Supporting members in the ethical and professional practice of engineering, preserving the health, safety and welfare of the public while promoting the growth and development of the profession.
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For over 50 years, the Model Bridge Building Competition has helped cultivate future Engineers! The top high school winners from each region in the state competition win college scholarships and are eligible to advance to the International Contest.
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NSPE CO was organized as a member state of the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1949.
Originally known as the Professional Engineers of Colorado (PEC), we became NSPE-CO in 2009.
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| Late December – Early January | Regional Competition Judge: City Essay – no more than 1500 words |
5-10 hours (virtual) |
| Using a provided rubric, you will evaluate 1,500-word essays that describe teams' future cities as well as their solutions to this year's challenge. | ||
| Early January | Regional Competition Judge: Project Plan – 4 Parts |
1-5 hours (virtual) |
| There is no rubric for the Project Plan – you score on a rating of 0 to 10. | ||
| Saturday 21st, January 2023 - Colorado School of Mines | Regional Competition Judge: Model and City Presentation/Q&A - Teams present a 7-minute talk about their future city and their solution to the challenge. |
In person - 8 am check in. |
| Using provided rubrics, you can evaluate the students' scale model of their city, and their oral presentation/Q&A about their city and solutions to this year's challenge. | ||
| Saturday 21st, January 2023 - Colorado School of Mines | Volunteers are needed to check people in, aid as room monitors and timers, and monitor the teams. | All day. |
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The 2022 Bridge Building Competition Results
Nearly 120 bridges were submitted and tested.
The top three finishers in each of Colorado's two regions:
| 1st Place | Dirk Patton - Ponderosa High School Efficiency = 3,284 |
Colton Osburne - Rampart High School Efficiency = 2,730 |
| 2nd Place | Clara Griffith - Ponderosa High School Efficiency = 2,458 |
Rosa Richards - Canon City High School Efficiency = 2,300 |
| 3rd Place | Jaxson Pagano - Ponderosa High School Efficiency = 2,456 |
Hezekia Kies - Canon City High School Efficiency = 2,085 |
Winners in each region receive a $500 check and a $1500 scholarship for enrollment at an accredited college or university. The Region I prize is provided by the NSPE-CO Education Foundation. The Region II prize is provided by ACEC Colorado's Foundation.
Get more information on the Competition here. Watch a recording of the competition here.
Due to Covid-19 concerns, MathCounts is functioning is a hybrid competition format for the 2022 competitions, as follows:
The Chapter Competition was conducted on-line on February 17, 2022 and the State Competition in person on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the University of Denver.
All participants, coaches, parents, and volunteers for the State Competition must be pre-registered to attend and follow University of Denver Covid-19 protocols in place at the time. The current protocols require attendees to provide proof of covid vaccine or negative covid test.
The National Competition was in person May 7 to May 9, 2022 in Washington D.C.
NSPE-CO Ethics Presentation:
Implicit Bias: Definition, Examples and Best Practices
Thank you to everyone that participated in this program, and thanks to Professor Eli Wald who presented.
What is implicit bias? How does it impact our decision making and conduct? What can and should engineers do about it? In this presentation, Professor. Eli Wald from the University of Denver offered a definition, provided examples drawn from the day-to-day experiences of engineers, and discussed best practices. T
Eli Wald is the Charles W. Delaney Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. A legal ethics and legal profession scholar, Wald has written on topics such as increased lawyer mobility, conflict of interests and attorney disqualification, lawyers' fiduciary duties to clients, the nationalization and globalization of law practice, the challenges facing lawyers representing clients in the emerging marijuana industry and, most recently, in-house lawyers. Professor Wald is a co-author of a leading casebook on the law governing lawyers. His work has appeared in leading journals such as the Fordham, Stanford, University of Colorado and Wisconsin law reviews, and the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. Wald’s articles have been cited in ABA ethics opinions and excerpted in legal ethics casebooks.
Our thoughts and best wishes go out to everyone impacted by the fires that ravaged Louisville, Superior and other nearby communities.
One of the best ways to help now is financial support. Here are several links to donate to assistance programs:
NSPE-CO Past State President and current House of Delegates delegate Ben Railsback. P.E., F-NSPE has been elected Regional Director of the NSPE Southwest Region. The Southwest Region includes Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas. Ben was one of three candidates for the position. As Director, Ben will serve a two year term (2021-23) on the NSPE national Board of Directors and will convene Southwest Region meetings. Congratulations Ben!
The NSPE-CO Awards honor excellence in Engineering in Colorado, as well as educators and students. Due to the pandemic, the awards have been [postponed until 2022. Stay tuned for information on the NSPE-CO Awards!
Two bills under consideration this legislative session threaten the licensure of Professional Engineers in Colorado (as well as other licensed professions). NSPE-CO has been monitoring these bills and working to defeat them. Licensure of professional engineers is critical to protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public. The practice of engineering is not a right but is a privilege granted only to those who hold the proper qualifications. Licensing boards and governing jurisdictions are necessary to regulate the profession. BOTH BILLS LOST IN COMMITTEE DURING THE LAST FULL WEEK OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
SB18-193 Limit State Agency Occupational Regulations was called The Right To Earn A Living Act. The bill would prohibit state agencies from imposing a personal qualification requirement in order to engage in a profession or occupation unless the agency can show that the requirement is demonstrably necessary and narrowly tailored to address a specific, legitimate public health, safety, or welfare objective. The bill would have required that prior to July 1, 2019 all state agencies review the regulations promulgated or administered by that agency and that any regulation not meeting the specific criteria in the bill be repealed. SB18-193 passed the Senate, but lost in committee in the House on Wednesday May 2nd. You can read the text of SB18-193 here.
SB18-236, Least Restrictive Regulation Professions and Occupations has many similarities to SB18-193, though it generally does not address health safety and welfare of the public (except for the cleanliness of facilities). The bill requires the department to find present, significant, and substantiated harm to consumers before recommending regulation. The bill further requires the department to recommend only the least restrictive regulation necessary to address the harm. Licensing is only allowed after other least-restrictive options including market competition, third party and consumer generated reviews, private certification and bonding.
This legislation requires the Department of Regulatory Agencies to presume that consumers are sufficiently protected by market competition and private remedies, and to create occupational regulations only where the department finds credible evidence of a present, significant, and substantiated harm to consumers. This represents a fundamental shift from the current system of licensure which has long protected the citizens of Colorado. Read the text of SB18-236 here.
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Michael E. Aitken, P.E., F.NSPE served as the 2018–2019 President of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). He is the first Colorado Professional Engineer to lead the national society. He completed service on the national board as Immediate Past President in July 2020. We thank him for his service!
He is a mechanical engineer with more than 25 years’ experience in the fields of engineering, project management, property condition inspections and expert witness testimony. He is currently the Vice President of MEA Consulting Engineers which he founded with his wife in April 2000.
Long active in both the National Society of Professional Engineers and its state affiliate, NSPE-Colorado, Mr. Aitken he has been president of NSPE-Colorado and a member of NSPE’s Board of Directors, House of Delegates, Budget & Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and PE Conference Task Force. In 2016 he was named a NSPE Fellow.
Mr. Aitken received his BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the Metropolitan State College in Denver and is registered as a Professional Engineer in 28 states. He has also attained LEED® AP O+M certification, the recognized standard for design sustainability. Michael is a Certified Commissioning Authority through the AABC Commissioning Group.
Mr. Aitken volunteers as a coach and mentor with FIRST Robotics and the FIRST Lego League to encourage elementary, middle and high school student to pursue a career in engineering. He also mentors college students and young engineers on the value of engineering licensure and the importance of giving back to their profession. Aiken was recognized at the 2018 NSPE-CO Awards with "the Gene Burdick Award."
NSPE-CO Education Foundation
The NSPE-CO Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
Organization, supporting engineering and scientific
educational activities of the National Society of
Professional Engineers—Colorado, including Bridge
Building for high school students, MATHCOUNTS
for junior high school students, and other
educational programs and scholarships.
Congratulations to the participants in the High School Bridge Building Contest!
About Bridge Building:
The annual Model Bridge Building Contest is a statewide program aimed at providing interaction and communication among practicing engineers, high school students, and other professionals. Its underlying objectives are to enhance the appeal of engineering careers to high school students, begin establishing their relationships with the professional community, and improve the prospects that such careers will be mutually beneficial to both society and the individual.
The top winners from each region in the state competition are eligible to advance to the International Contest. A student from Parker, Colorado took first place in the International competition and received a four year scholarship to the Illinois Institute of Technology!
Click here for the Bridge Building main page.
First Place Prizes of a $2,000 scholarship for the winning student who enrolls in an accredited Engineering program, courtesy of ACEC-Colorado and the National Society of Professional Engineers- Colorado Education Foundation.
