mark Parkinson, Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten, and Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt. Check out the pictures below for highlights from the 2010 KSPE Annual Conference.

GOLF TOURNAMENT, SHAWNEE COUNTRY CLUB
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16TH

Below: From driving golf carts to photo opportunities and practicing their game,
KSPE members enjoyed their time on the course with friends.

ICEBREAKER AND GOLF AWARDS, SHAWNEE COUNTRY CLUB
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16TH
 

Below: No sense in letting the rain ruin our fun! After a torrential downpour ensued in the late afternoon, golfers came inside the country club
to enjoy the Icebreaker Reception! The Icebreaker Reception included a barbeque dinner, drinks, an informative legislative update from
KSPE Executive Director Ron Gaches, and the presentation of golf awards and prizes.

Congratulations to our golf winners:

Closest to the Pin #13:  Nathan Hamm

Closest to the Pin #5:  Doug Danaher

Longest Drive #14:  Jason Duncan

Longest Drive #8:  Eric Glover

1st Place, 1st Flight:  Phil Richie, Jason Duncan, Kevin Holland, and Ed Sexe

2nd Place, 1st Flight:  Sid Arpin, Mike Lackey, Tom Roberts, and Matt Casey

3rd Place, 1st Flight:  Brian Armstrong, Scott Heidner, Cory Schoffelman, and Jeff Hunt

1st Place, 2nd Flight:  Mike Selm, Wade Heim, Brian Spano, and Amy Martens

2nd Place, 2nd Flight:  Kevin Beck, Jeff Lolley, Brian Austin, and Travis Stryker

3rd Place, 2nd Flight:  Wayne Nelson, Doug Danaher, Justin Owens, and Ron Gaches

1st Place, 3rd Flight:  Clarence Munsch, Adam Stodola, Todd Black, and Mark Williams

2nd Place, 3rd Flight:  Ryan McCullough, Trevor Wooten, Trevor Tast, and Brian Peltier

3rd Place, 3rd Flight:  Patrick Baer, Tyler Voth, Trevor Kurth, Tim Aziere

KSPE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

CAPITOL PLAZA HOTEL, OVERLAND PARK
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, JUNE 17TH-18TH

Thank you to our great line up of speakers for making this Conference an educational and informative success!
Conference attendees heard from very influential political leaders including: Governor Mark Parkinson, Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten,
and Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt!

Above: Keynote speaker Governor Mark Parkinson addresses Conference attendees.

Above: Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten welcomed attendees to the Conference on Thursday morning.

Above: Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt spoke to the group on how to become an influential constituent.

    
Above: Speakers for the Young Engineers Roundtable engaged the audience on such topics as: career development and leadership,
conflict resolution in the workplace and personal finance for young engineers.

Above: KSPE Past President Tom Roberts, P.E., Assistant Dean, Recruitment & Leadership Development,
College of Engineering, KSU, delivered a session on The Citizen Engineer.

Above: Members of the Higher Ed Panel Discussion speak with conference attendees. Pictured (left) Stuart Bell, Dean,
KU School of Engineering, and Jill Docking, Chair, Kansas Board of Regents.

NSPE President-Elect Michael Hardy, P.E. gave an overview of the NSPE Code of Ethics and how to use it.

Doug Sterbenz, P.E., Executive Vice President & COO of Westar Energy spoke on
NFL-Non-negotiable for leaders in a leadership and management session on Thursday.

KSPE President Brian Armstrong (right) presented former Second Vice President Ed Sexe with a Minnesota Twins Jersey on Thursday
evening at the President's Reception. After several years of service and a dedication to the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers, Ed has decided to
move to Minnesota to pursue other ventures. Thank you to Ed for his service and best wishes in your endeavors!

Thank you to all of those that attended the Conference and made it such a memorable success! We hope to see you all at next year's Conference, June 22-24 in Wichita!

To Top of Page

Congratulations to KSPE Award Winners

KSPE would like to congratulate the following award recipients who were recognized at the KSPE Awards Luncheon at the Annual Conference on Thursday, June 17th in Topeka.

NSPE President-Elect Michael Hardy (left) presents KSPE Past President Tom Roberts (Kansas State University)
with the NSPE Fellow award. Tom has demonstrated professional service at the chapter, state, and
national levels, and has also showed exemplary service to the engineering
profession, the Society, and the community.

Larry Stoss (far right: Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation) and Brian Armstrong (Bartlett & West Engineers) presented Elizabeth Hendrix
(far left: Morse Elementary School in the Blue Valley School District) with the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. The Outstanding
Teacher of the Year award is presented to an individual that goes beyond the regular classroom curriculum and challenges and expands
the students' exposure to math and/or science.

Kiel Johnson (left: GBA) was awarded the Outstanding Intern Engineer Award. This award is given to an engineer that has passed the Fundamentals
of Engineering exam, but is not yet a registered professional engineer. Kiel is currently the Eastern Chapter chair for the Young Engineer’s Committee
and has done an outstanding job recruiting young engineers and new members to the chapter. He regularly attends monthly chapter meetings,
volunteers his time to help with MATHCOUNTS and served as a Future Cities mentor for the past three years.

Sean Miller (right: MKEC Engineering Consultants, Inc.) accepts the Outstanding Young  Engineer Award from Brian Armstrong. The Outstanding
Young Engineer Award is given to a KSPE member who is a registered professional engineer 35 years of age or younger as of the award year. 
Criteria considered in the selection are: engineering achievements, professional society activities, technical
society/activities, professional experience and educational and collegiate achievements.

TranSystems was awarded the Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award for the Wichita Central Corridor Railroad Grade Separation project.
The project demonstrates the value of looking beyond basic engineering design and construction issues, and incorporating financial responsibility, environmental
responsibility, railroad requirements, local business needs, aesthetics, convenience to the motoring public, and safety into the design. It also demonstrates the
effectiveness of partnering with all the stakeholders and using creative contracting mechanisms to accomplish the project goals.

Rick Worrel (right: Affinis Corp), accepted the Professional Development Award from Brian Armstrong on behalf of Affinis Corp (Eastern Chapter).
Affinis provides challenging work while providing a fun work environment. Affinis encourages its Engineers to be active members in professional
and technical organizations outside the office. Internally, Affinis also provides in-house training through “Affinis University” to develop technical and
professional skills of its engineering staff. Affinis was recognized in 2007 and 2008 by CE News as a “Best Firm to work for in Civil Engineering.”

Glenn Knak (right: Bucher, Willis and Ratliff Corporation) accepts the KSPE Award from Brian Armstrong. The award is given to
those members of the Society that demonstrate exemplary service to the profession, service to the community for the benefit of humankind, as well
as many other standards of excellence.

Stephanie Hale (right: HNTB Corporation) accepts the Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award. The award is given to a registered professional
engineer, who is recognized by his or her peers to be a highly qualified engineer with a high level of integrity.

Not pictured:
Alan Schmidt (Northeast Magnet High School, Wichita Public Schools) Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year.
Carl Brewer, (Mayor for the City of Wichita) Outstanding Citizen Award.

Thank you to the KSPE Awards Committee members for their hard work and dedication! Committee members include: Larry Stoss, Brian Scovill, Larry Schieferecke, Jeff Shamburg, Richard Pikul,
Steve Cottrell, Clark Rusco, Sid Arpin, and Jeff Lackey.

Congratulations to all of our award winners!

To Top of Page

annual conference sponsor and vendor recognition

The 2010 KSPE Annual Conference was a wonderful success, due in large part to the significant financial contributions of our Conference sponsors and vendors. We appreciate the commitment that was demonstrated to our Society, and anticipate another great Conference next year in Wichita, June 22-24, 2011. Thank you to the following for their support!

Sponsors

Icebreaker Reception Sponsor

ACEC Business & Professional
Liability Insurance

President’s Reception Sponsor

Bartlett & West

Gold Sponsors

Bartlett & West

BWR

HNTB Corporation

MKEC

Poe & Associates, Inc.

Ruggles & Bohm PA

Terracon

Wilson & Company

Silver Sponsors

Baughman Company

Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company

GBA

Heavy Constructors Association

Kaw Valley Engineering

Kirkham Michael & Associates, Inc.

Professional Engineering
Consultants, P.A.

TranSystems

Bronze Sponsors

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS)

Aquaterra Environmental
Solutions, Inc.

Cook, Flatt & Strobel

Cretex Concrete Products

Donald D. Taylor, P.E.

East Jordan Iron Works, Inc.

Kansas State University

LC Engineers, P.A.

MJ Harden, a Geo Eye Company

Mo/KS Chapter, American Concrete Pavement Association

Oldcastle -Vanguard Division

Schwab-Eaton, P.A.

University of Kansas
School of Engineering

In-Kind Sponsor

Nowak Construction Co, Inc.

Vendors

ACEC Business & Professional
Liability Insurance

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS)

Contech Construction Products

East Jordan Iron Works, Inc.

Geotechnical Services, Inc.

Kansas State University

MJ Harden, a Geo Eye Company

MO/KS Concrete Pipe Association

Terracon

University of Kansas School of Engineering

To Top of Page

Nearly 160 Attend PE Exam Lunch Sponsored By KSPE

by Stacey Lamer, P.E.

KSPE sponsored the PE Exam Luncheon and provided nearly 160 examinees with a free brownbag lunch on April 16, 2010 in Topeka. A big thank you goes out to our KSPE volunteers for helping with the event! Click Here for pictures and additional details on the event.

To Top of Page

National MATHCOUNTS Competition

by Amy Houghton, P.E.

National Math Competition

Salina, KS, May 24, 2010 — Of the 224 competitors who advanced to the 2010 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition, Mark Sellke of West Lafayette, Ind., emerged as winner and champion and Shyam Narayanan of Overland Park, Kans. received second place, in the final round of the competition.  As winners of this year's event, Sellke will receive a Donald G. Weinert Scholarship for $8,000 and Narayanan will receive a $6,000 Scholarship.  The winner of the team competition was from the State of California.  The Kansas Team, coached by Teri Adams of Lakewood Middle School in Overland Park, KS, received 11^th out of 56 teams in the team competition. 

MATHCOUNTS, a non-profit mathematics educational foundation (www.mathcounts.org), today announced that Raytheon Company will continue as title sponsor of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition through 2014. The official announcement was made at the competition awards ceremony in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Saturday, May 8, 2010.

"With the generous extension of Raytheon's commitment as title sponsor of the national competition, MATHCOUNTS will be able to continue providing students with the tools they need for a foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers at a critical time in their education," says Lou DiGioia, executive director of MATHCOUNTS.  "It is truly remarkable to us to see Raytheon and other corporations invest in what MATHCOUNTS is doing. Not only does it show they support MATHCOUNTS programs, but it also shows that they are interested in the success of the students who take part in our programs. With Raytheon's help, we are looking forward to future national competitions and celebrating the achievements of our dedicated and talented Mathletes®."

"Raytheon looks forward to continuing to partner with MATHCOUNTS to inspire middle school students across the United States to develop and sustain an interest in math as they prepare to pursue exciting careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the years to come," said Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson, who is honorary chairman of MATHCOUNTS.

About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is America's only nationwide enrichment, club, and competition program that motivates and rewards middle school students for math achievement. More than 7000 schools participate in MATHCOUNTS Programs annually from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Department of Defense and State Department schools worldwide. MATHCOUNTS currently distributes free resources to over 48,000 middle schools.

About Raytheon
Raytheon has partnered with MATHCOUNTS to increase middle school mathematics achievement for the past 15 years, and the company has provided significant financial contributions to help middle school students become creative problem solvers and develop the skills needed to become the math and science leaders of the future.

Additional information on MATHCOUNTS is available at www.mathcounts.org.  For information regarding the Kansas competition, contact Amy R. Houghton, Kansas MATHCOUNTS coordinator, at ahoughton@bwrcorp.com.

To Top of Page

Welcome new members!

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

To Top of Page
 

Mark your calendar!

To Top of Page