COPS Issues Position Statement On The Role Of GPS-Guided Equipment And Surveyors Thomas Kohn, COPS Steering Committee Chairman The Council of Professional Surveyors (COPS) has issued a position statement to combat a possible reduction in the role of surveyors and engineers when using global positioning for developing digital terrain models (DTM). Some published reports have suggested that DTM is reducing or eliminating the need for field engineers. "The position statement is important to assure that the surveyor or engineer is not overlooked in this process," said COPS Steering Committee Chairman Thomas Kohn, of Leading Edge Land Services, in Orlando. DTM is a topographic model of the bare earth that can be manipulated by computer programs. Vegetation, buildings and other cultural features can be removed digitally—leaving just the underlying terrain. It can be used to guide automatic machinery in the construction of a physical model. The COPS position statement emphasizes that: "Professional engineers produce construction plans showing proposed grades of construction sites, and that these plans are used to create data used in the operation of GPS guided construction equipment and specific events during the construction process." The statement also says: "A successful machine control grading process is dependent on the quality of the DTM and site calibration. Therefore, COPS herein requests that professional engineers state, in construction plan specifications, that professional land surveyors or professional engineers be in charge of DTM creation and site calibration." Former COPS Chairman Ken Brown said: "I think it's time for engineers and surveyors alike to take control of this industry and provide the leadership and knowledge it needs. This is part of the built environment."

ACEC Expands Scholarship Program ACEC now offers two academic scholarships for engineering students as part of its scholarship program administered by the Committee of Fellows. In 2007, ACEC will award its annual "Scholar of the Year" scholarship, in addition to a new "Kennedy/Jenks Consultants Scholarship in Honor of David D. Kennedy." The amounts of these awards are $10,000 and $7,500, respectively. "The engineering profession is in stiff competition for students considering other professions and government careers," said Fellows Committee Chairman Ray Miller. "One way to enhance the number of students in the engineering field is to offer educational support programs for students to pursue their dreams as professional engineers." The Scholarship Program has expanded its eligibility to include undergraduates, masters program students and doctoral candidates. In the past only undergraduate students were eligible to receive scholarships. Member firms are encouraged to support ACEC's Scholarship Program and to help students interested in pursuing engineering professions. Donations should be made payable to American Council of Engineering Companies Scholarship Fund. All donations toward the scholarship program are 100 percent U.S. tax deductible. For further information, contact Daisy Nappier at ACEC at 202-347-7474 or via e-mail at dnappier@acec.org.

Record Number Of Firms Appear In Engineering Inc. More and more ACEC Member Firms are realizing the value of advertising in the Council's award-winning magazine Engineering Inc. Click here to view all the engineering firms that advertised in the November/December issue of Engineering Inc. Shouldn't your firm have been a part of this popular issue? Firms that advertise in Engineering Inc. will have exposure to more than 23,000 Member Firm owners, senior executives and principals. Advertisers will also be able to reach Capitol Hill lawmakers, state DOT administrators, as well as an additional 20,000 industry and government leaders who now receive the new digital version of the magazine. To make sure your firm receives its well-deserved exposure in one of the industry's most influential publications, contact Nina Goldman at ngoldman@acec.org or call 202-347-7474. You may also click here to view all advertising possibilities for your firm.

Online Seminars: Small Investment In Time, Big Return On Investment In Knowledge Add to your growing expertise in marketing, business development or project management and earn PDHs with ACEC's final online seminars for 2006: Your Brochure—Electronic AND Printed is Your Brand—Engineer It to Compete More Effectively Raphael Shammaa, Brand Counsel December 5 Tell your firm's story in its most compelling light through a professional sales brochure with a strong brand message. Click here for more information and to register. Working in Contractor-Led Design-Build Teams Paul T. Bryant, O+I Consultants December 6 Discover what it takes to pick the right partners, assign the right staff, and meet expectations to keep morale and profits high. Click here for more information and to register. An Engineer's Guide to Marketing a Green Building Practice Jerry Yudelson, Interface Engineering, Inc. December 13 Examine current growth rates and projections, identify core marketing principles and client/customer needs as well as best practices. Click here for more information and to register. Online seminars are highly focused, one-and-a-half hour learning sessions, and are delivered in real time (1:30-3 p.m. EST) through internet access and telephone audio. Participants earn 1.5 PDHs, and a single fee covers one participant or a whole roomful.

Copyright © 2006 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC.

Click here to review past editions of the Last Word.

Click here to subscribe to the Last Word.