Professional Development

The Professional Development Committee is responsible for looking for opportunities to train members in soft skills and advancing the individuals and the collective profession. The current focus of the committee is mentorship, soft skills, supporting the institutes, and ASCE's Raising the Bar strategic initiative. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please email prodevelopment@asceoc.org.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Click here to visit the Mentorship Program page.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Click here to visit the Continuing Education page.

SOFT SKILLS

Keep this video in mind the next time you create a PowerPoint presentation:

Order of the Engineer Frequently-Asked-Questions

What is the Order of the Engineer?
The Order is the roster of engineers in the United States who have participated in an Engineer’s Ring Ceremony and who have publicly accepted the “Obligation of an Engineer.”

What is the purpose of the Order and its “Obligation”?
The purpose is to stimulate formal public recognition by engineers in the United States of two basic principles. These principles are that (1) the primary purpose of engineering is service to the public, and (2) all members of the engineering profession share a common bond.

What is the “Obligation of an Engineer”?
The Obligation is the formal statement of an engineer’s responsibilities to the public and to the profession; the Obligation is publicly accepted by an engineer during induction at a Ring Ceremony. The Obligation is similar to the National Society of Professional Engineers’ Engineer’s Creed, the Engineers’ Council for Professional Development’s Canon, and the Canadian Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer.

What is an Engineer’s Ring Ceremony?
The Ring Ceremony is the public induction of candidates into the Order of the Engineer, during which the engineer candidates formally accept the Obligation of an Engineer and receive a stainless steel ring to be worn as a symbol on the fifth finger of the working hand.

What is an Engineer’s Ring?
The Engineer’s Ring in the United States is a stainless steel ring, worn on the fifth finger of the working hand by engineers who have accepted the Obligation of an Engineer in a Ring Ceremony. In Canada, the Engineer’s Ring is a wrought iron ring accepted by engineers inducted into the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer in a secret ceremony.

Where was the Order of the Engineer founded?
During the 1960s, Ohio engineers attempted without success to extend the Canadian Ring Ceremony into American engineering schools. The first Engineer’s Ring Ceremony in the United States was conducted in 1970 by students at Cleveland State University’s Fenn College of Engineering. In 1972, the Order of the Engineer was incorporated in Ohio, and tacit approval was obtained from the Canadian Wardens. The Order’s national office remained in Ohio until 1987 when it was relocated to the United Engineering Center in New York City.

What are the membership activities of the Order of the Engineer after induction through a Ring Ceremony?
There are no dues and no meetings of the Order of the Engineer. Inductees are encouraged to wear the ring and to display the signed Obligation certificate as visible reminders of the publicly accepted Obligation as a contract with themselves.

Contacts

Melissa Hilsabeck, EIT
Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
Port of Long Beach
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Naz Mokarram, PE
Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
City of Lake Forest
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Committee Files

Plan Preparation and Plan Check Guidelines 1992

Shaping Our Future World

Civil engineers reimagine the world and shape the future of our civilizations. Recent conversations with several Orange County Branch members reminded me of the inspiring initiative led by ASCE, known as Future World Vision. The effects of climate change, increasing population, and rapid deployment of new technologies drive civil engineers and the infrastructure industry to be at the forefront of changing trends and to constantly adapt. ASCE performed an in-depth analysis of future macrotrends to generate a projected evolution of our industry's infrastructure through the Year 2070.

Summer Bike Rides

My friend, Sam Ali, P.E., recently wrote a story on bike trail connectivity in Orange County. The article was published in the ASCE Civil Engineering Magazine. Since Sam and I share the same passion for cycling, I thought I would seize the opportunity to share a few enjoyable rides in our OC backyard.

Inflation and Shortage Supply Impacts

We have all been witnessing price inflation, whether it is at the gas station or at the grocery store. Both inflation and material shortage have become part of our design considerations when we select and specify materials for our projects. The approach has been further emphasized over the last couple of years: the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) community should initiate design and construction projects with a thorough understanding of material availability, fabrication, delivery lead time, projected construction index price, and an evaluation of equivalent alternatives.

2022 Women in Construction Week

Our 2nd Annual Women in Construction Week was a huge success! On behalf of the Orange County Construction Institute, we would like to thank everyone who made this hybrid week of events possible. Thank you to our amazing sponsors: SKANSKA, Turner Construction, LINXS, ASCE Los Angeles Section, Port of Long Beach Construction Management Division, Ardurra, and Steiner Consulting Inc.

Sudamericana Water Conservation

Last month, I traveled to Chile for my brother’s wedding and took the opportunity to wander in Patagonia, the Colchagua Valley (wine country), Santiago, and a few other places. I don’t know if the pattern is common across my peers, but as for myself, travels are generally punctuated by a constant evaluation of the local infrastructure, design details, construction means and methods, and an assessment of the infrastructure challenges that each region faces.

ASCE OC Construction Institute - 2021 Women in Construction Week

Women in Construction (WIC) week is nationally celebrated the first full week of March. With the success of our 2020 “The Strength of Women in Construction” event, the OC Construction Institute hosted an entire week of virtual events to celebrate women in the industry. The events included honoring significant women in STEM history, breaking down and navigating difficult conversations, professional leadership coaching, a Bluebeam tutorial, and a couple of self-care-centric events.