BY ZANA RAYBON, FBPE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FEMC PRESIDENT

An illustration of a computer during a virtual meeting.With the fall semester getting underway at Florida’s colleges of engineering and engineering technology, the Florida Board of Professional Engineers’ outreach efforts also got underway. But this year things are very different because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of visiting university students in classrooms, we are attending virtually, just as the students are.

I discussed the benefits of Professional Engineer licensure and the steps necessary to achieve it during two recent presentations.

The fall’s first presentation, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, was to students in the pre-senior design and professional issues class, taught by Dr. Hafiz Ahmad, PE, at Florida State University, Panama City. Following the presentation, I fielded questions from the students.

The next day, I participated in the second 2020-21 Student Strategic Summit, hosted by the Florida Engineering Society’s Florida Engineers in Education group. FEE chair Dr. Matthew Trussoni of the University of Miami and vice chair Dr. Charles Davis of Valencia College led the summit. Around two dozen students participated. FES has posted a recording of the session online.

We have other outreach presentations scheduled throughout the fall semester, and will be scheduling presentations in the spring.

If any university engineering class or group is interested in having a virtual visit to discuss PE exams and licensure, please contact publicinfo@fbpe.org.

As you are probably aware, FBPE’s outreach isn’t the only aspect that has gone virtual. FBPE and Florida Engineers Management Corporation board and committee meetings are being held using the Zoom video platform. All of the meetings are open to the public and are listed on our online calendar. If you wish to attend a meeting virtually, please email board@fbpe.org for details.