You have the technical skills, but now you’re a manager or project leader. It’s a whole new ball game. Your current skills are not likely to be enough now. Do you know what it takes to be successful? Are you developing the appropriate skills that will lead you forward? This interactive session engages participants in a thought-provoking exploration of the skills needed to bridge the gap from technical expert to manager and leader. The gap may surprise you! The results are based on personal interviews with leaders in engineering organizations and their observations of the most needed skills. 

Learning Objectives: 
• Discover the real gap between technical skills and management skills;
• Identify the most needed skills to become an effective manager; and
• Assess the difference between management and leadership and steps needed to make the leap.

PDH: 1

Shelley Row, P.E., CSP, Founder & CEO

Coffee Break Chats - Day 1 - Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Join a peer group or topic breakout room of your choice to network, problem solve, and connect.

• New Professionals
• Mid-Career Professional
• Late Career/Retired Professionals
• Licensure in Multiple States
• Leadership: Education Opportunities

"Leaders are born not made." "Engineers are not cut out for leadership positions." Those were the type of ideas I was brought up to believe. And I believed them. My younger self would be quite surprised to follow my professional transformation from introverted engineer to assertive engineering manager working at the world's largest design and construction management agency. My journey from techie to leader boils down to two words: spontaneous speaking. I found the power of off-the-cuff communication to be the vehicle necessary to travel the leader's path. Let me show you how you can use this singularly powerful skill to change the trajectory of your career for the better.

PDH: 1

Seth Greenwald, MID, PMP, LEED, FE1, Project Engineer / Technical Manager

Join us for a group Masterminds session where each attendee will be able bring their most pressing professional issue to the table and tap into the knowledge, experience, and advice of a group of peers and experts in PE to help workshop solutions. To help us focus the sessions, please indicate on the poll which issues keep you up at night.

Over the course of a career, you will interact with many people who possess leadership styles, communication preferences, thoughts and beliefs that are quite different from yours. Often, you may not have formal management authority for those who are critical to your success as an individual contributor and as a leader of people.  Yet, a lack of formal authority does not mean you are powerless. During this session, we will take a holistic view of management and leadership including managing yourself, managing up and managing within teams. Developing our skills for managing ourselves and influencing those around us, can lead to greater success in achieving our career goals.

As we explore the mindset for managing up, out and within, we will discuss the role of three important and connected elements:

1. Communication. We’ll look at specific ways for communicating with your manager, your team and others you interact with in the course of your workday. Thoughtful communication anchors stronger relationships and yields desired results.

2. Trust. We’ll talk about how to build trust with others – no trust falls necessary! Seemingly mundane activities like meeting deadlines, taking accountability, and handling commitments with honesty and integrity contribute to building trust with others.

3. Self-management. We all know that we can’t control other people – but we can manage ourselves and our methods for engaging with and influencing others. When we can step back and make an honest assessment of our role in a situation, we’re able to be proactive, think creatively, and engage effectively. 

This session will consist of teaching time and engagement with the audience. Participants will work through case studies to move beyond lecture to put the concepts shared into practice.

PDH: 1

Stephanie Buckingham, CPTD, PHR, Organizational Development Specialist

Paula E. Miles, PE, ACC, CPEC, Founder

Experience Level: Any level of experience

In this 60-minute moderated virtual session, panelists will provide key insights, highlighting the value of diversity in design, and society:

1. Value of diversity in design 

2. Value of diversity to engineering companies 

3. Value of diversity to engineering societies

The panelists will touch on:

1. Unconscious bias 

2. How to be antiracist / antisexist 

3. New tactics and trends in hiring to avoid unconscious bias 

4. Workforce development 

5. Strategies to strengthen and diversify the profession  

1 PDH

Pricing

NSPE Members: FREE

Non-members: $75.00 (Join NSPE today and save on this purchase.)

To register, add this webinar to your shopping cart and check-out in the NSPE e-store. 

Strauder Patton IV, PE, PMP, Vice President, Global Project Delivery & Transformation, People & Places Solutions Business

Kerrie Greenfelder, PE, BCEE, DBIA, Manager of Engineering, Water

Get a chance to talk to the speakers and ask additional questions as well as talk about the highlights from the day. 

Cyber-attacks continue to increase in frequency and sophistication.  Of particular concern are the cyber-attacks on infrastructure and utilities.  In this session we will review details of some recent cyber-attacks, provide recommendations on how organizations can be resilient to cyber-attacks, and how the engineering community can help.  

PDH: 1
NY Approved

James Livermore, CISA, CRISC, CDPS, Head of Global Information Security

Dave Ubert,

Coffee Break Chat - Day 2 - Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Join a peer group or topic breakout room of your choice to network, problem solve, and connect.

• Municipal Engineers
• Forensic Engineers
• Women in Engineering
• Legislative Issues Impacting Engineers
• Celebrate PE Day 

Get a personal career consultation and résumé review with experts from Kelly Services, the nation’s third-largest engineering staffing company. Get insider intel on hot engineering trends and personal advice so you can stand out, land the right job, and move your career forward.  Space is limited!

Wednesday August 4, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT
 
Sign up for one of our 30-minute, complimentary, 1-on-1 appointment slots with one of our four experienced engineering recruiters.
 
Spaces are limited and only available to PE Conference registrants. Slots assigned on a first come basis.
 
Deadline to sign up for an appointment is 5 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, August 3.

On March 15, 2018, a pedestrian bridge across a six-lane highway being built for the Florida International University failed and fell across the highway, killing five occupants of crushed cars and a worker. An additional ten people were injured, six seriously. As is common in these types of failures, there were several missteps contributing to the failure. This seminar examines the path to failure, as disclosed in an independent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and the relationship between the missteps, and the professional ethics of each party and the professionals involved. In addition to the ethical issues, the wise use of computer-aided design tools is also discussed.

PDH: 2
NY Approved

Susan Sprague, P.E., F. NSPE, Senior Associate

Eric Tappert, P.E., Consultant

Join us for a group Masterminds session where each attendee will be able bring their most pressing professional issue to the table and tap into the knowledge, experience, and advice of a group of peers and experts in PE to help workshop solutions. To help us focus the sessions, please indicate on the poll which issues keep you up at night.

Celebrate Engineering Excellence with NSPE as we premiere the recorded virtual awards ceremony and present the following awards:

NSPE Award

NSPE Distinguished Service Award

Young Engineer of the Year Award

Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) Award

We will also recognize this year's class of NSPE Fellows, the Engineering Education Excellence Award winner, and the Milton F Lunch Ethics Contest winner.

On March 15, 2018, a pedestrian bridge across a six-lane highway being built for the Florida International University failed and fell across the highway, killing five occupants of crushed cars and a worker. An additional ten people were injured, six seriously. As is common in these types of failures, there were several missteps contributing to the failure. This seminar examines the path to failure, as disclosed in an independent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and the relationship between the missteps, and the professional ethics of each party and the professionals involved. In addition to the ethical issues, the wise use of computer-aided design tools is also discussed.

PDH: 2
NY Approved

Susan Sprague, P.E., F. NSPE, Senior Associate

Eric Tappert, P.E., Consultant

Dave Davlin offers an engaging keynote utilizing great stories, imaginative illustrations, humor, and his years of experience as an entertainer. As part of his imaginative illustrations, Davlin will utilize his unique skills with a basketball to illustrate a point of focus within his speech.  For instance, imagine a basketball spinning on the edge of a spoon while an audience member eats from the spoon. It's a fun visual experience, but Dave's focus is delivering a powerful message in a fun, memorable way.

PDH: 1

Dave Davlin, Speaker

Get a chance to talk to the speakers and ask additional questions as well as talk about the highlights from the day. 

Join experts from Kelly Engineering, the third-largest engineering staffing firm in the U.S. along with Tricia Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE and the 2020–2021 President of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) as they break down the current state of the engineering employment market and provide insight into the hottest workforce trends of the future, including the rise in the gig economy. Rick Guerra, P.E., F.NSPE and current President, National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) will moderate as the panelists share insights, predictions, and expert advice for EITs and PEs looking to build a fulfilling and sustainable career for the future. 

Tricia Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE, Executive Vice President Operations, Central Plains and Southeast US Regions

Rick Guerra, P.E., F.NSPE, President/CEO

Maria Groszek, Director, Engineering Domain Intelligence

Susan Walsh, Recruiting Manager

Ron Bergh, Southeast Regional Sales Manager

The global workplace is rapidly changing. With the sudden and sustained economic and social impacts caused by COVID-19, the ""new"" digital future is here. The advancement of data science and AI will likely hyper-accelerate automation and displace routine work. The engineering discipline is evolving and AI will be at the center of this transformation.

Several economic forecasts predict 40 percent of current jobs will be lost by 2030, accounting for 30 million jobs lost. However, business and educational leaders state there is a "talent crisis" of data science and AI professionals, according to an Ernst & Young report. The future is now.

PDH: 1

Kimberly Johnson, P.E., Founding Principal

Coffee Break Chat - Day 3 - Thursday, August 5, 2021

Join a peer group or topic breakout room of your choice to network, problem solve, and connect.

Minorities in Engineering

Sole Proprietors

Mentoring

Remote Work and Engineering Teams: What's Next?

Leadership: Book Club

Humans are getting serious about living and working on other bodies in the solar system. First, on our moon, Luna. And in time, on the red planet, Mars. For this to happen, there is much which needs to be learned and many problems to be conquered, not only in getting there, but also in thriving there. This talk will illuminate some of the many technical, physiological, resource and ergonomic challenges of living and working on other planets, in the near and far terms.

PDH: 1
NY Approved

George Hamilton, P.E., F. NSPE, Human Factors Engineer

Independent-minded, technical professionals are notoriously reluctant to delegate. Our education that focuses on getting “The Right Answer.” But fostering a mindset shift toward working through others can provide new ways to manage “the monkey on our backs.” Discover a framework that takes the mystery out of delegation. Learn options to manage those tasks that bounce back even after delegation. 

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the obstacles associated with effective delegation;
• Create a framework to fully prepare for delegating tasks; and
• Learn to skillfully manage tasks that “bounce back” after an attempt at delegation.

PDH: 1

Shelley Row, P.E., CSP, Founder & CEO

Most systems today are enhanced and modified digitally while being integrated into physical systems in our world. Digital modernization with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is embedded through sensors and actuators with Edge Computing, but digital thinking is slowly creeping, and maybe surprising our engineering workforce.

AI and ML is changing how we design, collect, analyze, operate, maintain and decommission our legacy systems. Not only are digital systems and tools impacting our end products, the design and implementations are changing. Change warrants the way we should be accountable to protect the public’s health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE). Engineers are becoming the profession of choice for these quantitative, digital systems. We apply AI as a cognitive assistant while embedding our thinking, analysis, and responses into the system as machine learning algorithms on Edge Devices.

The road to digitization is accelerating with globalization, COVID 19, politics, new workforce design, and economics compressing time horizon expectations. The basic principles, methods, and laws that professional engineers apply could be codified and govern Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems pervasive around us.

The public looks to the profession to guide them. Accidents and fatalities have already occurred with improper fundamentals outside of the Professional Engineers’ purview and oversight. We have to incorporate and govern technology as we have did using classic engineering methodologies, fundamental laws from physics, thermodynamics, statistics and probabilities and not ignore that the systems will continue to be AI enabled.

PDH: 1
NY Approved

Dr. Ben Amaba, P.E., CPIM®, LEED®AP BD+C, Chief Technology Officer for the Industrial Sector

Dr. Phillip A. Laplante, CSDP, P.E., Professor of Software and Systems Engineering and Affiliate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology

Caitlin Kenney, P.E., PMP, Systems Engineer at International Systems

As the founder and prime consultant of Forcing Function LLC, Girija has worked on both grant based research and commercial projects. This talk will focus on the 'why and how' of the projects that Forcing Function has undertaken using grant based research. Engineers need to be able to evolve and work with cross-disciplinary teams in order to provide innovative solutions to real world problems. The examples presented will show how new technologies like sensors, drones and Deep Learning can be applied across multiple disciplines to provide solutions in the world of Transportation.

Using 3 real world examples, I will walk the audience through the process of undertaking real world innovative engineering research and applications. The 3 projects are listed below:  

1. Predicting traction motor failure - involves using sensor data under ruggedized operating conditions  
2. Performing surface and sub-surface analysis of concrete lined tunnels using drone mounter LiDAR and GPR sensors  
3. Performing hardware and radio agnostic signal coverage analysis by applying Deep Learning to RF signals  
All 3 projects involve multi-disciplinary work and signal processing of collected data using ML/DL techniques.

PDH: 1
NY Approved

Girija Subramaniam, P.E., Founder/Consultant

Get a chance to talk to the speakers and ask additional questions as well as talk about the highlights from the day. 

Alan Mallory’s dynamic keynote is built around the two years of planning and two months of climbing that went into making the project of reaching the summit of Mount Everest a reality for Alan and three members of his immediate family. Alan puts specific emphasis on adopting an agile mentality so that we are not too rigid in our thinking, reframing activities to focus on results rather than tasks, developing a level of trust in professional relationships, gaining alignment and commitment, working through change, recognizing strengths, managing schedule and risks, adopting an iterative approach which incorporates immediate feedback, and effectively working together to achieve strategic goals. Alan’s message is about the passion, commitment and resilience that are needed to reach new heights in all that we do, as well as the strategies and tools that allow great leaders and committed teams to achieve breakthrough performance.

PDH: 1

Alan Mallory, P.E., PMP, CSP, MA, BSc, Speaker, Author and Performance Coach