September/October 2003

WSE welcomes new sustaining member

Cowhey, Gudmundson, Leder, Inc. has joined the ranks of sustaining company members for the Western Society of Engineers. WSE welcomes the firm and its representative Robert Cowhey, Jr. Cowhey Gudmundson Leder, Ltd. was established in 1975 to provide a personalized professional service to both private and public clients involved in the real estate development industry. Cowhey Gudmundson Leder, Ltd. offers innovative approaches from project feasibility studies and land use analysis to storm water management, flood hazard studies, environmental impact studies, earthwork analysis, wetland delineation and mitigation plans, forestry services, natural resource preservation, site planning, and engineering.

Western Society of Engineers 2003-2004 Election

Western Society of Engineers has selected its slate of officers and trustees for 2003-2004 as well as the Washington Award commissioners.

Officers:

• President
  Steve Palac, Greeley and Hansen
• First Vice President
  Dennis Lamont, Weldy-Lamont Associates
• Treasurer
  Myra Burgess, OPG, Inc.

Trustees*

• G. Nicholas Textor, Vice President, CTE Engineers. Inc.
• John Velon, VP and Area Manager, MWH Global

Washington Award Commission

• Dennis Demoss, Sargent & Lundy
• Bob Ivarson, Teng & Associates
• Allen Behring, MWH Global

* Incomplete as of press time. The full slate of trustees could not be confirmed in time for the press deadline.

October Chicagoland Engineering Forum luncheon

On October 29 a speaker from Metra will discuss the June 24, 2003, bridge fire that shut down transportation lines and Metra�s successful efforts to rebuild the bridge and restore service in seven days. The Chicagoland Engineering Forum luncheon will take place at the Union League Club, 11:30 am/social; noon/lunch. Cost: members $25.00, nonmembers $30.00. (Member/nonmember prices increases $5.00 for walk-in and day of event registration.) Contact WSE office, [email protected], 312/913-1730, 913-1731 fax.

There will be no September Chicagoland Engineering Forum luncheon.

Spirit of Glen Ellyn

Wright Redux and Packer Engineering�s flight-worthy replica of the Wright brothers� 1903 Flyer is scheduled to fly on the front lawn of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on the weekend of September 20-21, 2003. The original plan to fly the plane from the Museum lawn on December 17 was changed because of the vagaries of December weather in Chicago. Instead, the plane will be donated to the Museum on December 17, the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight.

The plane will fly between 9 am and 11 am on both Saturday, September 20, and Sunday, September 21. At other times during the event days, the plane will be on exhibit in a tent hanger. The Museum will also have exhibit panels in the hanger, and there will be tapes of the Spirit of Glen Ellyn flights on monitor screens.

The Museum will also feature two new exhibits: At the Controls, featuring life-sized photographs of history-making aircraft, and Flight: Where Adventure Takes Off, which allows visitors to take control of a real Boeing PT-17 Stearman airplane and Bell 47D helicopter. Other interactive activity stations throughout the exhibition, such as a hot-air balloon and wind-tunnel room, allow visitors to study the mechanics of flight.

Visitors can also experience the famous first flight at Kitty Hawk aboard the Microsoft Flight Simulator, view Straight Up! Helicopters in Action in the Museum�s Omnimax� Theater, and meet a real United Airlines pilot. In addition, on Saturday families can participate in Mayor Daley�s Kids & Kites festival and create take home crafts. For more information, go to www.msichicago.org.

Future City Competition� seeking engineer�mentors

The Future City Competition of the 2004 National Engineers Week is looking for engineers to help 7th and 8th grade students in their geographic region design a model of a city as part of the national competition. Engineers who are interested in working with a team of three students and a teacher-sponsor should register through the website as soon as possible. If you have selected a school, indicate its name on the registration form. Your regional coordinator can also match you with a local school. The deadline for registration is October 15, 2003. Contact www.futurecity.org or call 877/636-9578.

Follow-up to Structural Work Act legislation

Proponents of the Illinois Structural Work Act (SWA), which was repealed in 1994, have tried to amend Senate Bill 729 to include language that would reinstate SWA. Thus far, the act has not passed in the Illinois legislature. When the legislature reconvenes in the fall, however, engineers need to pay close attention to all legislative activity concerning this bill.

The amendatory language renames the SWA the Construction Safety Act, but the language is essentially the same as the old SWA. The American Society of Structural Engineers is urging the engineering community to contact their respective representatives and urge them to oppose reinstatement of the SWA.

Reasons that engineers should oppose the reinstatement of the SWA include the following:

• Threatens Illinois jobs. This new amendment will increase construction costs and stifle private investment and public works projects, thus costing the state tax revenue, jobs, and economic growth. It will place Illinois at a disadvantage compared to neighboring states where the cost of doing business in the construction industry is much lower.
• Does not increase worker safety. Since the repeal of the SWA in 1994, the number of construction jobs in Illinois rose 25 percent from 211,000 in 1994 to 256,000 in 2000. During that time, construction site fatalities as a percentage of construction workers declined steadily from 20 deaths in 1994 to 14 in 2000.
• Costs consumers. It has been estimated that the SWA cost Illinois employers approximately $170 million a year in insurance costs and the legal fees alone related to defending third-party suites. It can often cost an uninvolved party tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees just to be removed from the case. These costs are passed on to consumers.

In addition workers still maintain the right to sue. Even without the SWA, workers still have the right to go to court but, unlike the situation under the SWA, must now prove negligence against the defendant for the accident.

To obtain contact information for your legislators, go to http://www.elections.state.il.us/dls/pages/DLSAddresscrit.asp.

Illinois continuing education requirements

In 2002 the �Rules for the Administration of the Illinois Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989� were modified to include continuing education requirement. At that time all Illinois licensed structural engineers were notified that beginning with the November 30, 2004, renewal, the continuing education requirements contained in the Rules are a condition of license renewal. The full text of the Rules can be found at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation website at www.ddpr.state.il.us.

�Create the Future� Design Contest

Emhart Teknologies has announced the second annual �Create the Future� design contest. The contest will identify and recognize outstanding innovation and applications in the field of product design.

The contest period runs September 2, 2003, through November 14, 2003, and is open to engineering professionals, students, academics, and the general public not affiliated with Emhart or co-sponsors Allfast and NASA Tech Briefs.

The grand prize is a hybrid automobile or $20,000 cash. First prize is a Segway Transporter or a trip for two to Florida to attend a U.S. Space Camp program. There are also three second-place prizes of DeWalt Power Tool Combination Kits and 30 merit prizes of Black & Decker tools. Every qualified entrant will receive a POP� PowerLink 30 repair kit/hand rivet tool (a $50 value) as an entry gift.

The �Create the Future� design contest has three entry categories:

• Everyday Products�Designers may enter a significant functional or ergonomic new product or upgrade to an existing product that improves the quality of life.
• Safety�Entrants may submit a mechanical or electromechanical device designed to improve personal safety during travel, work, recreation, or at home.
• Transportation�Entrants may present a mechanical or electromechanical design that improves the functionality, performance, or cost basis of transportation product(s).

Entries will be judged based on innovation, manufacturability, marketability, and cost-effectiveness. Winners of the competition will be honored in Chicago at the NASA Tech Briefs� �Product of the Year� awards ceremony at the John Hancock Center.

Those wishing to enter the �Create the Future� design contest can complete and submit the official entry form at www.emhartcontest.com and send an illustration of their design idea in .PDF, .GIF, .JPG or .TIF formats. Entries can also be submitted via mail by sending the entry form and illustration to Emhart Design Contest, c/o ABPI International, 317 Madison Avenue #1900, New York, NY USA 10017. For complete contest rules visit the official contest web site at www.emhartcontest.com.

For more information about Emhart Teknologies, go to www.emhart.com.

Did you know...

how the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts the outlook for engineers? Job opportunities in engineering are expected to be good but to vary by specialty. Starting salaries are significantly higher than those of college graduates in other fields. Continuing education is critical to keep abreast of the latest technology.

Engineering employment is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations. However, overall job opportunities in engineering are expected to be good through 2010 because the number of engineering degrees granted is not expected to increase significantly over the 2000-10 period. The number of bachelor�s degrees awarded in engineering began declining in 1987 and has continued to stay at about the same level through much of the 1990s. The total number of graduates from engineering programs is not expected to increase significantly over the projection period. Most industries are less likely to lay off engineers than other workers. Many engineers work on long-term research and development projects that continue even during economic slowdowns. It is important for engineers continue their education throughout their careers because advances in technology have significantly affected every engineering discipline. Even those who continue their education, however, are vulnerable to layoffs if the particular technology or product in which they have specialized becomes obsolete. Therefore, the choice of engineering specialty and employer involves assessing not only the potential rewards but also the risk of technological obsolescence.

Archived Society News

• July/August 2003
• May/June 2003
• March/April 2003
• January/February 2003
• November/December 2002
• September/October 2002
• May/June 2002
• March/April 2002
• January/February 2002
• November/December 2001
• September/October 2001
• July/August 2001
• May/June 2001
• March/April 2001