The Willamette Chapter, PLSO, will again be hosting a booth at “da Vinci Days, ” a “celebration of  art, science and technology.” This “celebration” is a popular yearly event held in Corvallis. This year it runs from Fridayevening, July 19, through Sunday, July 21. Our goal, as members of PLSO, is to educate the public about the land surveying profession and generate interest in it as a career.

 

Seven members of the Willamette Chapter volunteered at least 3 hours of their time for last year’s event. Date Bateman, Bob Cook, Brenda James, Bill Lauer, Jamey Montoya, Louise Parsons and Tyler Parsons spent time answering questions and demonstrating various tools of the trade. Dave Schlosser (Northstar Surveying) also volunteered, as did OSU students John Raugust, Mahyar Sharifi Mood and Hamid Mahmoudabadi. The students got a lot of attention with their demonstrations with a 3D laser scanner, lent for the occasion by the OSU Engineering Department.  Mr. Schlosser demonstrated GPS and robotic equipment. We all thought the public interest and response was good and the event was worthwhile for the PLSO. All volunteers had fun, too (the weather was great!). After “serving their time” the volunteers used their free passes to enjoy other booths, demonstrations, entertainment and food (not free).

 

This year several new volunteers will join us: Ray Wilson (PLSO), Ed Query (PLSO), Patrick Mahedy (student, OSU College of Engineeering), Michael Olsen (OSU Assistant Professor of Geomatics), and, probably, several other OSU students.

 

Anyone interested can contact Bill Lauer atBLauer@Northstarsurveying.com,  by phone at 541-757-9050 or stop by the PLSO booth.

The Mid-West Chapter held a work party on June 15 to perform maintenance on our local calibration base line, located along the Northwest Expressway in Eugene. Thanks to ODOT and Delta Sand & Gravel for providing the materials and Steven Anderson, Brent Bacon, Kent Baker, Ted Baker, Ryan Erickson, Jon Oakes, and Don Rowe for providing their time and effort. After our hard work on the base line we held our annual Mid-West picnic. Thanks go to Dave Wellman for hosting us at his office. See you all next year.

PRESS RELEASE for immediate distribution

National Surveyors Week- March 17-23, 2013

National Surveyors Week will be celebrated nationwide March 17-23, according to the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).

Hundreds of surveyors nationwide are planning activities, such as talks to school groups, contacts with their local news media about the importance of the nation’s surveying profession, booths at popular community locations to describe the importance of the work and role of surveyors and their contributions to society.  These activities will enable citizens to look back at the historic contributions of surveying and look ahead to the exciting new technologies that are constantly modernizing this honored and learned profession.

The always popular GPS Day is being held in conjunction with National Surveyors Week, and will be held on March 16 as a lead-in to our week.

The message to be spread, according to NSPS, which serves as the voice of surveyors nationwide, is that the role of the surveyor has been, and remains, of vital importance in the development of the United States.

“As long as property ownership remains one of the pillars of life in America, the role of surveyors will remain vita,” said Curt Sumner, executive director of NSPS. “To this day, owning land, America’s greatest asset, remains the American dream. Without the knowledge, abilities and guidance of a professional surveyor to determine boundaries this dream largely disappears.”

NSPS has petitioned The White House to proclaim this week National Surveyors Week. In addition, a number of state surveying societies have petitioned their state legislatures to do the same at the state level.

In his request to The White House to declare this week National Surveyors Week, Sumner outlined how “since the colonial days of this nation, surveyors have been leaders in the community, statesmen, influential citizens, and shapers of cultural standards. Former surveyors include Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.”

“Today,” Sumner noted, “there are over 45, 000 professional surveyors in the United States. The value of their work remains vital to the future economic growth of our nation.” For example:

• Hydrographic surveys are important to the use of all our bodies of water;
• Engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction;
• Geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activies as aircraft and missile navigation;
• Cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting, as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map productions.

The establishment of the week of march following the third Sunday as National Surveyors Week is designed to be a tribute to all surveyors.

For more information about National Surveyors Week log onto www.nsps.us.com

For more information about GPS Day log into www.gpsday.com

 

Congratulations to Steve Haddock for earning the Surveyor of the Year award for 2012!

PLSO will have a self-tracking PDH form at the conference for keeping track of your hours.  To save money, time and postage we will NOT be mailing out confirmation of attendance.  Please use the self-tracking form.  Save it for your files when you need to renew your license!