Introducing the FEYA Top Ten Finalists
NSPE is pleased to announce the 10 finalists for the 2021 Federal Engineer of the Year Award, honoring engineers employed by a federal agency with at least 50 engineers worldwide.
Instead of the traditional awards banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., this year’s ceremony will be a virtual awards event. FEYA winners will appear in a prerecorded launch of an awards video during the last week of February.
Congratulations to the finalists!
CDR Roberto Miguel Alvarado, P.E. US Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Ian Grant, P.E. Tennessee Valley Authority
Joshua I. Henson, P.E. US Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Steven M. Loken, P.E. US Department of the Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command
Silas C. Nichols, P.E. US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
MAJ Monica Y. Pickenpaugh, Ph.D., P.E. US Department of the Air Force, US Forces Korea
Jerzy W. Salamon, Ph.D., P.E. US Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
MAJ Joel E. Trejo, P.E. US Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command
Scott Turygan, P.E. US Department of the Army, US Army Europe
CDR Matthew J. Walker, P.E. US Department of Homeland Security, US Coast Guard
Learn more about the Federal Engineer of the Year Award and watch the awards video.
Licensing Reform Must Prioritize Public Safety, Says NSPE President
NSPE President Tricia Hatley has once again made the case for keeping public health, welfare, and safety at the forefront of efforts to reform occupational licensure and increase mobility.
In a recent column directed to state and local government leaders, Hatley warns of the risks of implementing one-size-fits-all universal licensure proposals that do not maintain necessary education and experience standards.
Most people agree professionals should be allowed to move across state lines and earn a living with the least cost and hassle possible. Likewise, most people want to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare by ensuring they are being served by qualified professionals who have the knowledge, skills and experience for the job. This is especially true in highly technical, high-impact professions that the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing represents like certified public accountants, architects, engineers, surveyors and landscape architects.
Here comes the rub: many of the universal licensing proposals being pitched to state lawmakers, including those put forth by the American Legislative Exchange Council and in Arizona, tend to focus exclusively on the first point—improving mobility—while disregarding the second—ensuring standards necessary to protect the public.
In other words, universal licensing mandates don’t consider the critical importance of substantially equivalent requirements between states. Instead, they dictate that states must accept a license issued by any state without regard for, understanding of, or any input in, the underlying minimum competency requirements behind the license.
New Report: Valuing Professional Licensing
For years, professional associations and regulatory boards lacked hard data that demonstrated the value of licensing. In 2020, the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) sought to fill that information gap by commissioning Oxford Economics to help better understand the nuanced impacts of licensing on professions and trade and vocational occupations. NSPE is a founding member of ARPL.
The report Valuing Professional Licensing in the United States, includes several key findings:
- Across all professions and occupations, licensing is associated with a 6.5% average increase in hourly earnings, even after accounting for the job holder’s educational attainment, gender, and racial demographics.
- Among professionals in technical fields requiring significant education and training, a license narrows the gender-driven wage gap by about one third and the race-driven wage gap by about half.
- Those in trade and vocational occupations can expect a 7.1% hourly wage increase after becoming licensed, while those in a profession requiring advanced education and training can expect a 3.6% wage increase after becoming licensed.
ARPL will host a live webinar on February 24, 2021 (3:00 p.m. eastern standard time) to review findings and conclusions of the report and share new strategies for lawmaker outreach. Register now.
PEs Can Strengthen Autonomous Vehicle Safety
NSPE is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to rely on the expertise of professional engineers and follow recommendations in the Society’s Autonomous Vehicle Policy Guide as part of the federal safety frame work for automated driving systems.
In recent public comments, NSPE President Tricia Hatley informed the agency that NSPE is committed to creating a world where the public can be confident that engineering decisions affecting their lives are made by qualified and ethically accountable professionals. NSPE Position Statement No. 03-1772 states that the testing and deployment of AVs must include a professional engineer. The rationale for the position is rooted in a professional engineer’s ethical obligation to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.
The Society also recommends that the NHTSA implement a third-party verification process. A third-party verification process should establish that the ADS technology under review meets a minimal level of safety, as determined by an assessment of risk. This can be done through the submittal of risk assessments audited by a professional engineer who is in responsible charge of the third-party verification process.
Society Leadership on the Rise
NSPE’s Emerging Leaders Program has brought together 20 diverse individuals from around the country for a unique seven-month experience for early-career professionals who are just beginning to take on leadership roles. The program began August 2020 and will conclude this month. The application process for the 2021 Emerging Leaders Program will open in March.
Meet the Emerging Leaders
- Jared Alexander, E.I., Akron, OH
- Jonathon Bossi, P.E., Plantsville, CT
- Bailey Diacon, E.I.T., Chesterfield, MO
- Oren Gall, P.E., University Park, PA
- Skyler Helffrich, P.E., Jackson, WY
- Anali Martinez Gonzalez, E.I.T., Austin, TX
- Steven Jeter, P.E., Queens, NY
- Jacob Maras, P.E., Sioux Falls, SD
- Richard (Richie) Matson, P.E., Taylorsville, MS
- Michael McIntire, P.E., Manhattan, KS
- Kori McKenzie, E.I.T., Dallas, TX
- Haley Michael, E.I.T., Juneau, AK
- Priya Mistry, P.E., Frisco, TX
- Brian Palmiter Jr., E.I.T., Kingston, PA
- Lauren Pins, P.E., Louisburg, KS
- Shawn Prochaska, E.I.T., Columbus, NE
- James Taylor Jr., P.E., Wilmington, DE
- Marc Vento, P.E., Locust Valley, NY
- Eric Waggoner, E.I., Oklahoma City, OK
- Danielle Yoon, P.E., Grand Rapids, MI
Learn more about these young professionals and their plans for the future.
Engineers Week Webinar: Future of Engineering
Join NSPE leaders Tricia Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE and Rick Guerra, P.E., F.NSPE, as they discuss the future of engineering and how our changing world will impact the profession during a free webinar on Monday, February 22 (1 p.m.-2p.m. eastern standard time). Webinar participants can earn one professional development hour.
Engineers will play a vital role in the development and implementation of emerging technologies and tackling complex issues like sustainability and resiliency. All of these issues, challenges, and opportunities will have an impact on the workforce, licensure system and the specialization of our profession.
Get Involved During Engineers Week 
Engineers Week takes place February 21-27 and is a time to celebrate the important work of engineers and engage the next generation of innovators. Even with social distancing, you can make a difference.
Find out how to engage and participate in virtual events.
Join Your Colleagues for Trivia and Networking!
Do you have all the answers and enjoy some friendly team competition? Would you like to get to know some NSPE members in a casual environment? We’ve got just the event for you!
On Friday, January 26, NSPE is hosting a one-hour trivia event with District Trivia. This will take place via Zoom from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (eastern standard time).
Random team assignments will let you get to know other NSPE members and work together to answer the questions and take on the other teams. The trivia content is engaging for a wide range of ages and interests and includes pop culture, current events, history, science, music, sports, arts, movies, television, and general knowledge.
Check Out the Latest Issue of PE
Rethinking the Recipe for Inspiration 
As the pandemic continues taking a heavy toll, the profession finds new ways of reaching students—from a distance. MATHCOUNTS, DiscoverE, and other STEM outreach programs, are using virtual technology to provide creative initiatives and programs.
Leading for all the Right Reasons In Pennsylvania and other state societies, more women are taking on leadership roles. An enthusiastic passion for professional engineering is something they all share.
Don’t Miss…
- COVID’s Impact on the Designer’s Standard of Care. The professional standard of care is the yardstick by which licensed design professionals’ conduct is measured. This column examines how COVID pandemic has altered the design paradigm.
- The Risks of Weakening Licensure. The NSPE-led Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing has identified five key consequences to weakening licensure.
- And the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Goes to… On February 2, the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering was awarded to LED light innovators for their groundbreaking engineering. Watch the live announcement.
- Coming Soon: The 2021 Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest. NSPE members and chapters can demonstrate their ethics knowledge by participating in the annual Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest. Stay tuned for contest info in the March issue of Update. Check out past winning entries.
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