PE Matters – March 2023

March 2023
In this issue…
VA Chapter and State MATHCOUNTS Events Held in February and March
Save the Date: Cardinal Education Seminar
State Licensing Board Meetings
Governor Signs Licensing Bill to Fill In-Demand Jobs
Does Virginia’s Renewable Future Have Space for Alternative Forms of Gas?
Virginia Tech Experts Weigh-In on Railroad Transportation Safety
NSPE Job Board
TVA Engineer Named 2023 FEYA Winner
WORKability Wednesdays Are Back!
Take the Milton F. Lunch Ethics Challenge!

VA Chapter and State MATHCOUNTS Events Held in February and March

Over 760 students registered this year to compete in our 2023 MATHCOUNTS chapter and state events. The winning Virginia team will head to the national MATHCOUNTS competition, which will be held May 14-15 in Orlando, Florida, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista.

MATHCOUNTS is a national middle school math enrichment program offering competition and club activities designed to foster appreciation of math among US students to prepare students for future career opportunities and success. In our increasingly technological society, those students who do not begin developing strong problem solving, logical thinking, and analytical abilities in middle school will face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a medical, scientific, mathematical, engineering or technical career. More than 6 million students have participated in MATHCOUNTS programs.

Thanks to Our Volunteers and Donors! – A hearty “Thank You!,” goes out to our volunteers who run the chapter and state events, and to coaches and parents who take the extra time and effort to prepare students throughout the year.

We also want to thank our members who donate funds through their dues renewal, as well as donations received from Comcast NBCUniversal, The Association For Manufacturing Technology, the George Mason University Department of Mathematical Sciences, The MITRE Corporation, Fairfax County Public Schools, the Science and Technology Corporation, and the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. Donations can be made to VSPE throughout the year. Access the link for donations here.

VA Chapter and State MATHCOUNTS Events Held in February and March

We are excited to announce that VSPE is partnering with Cardinal Education to hold a seminar at the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel onThursday, June 8. Stay tuned for more event information.

Event Schedule

8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.- Registration
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.-VDOT’s Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT)Lessons Learned & Progress to Date
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.-Methods in a Meaningful Engineering Root Cause Failure Analysis – Gerald O. Davis, P.E., Davis Materials & Mechanical Engineering, Inc.
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.-During this session with Bob Baily (Outcomes Consulting Services), Cardinal Education will host a facilitated discussion designed to:
- Describe the range of capabilities of Cardinal Education to deliver engineering education.
- Identify specific professional development needs and opportunities of VSPE members.
- Explore other collaborative opportunities between Cardinal Education and VSPE.
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.-Buffet lunch (conclusion of conference)

HRBT Tour
Ten (10) seminar registrants will get the opportunity to take a tour of the HRBT from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The selection of tour participants will be determined by the earliest PE license issue date of registrants who can bring their own steel toe boots and meet the following physical requirements: ambulatory and visual acuity to walk without assistance including stairs/steps. VDOT will provide hard hats, goggles, and a safety vest for the tour. There are no exceptions because the site is not ADA accessible.

State Licensing Board Meetings

The Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects will hold its next meetings on Monday, March 27, and Tuesday, May 16. Access more information here.

Governor Signs Licensing Bill to Fill In-Demand Jobs

Governor Glenn Youngkin recently signed into law legislation streamlining and reducing barriers for skilled professionals licensed in other states to enter Virginia’s workforce and fill critical in-demand jobs, according to a news release.

The new measure allows the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to create universal licensing recognition for 85 occupations including multiple personal care occupations, construction related trades such as plumbers and electricians, as well as waterworks operators responsible for the safe supply of municipal drinking water. The legislation, which becomes effective on July 1, will apply to all individual licenses regulated by DPOR except for architects, professional engineers, land surveyors, and landscape architects.

Under the new measure, DPOR licensing boards will recognize out-of-state licenses for people: 1) who have held an equivalent license in another state for at least three years, 2) are in good standing in all states where they were licensed, 3) were required to pass a competency exam and met training standards to obtain their original state license, and 4) pay all applicable Virginia fees.

ULR does not recognize other states’ occupational licenses automatically. Workers licensed in others states who move to Virginia still must apply for a license through the appropriate DPOR board before working in the commonwealth. Read more.

Does Virginia’s Renewable Future Have Space for Alternative Forms of Gas?

After the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2022 allowing natural gas companies to use biogas, a form of gas made from waste, state regulators have approved the first project developed under the new law, the Virginia Mercury reports.

In March, the State Corporation Commission approved plans by Roanoke Gas Company to construct a facility that will convert biogas sourced from a wastewater treatment facility to pipeline-quality natural gas.

The approval came as the General Assembly sent a bill to Governor Glenn Youngkin making it Virginia’s policy “to encourage the capture and beneficial use of coal mine methane.” The bill initially sought to define that type of gas as a renewable energy source but was scaled back to have the Department of Energy evaluate ways to encourage its use while considering its environmental benefits and economic development potential.

The 2022 and 2023 bills tap into a broader discussion roiling Virginia policymakers as the state transitions its electric grid from fossil fuels to renewables in an effort to reduce the carbon and methane emissions driving climate change: How much investment in gas infrastructure should Virginia continue to encourage? Read more.

Virginia Tech Experts Weigh-In on Railroad Transportation Safety

There’s a new push for railroad safety measures – engineering and environmental – in the wake of two recent train derailments, including the one in East Palestine, Ohio, the Virginia Tech Impact reports.

Mehdi Ahmadian, the director for the Center for Vehicle Safety and Systems at Virginia Tech, said railroads do everything possible to keep things safe, but accidents do happen, just as they would on the road. “This does not make rail transportation any less safe than other modes of transportation. In fact, rail transportation is one of the safest modes of transportation, if not the safest one, when we account for cargo tonnage and other factors,” said Ahmadian.

Ahmadian explained derailments don’t happen as often as we think. “There are approximately 1,000 derailments in the US per year. The vast majority of them are minor incidents with wheels coming off the tracks.” While that number might seem high, Ahmadian said there are approximately 14 million train cars traveling on the rails per year. “When accounting for the number of railcars or cargo tonnage, the number of derailments and accidents are far fewer than the accidents involving semi-trucks.”

The derailment in East Palestine has also raised questions about the environmental impact. “When we think about having trains transport these chemicals, there’s a lot of concern because all it takes is one accident,” said Austin Gray, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, who studies environmental toxicology. “Any type of contaminant that goes into the air is going to be transported to other areas – whether downstream or in different proximity.” Read more.

NSPE JOB BOARD

NSPE’s Job Board is your one-stop resource for professional engineering employment. Whether you are on the hunt for your next career move or looking for today’s top engineering leaders and talent, you will find it here.

NSPE provides the tools PEs need to keep current in the profession and advance their careers.

Featured Jobs

Executive Director – Alexandria, VA
Assistant State Engineer-Traffic Operations – Richmond, VA
Assistant State Engineer-Traffic Operations – Richmond, VA

Find more job openings or reach the right employees on the NSPE Job Board.

Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center .

TVA Engineer Named 2023 FEYA Winner

Stephen Craven, Ph.D., P.E., was named NSPE’s 2023 Federal Engineer of the Year for his innovative work securing Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) substations and developing improved communication architecture. Now in its 44th year, the Federal Engineer of the Year Award is the only one of its kind to solely recognize outstanding engineers employed in the federal government. Federal agency winners were honored during a ceremony held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on February 24.

Stephen Craven is a third-generation TVA engineer, serving at the agency’s Power Service Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Among his accomplishments, Craven has helped secure substations against cyber-attacks, designing ways to keep critical equipment disconnected from external attackers and yet still be remotely monitored for anomalies. He was also instrumental in the development of a new communication architecture that is faster, more reliable, and less expensive than previous schemes. Read more .

FEYA ceremony photos can be accessed on the NSPE Flickr album .

WORKability Wednesdays Are Back!

NSPE offers a live webinar series free to members—“WORKability Wednesdays”— to support members with their professional development goals. The series covers topics impacting the industry and helps to enhance your competencies in the profession. The spring season sessions kicked off on March 8 with Understanding the New Requirements for Cybersecurity Insurance . Register now at NSPE’s PE Institute and invite a colleague to attend.

Upcoming webinars

Save the date for webinars on April 26, May 17, and May 31

Take the Milton F. Lunch Ethics Challenge!

Match your wits and knowledge of engineering ethics with experienced professional engineers and engineering students throughout the country! All current NSPE individual members and NSPE chapters (including student members) are invited to participate in the 2023 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest . Contest submissions are due by May 12. View past contest winner entries .