Engineering societies focus on standards, public safety

by Christine Ballew-Gonzales

SBJ Contributing Writer

Engineering societies are not just fraternal clubs for those in the engineering field, according to Springfield engineers who have held leadership positions within state and national organizations.

According to Fred Palmerton of Palmerton & Parrish Inc., there are two Missouri engineering associations, both of which are affiliated with their respective national organizations.

The Missouri Society of Professional Engineers is "a group that represents registered professional civil, electrical and mechanical engi-neers," according to Palmerton. Palmerton, who was president of MSPE 1997-98, said that the society has a membership of 2,000 Missouri engineers of all disciplines.

Palmerton is also the north central region's vice president for the National Society of Professional Engineers' Private Practice Division. The north central region encompasses a seven-state area in the Midwest.

But what is the purpose of these organizations?

"The MSPE is set up almost totally to promote registration, which protects the public health, safety and welfare of the public in engineering practice," Palmerton said.

David Plank, a former president of MSPE, agreed. "The main goal is to promote registration," Plank said. "Registration has, at its core, the protection of the public in mind. We are active in the legislative arena, trying to make sure only qualified people practice engineering."

Registration of engineers with the Missouri Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors is required by law, according to Plank.

This registration makes an engineer accountable to the board for failing to adhere to the standards established by the board.

"Registration makes the individual engineers responsible and gives people some assurance that engineers are competent," Plank said.

According to Kevin Skibiski of Scott Consulting Engineers, vice president of MSPE and former president of the local chapter, the criteria for registered engineers is constantly scrutinized by the members of the engineering societies.

"Annually, there's always some fine tuning of registration laws, in order to improve them and make them more meaningful," Skibiski said.

The board that governs registered engineers has the authority to reprimand engineers by suspending or revoking the licenses of those who fall below the board's standards keeping those standards high is one of the main jobs of engineering societies.

The Ozarks Chapter of the MSPE also supports the engineering profession through scholarships. Each year the local organization puts on its well-known shrimp feed as a scholarship fundraiser, Palmerton said.

The event, which is more than 50 years old, brings in $10,000 to $12,000 per year to fund engineering scholarships. To date, nearly 80 scholarships have been presented to southwest Missouri students by the Ozarks Chapter of the MSPE.

The other engi-neering society is called Consulting Engineers Council of Missouri. "This organization has a business base, not individual membership," Palmerton said. "Their interest is with business issues of engineering. They focus on business issues, such as tax and liability issues, that affect the practice of engineering."

Objectives of CECMO include promoting the business affairs of member businesses, as well as maintaining a presence in the government arenas that affect engineering.

"They watch and try to participate in formulating laws that affect engineering," Palmerton said. Promoting the image of member businesses, as well as networking among members to exchange information about the business of engineering, are the group's other objectives, he said.

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