Brian Hanson, PE Craig Fredeen, PE

1. State of Alaska board of registration for architects, engineers, and land surveyors (AELS) Boardregulation update Brian Hanson, PE Craig Fredeen, PE

2. AELS Board Regulation Update • What we’re going to cover in this session: • Recent Addition of Engineering Disciplines • Changes from Original Proposed Regulation • Continuing Education Update • Helpful Hints on How to Document in case of Audit • How Integration of Surveyor CE Regulations Impact Engineers • Update on MOE/B+30 • Questions

3. History on “General Licensure” • AELS Board receives a “Sunset Audit” every 5 years from the Legislature. • Past audits have asked for expansion of the engineering licenses recognized by the State. • If not done, Legislature has authority to make it happen themselves. • Continuing Education is an example of this. • Current regs do not currently accept Structural or Environmental comity applications. • They must take CE exam.

4. Today’s Engineering Disciplines • AELS Board’s current recognized engineering licenses • Chemical Engineer • Civil Engineer • Electrical Engineer • Mechanical Engineer • Mining Engineer • Petroleum Engineer

5. Path to “General Licensure” • The Board started on this process many years ago. • Examples came in from comity applications that shaped current regulations. • Significant debate among AELS members. • Proposed regulations are not “General Licensure”. • Expansion of current licenses. • Purpose was to integrate all disciplines that NCEES has test for.

6. Regulation Process • AELS Board created “General Licensure” committee. • Regulation was crafted by committee and finalized by the Board. • Sent out for public comment November 4th. • Min 30 days, General Licensure was out for 90 days. • Two Board Meetings for verbal testimony

7. New Engineering Disciplines • The new engineering licenses added at the February 2011 AELS Board meeting: • Agricultural Engineer • Control System Engineer • Environmental Engineer • Fire Protection Engineer • Industrial Engineer • Metallurgical and Materials Engineer • Naval Architectural and Marine Engineer • Nuclear Engineer • Structural Engineer • (Architectural Engineer was dropped)

8. What Happened at Last Meeting? • Regulation was PASSED by the Board on February 4, 2011 with modifications • Added back license identifiers to stamp • Implementation date of August 31, 2011. • What’s next? • Reg goes to Assistant Attorney General for review, then signed by Lt. Governor. • Two more Board meetings before August 31st. • Review and create implementation regulations. • Implementation regulations may be public noticed.

9. Overlapping Fields of Design • New disciplines do create more overlap. • Civil - Structural and Environmental. • Fire Protection – Mechanical and Electrical • Controls – Mechanical and Electrical • Other overlaps occur with Industrial and Architectural licenses.

10. Impact to Alaskan Engineers • Will I be able to do what I did before? • Yes! • Board still focuses on three-legged stool for judging competency. • Education • Experience • Testing • Will there be “grandfathering”? • Most likely, but still defining. • Not necessarily for all disciplines. • Comity or testing is best path to new licenses.

11. Continuing Education Version 2.0 • Halfway through second cycle of CE. • Need 24 PDHs by end of 2011. • Hints for documenting CE: • Prove that you were there. • Save your receipts. • Invitations do not count. • Save information about what the topic was about. • Don’t forget about non-conference PDHs. • Save documentation for carry-over from last cycle

12. How Surveyors Impact CE • Recent regulation combined the surveyor CE requirements with those of the engineers and architects. • Additional CE methods added: • Authoring papers, articles, or books (max 10 PDH) • Serving as an officer or active committee member of professional or technical society (max 8 PDH)

13. Quick History of B+30/MOE • NCEES created a committee with several other professional societies including ASCE and NSPE to review “big picture” of engineering licensure. • Study noted that core engineering college courses were being reduced for BS degree. • Increase in number of “soft skills” credits. • Reduction in overall credits. • Expanding technology and Body of Knowledge (BOK). • Study recommended more education beyond BS for eligibility to take PE test. • NCEES formed committee. Came up with B+30. • Required 30 college credits beyond BS degree. • Contentious debate, close votes, B+30 passed • Eventually passed into NCEES Model Law and Model Engineer 2020. • B+30 now known as Masters or Equivalent (MOE)

14. Update on B+30/MOE • NCEES Member Boards asked for more alternatives to B+30. • NCEES committee came back with two alternate paths to 30 credits that includes: • BS with 150 credits, minimum STEM credits • Going to NCEES national meeting for vote • Mixture of additional years of experience, documented mentoring, and continuing education • Still in NCEES committee. Being refined. • Still slated for 2020 start for NCEES • No state looking to implement at this time.

15. QUESTIONS?