Examples of Amplified Records 5

[JamesBarlow]

I'm putting together my application to sit for the PE exam in October and I'm getting stuck on writting my Amplified Record.

My problem is how much to include. Like most companies, we as engineers are expected to handle more aspects of our jobs then in years past. This means I don't just design the machines but I also order all the parts and make drawings and handle a number of other functions involved with making a machine. My question is do I write about everything I do, or just focus on the design issues.

Does anyone have tips, or better would be examples they are willing to post, of records that were accepted.

I would hate to go through all the effort of getting references and putting everything together to get rejected because I didn't properly describe what I do.

 

[AndrewTX]

When I wrote mine 5 years ago I limited it to the actual engineering design information. Specifying equipment to be purchased would be considered qualifying experience since it takes engineering knowledge to proberly specify an item. Writing a purchase order may also be part of your job but would not be of interest to your PE Board.

When writing about the drawings you make, emphasize the engineering information and design work conveyed by the drawing, not just that you did the drafting.

My experience is that the PE Board knows the job of an engineer in not limited to working calculations and formulas 8 hours a day. Creating engineering drawings, writing specifications, etc. are all acceptable experience.

 

[zdas04]

Let me expand on AndrewTX's good post - if you have enough experience to sit for the exam, you should have enough experience to answer the question "If I was sitting on the board, what would I want to see here?". I was asked to sit on a PE Exam question committee for the test after the one following the one I took. The only difference between you and the people you're submitting the form to is that they already got licensed.

Don't let the process intimidate you - you can read the requirements and you either have the experience or you don't. If you do, then you should be able to communicate it clearly and concisely. The board is just folks and don't expect them to be any more arbitrary and capricious than any Engineer.

David

 

[jpankask]

Both of the previous posts have good advice. However, the answer to your question will depend in part on the state you are looking to get licensed in. You should contact your state board, specifically the person who will be gathering your information together and presenting it to the board.

In my state, Kansas, they make it a point that drafting is not considered engineering experience. You will only want to list on your experience sheet actual engineering experience, but don't leave blank spots in your record. The lady that I spoke to on the phone about my experience record was very helpful in determining what I should include on my record and even suggested a few things that I should remove because they weren't considered engineering experience and the board is only interested in actual engineering experience. They don't want to have to sift through your information to determine what actually is engineering experience and what isn't.

I put together a small database to track my engineering projects because I knew that I would be applying. In it I listed the project name and dates and a short description of the project, specifically pointing out the "engineering aspects" of the project. I had fields for total time, engineering time and non engineering time. When it was time to apply for the exam, I just printed my records and sent it with the application (I made the printouts look very similar to the actual application forms). I was allowed to take the exam without any problems, even though I work in an exempt industry and my PE references were from my coop in college. After I passed the exam, I put up an advice page on my website about the MEPE for people who were getting ready to take the exam. It's at

http://www-personal.k-state.edu/~jpankask

if you're interested. Good luck on the exam!

 

[bubb375]

James-

AndrewTX has some good points. Just fill out the application keeping in mind the Board's point of view. They understand exactly what an engineer does, so being truthful is not going to get you denied. They are simply looking for relevant engineering experience. This way, you don't waste their time by submitting an application that is incomplete, and you don't waste your time by sitting for an exam you aren't ready for.

I fretted over the application for a week before my wife pointed out "They probably will only check to make sure it is filled out." She was probably right.

Brian

 

[Maui]

James, I already filed my application to sit for the PE exam this October, and it was accepted. I had experience in many areas to list, so I chose not to include all of my design experience. I also had several design projects to choose from, and not wanting to include them all I decided that the best approach was to walk the reader through the process of actually designing, building, and calibrating one of these machines. This allows you to impart to the reader the depth and scope of your experience. If I had listed them all it would have the made the application too long. Below is an excerpt from my application to give you an idea of how I approached it. If you have any questions, post them and I will respond.


Maui



EXCERPT

During my period of employment for this endorser I worked on a variety of design projects that resulted in the construction of equipment used for experimental purposes. An example of this is an attachment that was designed and built for a Buehler diamond saw. The standard Buehler diamond saw holds specimens of various geometries in a multi-purpose clamp, and sections these materials with a rotating, thin (0.015”) diamond saw blade. The purpose in designing and building the attachment was to produce circumferential notches in cylindrical test specimens. The fixture was designed to accomplish this by clamping the specimen in a collet assembly, and then rotating the specimen about its longitudinal axis by use of a small, variable speed electric motor and belt. The motor mount was designed with the ability to adjust the belt tension to the appropriate value. The motor, belt, and collet assembly were mounted on a compact aluminum plate which was pivoted about an axle assembly mounted to the top of the saw. The axle was press fit into a set of sealed ball bearings. Various weights were added to one end of the saw attachment to bring the specimen into contact with the rotating diamond saw blade. By carefully adjusting the weight, the pressure on the saw blade could be increased to the desired amount to form the circumferential notch in the rotating specimen.

The design of this attachment was limited by the availability of space for mounting on the existing equipment, the limited budget for the Laboratory, and the available tools and equipment for fabrication. I designed each component of the assembly, and machined each of the components myself. A Bridgeport Milling Machine and a South Bend Metal Lathe were used to fabricate these parts. Mitutoyo micrometers which measured to the nearest 0.0001” and Vernier calipers were used to verify that each component was machined to the required tolerances. The most stringent tolerances that were successfully achieved were on the axle where the ball bearings press fit into position. The tolerances for the diameter at these locations were +0.0003” – 0.0000”.

After completing construction of the saw attachment, the equipment was calibrated in order to establish the depth of the notch which was produced in the cylindrical test specimens. A micrometer was incorporated into the design to control the depth of cut. By adjusting the micrometer to different depths of cut, and measuring the results by running several test specimens, a correlation was established between the micrometer settings and the final notch depth. A curve was plotted from the resulting test data which established the relationship bewteen micrometer setting and notch depth. A least squares curve fitting technique was used to generate this curve. A clear set of instructions on how to use the attachment to produce a circumferential notch of the desired depth were written and, together with this calibration curve, were attached to the saw for reference.