Subscribe Past Issues RSS Translate View this email in your browser FALL 2021 President’s Message BY JOSEPH JAKUBOWSKI, P.E., LEED AP Renew your Certificate of Authorization!!! Sorry to be so blunt, but a reminder on the approaching deadline on September 30 is probably the most important message of this newsletter. As written in the Delaware Professional Engineers’ Act (Section 2821), “An engineering corporation or partnership must have a certificate of authorization in order to practice, or offer to practice, engineering as defined in this chapter.” Additionally, “A licensee who practices, or offers to practice, engineering under a name other than the person’s licensed name is required to obtain a Certificate of Authorization, or to practice under a Certificate of Authorization.” Our staff has done a great job over the last few years of increasing efforts to notify our members (who provide up-to-date contact info) of impending renewal deadlines, including sending out multiple emails and postcards. We also revised the DAPE schedule to separate the Professional Engineer and Certificate of Authorization renewal deadlines, allowing our staff to handle questions and process requests more efficiently. If you aren’t sure if you need a Certificate of Authorization or if you have issues with the process, please contact our office. Details for renewal are included later in the newsletter. DAPE accomplishments and events from the past few months are detailed throughout this newsletter. Additionally, below are few highlights of other activities: DAPE will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022!! DAPE was created as part of the authorization of the Delaware Professional Engineers’ Act on July 7, 1972. The first meeting of the Ad-Hoc Committee related to recognizing DAPE’s history, achievements, and contributions over the last fifty years met on September 21, 2021. During the September 8, 2021 Council meeting, the current officers were re-elected to a term that will run from September 2021 to August 2022. The officers comprise the Executive Committee of DAPE. Committee chairs were also appointed for the remaining nine standing committees of DAPE. The agendas for DAPE’s upcoming meetings can be found on the State of Delaware Public Meeting Calendar. Meeting minutes following monthly DAPE Council meetings can be found at https://www.dape.org/ New and re-elected council members attended their first Council meeting in September. Congrats and thank you to Mike, Jeremy and Neeraj. A little information about each one is contained later in the newsletter. DAPE participated virtually in the NCEES Northeast Zone meeting on May 20, 2021. In addition to election of Northeast Zone leadership and selection of a nominee for the national NCEES president-elect, DAPE’s past president, Carmine Balascio, Ph.D., P.E., led the Engineering Forum discussion. On September 15, 2021, DAPE virtually attended the business meeting portion of the 100th NCEES Annual Meeting. Officer and zone reports were provided, and motions were considered related to committee membership, degrees in engineering technology, PE Structural Engineering exam, and continuing education requirements. Dr. Balascio also serves as the Chair for the NCEES Committee on Examinations for Professional Engineers and as a consultant for several other committees. House Bill 142 was signed by Governor Carney on September 17, 2021. HB142 promotes the expansion of licensure opportunities in Delaware while maintaining standards of competence and professionalism by adding references to the Washington Accord (international agreement for accrediting engineering degree programs) and International Professional Engineer (IntPE – registration to provide services internationally); administrative approval of Model Law Engineers designated by NCEES; and amendments related to licensure comity, engineering seal format, and temporary permits. During our next DAPE Council meeting on October 13, 2021, we expect to finalize committee membership and discuss the first committee meetings of the administrative year, which begins on September 1. If you are interested in helping DAPE plan events, serve the engineering community, or promote engineering and licensure, our website contains summaries of all of the committees. Additionally, the majority of our council and committee meetings are open to the public and are virtual. I encourage you to attend to see if it’s a good fit. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions, feel free to reach out to me at jjakubowski@harvardenv.com or DAPE at office@dape.org. Executive Director’s Message BY JENNIFER WOOTTEN One of my favorite conversation starters when I meet DAPE members is to ask them about their personal experience taking the PE Exam. I believe it is very telling how Professional Engineers remember their exam experience so vividly, even those that took it decades ago. Passing the PE exam is an impressive accomplishment, and a well-deserved point of pride. October 2021 will be the last pencil and paper PE exam administration in Delaware. I can’t say I’ll miss the stress that comes with administering the exam, which has increased exponentially during COVID, but this milestone is for sure the end of an era here at DAPE. We have many long-time volunteers that come back every year to serve as exam proctors. Their personal stories of taking and proctoring the PE exam have certainly helped me pass the time during the 8-hour, semi-annual PE exam administration. I always marvel at how quickly that day seems to go for examinees, and how slowly it seems to go for the DAPE staff and proctors. As DAPE approaches our 50th Anniversary in 2022, I’d love to hear your memories of taking the PE exam here in Delaware. Please share your story by emailing jen@dape.org - I am hoping to compile your PE exam memories to share as part of our anniversary celebration. NCEES is on track to convert the Civil PE exam disciplines to computer-based format in January 2022 (well ahead of their original transition schedule). Most PE exams will be offered year-round now, and candidates will be able to schedule them directly at Pearson-VUE Testing Centers, giving them more flexibility not just in timing but also geographically. While the Structural Engineering exams will continue to be in pencil and paper format for the next few years, NCEES is planning a regional exam administration since the number of SE examinees is low in many states (including Delaware). You can read more about the transition to computer-based format here. Council Election Results/Welcome Congratulations to our newly-elected Council members, who began serving their four-year terms on September 1, 2021: Government Seat: Michael Clendaniel, P.E. “Other” Engineering Seat: Jeremy Kalmbacher, P.E. Chemical Engineering Seat: Neeraj Batta, P.E. Mike Clendaniel was elected to serve his 2nd consecutive 4-year term on the DAPE Council. He has worked at New Castle County since graduating from University of Delaware in 2003. Mike has served as DAPE’s Treasurer, and is now Council Vice-President. He chairs the Finance/Employee Compensation and Benefits/Facilities Committees, and also serves on DAPE’s Public Information Committee. Jeremy Kalmbacher was also elected to serve his 2nd consecutive 4-year term on the DAPE Council. He is a Principal at the consulting engineering firm Three Cord CEM. Jeremy is the Chair of DAPE’s External Affairs Committee, which addresses overlapping practice concerns with the Delaware Board of Architects, and more recently with the Professional Land Surveyors Board. Neeraj Batta is new to the DAPE Council. He has worked at Batta Environmental Associates, Inc. since 2004. Neeraj hopes to lend his experience in engineering and business operations to help guide future DAPE policy and framework, and to encourage students to pursue careers in engineering. Thank you, Mike! As we welcome new Council members, we also have to say goodbye to outgoing Council member Mike Lennon. Fortunately for DAPE, Mike will continue as a volunteer on both the Finance Committee and our newly-formed Ad Hoc 50th Anniversary Committee. Certificate of Authorization Renewal Deadline is September 30 Any firm that offers or provides engineering services to the public in Delaware needs an active Certificate of Authorization. Renewal notices for firm licenses are sent to officers. If you are an engineer in responsible charge for your firm, we encourage you to check our public roster to be sure this renewal has been completed (be sure to note the expiration date for your firm’s Certificate). Email office@dape.org if you have any questions about your firm’s Certificate of Authorization. Welcome to Delaware’s Newest Professional Engineers CPC Guidelines Revised In addition to its monthly charge of reviewing PE applications (an ongoing, time-consuming undertaking!), DAPE’s examining committee has spent the last year reviewing documentation and guidelines related to their work. The Committee wrote a comprehensive job aid to assist current and future members in reviewing applications consistently. Additionally, the DAPE Council recently approved the Examining Committee’s recommendations to amend DAPE’s Guidelines for Maintaining Continuing Professional Competency. A summary of the revisions includes: A change to the professional ethics requirement (now 2-6 hours, a decrease from the previous 3-6 hour requirement) A clearer distinction between exemptions for Inactive and Retired licensees Adding PDH credit for authoring book chapters (not just books) and for completion of a peer review Clarifying language to state that carryover PDHs are not allowed Clarifying language regarding resident jurisdictions other than Delaware DAPE Members are encouraged to review these guidelines in their entirety. You can find this current version of the CPC Guidelines here. Stay tuned for our next Ethics training for members. We were hoping we’d be able to schedule something in person for the fall, but the Delta variant seems to have different ideas. Delaware State Fire Prevention Regulations The State Fire Prevention Commission has recently adopted a new edition of the Delaware State Fire Prevention Regulations, which became effective on September 1, 2021. The changes for the new edition can be found here. Reflections on 9/11 With the recent 20th Anniversary of 9/11, we thought this American Society of Civil Engineers compilation of related articles from an engineering perspective might be of interest to our members. NCEES recently interviewed David Widmer, P.L.S., Past President of NCEES, about his experience in a surveying project at the crash site of Flight 93 in central Pennsylvania. You can find this episode of Advance: An NCEES podcast series here. DAPE Communications If you would like to get our emails sent to a second email address, please complete this form to subscribe. You can also feel free to share this link with non-DAPE members such as colleagues on the path to becoming licensed, or administrators that help you with license renewals. Council Executive Committee Joseph Jakubowski, P.E., LEED AP, President Michael Clendaniel, P.E., Vice President Charles McAllister, P.E., Secretary Karen Maxson, P.E., Treasurer Carmine Balascio, P.E., Immediate Past President Council Members (Term Expiration Date) Robert C. Wheatley, Sussex Co. – Appointed (8/31/21) Daniel Barbato, P.E., New Castle County (8/31/22) Joseph Jakubowski, P.E., LEED AP, Civil Engineering (8/31/22) Karen Maxson, P.E., Industry (8/31/22) Ronald D. Smith, Esq., Kent Co. – Appointed (8/31/22) Nicholas Dean, P.E., Kent County (8/31/23) William Gamgort, Esq., New Castle Co. – Appointed (8/31/23) Charles L. McAllister, P.E., Private Consulting (8/31/23) Michael P. Siwek, P.E., Electrical Engineering (8/31/23) Jason Hastings, P.E., Sussex County (8/31/24) David Reinhold, P.E., Education (8/31/24) Kenneth Tadler, P.E., Mechanical Engineering (8/31/24) Michael A. Clendaniel, P.E., Gov’t Employment (8/31/25) Jeremy Kalmbacher, P.E., “Other” Engineering (8/31/25) Neeraj Batta, P.E., Chemical Engineering (8/31/25) DAPE Staff Jennifer Wootten, Executive Director Kathy Davis, Executive Assistant Beth Baughman, Administrative Assistant Copyright (C) 2021 Delaware Association of Professional Engineers. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe