NSPE-CO Pikes Peak Chapter Dinner Program Forensic Engineering-  Behind the Scenes of Accident Reconstruction   Thursday, April 11th, NSPE-CO Pikes Peak Chapter presents Dr. Robert Butler, P.E., discussing the specialized topic of Forensic Engineering where the laws of physics and Engineering are applied to accident reconstruction.    Dr. Butler is a Principal and Director of Automotive for Engineering Systems, Inc (ESi). He was a career officer with the U.S. Air Force, and taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy.  The location is Mollica's Italian Market at 985 Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs.  5pm social time followed by Italian Buffet dinner at 5:30pm. Cost is $15.      RSVP to:  PPC-NSPE@comcast.net.   Click here for an event flier.   Central Chapter Dinner Program - Thursday, April 25th Join NSPE-CO Central Chapter on Thursday, April 25th for a special dinner program.  Sade Oba and Alfredo Muniz will be presenting on their journey to found XEED, a small startup developing a network of wearables that track the limb movements of Parkinson's disease patients.  This dinner is at the Hilton Garden Inn, 600 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80246.  Free parking in the underground garage.  Click for directions and MAP.   Social Hour with cash bar from 6-7pm, with dinner at 7 and program following dinner.  Dinner is $40, with a special discounted $5 ticket for students.  Click here to RSVP.   Sade Oba and Alfredo Muniz will be presenting on their journey to found XEED, a small startup developing a network of wearables that track the limb movements of Parkinson's disease patients. The talk will begin from their time as students at the University of Pennsylvania and follow them along the roller coaster ride that is prototyping, product validation, and seeking funding to push a fledgling idea forward - all while finishing a masters degree! They will cover events of the past three years, including clinical trials, government contracting, and their latest decision to relocate from Philadelphia to Boulder. The pair love answering questions almost as much as they like asking them, so feel free to come pick their brains as they detail the good, the bad, and the unexpected about running your own company.   About our presenters: Sade Oba (co-founder and CEO of XEED) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 with a B.S.E in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S.E in Robotics. Her passions include exploring the integration of mechatronics and product design in order to better consumer electronic devices on the market. Oba hopes to transform the dreams and desires of others into products that feel "right" for the end user and make sense in everyday life. During her time at Walt Disney Imagineering, Oba shaped designs and prototyped mechanical systems for the next generation of animatronic figures to be featured in Shanghai Disneyland & The World of Avatar. Oba has also worked for Intel's New Devices Group where she designed breakthrough product concepts, robot-based corporate demos, and biosensing wearable devices.    Alfredo Muniz (co-founder and CTO of XEED) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 with a B.S.E in Electrical Engineering and an M.S.E in Robotics. During his time at the University of Pennsylvania, Muniz founded the Wireless Club to bring SDR experimentation to traditional amateur radio activities. As club President, he contributed to the free and open-source GNU Radio project by writing Guided Tutorials that lower the barrier to entry for beginners. At PCH International Lime Lab, Muniz was responsible for the electrical and firmware design of many products ranging from the Amazon Fire TV Stick to high-accuracy, automated, beauty product dispensers for L'Oreal.     Take the 2019 Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest Challenge! Download the full contest flyer (PDF) All current NSPE individual members through their NSPE state societies and NSPE chapters (including student chapters) are invited to participate in the 2019 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest.   This year the winning entry will receive an award of $2,000 to the author provided by NSPE, a certificate, and recognition in PE magazine. How to Participate NSPE's Board of Ethical Review is furnishing you with two different fact situations to choose from regarding the ethics of engineers, or you can submit your own case! Please choose either of the two situations (or use your own case) and develop an essay, video, photo essay, poster, or PowerPoint presentation, which could include embedded videos/sound, etc., to demonstrate your understanding of the facts and the NSPE Code of Ethics. Contestants are asked to read the facts of the case, then develop a discussion and conclusion to respond to the included question(s). Contestants should also provide references, citing specific sections of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers. A copy of the NSPE Code is attached for your reference. Contestants may also want to check the NSPE Board of Ethical Review's website for additional cases decided by the BER. Contest Rules All entries must be received by Monday, April 15, 2019. E-mail or mail entries to: 2019 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest NSPE Legal Department 1420 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 E-mail: legal@nspe.org The contest is named for NSPE's former general counsel, who played a key role in the founding of the NSPE Board of Ethical Review.

The NSPE-CO Awards - Celebrating Excellence In Engineering

Thank you to everyone that joined us to celebrate excellence in the Colorado Engineering community.  

The 2018 Honorees are:

High School Educator of the Year:  Lindsay Fox of Erie High School

University Educator of the Year:  Dr. P.K. Sen of Colorado School of Mines

Student of the Year:  John Massale, P.E., Masters student at Colorado School of Mines

Young Engineer of the Year:  Ricky Nguyen, P.E. 

Project Manager of the Year:  Jeff Sickles, P.E.

Woman Engineer of the Year:  Margaret Brown, P.E.

Manager of the Year:  Stanley Stoll, P.E.

Project of the Year:  Canvas Stadium at Colorado State University (Martin/Martin Inc.)

The Gene Burdick Leadership Award:  Michael Aitken, P.E., F.NSPE

 CLICK HERE FOR THE AWARDS PAGE for more information.

Our thanks to Platinum Sponsor Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers for their support of the NSPE-CO Awards. 

Thank you also to Silver Sponsors:

and our Bronze Sponsors:

Critical Guidance Engineering

The Law Office of James Nelson

NSPE-CO Central Chapter

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available, contact the state office at (303) 480-1160 for more details.  

 Awards will be presented Thursday October 25, 2018.   CLICK HERE FOR THE AWARDS PAGE for more information

Threats to Licensure

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.

Colorado's Michael Aitken, P.E, F.NSPE is NSPE National President

Michael E. Aitken, P.E., F.NSPE is 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 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.

NSPE-CO Education Foundation 2018 Golf Tournament

Thank you to everyone that participated in the 2018 Education Foundation Golf Tournament.  Special thanks to Balu Bhayani who has coordinated the tournament for many years.  Thank you for your many years of work Balu!

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.

Bridge Building celebrates 51 Years!

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.

Second prize awards of $250 in each region courtesy of American Public Works Association -  Colorado Chapter

The City of Evans is seeking a dynamic City Engineer to serve as a member of a collaborative team to pave the way for future success. The City Engineer will lead a team of professional staff and ensuring high quality design, construction, and functionality of City infrastructure; collaborate with community development and public works staff to ensure effective and efficient, customer–centered service; and represent Evans in regional infrastructure planning forums.

The hiring range for the City Engineer is $99,800 - $123,200 annually and will be commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications and match the desired attributes sought by the City. The City also offers a highly competitive benefits package. Further details on compensation and benefits may be obtained on the city’s website.

Get more details on the position and how to apply.