News
Quarterly eNewsletter Emailed
The quarterly electronic publication was emailed today (9/13/22) to all license and registration holders and is available here: September eNewsletter If you didn't receive the email make sure we have your current email address on file by reviewing your information in ECHO You can also subscribe to receive electronic publications by using this form: https://pels.texas.gov/signup
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Honors Govind Nadkarni, P.E. For His Service
TBPELS advisory member and former board member Govind Nadkarni, P.E., was awarded with the Distinguished Service Award with Special Commendation at the 101st NCEES annual meeting held in August in Carlsbad, California. Nadkarni was honored for his extensive work on the state, national, and international level with NCEES and TBPELS. We congratulate him on this important recognition. The NCEES news release for the service award winners is posted online at https://ncees.org/ncees-recognizes-long-standing-service-2022/
Over his career with the board, Nadkarni has been recognized three times by NCEES, including the Distinguished Service Award in 2012. He is the only member from Texas and first Asian American to receive all three awards. He was appointed to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) in 2000 and served through 2012. As an advisory member, he serves as a mentor to new board members, providing valuable information and historical knowledge regarding board operations.
Nadkarni has been integral in several important activities with the board, including international agreements with South Korea, Canada and Australia. He has participated in ABET visits on behalf of the board and is a liaison to various engineering groups for outreach events in the coastal/south Texas area. He is also involved in engineering outreach and engagement for universities.
Surveyor Advisory Committee
The Surveying Advisory Committee (SAC) is a statutorily required advisory committee to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) that is charged with providing advice and recommendations to the board on matters related to the regulation of land surveying. The Board has recently revised the structure of the SAC, setting the membership at nine members, each serving a three year term. The application for open positions was opened earlier in the year and we had an incredible response to the request – over 70 RPLS submitted an application for the three open spots. The review and selection process is complete and the Board approved the new members at the August Board Meeting. The three new members to the SAC are:
- Vasileios Kalogirou, RPLS
- David McDow, RPLS, LSLS
- Dorothy Taylor, RPLS
Thanks to everyone that submitted an application. Each year we will be selecting three additional SAC members and we encourage interested RPLS to continue to volunteer in the future. We will post the application information on the TBPELS website mid-2023 for the next round of nominations.
We look forward to working with the new members of the Surveying Advisory Committee.
AG Opinion No. KP-0409
Re: Whether a licensed professional engineer is authorized to certify a subdivision plat in specific circumstances
June 6, 2022 – In response to the Board’s request, Attorney General Ken Paxton released Attorney General Opinion KP-0409 concerning Local Government Code Chapter 232, Subchapter B as it relates to certain subdivision platting in specific counties close to the Texas-Mexico Border. The ruling finds that, similar to the requirements for other areas of the State, both a land surveyor and an engineer should attest to the portions of the subdivision platting requirements of Local Government Code 232, Subchapter B corresponding to their respective areas of professional expertise or as otherwise provided in the law.
Click here for a copy of KP-0409
Notice to New Engineering Businesses or Firms
Section 1001.405 of the Texas Engineering Practice Act protects the use of the terms “engineer” and “engineering” in business names unless it is registered with the Board, employs a professional engineer registered in the State of Texas on a full-time basis, and is actively engaged in the practice of engineering. Before filing paperwork with the Board or the Texas Secretary of State’s office to incorporate a new business with some variation of “engineer” or “engineering” in its name, please Contact TBPELS to confirm the name will be compliant with the requirements of the Texas Engineering Practice Act.
Events
October 13, 2022, 10 a.m.
Ethics Webinar
Registration is open.
The Board is offering these free ethics webinars to assist license and registration holders with meeting their ethics requirement. Each one hour webinar provides an up-to-date overview of agency activities, case studies, and a review of professional ethics topics.
Webinar Webpage
November 16-17, 2022
Board and Committee Meetings
The meetings will be held in person with the options for presenters to join via Zoom and for attendees to observe live on YouTube. Links and agendas will be posted one week prior to the meetings.
