Message From Our President, Don Strickland, PE
My Fellow Engineers:
 Few generations in modern history have been challenged as severely as this one. And if history is a teacher, then Engineers will be at the forefront in solving the complex societal and technical obstacles ahead. Global climate change immediately comes to mind when talking about issues vital to the well being of the human race. Whether you accept the premise that carbon dioxide is blanketing the earth and causing unprecedented warming, or believe that the current climate shifts are no more or less than changes that have taken us from ice ages to temperate climates time and again over the past one million years, as engineers we will be at the forefront in finding the right answers. Engineers will find ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption and will be the inventors of improved alternative energy sources. It is the natural process of the engineering mind to identify and solve problems.
Many engineering advancements were the result of single brilliant minds like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein, but most were the result of collaboration of engineering minds bouncing ideas and theories off of other engineering minds. Small and large corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions recognized the value of supporting their engineering staff in belonging to and participating in forums of technical presentations and discussions. Organizations such as the North Carolina Society of Engineers were the beneficiaries of corporate support and sponsorship and those corporations benefitted by having an engineering staff that was technically up to date and challenged to stay abreast of technological advancements in their chosen fields. Sadly, conditions have changed as corporations have instituted cost cutting methods into the very lifeline of their business. But, we as engineers need to recognize for ourselves that without stimulation through interactions with other engineers, we will become stagnant and lose a lot of that inquisitiveness that propelled us into the engineering field.
With that thought in mind, I would like to invite all engineers in North Carolina, and engineers throughout the world who have life or educational roots in North Carolina, to join the North Carolina Society of Engineers. We will be using this website as a communication tool for engineers, whatever their location, to receive technical information or as an outlet to which information can be sent and distributed. Our society typically has two meetings annually. These meetings offer PDH hours for attendance at technical sessions. There are also many opportunities for social interaction and discussion of issues with other engineers outside of the technical sessions.
Resolve, with us, to restore the engineering profession to its rightful position of pre-eminence.
Don Strickland, PE
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