The 2015 NSPE Northeast Regional (NER) Meeting was held from Oct 8-10 in Galloway, New Jersey. MSPE was represented by MSPE Director and Past President, Kenneth R. Skinger, PE, Esq., F-NSPE, who serves as Northeast Region Manager. At the business meeting, NSPE Past-President Harve Hnatiuk, PE, discussed current NSPE initiatives including the society’s re-branding efforts. All attendees earned 6 PDH credits for their participation.
David Desrosiers, PE is a DPW Director for the Town of Granby, MA. An MSPE member since 1981, David also volunteers as the Connecticut Valley Chapter Coordinator for MSPE’S key outreach program, MATHCOUNTS. (mspe.com/mathcounts) David has answered the questions below so we may know him better. Thank you, David, for your long-time Society membership and your generous support of MATHCOUNTS.
Q: Why did you join MSPE?
A: I was encouraged to join NSPE shortly after I began my first job working as an engineer in Florida. My boss and the firm supported and encouraged participation and networking in many professional organizations. Keep in mind this was before the Internet, at a time when networking was done face to face. The parent organization NSPE provided networking opportunities and many beneficial programs such as continuing education. After moving back to Massachusetts, I saw the value of maintaining these connections and continued membership in NSPE.
The Massachusetts Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) held a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Seminar at the Harpoon Brewery Beer Hall in Boston, MA on Thursday, September 17 from 2-5 p.m.
Participants enjoyed three presentations from experienced industry professionals, as well as a full tour of the Harpoon Brewery. (more…)
In August 2015, the Massachusetts Society of Professional Engineers voted unanimously to oppose separate licensure for Structural Engineers. In a letter to The Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, the MSPE Board recorded their opposition, outlining these reasons:
Cap’n Tim Johnson, PE is Principal of Captains Engineering and Consulting. He served as 
President of MSPE (2004-2005). In May 2015, he retired from a 15-year career as Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Tim is currently pursuing a doctorate in Computer Science at Pace University, as well as a venture with his son to develop a revolutionary infrared temperature device. Tim has answered the questions below, so we may know him better… (more…)
During the 2015-16 school year, more than 1,000 students in 120 middle schools across the state will experience Massachusetts MATHCOUNTS, a unique math enrichment program that uplifts students in 6-8 grade who love math OR fear math. MATHCOUNTS engages their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, prepares them for math in high school and college, and encourages them to select and succeed in careers that fulfill our nation’s demand for excellence in the fields of Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math.
The article below by Thomas J. Vaughan, Jr., PE, Principal of GSC Engineering, Inc. and MSPE’s President-Elect, was featured on page 3 of the June issue of PE Magazine, the publication of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Thank you, Tom, for sharing your insights and your continued contributions to the engineering profession and fellow members of MSPE and NSPE.
FE ‘Right of Passage’
by Thomas J. Vaughan, Jr., PE
Principal, GSC Engineering, Inc.
The new FE exam format appears to fraction engineering into specialties that don’t communicate with each other and further reduces the feelings of “community” within the profession. We talk about “raising the bar” and broadening the humanities background of engineers, but the FE is narrowing even the technical scope we expect of engineers (“The Evolution of the FE,” March, p. 20).
MSPE members and their guests enjoyed MSPE’s 2015 Annual Meeting and Dinner on the evening of Wednesday, June 17 at Chateau Restaurant in Norwood, MA. MSPE Past President Kenneth R. Skinger, PE, Esq. oversaw the Installation of Officers Ceremony, and led the incoming officers and board members in a recitation of the Engineers Creed.
At the 2015 National MATHCOUNTS Competition on May 8 in Boston, Team Massachusetts Mathletes placed 3rd in the nation out of 56 state teams. Additionally, each of our state’s individual ‘Mathletes’ placed in the Top 20 Percent of 224 of the brightest students in the nation, and two of them earned their way into to the final Countdown Round – a fast-paced, one-on-one, elimination style oral contest.
Of the four Massachusetts participants this year, three were 8th graders and will therefore age out of the program next year, and one is a 7th grader who is eligible to participate in MATHCOUNTS next year.
Thomas Converse, PE is President of LIG Consultants, Inc. based in Hopedale, MA. He served MSPE as President from 2008-09, and currently serves as MSPE Secretary. As Advisor to the MSPE Programs & Events Committee, Tom welcomes input and feedback from all members.
Mr. Converse has answered the questions below so we may know him better. Thank you, Tom, for your support and dedication to MSPE.
Q: Why did you join MSPE?
A: I joined NSPE/MSPE while I was a college student. Working with engineers during my Co-Operative Education periods, they encouraged me to join organizations such as NSPE, IEEE and electrical industry organizations. I became more active in MSPE during the period leading up to the National Meeting in Boston, and worked on that effort. I have held officer positions since.