...the state or someone else,” Schwartz says. “Mandating licensure for some fields but not others may have been the only compromise that allowed the law to go through.”
The exemptions are a major reason why NSPE estimates only about 20% of U.S. engineers are PEs, with more than two-thirds working in the civil fields.
Canada has 234,000 engineers, but anyone who performs an engineering act, regardless of whether he or she works in the public or private sector, must be licensed.
What Is an Engineer?
What separates engineering from other technical or business activities? Given its origin in the Latin word “ingenium,” meaning cleverness, the designation could be applied to most anyone with a knack for design and problem-solving.
BP’s well team leader
According to his testimony, Guide has years of experience in offshore drilling and well-control training certificates but no engineering license. He testified that the plan to use a long string of casing at the Macondo well was devised by the BP engineering staff and that he supported it. The basis for his support was long-term well-bore integrity. He said he saw no risk because long strings are very common with wells at such depths.
The more widely accepted definition of “engineer” is someone who successfully has completed a recognized course of study in the technical disciplines, demonstrated an understanding of fundamental theoretical concepts and held a job requiring application of that knowledge to real-world problems.
For those working today in the civil, building and infrastructure fields, getting a PE to validate that competence is almost a no-brainer.
“We consider a PE to be the entry-level standard for professional practice,” says Blaine Leonard, immediate past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. “Licensed engineers are obligated to continue their education, maintain a professional level of knowledge and adhere to a code of ethics.”
A PE is a must-have for civil engineering organizations and most consulting firms.
Vince Guyomard, a 2003 civil engineering graduate of Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, earned his PE as soon as he had the requisite years of experience because he considered it a natural career step. However, he rarely signs and seals drawings at his company, which markets construction products to contractors.
“Ultimately, for me to move up within my company, a PE is desired,” Guyomard says. “From a personal standpoint, having a PE is an accomplishment that I feel a lot of engineers should be proud of.”
In contrast, engineers don’t need licenses to work at defense contractors.
“We have several people here with PE licenses, but they pursued it on their own, not because it represents any particular value to the company,” says Jim Talley, a mechanical engineer and senior director of gun systems engineering for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products (GDATP), Burlington, Vt.
“I’ve not seen a single instance in almost 17 years where the subject of GDATP PE-stamping anything has come up, probably because our products don’t go to the general public,” Talley says.
As one moves further from construction and infrastructure-related industries, the incentive to pursue a PE becomes less critical.
“It’s not part of our tradition,” says Mark Lewis, president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and former chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force. He adds that industrial exemptions do not put his industry at a disadvantage.
“We’re under no less scrutiny for quality than civil engineers, but we ensure it differently,” he says.
AIAA works closely with ABET Inc., the recognized accreditor for college-level applied science, computing, engineering, and technology programs.
“By focusing on the quality of instruction and the degree program, we can make sure students are well grounded in the scope and depth of information necessary to enter our profession,” Lewis says.
Decisions at Macondo Well
When a drilling rig goes to work on a well, the crew is basically setting up a pressure vessel. The Macondo site had been started as an exploratory well,...
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