PSPE News

Eric W. Tappert, PE

Last time we learned how a simple ring on the little finger of the working hand gave international recognition to the public oath that was taken. The Canadian tradition, dating back to 1925, of a ritual ceremony where engineering graduates take an oath of ethical behavior and responsibility for the public health, safety, and welfare has emerged as being more important to engineering graduates than getting their diploma. The ring is worn with pride by all who receive it.

In the 1960’s interest in promoting the ethical practice of engineering by having a ring ceremony similar to the Canadian tradition stirred some interest. The very first US ring ceremony was held at the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University on June 4, 1970. Due to copyright reasons, they could not use the “Ritual Calling of an Engineer” by Rudyard Kipling, but a similar “obligation” and ceremony was used. The Order was incorporated in Ohio in 1972.

There are a few differences between the Order of the Engineer and the Canadian tradition besides the actual ceremony. In the US the ceremony is public, and attendance is not limited to the inductees and ring holders. Instead of “camps” the US version has “Links”, of which there are currently more than 300, many at Universities, but some are at various engineering organizations such as PSPE (Link 230). Some of PSPE’s student chapters also have their own links.

The fact that PSPE has a link highlights another difference, getting a ring is not limited to engineering graduates. Any engineer with an ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission accredited degree is eligible. In fact, many engineering organizations, including PSPE, hold regular ring ceremonies. The Order has no dues, in fact the only charge is a nominal amount for the stainless steel ring which is placed during the ceremony on the little finger of the working hand to constantly remind the recipient of their obligation.

The formal ceremony starts with a brief history of the Order, followed by the new inductees being presented. The inductees and members of the Order then recite the Obligation together. Each inductee then signs their copy of the Obligation that they have just made (suitable for framing…) and places their working hand through a large ceremonial ring to receive their ring. The ring serves as a constant reminder of your obligation and indicates to the public that you have made a commitment to the honorable and ethical practice of your profession. As the ceremony is formal, no pictures are allowed, but there is always a picture session afterwards.

The Obligation is a creed similar to Hippocrates Oath taken by medical doctors to set forth an ethical code. It is based on the Canon of Ethics of major engineering societies. Inductees accept this Obligation voluntarily, pledging to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth’s precious wealth. Full details of the ceremony and Obligation are on the Order’s web site (http://www.order-of-the-engineer.org/).

PSPE holds a ring ceremony every year at the annual conference and has assisted several engineering schools in ring ceremonies, some of which resulted in the formation of new Links. A ceremony will be held at the next annual conference in Bethlehem this September (see details below) and it will use a new ceremonial ring, generously donated by Penn Stainless in Quakertown. It is an ideal opportunity to re-affirm your obligation to uphold the standards of the engineering profession. And just maybe sometime in your travels you’ll be asked if you are Canadian! Better yet, maybe you’ll be recognized for your commitment to the ethical practice of your profession. See you there!

If you would like to join the Order of the Engineer, PSPE is holding a ceremony on Thursday, September 19, 2019, during our annual conference. Register for the full conference, the day, or simply lunch and the ceremony. Indicate your ring size and we’ll see you there. Details can be found here. We look forward to seeing you!

By Eric W. Tappert, PE

That was the question from across the dinner table at an IEEE meeting that I was attending.  For those not familiar with the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), it is the largest technical professional organization in the world with more than 423,000 members around the world.  At the table were engineers from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, South Africa, and Australia.  That, in itself, was a very satisfying experience.  But the question directed at me was a bit confusing, so I responded with an admission that I was from the United States and asked what prompted the question.  The answer: “I saw your ring.”

So I explained that it wasn’t the Canadian ring, but rather the Order of the Engineer ring from south of the border.  He held up his hand and with some pride showing and said “My ring is the Canadian version.”  That led to a lively discussion of the ring that fascinated the others at the table.  So, what’s with the ring?

The story of the Canadian engineers’ ring goes back nearly a century.  Professor H. E. T. Hamilton of the University of Toronto convinced another six past president’s of the Engineering Institute of Canada that something needed to be done to generate a ceremony and a standard of ethics for graduating engineers in the country.  The seven past presidents wrote a letter in 1922 to Rudyard Kipling, a famous poet and author, requesting him to write the ceremony and the “obligation” that the students would commit to.  The result was the “Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer”.   It should be noted that Kipling had a few years earlier toured the railways of Canada and was very impressed with engineering.

“The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has been instituted with the simple end of directing the young engineer towards a consciousness of his profession and its significance, and indicating to the older engineer his responsibilities in receiving, welcoming and supporting the young engineers in their beginnings.”

— Rudyard Kipling, from notes by Dr. J. Jeswiet

The first ceremony at the University of Toronto on May 1, 1925, led by three of the engineers installed at the inaugural ceremony a few days before in Montreal.  The University of Toronto became the first chapter. 

During the ceremony, initiates recite and accept the obligation, which resembles a code of ethics.  The ceremony isn’t a “secret”, but those receiving and having the ring are admonished not to discuss the ceremony.  The ceremony is also limited in attendance to those already having the ring and the initiates, thus it is not a “public” event.  Each initiate receives a ring for the little finger of their working hand to signify they have accepted the obligation and to serve as a constant reminder of their responsibilities.  When they retire from active engineering, they return their ring to the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, which holds the rights and has the duty to carry out the ritual.

The Corporation of the Seven Wardens is divided into 26 regional branches, called Camps.  The term Camp is used to instill as sense of a smaller, close knit community.  The purpose of the obligation is to direct the newly qualified engineer toward a consciousness of the profession and its social significance and indicating to the more experienced engineer their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession.

The original rings were made of iron, but that has been supplanted by stainless steel.  Only one Camp still has the iron ring as an option.  There are a couple of interesting legends about the Ritual.  One says that the idea was prompted by the failure, during construction, of the bridge over the Saint Lawrence River at Quebec City in 1907.  There may be some truth to that, but one must take into account that during the first couple decades of the 19^th century the Canadians were building their transcontinental railroad system.  Bridges were apparently failing rather often and the Quebec Bridge was merely a very dramatic example as there were a total of 75 lives lost.  It is more likely that it played “the straw that broke the camel’s back” role.  The other legend is that the first rings were made from the iron of the failed bridge at Quebec City.  That bridge failed in 1907 but the first ceremony wasn’t held until 1925.  It truly stretches the imagination that the ruins of the bridge hadn’t been recycled in the intervening 18 years.

Canadian engineering students look forward to getting their rings in the spring term of their senior year.  In fact, many view the ring as more important than their diploma.  Kipling’s ceremony continues to this day, binding together the engineers of Canada.  Getting a ring doesn’t enable legal engineering practice as that is the province of the government authorities.  Participating in Kipling’s ceremony, virtually unchanged in almost a century, does however, lead to a close community of ethical engineers.

Next time: The Ring Goes South

If you would like to join the Order of the Engineer, PSPE is holding a ceremony on Thursday, September 19, 2019, during our annual conference. Register for the full conference, the day, or simply lunch and the ceremony. Indicate your ring size and we’ll see you there. Details can be found here. We look forward to seeing you!

The 2019 Nominating Committee confirms the following slate of officer nominees for the PSPE 2019-2020 term of office. Michael F. Basta, PE (Lehigh Valley Chapter) will become President according to the PSPE Constitution and Bylaws. 

Nominees:

President Elect | Susan L. Best, PE (Delaware County Chapter)

Secretary | David J. Briskey, PE (Pittsburgh Chapter)

Treasurer | Thomas J. Friese, PE (Philadelphia Chapter)

Vice President Central Region | James M. DiLouie, PE (Lincoln Chapter)

Vice President Southwest Region | Jennifer Nolan-Kremm, PE (Pittsburgh Chapter)

Vice President Northeast Region | Marleen A. Troy, Ph.D., PE, BCEE (Keystone Northeast)

Vice President Southeast Region | Nicole C. Wilson, PE (Bucks County Chapter)

For members wishing to add their name to the ballot, nominations by petition of at least 25 eligible members must be delivered (along with the candidate’s bio and photo) to the Chair of the Nomination Committee by May 6, 2019.

In the event of there being two (2) nominees for an office, an official ballot shall be prepared and delivered to each voting member in the region of the office. The Tellers Committee will tally the votes and determine the final outcome.

In the event of a single nominee in each position and with no petition candidates submitted, the Secretary shall be directed by the President to cast a single ballot for all nominees upon acceptance of the Nominating Committee’s report by the Board at the meeting on May 18, 2019.

The elected officers will be installed at the annual conference September 19-20, 2019.

Respectfully submitted,
Joseph F. Boward, PE, F.NSPE
PSPE 2019-20 Nominating Committee Chair

Ethics: The Principles of Conduct Governing an Individual or a Group
Susan K. Sprague, PE, F.NSPE, Chair, NSPE Board of Ethical Review

Every profession has ethics – doctors and lawyers, dance teachers, retailers, and car salesmen – and each discipline of engineers has a similar code of ethics emphasizing protection of the public. The code has evolved over the years to include sustainable development and anti-discrimination principles, and it essentially covers all aspects of professional practice and guides the PE for prioritizing actions when dealing with the public, clients, and employers.

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) established the Board of Ethical Review (BER) in 1954 to further its mission as the authoritative expert in the ethical practice in engineering. The purpose of the BER is to render impartial opinions pertaining to the interpretation of the NSPE Code of Ethics, develop materials, and conduct studies relating to ethics of the engineering profession. The engineering profession’s emphasis on ethics dates to the end of the 19th century. In 1946, NSPE released its Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct, which evolved into the current Code of Ethics. While these statements of general principles served as a guide, many engineers requested interpretations of how the Canons and Rules would apply to specific circumstances. These requests ultimately led to the creation of the BER. Ethics cases rarely have easy answers, but the BER’s nearly 700 advisory opinions have helped bring clarity to the ethical issues that engineers face daily.

Every year, the BER publishes 12 cases to be used by its members, other engineers, attorneys, and educators as guides for ethical conduct. NSPE members are appointed to serve on the BER and use their expertise to render impartial opinions on questions of ethics.

On December 5 and 6, I had the unique privilege of chairing the six-member NSPE Board of Ethical Review at NSPE headquarters in Alexandria, VA in the face-to-face discussions of 12 cases involving engineering ethics. The BER is seven professional engineers from across the country (PA, NH, FL, NM, WA, IN, and SD). Two members are ethics professors, three are in private practices, and two are in government positions. Being the Chair is an honor, and it comes with very few perks. We received the cases a few weeks prior to the meeting and we had homework to do to prepare. Some cases are real (submitted by members), but most are hypothetical. Each of us was assigned two cases to lead in our meeting.

The review of the cases is a methodical process conducted “old school” by the case leader reading the case facts and conclusion out loud to the group. It’s amazing how hearing the facts and listening to it being read can offer you a different perspective on the case.

We all take turns offering our opinions and we discuss the merits and ethical conflicts in each case. Do we agree with the conclusion? Were Engineer A’s actions ethical? What were Engineer A’s ethical obligations under the circumstances? Are the cited references from the Code of Ethics applicable to the case? Sometimes we finish discussing a case and reach consensus in 25 minutes, and a few have taken over 90 minutes to reach consensus.

You may ask how someone can find an opinion on an issue. The cases are cross-referenced by topic and the portions of the Code cited. For example, if you are interested in cases pertaining to reviewing another engineer’s work, changing employment, autonomous vehicles, etc., you can search under those topics. All published cases recognize the committee members, so my name is recorded on 24 cases and will be noted as Chair on this year’s 12 cases.

It’s a great experience to participate in something important to the profession and provide useful guidance to others. Sadly, both professors on our committee have observed their engineering students cheating on their school exams in ethics (they have video proof), so we still have much work to do to teach the next generation of engineers about ethics.

Test your individual knowledge of the language in the NSPE Code of Ethics by taking a quiz – a series of true/false questions.

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 linked 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

Download the full contest flyer (PDF)

Abstract (Click here to see abstract with grids.)
Matthew A. Balmer, P.E.

In the field of power electronics, there is an ongoing search for an ideal solid-state power switch which has a low on-state resistance, low switching losses, high operation frequency, and good thermal capabilities. Silicon-Carbide (SiC) technology is a proven forerunner in the quest for the ideal solid-state power switch.

SiC technology represents a disruptive technological innovation for the 21^st century that will establish new trajectories for electronic innovations obsoleting the silicon technology of the 20^th century.  SiC technology has found a niche in small device applications and is a nascent technology being commercialized into power electronics.  Testing of SiC power electronics has demonstrated improved efficiencies, reduced size and reduced weight when compared to conventional Si based technology.

This paper explores

• SiC Technology Introduction,
• SiC Technology Power Electronics Advantages, and
• SiC Technology Commercialization.

Sic technology introduction

The challenge in the semiconductor industry is to maximize efficiency, reduce size, increase power quality and reduce costs.  Researchers have learned that using Wide Bandgap (WBG) materials, such as Silicon Carbide (SiC), allows semiconductor components to be smaller, faster, more reliable and more efficient than the existing Silicon (Si) technology [1].

 Characteristics SiC Technology

Silicon carbide morphology is a binary combination of two group IV binary elements having an equal number of silicon and carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice structure. This atomic structure makes SiC one of the hardest and most thermally stable materials known [1].  Additional, features such as increased avalanche breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity, and decreased thermal leakage current have created great interest in SiC technology for use in high power applications.  Microscopic studies of the stability and rupture of molecular junctions under a high voltage bias discovered that semiconductors having a SiC backbone have higher probabilities of sustaining higher voltages [2].

 Wide Bandgap (WBG) Technology

Bandgaps determines how a material’s electrons behave. Electrons are negatively charged particles that surround a nucleus at different energy levels.  When electrons move together in the same direction they form an electric current.  Electrons in an atom exist in various states which includes their energy level, momentum and spin.  Furthermore, quantum mechanics states two electrons cannot exist in the same state at the same time; therefore, one variable must differ.

These sets of possible states form regions called bands. Sets of states that are not possible form regions between the bands called bandgaps.  Bands closest to the nucleus of an atom are called core level and the band containing electrons furthest from the nucleus are called the valence band.  Beyond the valence band is the conduction band where the electrons can move freely, figure 1.

Examining various materials (Figure 2), metals have an overlapping valence and conductions bands and electrical current easily flows through them. On the opposite end are insulators, which have a wide gap between the valence band and conduction band reducing the probability to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band.  The third and most interesting materials are semiconductors which can have properties like a metal, an insulator, or properties in between.

When semiconductors were first discovered, they were considered useless because of their erratic unpredictable behavior. Once bandgap properties were understood, physicists and engineers were able to harness bandgaps to innovate new technologies.  It was also discovered that valence electrons became exited by heat, light, or an electric field and will jump the bandgap (figure 1) provided the bandgap’s width allows the electrons to jump to the conduction band.  Consequently, different electronic devices require materials with different bandgaps which is relative to the energy supplied by the energy source.  Table 1 lists common semiconductor materials with their bandgap energy levels and application.

SiC: Power Electronics Advantages

Power Semiconductor Construction

Power semiconductors are unique when compared to that of low power signal semiconductors. Low power semiconductor devices are required to carry a few amperes under forward biased conditions and block small voltages under reverse biased conditions.  However, power semiconductor devices are required to carry hundreds of amperes in forward biased condition and block several hundred to thousand volts in the reverse biased condition.  These extreme operating conditions require a structural change affecting the operating characteristics.  These operating conditions create an inherent contradictory condition for power semiconductors, in that, increased doping reduces the forward losses and also reduces the reverse breakdown voltage, with the converse being true.  This contradiction is eliminated by the addition of a lightly doped epitaxial layer (drift region) whose doping density is 10¹⁴cm^-3 between the heavily doped p and n regions whose doping density is 10¹⁹cm^-3.

Figure 3 depicts the construction differences between low power and high power semiconductor devices.

This epitaxial layer creates a uniform electric field between the p and n junction that reduces the forward voltage drop and increases reverse blocking voltage.

Reduced Power Loss

Reduced power losses create increased savings for the consumer. SiC wide bandgap has a critical field for avalanche breakdown that is 10 times greater than Si.  This reduces the width of the epitaxial layer by one-tenth that of Si.  The result is SiC has a specific forward conduction resistance 400 times lower than Si thus reducing power losses [2].

 High Temperature Operation

SiC intrinsic characteristics allow SiC based semiconductors to operate at higher junction temperatures. The intrinsic characteristics include:

• SiC based semiconductors have a melting point of approximately 2,700^oC, whereas Si based semiconductors have a melting point of approximately 1,400^oC.
• Thermal leakage current is proportional to a compound’s intrinsic carrier concentration.  SiC has an intrinsic carrier concentration that is in order of magnitudes less (10^-18) than Si [2].
• SiC has a bandgap three times that of Si prohibiting excessive thermal leakage current.

The combination of these intrinsic features allows SiC devices to operate at junction temperatures reaching 600^oC compared to Si which has a junction temperature limit of 150^oC.

 High-speed Switching Operation

SiC wide bandgap has a high dielectric breakdown voltage which reduces power losses during switching operation. Figure 4 depicts the forward recovery time for an SiC Schottky Barrier Diode.  The Si overshoot represents an accumulation of charge carriers in the epitaxial layer that must diffuse prior to re-switching.  In addition, the Si overshoot is also indicative of heat generation in the device created by the simultaneous current and voltage overshoot.  SiC has an epitaxial region one-tenth the size of Si which results in a reduction of overshoot, a faster forward recovery time and reduced power loss.

Heat Dissipation

SiC intrinsic thermal conductivity, the ability to remove heat, is twice that of Si [1]. SiC has a thermal conductivity of 3.3W/cm^oK contrasted to Si which has a thermal conductivity of 1.5W/cm^oK. SiC’s increased heat dissipation means SiC devices can operate with a reduced temperature drop across the device making it ideal for power applications.

SIC COMMERCIALIZATION

 SiC: A Disruptive Technology

The Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE) states silicon carbide may be to the 21^st century what silicon was to the 20^th century [3].  Furthermore, the US Department of Energy considers WBG semiconductors to be a foundational technology that will transform multiple markets and industries, resulting in billions of dollars of savings for businesses and consumers when use becomes widespread [4].  WBG semiconductors permit devices to operate at much higher temperatures, voltages, and frequencies making the power electronic modules using these materials significantly more power and energy efficient than those made from conventional semiconductor materials [4].

SiC technology is a disruptive technology that has change the trajectory of future semiconductor innovations. Topologies of technological change are divided into two distinct categories:  Sustained or Disruptive [5].

A sustained technological change maintains the industry’s rate of product performance trajectory; these are process innovation and less product innovation. An example of sustained technology change was in the early use of computer memory disk drive industry.  Computer memory disk drives were introduced circa 1976 and with a recording density of 1 million bits/square inch.  These disk drives used particulate oxide disk technology and ferrite head technology (oxide/ferrite) [5].  From 1976 to 1985, oxide/ferrite recording density grew linearly to 10 million bits/square inch.  The recording density growth was related to incremental advances in manufacturing techniques such as grinding the ferrite heads, more precise dimensions, and using smaller more finely dispersed oxide particles on the disk’s surface [5].

In 1985, the oxide/ferrite storage technology reached its maturity and the recording density began to level-off. The maturity of the oxide/ferrite technology created a search for a new technology which introduced an incremental advance to thin film and head technology starting a new trajectory.

A disruptive technological change is governed by an innovation discontinuity which redefines the performance trajectory leading to creative destruction overturning the established industry structures [5].  Furthermore, discontinuous innovations are competency destroying, obsoleting existing know-how because mastery of the old technology does not imply mastery of the new [5].  In the 20^th century, the disruptive technology was the introduction of silicon based electronics which replaced vacuum tubes and sparked the evolution electronics that revolutionized the world.

In the 21^st century, the integration of WBG technology will set a new course for all industries.  The Department of Energy (DOE) has indicated WBG semiconductors will pave the way for exciting innovations in power electronics, solid-state lighting and other diverse applications across multiple industrial and clean energy sectors [4].

Commercially Available SiC Power Devices

Mitsubishi Electric has commercialized SiC technology into fundamental power semiconductor devices that include Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBD) and Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET). More important, Mitsubishi has commercialized SiC technology into both full and hybrid Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) and Intelligent Power Modules (IPM).  These full and hybrid SiC IGBT products offer the following advantages over the existing Si technology:

• Reduced switching losses;
• Increased system efficiency;
• High temperature operation;
• Increased operating frequency;
• Reduced cooling requirements;
• Low inductance for increased switching speed; and
• Reduced system size = increased power density.

The full SiC IGBT modules have attained a 70% reduction in inverter power losses and the hybrid SiC IGBT modules have attained a 45% reduction in inverter power losses. Both products have found applications in a plurality of industries which include:

• High power inverters for traction drives, Uninterruptible Power Supplies, and renewable energy applications.
• Small inverters for household appliances and HVAC equipment.
• High frequency inverters for medical equipment and welding.

 SiC Power Application: Mitsubishi Ginza Subway Line Retrofit

SiC technology development has focused on small device technology. However, Mitsubishi Electric introduced SiC technology into power electronics through the development and testing of SiC inverters for Japan’s Ginza subway line [6].  Mitsubishi’s test results are summarized as follows:

• The SiC based inverter was 40% smaller and lighter than the conventional inverter;
• Energy savings was 38.6% compared to the conventional system; and
• Increased regenerated power to 51% compared to 22.7% for the conventional system [6].

These favorable results have prompted Mitsubishi Electric to commercialize the technology and have received 127 orders for the SiC-based inverters [6].

CONCLUSION

SiC technology is a disruptive technology that will establish a new trajectory for small device and power electronics. Tests have demonstrated that SiC based power electronics is smaller, lighter, and more efficient than the existing Si based technology.

REFERENCES

1. Ren, F., Zolper, J.C. Wide Energy Band Electronic Devices.  World      Scientific Publishing, 2003
2. Li, Haixing, Su, Timothy, Zhang, Vivian, etal.  Electric Field    Breakdown in Single Molecule Junctions.  Journal of the American    Chemical Society, 2015, pp 5028 – 5033.
3. IEEE Spectrum, Vol 52, no.5 (INT) May 2015, Front Cover.
4. Wide Bandgap Semiconductors: Pursuing the Promise.  US Department of   Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office.
5. Tushman, M. L. & Anderson, P. Managing Strategic Innovation and Change.  Second edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
6. IEEE Spectrum article retrieved from       http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/silicon-carbide-  ready-to-run-the-rails

Take the 2018 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 2018 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest. Match your wits and knowledge of engineering ethics with experienced professional engineers and engineering students throughout the country.

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, new this year, you can submit your own case! Please choose any one out 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 Web site for additional cases decided by the BER.

Contest Rules

All entries must be received by Friday, April 27, 2018. E-mail or mail entries to:

2018 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.

Every year, we administer the QBS Awards, recognizing public and private entities that make exemplary use of the qualifications-based selection process at the federal, state and local levels. QBS Award winners serve as examples of how well the QBS process works, and they help us promote the practice of QBS in jurisdictions that do not use, or underutilize, QBS to procure engineering services. We are now seeking nominations for the 2018 QBS Awards. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Nominations must originate from an NSPE State Society, an ACEC Member Organization, a public or private entity, or an individual in the public or private sector. Self-nomination is not permitted. Please mail or email nominations to John Keane with NSPE at jkeane@nspe.org and Charles Kim with ACEC at ckim@acec.org. The QBS Award winner will have an opportunity to receive an engraved trophy and will be recognized during the 2018 NSPE Professional Engineers Conference (PECON) in July 2018 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. To learn more, please see the nominations form. QBS Awards Call for Nominations Now Open Until February 21, 2018 | National Society of Professional Engineers —————————— John Keane Policy & Advocacy Associate National Society of Professional Engineers Alexandria VA ——————————