Wilkes PSPE hosts career, ethics panel; Milton L. Lunch Ethics Contest

Holly+Avery+Ostopick%2C+Project+Manager+at+Pennsy+Supply+addresses+group+along+with+three+other+panel+members.+

Gabby Glinski

Holly Avery Ostopick, Project Manager at Pennsy Supply addresses group along with three other panel members.

On March 10, the Wilkes University student chapter of the Pa. Society of Professional Engineering, PSPE, held a career and ethics panel featuring six professional engineers from various organizations, at 6 p.m. in the Henry Student Center Ballroom.

 

The panel discussion featured John R. Ackerman, P.E., P.G., BCEE, F. NSPE Principal at Twin Oaks Consulting, LLC; Thomas Maheady, P.E. CEM Vice-President of Borton-Lawson Engineering; Prahlad Murthy, Ph.D, P.E., BCEE, QEP Professor and Associate Dean, College of Science and Engineering at Wilkes University; Holly Avery Ostopick, P.E., CPESC, CPSWQ Project Manager at Pennsy Supply; Eric W. Tappert, P.E. President, Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers; and Thomas Walski, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE Senior Project Manager, Bentley Systems.

 

The focal point of discussion was on careers for engineers, ethical situations and information on the Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest.

 

The essay contest, sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers calls upon chapter members to respond to a situation regarding an engineer faced with an ethical question regarding his or her firm and their practices in connection with a site-development study for a county with which he or she is associated through his membership on a county industrial development agency. NSPE and NSPE Educational Foundation awards a total of $1000 to the winning essay divided between the chapter itself and the coauthors of the paper as well as recognition in PE Magazine.

 

Entries are due April 17.

 

Following the formal panel, informal discussion including a Q and A was conducted.

 

Junior Mechanical and Electrical Engineering major, Bernard Socha, Wilkes Student Chapter of PSPE president, explained that while this is the first year Wilkes PSPE has cosponsored this discussion, they do host other events.

 

“We do Mathcounts with local middle schools in Feb. and we also had a nuclear speaker come in last semester,” said Socha.

“PSPE also does order of the engineers on March 29,” Socha added. “Here, graduating seniors receive a ring to be worn on their working hand to remind them to be honest and ethical.”

 

Wilkes PSPE club meetings are typically every other Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Stark Learning Center. Students interested in getting involved can reach out to Socha at [email protected].