Based on my own feelings and the postings of many friends and colleagues on LinkedIn^® and Facebook, as a society (both professional and more generally) we are more than ready for a new year. One of the comforting aspects of our approach to recording and managing time is the opportunity to mentally put behind us those experiences that were less than satisfying, take a deep breath, and decide to look forward and work toward a better future.

To its credit, 2009 provided many positive engineering experiences for the Kansas City engineering community. We hosted several great national engineering conferences, including the ASCE Annual conference in October. Several young engineers sat for and passed their P.E. exams in April and October.

As we begin a new year, and a new decade, practicing engineers know all too well that the challenges we faced before the economic recession began have not gone away. There remains an immense need for infrastructure investment and technical solutions to be developed and implemented. We march one year closer to the eventual retirement of many Baby Boomers with the commensurate need to backfill with a new generation of bright talent. The increased drive toward sustainable engineering solutions will remain a part of new project specifications.

These needs require that we continue to develop our technical skills as experienced engineers and remain engaged in the political processes that drive much of our practice. At the same time, we must continue to increase ways for aspiring students to discover engineering and become our own replacements in the profession.

MSPE is a great vehicle to achieve these important goals. The Western Chapter offers numerous technical presentations throughout the year to build our technical understanding across a wide spectrum of engineering. We promote engineering to students by sponsoring hands-on learning opportunities like Model Bridge Building and MATHCOUNTS. We offer scholarships to students enrolling in engineering curriculum. At the state level, MSPE monitors legislation and programs that are key to the vitality and health of our profession.

Save the date now for the annual Engineer’s week luncheon downtown at the Marriott Hotel on February 18^th. It is one of the two largest annual engineering events for the Kansas City engineering community – one where we come together to celebrate our profession, share a meal and an engaging presentation, and recognize accomplishments of young students and professionals.

I encourage you to "wipe the slate clean" of 2009, take a deep breath to regroup, and fully engage with MSPE in 2010 as we continue to build a future for ourselves and generations to come.