Season’s Greetings! New Year brings not only joys, but it makes us happy with a hope to satisfy our dream or maybe even a new beginning of our life. We would like to wish all our readers a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

When approaching the FE Exam for the first time, it’s natural to feel a bit overwhelmed. The best way to build your confidence is to prepare for the test and to know the ins and outs of the test. To answer many of our readers’ questions, in this month’s article, we would like to review the exam day experience and what you are expected to do that day. Make sure you review the website of NCEES. Once your registration is approved, you will receive an email notification that you have been authorized to take the exam and are eligible to schedule your exam appointment. NCEES computer-based tests (CBT) are offered in testing windows throughout the year during the following months: January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November.

After you register and know your exam date, NCEES recommends the following: First, you should plan to arrive at the testing center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. Upon arrival, a representative will provide you with a copy of NCEES-CBT exam rules for your review. After doing so, you will be asked to provide your digital signature to confirm that you have read the rules and agree to abide by them. Also you will be asked to provide a current government issued form of ID such as a driver’s license. Once the representative has confirmed your identification and the exam that you are taking, you will be asked to provide a palm vein scan and have your photo taken. Your signature, palm vein scan, and photo will be stored with your exam result. Prior to being admitted into the testing room, a representative will insure that you have, in your possession, only the items that NCEES allows into the testing room. These items include, your ID, an NCEES approved calculator, and eye glasses. Most test centers have secure storage lockers on site for you to store prohibited items such as cell phones, other electronic devices, and personal belongings such as a watch, wallet, and bag.

Once you complete the check in process, then you report to an exam proctor who will ask you to confirm your ID by providing, again, your palm vein scan. Next, the proctor will provide a review of the exam rules, escort you to the exam room, assign you a work station, and launch the exam period. Then the proctor will review the exam rules and will escort you to the exam room and assigned work station and launches the exam. Before starting your exam, all examinees will be required to read and agree to the NCEES’ non-disclosure agreement and complete a brief tutorial to learn how to ADVANCE to the next item, RETURN to a previous item, and FLAG items for review. After completing approximately 55 questions, examinees will be prompted, on screen with the option to take a 25 minute break. Examinees who wish to take the scheduled break should raise their hands and wait for the prompter to offer assistance. Unscheduled breaks may be requested at any time during the exam by following the same procedure. However, examinees should be aware that clock will not stop during an unscheduled break. Examinees are allowed to access their lockers during the scheduled and unscheduled breaks.

After completing the exam and a brief survey, you should raise your hand and the proctor will verify that you have properly exited from the exam. They will then escort you from the testing room and collect your booklet and marker. You will not receive any type of score before leaving the testing center. You will receive an email from NCEES within 7 to 10 days notifying you that your results are available for viewing in your MYNCEES account.

Finally, in both FE and PE exams, timing is everything. To conquer these exams, speed is crucial, but remember, speed can only be attained through practice and more practice!

Good Luck,

Ahmet Zeytinci, Ph.D.,
P.E., F-NSPE, F-ASCE (Dr.Z.)
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This month, we would like to start our article with good news. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, new jobs for engineers projected for 2016–2026, Civil Engineers placed at the top of the list with 32,200 new jobs with a median annual wage of $83,540. Mechanical Engineers, Industrial Engineers, and Electrical Engineers followed Civil Engineers.

Engineers of all disciplines in the United States are charged with “protecting the safety, health, and welfare of the general public.” Because of this responsibility, all 50 states currently require a PE licensure to practice engineering within their geographic bounds.

In the last decade, there has been a movement across the nation to better the life safety of our structures by requiring a separate licensure for structural engineers. A failure in a structural system, as evidenced by Hyatt Regency Hotel Walkway disaster in 1981 that killed 114 people or the I-35 W Minneapolis Bridge Collapse in 2007 that killed 13 people, are just two examples of numerous accidents. Over the years, engineers and code officials have learned from these failures and implemented more rigorous structural design procedures.

Advances in understanding the impact of natural forces on buildings have led to more complicated requirements for structural analysis. The failures of buildings due to earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados have resulted in new approaches on how we design buildings to respond to seismic and wind events. Engineers now incorporate these lessons learned in the design of structures to prevent catastrophic failures under extreme events; some structures such as hospitals, police stations, and fire stations must remain operational even after an event.

Due to the risk involved and the increased complexity of structural design requirements, several states have begun to recognize structural engineers separately from professional engineers and increase their licensing requirements. Because each state has its own licensing board, there is a large variation in the requirements to obtain an SE license and the significance an SE license carries. While an effort is underway to develop a national SE certification, one of the most common questions from some professional engineers (PE) looking to market their expertise across state lines is to know which states recognize the Structural Engineering (SE) license. While licensing clearly protects the public, the specifics of how licensing is carried out are often debated. Nowhere is this clearer than in the debate between NSPE and other structural engineering groups such as the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (SEI-ASCE), the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), the Structural Engineering Certification Board (SECB), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) formed the Structural Engineering Licensure Coalition. Since its formation, there has been considerable legislative activity pertaining to whether, or not, there should be a separate license for Structural Engineers.

Brief Overview of NCEES Structural (SE) Exams

Unlike the computer-based Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, the Structural Engineering (SE) exam is still administered in a penciland- paper format and is an open-book test. The SE exam consists of two modules BREADTH and DEPTH and is offered in two 8-hour components on two successive days. It includes integrated design, analysis and detailing questions. No single component of the exam is a sufficient stand-alone exam for any purpose. We recommend our readers to review the NCEES.ORG for exact specifications.

The 16-hour SE exam uses separate vertical and lateral components to test the applicant’s ability to safely design buildings or bridges, especially in areas of high seismicity and high wind. It is important to remember that the exam uses the US Customary System (USCS) of units only.

The 8-hour Vertical Forces (Gravity/ Other) and Incidental Lateral component is offered only on a Friday. It focuses on gravity loads and lateral earth pressures. The 8-hour Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake) component is offered only on a Saturday and focuses on wind and earthquake loads.

BREADTH Modules (Morning Sessions)

The BREADTH modules are in the morning sessions. These modules contain questions covering a comprehensive range of structural engineering topics and all questions in the morning are multiple-choice.

DEPTH Modules (Afternoon Sessions)

The DEPTH modules are in the afternoon sessions. These modules focus on a single area of practice in structural engineering. The examinee will choose either buildings or bridges, but must work the same topic area on both components. All questions in the afternoon depth modules are essay-type problems, constructed response.

The examinees are required to obtain acceptable results on both 8-hour components of the SE exam in a single exam administration. It is acceptable to sit for and obtain acceptable results on one component, and then sit for and obtain acceptable results on the second component at a later date. We will continue discussing the current SE exam specifications in our next month's article.

Until next time,

Ahmet Zeytinci (Dr.Z.)
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In this month’s column, we would like to talk about the importance of setting goals for success. All successful people and achievers in all fields set goals. Setting goals gives students long-term vision and short-term motivation. It helps them to organize their time and their resources so that they can make the most of their life.

Goal setting is fundamental to long-term success as well. After all, it’s difficult to get to a desired destination before you have clearly defined where that destination is. Goals help students to focus upon the journey to a collection set of achievements, meaning they allocate their resources and time more efficiently and can access motivation during times when they may feel like giving up.

From an academic perspective, goals improve performance by ensuring engineering students remain accountable for their own failures and successes, propelling themselves forward through a selection of small achievements designed to break down a larger purpose. What’s more, setting and achieving goals translates to feelings of success and confidence for students, which in turn leads to greater confidence and productivity.

Goals Keep Students Moving Forward

Writing a specific goal into a calendar or journal gives engineering students something to work and plan toward. When written down, these goals form an external representation of inner desires to get a higher grade or pass the FE exam. Written goals are a constant reminder of what a student wants to accomplish. Goal setting even fuels ambition and confidence by encouraging determination through difficult periods and offering a sense of pride when success finally arrives.

Establishing a goal creates a sense of clarity and correlation between the process of working hard and accomplishing something significant. Because of this, many students access the motivational energy that they need to work through periods where focus may begin to wane.

Goals Break Down Insurmountable Mountains

Most young adults have huge dreams that can seem impossible to accomplish at first. It’s easy for students to feel discouraged when they’re staring at a future that seems too large to achieve. However, proper goal setting can break those larger, more intimidating aspirations down into achievable stepping stones. Not only does planning toward smaller goals make it easier to formulate a plan of how one achievement can lead to another, but research suggests that achieving smaller milestones offers greater levels of motivation.

Students can be encouraged to work towards short-term and long-term goals that interconnect, giving them more focus on what they should be spending energy and time toward. Through the pursuit of those smaller goals, students learn more about themselves – their skills, weaknesses, and what they want to accomplish.

Goals Hold Students Accountable

Having goals makes students accountable for their actions, their efforts, and even their time management skills. Setting a goal obligates an individual to take action, regardless of the obstacles that may be in place. As such, it can encourage students to develop critical thinking skills, new problem-solving techniques, and a better understanding of how to overcome challenges.

What’s more, the accountability of goal setting encourages students to look back over their previous successes and failures, evaluating areas they need to improve. As such, it pushes them to tackle challenges head on and work on their weaknesses in order to produce better chances of overall success. It can also help engineering students to realize techniques that may not be working for them so they can seek out alternative routes to achievement.

Goals Make Students Want to Be Better

There are numerous experimental and correlational studies showing that setting goals increases success rates in almost every setting, including education. Part of the reason for this is that setting goals pushes young adults to articulate the things they want out of life, so they live more consciously.

Without goals, students subject themselves to a default or natural set of actions that are there to keep them feeling safe and comfortable, without offering any opportunity for growth. With goals, students can discover more about themselves and work towards becoming the best versions of themselves. In other words, goals allow engineering students to tap into their inner potential by giving them targets to strive toward.

Goals Prepare Students for Professional Life

Through goal setting, students discover a level of respect for the dedication and determination required to achieve further important goals in life. Not only is goal setting important for helping students get more out of their academic experiences, but it also means that they will continue to use the same skills in the future to apply for a high-paying job or achieve a new promotion. Furthermore, setting goals give engineering students an important tool to measure their progress through life by using their leadership skills, critical thinking, and determination.

We would like to thank army and navy academy for the permission to use their resources: (https://armyandnavyacademy.org).

Until next time,
Ahmet Zeytinci (Dr.Z.)
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You thought that graduating with a BS would open every door, but are surprised that the value of the degree has not kept pace with societal transformations. Quite often students and engineers find themselves in this situation and ask for advice.

Market developments, decaying infrastructure, cost overruns, schedule delays, new technologies, changes in legislation, scope changes, lack of data, loss of reputation, and cyber incidents are a few reasons why engineering organizations around the globe brace themselves against an era of greater uncertainty.

Engineering organizations need professionals trained in the risk analysis sciences to be prepared to respond to this risky environment. Fortunately, an online Master of Science in Risk Assessment and Management is offered at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU). NDMU MS in Risk Management is a fully online program in Risk Management comprising ten 3-credit courses in the risk analysis sciences. The program has a post-baccalaureate certificate (six 3-credit courses). These stackable credentials are designed for engineering professionals who desire further professional qualifications in the emerging and fast-growing field of Risk Assessment & Management. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has chosen this program to educate its leaders since 2015. I invite you to learn risk management where USACE does.

I recommend the NDMU MS in Risk Management because I know the qualifications of the people running the program. This program is unique among risk management programs in its focus on risk analysis science (Aven, 2018), rather than on a more-narrow discipline-based approach to risk management. This assures that engineering professionals from any community of practice will gain practical, insightful, useful, and adaptable knowledge of risk analysis science including risk management, risk assessment, and risk communication. The MS in Risk Management provides students an in-depth education that prepares them to become risk management experts. Students are also empowered to introduce the practice of risk management into their organizations or to contribute in substantial ways to organizations that already practice risk management.

The program enables its graduates to:

• Introduce the best practice techniques of risk management and risk analysis science to their organizations;
• Acquire the skills required to manage risks to avoid loss and to take prudent risks for potential gain;
• Build qualitative and quantitative risk assessment skills;
• Communicate effectively in crisis and risk situations that threaten your organization or its constituents and stakeholders;
• Conduct one’s self-ethically in situations where systems breakdown and rules of conduct are challenged; and,
• Introduce a risk management framework to risk-management naïve organizations or to enhance the effectiveness of existing risk management practices.

Working online with other professionals from around the nation and world, students learn the principles of risk management, risk assessment, and risk communication in eight-week courses. Graduates will become risk experts in their chosen fields and may find new career opportunities that include Risk Management Director, Risk Assessor, Risk Manager, Risk Analyst, Risk Management Consultant, Risk Control Supervisor, Director of Corporate Risk Management, and Chief Risk Officer.

Courses are taken one at a time where the recommended sequence begins in the fall with Risk Management followed by Risk Assessment, spring courses are Uncertainty and Quantitative Risk Assessment. The two summer courses are Risk Communication and Ethics and Risk Governance. This sequence completes the certificate. The second fall comprises Enterprise Risk Management and Managing Together followed by Adaptive Leadership and Decision Making Under Uncertainty during the second spring to complete the MS.

Professor Charles Yoe, Ph.D., Director of the Risk Management program, has over three decades of domestic and international experience working on risk issues in over two dozen nations. He was a principle trainer for many U.S. FDA and Department of Agriculture risk analysts and is the author of a popular textbook, Principles of Risk Analysis Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, second edition. His experience includes work on over 50 risk-based engineering projects and over 25 years of teaching risk analysis methods to engineers. Program faculty have an industry-leading domain of experience in risk.

Here what some students have said about the program:

"I had almost no background in this field. I now have resources and knowledge that can assist me in my current job and possibly applying for jobs that require this knowledge…"

"I now have knowledge of uncertainty that I can apply in making recommendations to Risk Managers, especially in the ability to resist giving a one-dimensional answer."

"One obvious measure of course value is if the material can or will be used on the job. Not only have I applied the lessons learned at work but also have shared what I have learned with co-workers."

"Relevant, challenging, timely, so aligned with job, use content at work on daily basis.”

For more information see https://online.ndm.edu/online-degrees/m-s-in-risk-management/ or contact Director, Professor Yoe This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Until next time,
Ahmet Zeytinci (Dr.Z.)
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