As our Board of Directors recently conducted the business of the Society at our quarterly meeting, I wanted to share some information about our progress and how our Society continues to set the standard for education in the realm of plumbing engineering. Our BOD consists of 12 elected members, two appointed members, and the secretary. The group conducts quarterly in-person meetings and typically eight conference calls a year. It is a commitment of time that we all volunteer with pride. No other organization in the world provides the services that ASPE provides. We have been fortunate to grow our community to more than 7,600 members. Let’s expand a little more about this community.
We work as a unit on the BOD, reviewing a wide range of topics and addressing the Society’s immediate concerns while planning our direction for the future. Our community of members and industry partners is leveraged to provide certifications such as the CPD and CPDT. The Green Plumbing Design certificate and the Legionella Design Guide are just a couple examples of how our community has worked for the betterment of our industry. ASPE also is training many members to earn the ASSE 6060 certification through our medgas offerings. The educational programs offered continue to expand.
We have developed many industry partnerships through the memorandum of understanding (MOU) process. This is one of the mechanisms used in industry to formalize a relationship between organizations. Building these bridges of cooperation is key to our industry harnessing the collective capabilities of industry partners.
Additional special-interest communities within ASPE exist, such as the Women of ASPE (WOA). The core mission of WOA is to engage, retain, and advance women in the plumbing design industry through education, leadership development, and networking opportunities. The WOA is committed to bringing together women and assisting them in achieving their professional and personal goals. The Women of ASPE Committee comprises 10 active members of the Society who represent Chapters of different sizes and geographic regions. The WOA Committee is tasked with specific duties assigned by the Society’s Board of Directors regarding the professional development and membership growth of women members. ASPE’s staff liaison and a liaison from the Society Board of Directors work in conjunction with the committee chair and committee members.
We have a community of Professional Engineers working together through the Professional Engineer Working Group (PEWG) to advance our profession. ASPE established the PEWG to develop a program for the placement of a plumbing option within the framework of the Mechanical Engineering Principles and Practice (MEPP) examination as developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and administered by the various state boards of registration/licensure.
Another community I wish to include is ASPE Young Professionals (AYP), a special-interest group designed for young industry professionals looking to meet with peers to share experiences, exchange ideas about the plumbing design industry, and network with other Chapter members. The focus of AYP is to help young plumbing engineers, design professionals, and practitioners establish contacts and further the mission of the Society.
Just as important as our many special-interest groups, we have also invested in an online community to help facilitate the flow of ideas and technical solutions and provide another avenue for our members to interact. This community is ASPE Connect, which is the only online community exclusively for plumbing engineers and designers, where ASPE members share knowledge, brainstorm ideas, seek design advice, and make new contacts.
As you can see, we have many avenues for our members to contribute to the Society and, ultimately, to their success in the industry. Helping our members reach their goals is one of the most rewarding parts of service. I congratulate our members for joining our growing community. The size of the community is not as important as the quality of individuals and the commonality of purpose that our community provides.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
With this Volume 5 of my articles, I am enclosing Volume 5 of the ASPE education crossword puzzle. Luther Thevenin, CPD, MCPPO, is one of our many talented contributors to the ASPE Education Committee, and he has put together some great puzzles for our ASPE community. So, take some time and complete the crossword puzzle. The answers will be posted in my next article.
Until next time…
