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Professional Ethics LIVE! – A Community Partnership in Continuing Education

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Conference

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual On line

Publication Date

June 22, 2020

Start Date

June 22, 2020

End Date

June 26, 2021

Conference Session

Community Engagement Division Technical Session 4

Tagged Division

Community Engagement Division

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--35091

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/35091

Download Count

290

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Paper Authors

biography

William D Lawson P.E., Ph.D. Texas Tech University

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William D. Lawson, P.E., Ph.D. serves as an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University. His career in higher education is characterized by excellence and innovation in teaching, award-winning scholarship and sponsored research, and professional service at the national, regional and local levels. Creative activities encompass both technical research on geotechnical applications in transportation, and interdisciplinary study of professionalism, ethics, and trust/ trustworthiness in professional-client relationships. A licensed engineer with over 35 years experience in engineering education and practice, Dr. Lawson has provided project management and technical oversight for geotechnical, construction materials, transportation, environmental, and facilities projects nationwide.

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biography

Heather R. Keister PE Freese and Nichols

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Heather Keister is a Senior Project Manager and FNI Associate, overseeing the firm's Lubbock office, with experience in many aspects of civil planning, design and construction. Her background includes drainage analysis and design, transportation, infrastructure, development and public works projects, with a focus in stormwater management and management of multidiscipline teams. Her experience includes extensive H&H modeling, specifically analyzing playa basins and using the Interconnected Pond Routing (ICPR) model, and HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS. She has experience reviewing and developing criteria and Capital Improvements Plans and working with project stakeholders. She regularly coordinates with state and federal organizations, such as TxDOT, TCEQ, FEMA and USACE, to acquire approval of civil analyses and designs. Heather has experience assisting communities with Texas Water Development Board Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) funding applications and implementation processes.

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Abstract

This paper describes the community-engagement project, Professional Ethics LIVE! – an annual, student-run continuing education initiative serving the professional development needs of licensed engineers and architects who live and practice in the South Plains region of Texas. The key community partner is the South Plains Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (South Plains TSPE) and the key university partner is the Texas Tech University Student Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (Tech TSPE). Now in its 15th year, the event features presentation of ethics cases combined with discussion and deliberation among presenters, expert panelists and a live audience. Tech TSPE members invest sweat equity to host the event. Production costs are shared between Tech TSPE and South Plains TSPE, with South Plains TSPE accepting the financial risk, providing guidance on program requirements, and offering experience and support in hosting successful community events of this scale. Attendance has ranged from 130 to 231 persons annually since 2005, for an average of 175 design professionals per event – including engineers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and more. Diversity is actively promoted, one example being that sage members of the professions serve as ethics panelists who share their experience and insights. Other metrics of success include national and statewide recognition, strong community support, and attendee satisfaction. Professional Ethics LIVE! promotes learning not only among those design professionals who attend, but also the multiple generations of Tech TSPE students who host the event. Another important impact is that Professional Ethics LIVE! tangibly expresses how Texas Tech University values the local design professional community, and vice versa. As a university-community partnership, Professional Ethics LIVE! exists at the intersection of learning, application and collaboration and is an excellent expression of the community engagement model.

Lawson, W. D., & Keister, H. R. (2020, June), Professional Ethics LIVE! – A Community Partnership in Continuing Education Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35091

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