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News

FAA/Surface Transportation Bill Passes US Senate Sept. 15
For those who contacted Senator Jim DeMint’s office asking the senator to support H.R.  2887, the FAA/Surface Transportation extension bill, the Senate passed it 92 to 6.

This bill which should be on the President’s desk today (Sept. 16) extends the current FAA authorization law four months and the Surface Transportation (Highway) law six months.

Just to let you know, Senator DeMint was one of the 6 no votes.  However, in conversations with his office before the vote, they never said Senator DeMint would support the bill; his office said the bill would likely pass. Perhaps more important, the Senator did not impede its passage.

Announcing: SCSPE Fall Seminar/Meeting
As the end of the year approaches, The South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers wants to give PE’s across the state another chance to get professional development hours before the end of 2011. 

SCSPE will host a Fall seminar/meeting on November 16, 2011 at the Hilton Greenville when attendees can earn up to 8 PDHs. 

SCSPE will bring in Project Management guru Howard Birnberg, president of Birnberg & Associates, a management consulting firm, for an all day session.  Birnberg is currently serving as an instructor in project management at the University of California-Berkeley Extension

There will also be a break-out lunch session where Birnberg will lead for Piedmont Chapter members who would like to just come to the chapter’s monthly meeting being held on the same day.

Mark your calendars and plan on attending the SCSPE Fall Seminar/Meeting November 16, 2011 on Project Management. 

SCSPE Establishes New 2011-2012 Committees
At the SCSPE planning retreat last spring, President Michael Beckman proposed establishing three committees this year to improve the society and its value to members.

These committees are governance, membership and communication. We are populating these committees from our board. “We expect most if not all of your committee activities can be done on conference calls with a total yearly commitment of approximately 20-25 hours,” said President Beckman.

The following committees were established at the September Board of Directors meeting.

Governance

  1. Michael Sheu, Past President
  2. Angela Musselwhite, Director Charleston Chapter
  3. Ismail Ozbek, Director Columbia Chapter
  4. Michael Gearhart, NSPE House of Delegates

Membership

  1. Michael Jolly, VP
  2. Don Hallman, Aiken Chapter President
  3. Brian Bendt, Director Catawba Chapter
  4. David Rykard, Director Coastal/Pee Dee Chapter
  5. Kyle Murrell, Charleston Chapter President
  6. David McNeice, Columbia Chapter President
  7. Steven Peritus, Piedmont Chapter President

Communications

  1. Marguerite McClam, Treasurer
  2. Walden Jones, Director Piedmont Chapter
  3. Robert G. Ardis, Coastal/Pee Dee Chapter President
  4. Steven Grant, Director Spartanburg Chapter

Dinkins elected NCEES president-elect
Delegates elected Gene Dinkins, P.E., P.L.S., NCEES president-elect at the organization’s 90th annual meeting, held August 24–27 in Providence, Rhode Island. He will serve as president-elect for the 2011–12 term and as president the following year.

A resident of Columbia, South Carolina, Dinkins has been a member of the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors since 2004. He is a former board chair as well as a past NCEES treasurer and Southern Zone vice president.

Gene Dinkins

Dinkins has almost 40 years of experience in land surveying and engineering. He is the president of Cox and Dinkins, Inc., a land surveying and civil engineering firm. He is a past chair of the Richland County (S.C.) Planning Commission and the City of Columbia (S.C.) Planning Commission and is active in professional and community affairs. He has also been a guest lecturer at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law and its College of Engineering, the South Carolina Bar Association, and numerous other business and educational seminars.

Dinkins holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clemson University as well as a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of South Carolina.

ABOUT NCEES
NCEES is a national nonprofit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. An accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute, NCEES develops, scores, and administers the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure throughout the United States. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility for licensed engineers and surveyors. Its headquarters is located in Clemson, S.C.

L-3 Platform Integration is a recognized leader in aircraft modification and special mission system integration offers challenging and rewarding assignments across a broad spectrum of aircraft modification programs. The Platform Integration Division provides innovative solutions for major structural modifications and systems integration to military and commercial aircraft. This division is currently recruiting experienced personnel for its Waco, Texas facility. Read More...


State Engineer Office Offers State Engineer’s Manual Training
The Office of State Engineer will offer State Engineer’s Manual Training in the four regions of the State September and October.

This training is a six hour session outlining the significant changes to the State Engineer’s Manual and will benefit individuals involved in design and construction procurement for State Agencies.

Please plan to attend one of the following sessions:

Place Location Date
MTC Airport Campus Columbia     Thursday, September 22
CU-ICAR          Greenville  Tuesday, October 4
SIMT         Florence  Friday, October 7
Stern Center Charleston - College of Charleston Charleston Tuesday, October 11

In order to minimize cost to attendees, registration will be requested but there will be no charge for the training and lunch will be on your own.  Registration will be handled online and the registration site link is as follows:  http://procurement.sc.gov/PS/training/PS-training-courses.phtm.  

Note: All registrants are required to print and bring their own copy of the Instruction Manual for this course. Please look under the Training Materials heading on the Procurement Services Home Page for OSE Manual Training 2011 Edition.  If you have additional questions, please contact OSE.

This training is the first step in a series intended to assist Agencies, Design Professionals and Contractors in the procurement and implementation of construction projects for the State.  Please look for future classes to be offered.

Please share this notice with others who may be interested in attending one of the sessions.

Lyth B. Clark, Jr., P.E., CBO
Project Manager
Office of State Engineer
1201 Main Street, Suite 600
Columbia, SC  29201
(o) 803.737-0767
(f) 803.737-0639
[email protected]

Retired Army engineer picked to lead School of Engineering
Retired Army Col. Ronald W. Welch began work July 1 as the new dean of The Citadel School of Engineering.

Welch comes to The Citadel from the University of Texas at Tyler where he was a professor and chairman of the newly founded Department of Civil Engineering within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Before that he was a professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Read More....

Elmer Harris Williamson, Jr., P.E. - 1925-2011
Service for Elmer Harris Williamson Jr., 85, was held Saturday, August 20, 2011, in Bush River Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.

He was a former SCSPE President in 1966-67. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he was a civil engineer at B.P. Barber & Associates until he retired in 1987. He was a member of Lake Murray Boating and Sports Club, and the U.S. Power Squadron. He served in the U.S. Army during WW II and was a member of Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church.

Mr. Williamson died Monday, August 15, 2011. Born September 20, 1925, in Hendersonville, NC, he was a son of the late Elmer Harris Williamson Sr. and Hannah Johnson Williamson.

Surviving are his son, Rusty Williamson (Robin) of Great Falls; daughters, Gloria Addy (Wayne) of Parker, CO, Terri Bellika (David) of Castle Rock, CO, Sandy Andrews of Santa Rosa, CA, Cathy Brewer (Harry) of Brockport, NY; step daughters, Pat Pyle of Fingerville, and Jan Collins of Columbia; grandchildren, Stacey Grooms , Scott Addy, Jason Brewer, Melanie Brewer, Jason Andrews, Jesse Andrews, Dwane Bellika and Dustin Williamson; three step grandchildren, Heidi Goff, Christopher Pyle and Marshall Pyle; eight great-grandchildren and three step great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Margaret C. Williamson; second wife, Gloria P. Williamson; brother, Curtis D. Williamson.

Memorials can be made to Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church, 1500 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210 or the charity of your choice.

UPS Delivers Commission Check to SCSPE Headquarters
Jeffrica Garcia, Marketing Analyst, for UPS delivered the SCSPE quarterly association commission check Aug. 19, 2011. 
                                                                                           
The UPS Association program is a partnership that rewards associations and shippers every time a member ships with UPS.  This is a great way for SCSPE to generate income, while you save money.

The program gives discounts when shipping UPS for Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, Ground, and World Wide Express Packages.  Not only do members save on shipping, a percentage in commission is paid to SCSPE.

Please take the time to sign yourself (or company) up for the SCSPE/UPS Association program to start saving while SCSPE starts earning today.  To enroll please take a moment to call 404-828-6000, tell them you want to enroll in the South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers UPS Association Agreement program. 

Are You Proud of Your Company and Employees?
Put SCSPE on your news release distribution lists. Be sure your public relations and marketing departments have headquarters on their lists. Email stories about new clients, new products, winning awards, special recognition for your companies and new hires, individual awards and recognition of your employees, or yourselves.

With the proliferation of media outlets, your story may be getting to New York but not to your fellow engineers in the state. By sending us your news, you know it will be sent to our members.

Put [email protected] on your external marketing and public relations distribution lists.

SCDOT Wins Awards at SASHTO Meeting in Louisville
The SCDOT took honors for its Plans Online venture in the small project category. The “Plans Online” project is in the top 10 of national projects competing for the People’s Choice Award – America’s Transportation Awards.  The winner is selected by the most number of on-line votes. (See voting procedure below to support SCDOT.)
                                                                                                               
South Carolina also picked up an award in the Under Budget category for its I-385 Rehabilitation project also in the small project category at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

These awards were for projects that improve traffic flow, modernize our transportation systems for current and future needs, and shorten construction times were recognized as winners of America's Transportation Awards at the annual meeting in Louisville, KY.

SCDOT has made 1.9 million digitally scanned image files of roadway construction plans available at the click of a button on the Internet. This 13-year project replaced the old, cumbersome method of reviewing plans in person.
For decades, the only way to access state highway plans was to use a card catalogue system to order plans and then wait a few days for them to be delivered to a central location. SCDOT employees began working to convert highway plans to digital files in 1997. Today, the Plans Online system is available internally to SCDOT employees and externally to surveyors, engineers, city, county, and local offices requiring access to the plans to complete their work, greatly improving efficiency and reducing costs.

VOTE FOR THE SCDOT PLANS ONLINE SYSTEM. DEADLINE TO VOTE IS OCT. 7, 2011.
Will you please take the time to support us and vote as many times as you can and also to forward to as many people as you can.  If you have Facebook, please add the link there as well.  Be sure to watch the YouTube video describing the project on the home page as well.  Thank you!

Online Voting Link:
http://www.americastransportationaward.org/Voting.aspx



The South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers is a state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

SCSPE Job Listings is published for members firms and friends by SCSPE
Joe S. Jones
Executive Director
Ginger Booker
Account Executive
Please forward comments to:
[email protected]

NSPE is the national society of engineering professionals from all disciplines that promotes the ethical and competent practice of engineering, advocates licensure, and enhances the image and well-being of its members. The South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers is a state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

 



 

Calendar2011-2012 Calendar 

October 10
Annual Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day

October 28
PE Exam Luncheon
Columbia - Hosted by SCSPE

October 28 & 29
PE/EIT/LS Exam
Columbia, SC

November - TBA
SCSPE Fall Meeting “Project Management”

December 2
SCSPE Board Meeting
Columbia (TBA), 10:00 am

January - TBA
Newly Licensed Engineers Ceremony
South Carolina State House

January 11-15
NSPE Winter Meeting
Edin Roc Renaissance Miami Beach Hotel. Miami Beach, Florida

January 24
Legislative Reception
Clarion Town House, 6:00 pm     

February 19-25
National Engineers’ Week

February 23
ACEC-SC/SCSPE Winter Meeting
Seawell’s, Columbia

March - TBA
State MathCounts Competition Coastal Carolina

March 23 – Tentative
SCSPE Board Meeting Planning Retreat
Location TBA

April 13
PE Exam Luncheon
Columbia - Hosted by SCSPE

April 13 & 14
PE/EIT/LS exams

May - TBA
National MATHCOUNTS Competition

May 22                              
Last Day to Register w/ Hotel for Conference

June 1                               
Registration Deadline for SC Engineering Conference

June 14-17
SC Engineering Conference & Trade Show
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel

June 14
SCSPE Board Meeting
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel

June 15
SCSPE Annual Meeting
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel

 


Calendar 2011 SC Engineering Conference

Many thanks to the companies that already have committed to supporting the engineering conference and to help make it the best engineering gathering in the state.

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsors

ACEC Business Insurance Trust

Davis & Floyd, Inc.

ECS CAROLINAS, LLP

The City of Rock Hill

Santee Cooper

THE LPA GROUP INC, A Unit of Michael Baker Corp.

Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc.

Mid Morning Break Sponsors

Exhibitors

 


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