The National Society of Professional Engineers (abbreviate as NSPE) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

representing licensed professional engineers in the United States. NSPE is the recognized voice and advocate of licensed Professional Engineers represented in 53 state and territorial societies and over 500 local chapters. The society is based in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

History

The society was founded in 1934 as a nontechnical organization for licensed professional engineers. The

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

engineer

David B. Steinman David Barnard Steinman (June 11, 1886 – August 21, 1960) was an American civil engineer. He was the designer of the Mackinac Bridge and many other notable bridges, and a published author. He grew up in New York City's lower Manhattan, a ...

was its first president and one of the group of professional engineers that established it. NSPE published ''Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct'' in 1946, which evolved to the current ''Code of Ethics'' adopted in 1964. The first fundamental canon is "Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public." In 1973, NSPE entered into an agreement with the

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in STEM, women in e ...

to support efforts to increase the number of women professional engineers. In 1976, NSPE was the petitioner in ''National Society of Professional Engineers v. United States, 435 U.S. 679''

antitrust case In the United States, antitrust law is a collection of mostly federal laws that regulate the conduct and organization of businesses to promote competition and prevent unjustified monopolies. The three main U.S. antitrust statutes are the Sherma ...

. The United States government brought this antitrust suit against NSPE, claiming that NSPE's ethical canon prohibiting its members from submitting competitive bids for engineering services suppressed competition which was in violation of the

Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. ...

. NSPE countered with argument for exception under the

Rule of Reason The rule of reason is a legal doctrine used to interpret the Sherman Antitrust Act, one of the cornerstones of United States antitrust law. While some actions like price-fixing are considered illegal ''per se', ''other actions, such as po ...

. The

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

decided against NSPE, allowing the submittal of competitive bids by members thereafter.

Partners

NSPE has founded and works closely with a number of nonprofit organizations and outreach-based activities. * National Engineers Week was founded in 1951 by NSPE to encourage diversity within engineering and ensure that there would be enough engineers in the future. Different aspects of this event include "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day", which is designed to overcome the gaps that appear between genders in engineering employment. * NSPE cofounded the middle school mathematics competition

MATHCOUNTS Mathcounts, stylized as MATHCOUNTS, is a nationwide middle school mathematics competition held in various places in the United States. Its current lead sponsors are Raytheon Technologies and the U.S. Department of Defense STEM. Topics covered in ...

in 1983. More than 350,000 middle school students from across the United States take part in the math-based competition each year. * NICET (

National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) is an organization that was established in 1961 to create a recognized certification for engineering technicians and technologists within the United States. A 1981 study ...

) is a division of NSPE. * NSPE awards include the NSPE Award, NSPE Distinguished Service Award, NSPE Young Engineering of the Year Award, QBS Award, Engineering Education Excellence Award, PEGASUS Award, PEPP Award, and the Federal Engineer of the Year Award. In partnership with several other organizations, NSPE sponsors the

Washington Award The Washington Award is an American engineering award. Since 1916 it has been given annually for "accomplishments which promote the happiness, comfort, and well-being of humanity". It is awarded jointly by the following engineering societies: Amer ...

. * NSPE formerly published the ''Professional Engineers' Income and Salary Survey'' but no longer does so.

References

External links

NSPE official website
American engineering organizations Engineering societies based in the United States Professional associations based in the United States Organizations based in Alexandria, Virginia Organizations established in 1934 1934 establishments in the United States {{prof-assoc-stub

History

Partners

See also

References

External links