News

The College of Engineering Seminar Series is looking for speakers! 

The College recently did some surveying of the attendees and community at large about the Seminar, and they overwhelmingly asked for more Civil and Arctic Engineering talks, and preferred project-based or skills-based talks (over academic ones). The College is especially interested in innovative methods or technology, challenging designs or construction limitations, or cool Alaska infrastructure/events (like the new Juneau Creek Falls bridge, or earthquake retrofits, etc.).

If interested in presenting, reach out to Professor and Chair Scott Hamel directly.

Save the date for the ITE Alaska Section Annual Scholarship Fundraiser & Silent Auction. The event will be held on January 21st, and ITE will be hosting this event at the Alaska Zoo. Please contact alaska@itedsc.org for more information.

The Alaska Professional Design Council issued a candidate questionnaire to the Alaska State Senator & House of Representative Candidates, ahead of the November 8^th Election. APDC received responses from 6 candidates for the State Senate race, and 9 candidates for the State House of Representatives Race. Below you’ll see the three questions we put forward to the candidates, and a list of representatives who responded either in favor, in opposition, or requested more information. Our questions this year were similar to the positions we advocated for during our legislative fly-in in Juneau, and covered the topics of the Capital Budget, Qualifications-Based Selections, and Interior Design Licensure.

To check out how your candidates responded, click on APDC’s report here.

After an enjoyable summer break, APDC resumed meeting monthly in September. Looking back at the year, we have much to share:

In February, we had a strong showing of support by member representatives at our annual legislative fly-in in Juneau, bringing together professionals of varied design disciplines and backgrounds, showcasing the uniquely inclusive composition of our members. There were about a dozen in attendance with a wide range of experience levels, advocating on behalf of the organization for our shared interests. The fly-in is always an energetic event for APDC, establishing connections both internally amongst our attendees and externally with Legislators. Some lobbying efforts continued after the fly-in, as Bills advanced in committee hearings, and one bill eventually passed.

In August, HB 148 “Alaska Coordinate System of 2022,” was signed into law by Governor Mike Dunleavy, at a ceremony in Anchorage. This Bill was championed by representatives by the American Society of Professional Land Surveyors (ASPLS), and was one of APDC’s central topics during the fly-in.

In September and October, APDC reconvened for our monthly Board meetings. While we were eager to continue the momentum of a successful season of advocacy, we were informed by one of our member organizations, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of their decision to withdraw membership form APDC. While we will miss the diversity that ACEC added to our makeup, the APDC board intends to focus our efforts this fall with development of a Candidate Questionnaire, which will be distributed to the Alaska State Legislature Candidates with the help of our Lobbyist. Additionally, APDC is planning our annual Fall Summit in November, where we plan to focus our attention on strategic planning for the long-term sustainability and success of the organization. We look forward to sharing more on this next month.

Kelsey Davidson, ASID