Changing the Conversation: …
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Changing the Conversation:
Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering
Status: Available Now
Size: 164 pages, 6 x 9
Publication Year:2008

PAPERBACK
ISBN-10: 0-309-11934-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-309-11934-4

This new book from the National Academies Press provides actionable strategies and market-tested messages for presenting a richer, more positive image of engineering.  This so the United States can continue to lead the world in innovation. The public understanding of engineering is a key component of the innovation engine. A related concern is how to encourage young people particularly girls and under-represented minorities to consider engineering as a career option.  This book presents and discusses in detail market research about what the public finds most appealing about engineering as well as what turns the public off.

Changing the Conversation is a vital tool for improving the public image of engineering and outreach efforts related to engineering. It can be used by engineers in professional and academic settings including informal learning environments (such as museums and science centers), engineering schools, national engineering societies, technology-based corporations that support education and other outreach to schools and communities, and federal and state agencies and labs that do or promote engineering, technology, and science.

The full text can be read on-line free, and a free podcast is available.  For sale are pdf or print versions.

Engineers Australia stated role includes activities that:

• Advance the science and practice of engineering;
• Cultivate lifelong learning by our members;
• Promote the contribution of the profession as widely as possible;
• Champion professional and ethical conduct;
• Welcome all those who wish to practise engineering;
• Allow members’ aspirations to flourish; and stimulate and learn from their creativity and innovation;
• Celebrate excellence in engineering outcomes;
• Draw inspiration from our engineering heritage;
• Sustain the integrity of the profession; and
• Take the lead in advocacy of the profession.

Chartered Status

Chartered Status is exclusive to Engineers Australia. It is a professional credential recognized by government, business and the general public worldwide.  It certifies that the individual practice in a competent, independent and ethical manner and indicates the individual is a leader in their field.

Chartered Status is open to all Professional Engineers, Engineering Technologists and Engineering Officers. The Chartered title (Bye-law 24) may be held by those in the Member and Fellow grades in each occupational category: Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), Chartered Engineering Technologist (CEngT), and Chartered Engineering Officer (CEngO).

Members admitted to Chartered status through current criteria and procedures that can be shown to be equivalent, may carry their Chartered title with the suffix (current year) - for example CPEng 2002-03, shown on their membership card. The date will advance from membership year to membership year, so long as the individual meets the requirements current in that year.

To achieve Chartered Status you must be able to demonstrate specified competencies at Stage 2 (experienced practitioner) level. The Chartered Status application process is a competency-based assessment with two steps:

1)  The preparation of an Engineering Practice Report linking the individuals work experience to the Stage 2 engineering competencies; and

2)  A professional interview conducted by senior practitioners from the area of practice.

Migration Skills Assessment

Engineers Australia is the designated authority to assess professional qualifications in engineering for the purposes of skilled migration to Australia.  If you require an engineering skills assessment to make an application to migrate to Australia, the Migration Skills Assessment Booklet they provide is available to help with that process.

The link to this site is: http://www.feexam.ou.edu/

You can select various engineering subjects and even generate sample tests.

See also our previous post with another source of review material.

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. “Clean Water Act” became the Act’s common name with amendments in 1977.

Civil engineers are aware that under the CWA, the EPA has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. The EPA has also set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters.

The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained. EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls discharges. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.

 Read the full text of CWA, or a PDF Version provided by the U.S. Sentate (234 pp, 571K)

Click here for a self-paced presentation from the Watershed Acadamy Web entitled “Introduction to the Clean Water Act.”

The home, built by St. Thomas Homes of Naperville is one of the 2008 Cavalcade of Homes Models. It becomes only the fourth home certified this year in the entire U.S. under the NAHB’s National Green Building Program.

For Immediate Release

Plainfield, Illinois June 18, 2008 - This green home is gold! St. Thomas Homes, a custom home builder in Naperville and Plainfield announces that the “Tiana Leanor,” a model home constructed for the 2008 Northern Illinois Home Builders Association (NIHBA) Cavalcade of Homes has received a Gold Certification from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program. Additionally, the home has earned the ENERGY STAR® which means it meets strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to ENERGY STAR guidelines, these homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and includes additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. Lantz Rakow, President of D & H Energy Management of Huntley, Illinois, attests the Tiana Leanor is the most energy efficient home he has tested. Rakow is an approved verifier for meeting ENERGY STAR specifications and evaluated the home according to the EPA’s procedures. “When compared to a home of similar size, I expect this home to use 60 to 70% less in total energy use,” explains Rakow. “It is truly an impressive home in terms of energy savings.”

With the Gold Certification, the Tiana Leanor joins an elite group of homes achieving this pinnacle of green building. At this time, the NAHB Research Center reports only two other homes in the United States have been certified Gold by a third party verifier. One other home is certified Silver thus far in 2008. According to Richard Cannavino, President of St. Thomas Homes, energy savings was the main focus in building his green Cavalcade model. “I consulted with various ENERGY STAR vendors to choose a combination of components that will produce the greatest overall savings in energy use,” explains Cannavino. “I am the first builder in the Cavalcade’s 50 years of existence to use geothermal units for heating and cooling. I’ve connected these to a water holding tank which feeds into high efficiency, on demand, tankless gas water heaters. I expect this to result in at least 30% to 50% lower utility bills.” More than energy savings is necessary to become a NAHB certified green built home, however. A home must meet minimum guidelines in seven key construction areas: Site, Resource Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Homeowner Education, and Global Impact. After reaching the point thresholds, an additional 100 points must be achieved by implementing any of the remaining line items. Currently, the certification program is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, published in 2005. Homeowners benefit when a home is built green. They experience lower home operating costs, maintenance needs are reduced, indoor living areas are healthier and more comfortable, and the environmental impact of their home is lessened. Increased home value is a likely outcome as well. “Third party verification, necessary for both the ENERGY STAR designation and certification with the NAHB’s National Green Building Program, lends credibility to any builder’s claims of energy efficiency and use of green building techniques,” says Bob Hill, Director of Laboratory and Certification Sciences at the NAHB Research Center.

What visitors will find when they visit the Tiana Leanor is a beautiful home, one that any family could live in comfortably. Most of what makes this home green won’t be readily noticeable. During every step of the construction a host of options were evaluated as to their overall impact on the home itself as well as the environment. Energy efficiency, water and resource conservation, the use of sustainable or recycled products, and indoor air quality considerations are all incorporated into the home building process. Visitors at the 2008 NIHBA Cavalcade of Homes can learn more about the products utilized in building this home, the first certified green building in the Village of Plainfield. The Cavalcade of Homes takes place in the Stewart Ridge subdivision from June 28 through July 20, 2008. For more information about the Tiana Leanor, contact Richard Cannavino at 630-973-9061 or visit the website www.stthomashomes.net . Information about the 2008 Cavalcade of Homes can be accessed at www.cavalcadeofhomes.com or call the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association at 630-978-9000.

About St. Thomas Homes:
St. Thomas Homes is a custom home builder based in Naperville and is currently building in the communities of Grande Park of Plainfield and Springbank of Plainfield. St. Thomas Homes has become an ENERGY STAR Partner. Richard Cannavino, President of St. Thomas Homes, received his certifications as a Graduate Builder (CGB) and as a Green Professional (CGP) from the NAHB. He is a member of the Executive Board of the NIHBA and also serves on the board for the Home Builders Association of Illinois. St. Thomas Homes was named the 2007-2008 Home Builder of the Year by the NIHBA last December.

Contact:

Richard Cannavino, President
St. Thomas Homes
630-973-9061
http://www.stthomashomes.net

Or

Vickie Romanski
Sales Manager
815-436-4999

The data is accessible in numerous ways from the main web page. A good place to start is the “Quick Start” link. This feature allows a person to retrieve a sampling of information pertaining to the area you are interested in by entering a specific ZIP Code, City and State, or County and State. If you want more in-depth information about a particular subject area, you may select from a list of available Topics, which includes Waste, Water, Toxics, Air, Radiation, Land, Other, and Maps. If you are an experienced user, however, you may be interested in our Advanced Capabilities option. This option will allow you to go directly to the Queries, Maps, or Reports feature that interests you.

The web site also includes a page entitled “Queries, Maps & Reports“.  Tools are provided to retrieve environmental information, including preformatted query forms and mapping applications.  The query forms allow you to type in search criteria (e.g., county and state) to retrieve facility and chemical information. Once you submit the query, a report containing environmental information is returned that matches the criteria you submitted. The content varies, according to which form you use.

Additional features are also available such as the “EnviroMapper OpenLink Wizard” - this can be used either to generate the Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) line to embed a map image or to add the “live” EnviroMapper application to your own Web page.   The EPA also offers OpenLink, a feature that enables any website to dynamically embed EnviroMapper, using http protocol. With OpenLink, you can generate a map image dynamically and display it in your Web page. You can also embed a link to the EnviroMapper application.

So, if you enter a ZIP code in the “Quick Start” search, a map of the area will be generated.  It will identify the discharges to water, superfund sites, hazardous waste, toxic releases, air releases.  You can view the map interactively by using the EnviroMapper.

A list of “Envirofacts” will also be provided.  Here is a sample output:

Envirofacts information about ZIP Code —–

AIR
Facilities that produce and release air pollutants: 0

TOXICS
Facilities that have reported toxic releases: 0

WASTE
Facilities that have reported hazardous waste activities: 13
Number of Large Quantity Generators: 1
Number of Small Quantity Generators: 8

Potential hazardous waste sites that are part of Superfund that exist: 0

Facilities that generate hazardous waste from large quantity generators: 0

WATER
Facilities issued permits to discharge to waters of the United States: 2

Transient Non-Community Water Systems that do not consistently serve the same people (e.g. rest stops, campgrounds, gas stations): 336
Community Water Systems that serve the same people year-round (e.g. in homes or businesses): 79
Non-Transient Non-Community Water Systems that serve the same people, but not year-round (e.g. schools that have their own water system): 52

Additional information can be gathered by going to the “Window to My Environment”.

Another map is generated, and two tabs are available to get additional info: “Your Window” and “Your Environment”.  The later contains links to the following:
 

Home Pages for Federal/State Partners

AIR/CLIMATE
What is the air quality?
What facilities emit to the air?
Where is air monitored?
What is the Ultra Violet(UV) Index?

LAND
What facilities handle hazardous waste?
What facilities have Toxic releases to land?
What are the Superfund Sites?
Are there Brownfields Areas?
Where are the Cleanups?

WATER
What is the drinking water quality?
What facilities discharge to water?
What watersheds cross the area?
Are there polluted waters?
Where is water monitored?
Are there any fish consumption advisories?
Are there any beach advisories/closures?

CROSS MEDIA
What chemicals are released?
What industries have releases?
 
WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT MY ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Justice Assessment
Reporting and Tracking
Restoring and Protecting
Working Locally

GeoExchange systems work on a different principle than an ordinary furnace/air conditioning system, and they require little maintenance or attention from homeowners. Furnaces must create heat by burning a fuel–typically natural gas, propane, or fuel oil. With GeoExchange systems, there is no need to create heat, hence no need for chemical combustion. Instead, the Earth’s natural heat is collected in winter through a series of pipes, called a loop, installed below the surface of the ground or submersed in a pond or lake. Fluid circulating in the loop carries this heat to the home. An indoor GeoExchange system then uses electrically-driven compressors and heat exchangers in a vapor compression cycle–the same principle employed in a refrigerator–to concentrate the Earth’s energy and release it inside the home at a higher temperature. In typical systems, duct fans distribute the heat to various rooms.

In summer, the process is reversed in order to cool the home. Excess heat is drawn from the home, expelled to the loop, and absorbed by the Earth. GeoExchange systems provide cooling in the same way that a refrigerator keeps its contents cool–by drawing heat from the interior, not by injecting cold air.

Thus Geothermal systems capitalize on the solar energy stored year-round just beneath the earth’s surface.  This free geothermal energy is an unlimited, renewable resource.  The lot surrounding a typical suburban home contains 10 times more energy than is required over an entire heating season.  And this resource is constantly replenished by the sun, the surrounding earth and heat rejected while the geothermal system is cooling in the summer.

According to an EPA study entitled “Space Conditioning, The Next Frontier” (Report 430-R-93-004), the Department of Energy and the EPA recognized geothermal systems as the most environmentally friendly, cost-effective and energy efficient heating and cooling technology available.  So you can make a significant contribution to a cleaner environment - while saving up to 70% on your home’s energy bills.

]]> http://theprofessionalengineer.com/2008/07/17/geothermal-heat-pump-consortium/feed/ http://theprofessionalengineer.com/2008/07/16/engineering-jobs-forecast/ http://theprofessionalengineer.com/2008/07/16/engineering-jobs-forecast/#comments Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:14:05 +0000 MRDPE http://theprofessionalengineer.com/?p=98 Heather Boerner, for Yahoo! HotJobs, included the following in a Career Article:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and energy leaders reveal what fields are expected to grow, and they are listed below with projected growth levels through 2016, salary data, and what you need to get a related job.

Engineers
11 percent projected growth
$44,790-$145,600 annually, depending on specialty

“We’re experiencing a comeback in ‘dirty jobs,’” said Chris McCormick, partner and head of the energy division of venture capital firm Landmark Ventures. “While a few years ago, what we wanted were the ‘clean’ jobs in computer engineering, now we’re back to the types of engineers who get their hands dirty with chemistry and broad-application engineering.”

Chemical engineers who work with biofuels, electrical engineers who design power plants, mechanical engineers who find better ways to capture air and wind energy, and nuclear engineers who make plants run more efficiently will all be in high demand — with salaries to match. While some engineers, like chemical engineers, may need a PhD to do their jobs, most others, like environmental engineers, only require a bachelor’s degree in physics or engineering, according to the BLS.

This design engineering event provides an opportunity to connect you with the systems, products, and solutions for your entire manufacturing enterprise.

At National Manufacturing Week 2008, you can meet more than 2,000 suppliers delivering the products and services you need to stay at the forefront in the competitive fast-paced world of manufacturing.  Other featured shows/expos include Plant Engineering, Industrial Automation, Enterprise IT, Assembly Technology Expo, Electronics Assembly Show, Medical Design and Manufacturing (MD&M), Green Manufacturing Expo, PLASTEC Midwest.

As an added incentive, It is promised that an iPhone will be given away every hour during the show’s three days, and that a MacBook Air will be given away every hour on Thursday, September 25th.

The organizers of this event state the following:

Few investments in time deliver the return you’ll receive by attending National Manufacturing Week.  Your visitor badge includes access to nine industry-related shows taking place under one roof.  This three day event presents 400,000 sq. feet of products and services for design engineering, plant engineering and maintenance, industrial automation, enterprise IT, assembly and electronics assembly, plastics and plastics processing, medical design and manufacturing, and sustainable manufacturing. 

Knowledgeable vendors are eager to help you succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.  Discuss your specifications and requirements with exhibitor’s experienced technical and business-savvy staff.  Meet multiple suppliers and match their expertise and capabilities with your needs.

The complete resource for every specialty and every application.  National Manufacturing Week exhibitors have solutions to both your most challenging and routine applications.  Meet leading suppliers with years of experience serving the Aerospace/Aviation, Transportation/Motor Vehicle, Defense, Electronics, Medical/Pharmaceutical, Computer/Communications, Food and Beverage, Industrial/Agricultural, Household Appliances, and other high-tech industries.

Network with industry colleagues and build new business relationships.  Not only will your visit to National Manufacturing Week keep you abreast of the latest advances in your industry but it also presents your best opportunity of the year to explore supplier alliances, technology licensing, partnerships, and joint ventures.

Learn from the experts at the industry’s leading technical conference. Attend the National Manufacturing Week conference for the latest technical training manufacturing professionals need to remain competitive it today’s global marketplace. Industry leaders will present practical tools designed for immediate application to your business.

Join 40,000 manufacturing professionals from the United States and key international centers of manufacturing activity at the industry’s premier event-National Manufacturing Week, September 23-25, 2008.

If you pre-register online, or bring show material with you on-site, registration is FREE. Otherwise, you will be charged the expo only registration fee ($55) in order to register on-site. Online registration is available throughout show days.

It is good to register in advance; the earlier the better.  No badges will be sent to registrants who register after the August 29, 2008 pre-registration deadline has passed. For those who register prior to the pre-registration deadline, they will try to get every badge mailed out in advance. If you do not receive your badge in advance, you can pick it up at their Pre-Registered Desk at the show at no charge.

For safety, insurance and security reasons, no one under the age of 18 is permitted in the expo halls or conference meeting rooms at the show. There are no childcare services available on-site. Only utility animals for the physically challenged are permitted.

Please click here for parking information.  Please click here for information and room rates for the show hotels.

 Click here to add show details to your Outlook calendar.

Show Location

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. River Road
Rosemont (Chicago), IL

Exposition Dates & Hours

Tuesday-Thursday
September 23-25, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Conference Dates

Monday-Wednesday
September 22-24, 2008
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thursday
September 25, 2008
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.