Instructor Feature: Announcing New Structural Instructor

School of PE is excited to announce the hiring of our new Structural Engineering instructor: Dr. Liu. 

Dr. Liu, PE, SE, has more than ten years of experience in structural design and analysis. His extensive design experience includes buildings, highway and railway bridges, and industrial structures in fossil plants and nuclear power plants. He is currently licensed in multiple states including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. 

Dr. Liu will be teaching several topics for our PE Civil exam review course as well as for our future SE Lateral Forces and SE Vertical Forces exam review courses.

Transportation Engineering: Effects on Pavement Performance

Construction on roadways is almost impossible to avoid, especially when traveling more than a few hours. Although some may find running across an orange construction zone sign irritating, roadwork is extremely important for not only your car's maintenance but your safety too. Driving over a bumpy road or driving over a deep pothole can cause wear on tires and can even cause steering difficulties and car accidents.i Without proper pavement construction and maintenance performed by professional civil transportation engineers, roadways we drive on every day would be extremely dangerous to travel on. Ensuring that pavement is durable and can withstand various factors, such as weight and weather conditions, will yield safer travels for drivers. 

When evaluating pavement performance, there are many factors that can affect the longevity of the pavement. Below are three of the top variables that will determine how durable the pavement can remain for a set amount of time. 

Table of Contents

1. Traffic Load

2. Subgrade Quality

3. Quality of Construction

1. Traffic Load 

Out of all of the variables that could affect pavement performance, traffic is the top influencer. Configuration, loading magnitude, and the amount of load repetition via heavy vehicles has a large impact on pavement durability. According to an article published in the Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, "The damage caused per pass to a pavement by an axel is defined relative to the damage per pass of a standard axle load, which is defined as a 80 kN single axle load (E80). Thus a pavement is designed to withstand a certain amount of standard axle load repetitions (E80's) that will result in a certain terminal condition of deterioration."ⁱ 

2. Subgrade Quality 

The subgrade is known as the soil that withstands the weight of the applied wheel loads. A weak subgrade will cause immense flexing of the pavement, which can lead to various issues such as cracking and surface deformation. Addressing the natural variations of the subgrade prior to laying pavement down will yield positive impacts on overall pavement performance and life span. The subgrade quality can also be affected by moisture when moisture seeps into the subgrade laterally. "The result of moisture ingress is the lubrication of particles, loss of particle interlock and subsequent particle displacement resulting in pavement failure."ⁱⁱ 

3. Quality of Construction 

Original construction and the quality of periodic maintenance work can improve pavement longevity. During construction work, layer thickness, moisture conditions, and compaction analysis must be carried out to ensure overall high pavement quality. If these factors are not put into consideration when performing construction or maintenance, then pavement quality will decrease and may yield disintegration or surface defects. 

The above factors of pavement durability are extremely important to consider when performing pavement work. Without professional civil transportation engineers, our roadways would be lacking in overall safety. Since road safety and pavement durability is extremely important, School of PE offers an 84-hour PE Civil exam review course to assist future civil transportation engineers prepare for their licensing exam. 

If you want to prepare for the PE Civil transportation exam and make a big impact in the world of roadway safety, sign up for School of PE's PE Civil exam review course today! 

References 

i Top 25 Causes of Car Accidents. Retrieved from
https://seriousaccidents.com/legal-advice/top-causes-of-car-accidents/ 

ii Adlinge, S., & Gupta, A. Pavement Deterioration and its Causes. Retrieved from https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jmce/papers/sicete(civil)-volume6/60.pdf

Predictions for Earthquakes in California: Analyzing Past Seismic Activity

Seismic activity, which is the activity relating to earthquakes, is monitored very closely in the state of California. Although it is difficult to make an earthquake prediction for California, scientists can make rough estimations based on California's earthquake history. Throughout the years, earthquakes have caused great damage to infrastructure as well as a number of injuries and deaths in California. For instance, in 1994, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Northridge, California. This earthquake caused 57 deaths, approximately 9,000 injuries, and about $40 billion in property damage.

A new study published in the AGU 100 Journal, a journal which focuses on advancing earth and space science, evaluates common trends in earthquake occurrences. Geologist researchers, Roger Bilham and Rebecca Bendick, noticed a common trend when looking at earthquakes that happened as early as 1900. They noticed that periodically there are spikes in the rate of earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or higher. "While in most years there is an average of just 15 such major shake-ups - already more than enough - there have been evenly spaced intervals in the past 117 years in which the annual total jumped to between 25 and 30," an analysis of the study by TIME journalist, Jeffrey Kluger, reported. 

Why is there periodically a spike in the total number of earthquakes in a year? Bilham and Bendick think it is due to an occasional slowing of the earth's axial spinning. And by slowing down, the earth is only slowing down by a millisecond. "The last such time the planet slowed was in 2011, and recent events suggest a troubling pattern again playing out: the magnitude 7.1 quake that struck Mexico City on Sept. 19; the 7.3 event on the Iran-Iraq border on Nov. 12; and the 7.0 off New Caledonia on Nov. 19," the TIME article stated, referring to earthquakes in 2017.i

Because of the structure of the earth, the slowing rotation does not immediately cause earthquakes. When the earth slows, it takes approximately six years for the energy from the core of the planet to radiate to the platelets. So, when scientists detect a slowing of rotation, they can estimate that a surge of earthquakes will follow within the next decade.

When earthquakes occur, it is extremely important to be prepared. Buildings and various other types of infrastructure are typically the victims of earthquakes, but damaged infrastructure can have detrimental safety effects. This is where seismic engineers come in. Seismic engineers analyze how infrastructure interacts with the ground and the effects shifting ground has on the infrastructure. According to Wantman Group, Inc., a national infrastructure consulting company, states, "One of the primary aims of seismic engineering is proper designing and construction of buildings, in line with existing building codes, so as to reduce the damage due to earthquakes." ii

Seismic engineers are needed statewide in California to develop new infrastructure plans and to evaluate current infrastructure to ensure that it can withstand earthquakes. In California, those who are aiming to become seismic engineers must take the PE Civil exam along with the CA Seismic and Surveying exams. 

To assist California PE Civil applicants in preparing for their exams, School of PE offers both CA Seismic and CA Surveying exam review courses. The CA Seismic exam review course offers 15 hours of comprehensive review lectures and practice sessions, which cover topics such as seismic forces, seismic analysis procedures, and seismic detailing. 

References 

i. Kluger, J. Scientists Predict 2018 Will Be a Bad Year for Earthquakes. Here's Why. Retrieved from
http://time.com/5031607/earthquake-predictions-2018/

ii. Seismic Engineering. Retrieved from
https://wginc.com/glossary/seismic-engineering/

Are Study Groups Effective for Engineering Exam Prep?

Many studies have been performed over the years to answer one main question: Why are study groups so effective? It turns out there are many reasons why study groups are so effective, but a few reasons include increased motivation, reduced procrastination, enhanced information absorption, and the ability to share study habits with group members. Read below to find out why study groups have these positive effects. 

Table of Contents

1. Study Groups Increase Motivation and Cohesion

2. Study Groups Reduce Procrastination

3. Study Groups Make Absorbing Material More Efficient

4. Study Groups Allow Members to Share Study Habits and Ideas

1. Study Groups Increase Motivation and Cohesion 

Robert E. Slavin, a psychology researcher at John Hopkins University, wrote an article that explored different perspectives regarding the positive effects on study groups. As Slavin took a deep dive into many factors that affect one's academic success, the Motivational Perspective and the Social Cohesion Perspective are two perspectives that feature teamwork at its finest. The Motivational Perspective explores how students use their personal goals to better benefit the study group's efficiency. "To meet their personal goals, group members must both help their groupmates to do whatever helps the group to succeed and...to encourage their groupmates to exert maximum efforts." The Social Cohesion perspective "holds that the effects of cooperative learning on achievement are strongly mediated by the cohesiveness of the group, in essence that students will help one another because they care about one another and want one another to succeed."ⁱ 

2. Study Groups Reduce Procrastination 

The likelihood of procrastination is greatly reduced when choosing to study with a group vs. studying by yourself. The reason is simple: study groups typically schedule study sessions and expect all members of the group to attend. The use of devices that commonly cause distractions, such as mobile phones, is significantly decreased when studying with a group. According to an article on the matter published on Delaware Valley University's website, "Because you have an obligation to attend the study group meeting, you'll be sure to be there on time, engage with the other students and work to better understand the material."ⁱⁱ Engagement in the study group is key, as engagement often leads to grasping difficult material with the help of your peers. 

3. Study Groups Make Absorbing Material More Efficient 

Study groups are very effective in helping students fully review and absorb difficult material. A study regarding the effect of study groups was performed at Washington University. Researchers studied how participants behaved in study groups as well as their ability to retain complex information. During the study, researchers found that members of the study group periodically looked up and down from their notebooks as each team member discussed a topic. "We noticed when they did that it was a sign that they were learning the material at a deeper level. They would read it verbatim out of the notes and then look up and paraphrase it to the rest of the group. That eye gaze is a signal that they were starting to make the material their own," Keith Sawyer, a researcher on the project, said.iii

4. Study Groups Allow Members to Share Study Habits and Ideas 

When studying in a group, one benefit that comes out of the study group is the ability to learn about others' study habits. Study groups allow a student to observe how their peers study, whether it be by annotating notes, making notecards, or even creating a structured study schedule. During the study sessions, the students can test out different study methods to see if any methods benefit them more than the ones they are currently using.^iv 

Studying for an exam, such as the PE Civil exam, in a group has a variety of benefits. If you are preparing for an NCEES exam, grab some coworkers or engineering friends to study with! School of PE offers group discounts to groups of five or more students with savings of up to $200 per registration. 

Prepare, Practice, Pass 

Anytime, Anywhere 

It's that easy!

References 

i Slavin, R. E. (1996). Research on Cooperative Learning and Achievement: What We Know, What We Need to Know. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(1), 43-69. 

ii Benefits of a Study Group. (2015). Retrieved from
https://www.delval.edu /blog/study group benefits

iii Schoenherr, N. (2006). Discovering why study groups are more effective. Retrieved from
https:// source.wustl.edu / 2006/07/discovering why-study groups-are more-effective/

iv Study Group Tips and Advantages. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.montclair.edu/ media/montclairedu/ residentialeducation/pdffiles/ Study-Group-Tips and-Advantages-1.pdf

Which PE Civil Learning Format is Right for You?

A common question we receive from our PE Civil students is, "which class format should I sign up for?" And our answer is simple: It depends on your learning style and your day-to-day schedule. If you are wondering which format to sign up for, we have you covered! To make things easier, we broke down the main differences in an infographic: 

We understand that everyone has different schedules, so we are happy to provide a variety of learning formats to our students. Each format provides the same amount of lecture hours and is taught by our subject-matter-expert instructors. If you are still unsure of which format to sign up for, we also provide a thorough feature comparison where you can see all of the features we offer for each learning format (we promise, each format offers a ton of features). 

Sign up to prepare for the PE Civil exam today!

Prepare, Practice, Pass 

Anytime, Anywhere 

It's that easy! 

Why School of PE Provides the Best PE Exam Prep Courses

Looking for a review course to prepare for an NCEES exam and don't know which company to choose? You may be searching each review course one-by-one. Instead of spending time reviewing every page of each company's website, we have provided a comprehensive list of reasons why we think School of PE provides the best PE exam prep courses. 

Table of Contents

1. Review Courses are Our Specialty

2. Pass Rates

3. Multiple Instructors

4. In-Depth Instruction

5. Our Study Hub

6. Tutoring

1. Review Courses are Our Specialty 

School of PE has been helping its students pass their exams for more than a decade. Through years of experience preparing exam review courses and obtaining student feedback, School of PE has formulated and strategized what really makes the best review course, and we believe School of PE provides the right tools and expertise to help students pass their exams. 

2. Pass Rates 

If you've been comparing exam review courses, pass rates for each company are typically a big factor in choosing which company to go with. To save you some time, just take a look at School of PE's pass rates for its PE courses, which are significantly higher than the national rates.

3. Multiple Instructors 

Why have just one instructor teach all of the PE Civil subjects when they only specialize in transportation? To help our students get the most out of preparing for their exams, we have multiple instructors for each exam review course. Each instructor is assigned to teach a topic that they specialize in, so you can be confident that you are receiving the best instruction for each topic. 

4. In-Depth Instruction 

We don't believe in rushing through in-depth material; we make sure our students have enough instruction to fully grasp exam topics. For instance, our PE Civil course includes more than 80 hours of instruction time- 84 hours to be exact. Our instructors spend 56 hours reviewing the breadth portion and 28 hours for each depth portion. 

5. Our Study Hub 

Our user-friendly Study Hub provides our students with the necessary tools to stay organized. Some of our favorite features include bookmarking timestamps to make digital notes, viewing the percentage of the lecture watched for each video, and bookmarking individual video lectures to sort out focus areas. 

6. Tutoring 

If our exam review courses alone aren't enough, we offer so much more! From refresher notes to an expansive library of practice problems, we make sure you have every resource necessary to help you succeed. Tutoring is one of the many features we pride ourselves on. Our student-exclusive tutoring revolves directly around a student's exam preparation needs, and our tutors create a structured, individualized study plan for each student.

Choosing School of PE as your exam prep course provider is one of the best decisions you can make. Check out all of the review courses School of PE provides: 

• FE Chemical
• FE Civil
• FE Electrical
• FE Environmental
• FE Industrial and Systems
• FE Mechanical
• FE Other (General)
• SE Lateral Forces
• SE Vertical Forces
• Fundamentals of Surveying (FS)
• Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS)

• PE Architectural
• PE Chemical
• PE Civil
• PE Control Systems
• PE Electrical
• PE Environmental
• PE Industrial and Systems
• PE Mechanical
• PE Petroleum
• CA Seismic
• CA Surveying

What are you waiting for? Jump start your engineering career by preparing for your chosen NCEES exam with School of PE! 

Prepare, Practice, Pass

Anytime, Anywhere

It's that easy!

3 Engineering Technological Advances that Save Lives

The engineering world is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the communities it serves. From designing bridges to surveying land before beginning construction projects, the main goal of engineers always remains the same: to keep the public safe. 

Safety is often a concern when disaster strikes. For example, when a strong hurricane hits land, it is extremely important to be fully prepared to ensure minimal loss. Throughout the years, the field of engineering has experienced many technological advances to help improve overall safety. Below are three instances when engineering technology has evolved in a way that greatly improves safety and has even helped saved lives: 

Table of Contents

1. Sonar Robots

2. Drones

3. Super Shelters

1. Sonar Robots 

Just last month, twelve boys and their soccer coach became trapped inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand. Making national news, the story of the trapped soccer team kept the attention of thousands of people from around the world. 

The rescue was performed by the Thai Navy SEALs, who carefully planned out the three-day rescue mission. Without specific technology, such as sonar robots, the rescue may have not been so successful or timely. 

The team was trapped in a part of the cave that was not easily accessible from the main ground. So, rescuers needed to enter from an entrance that was rather far (approximately 2.5 miles) from the trapped soccer team. Sonar robots, which are typically used to survey specific areas where oil or gas could possibly be drilled for, helped the rescue team navigate through the dark tunnels. 

2. Drones 

Drones have become very important tools in various rescue missions. One specific disaster that drones assisted in was Hurricane Harvey. Harvey, which was considered a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall, inflicted $125 billion in damages, destroying many homes and causing thousands of people to become stranded. 

To help locate those who were stranded due to the rising waters, drones were used. Drones were used to capture images and the location of people who needed rescued, which is much easier and more efficient than having a rescue team physically search for stranded people via a boat. 

3. Super Shelters 

Every summer, a wildfire typically develops somewhere in the western United States. Wildfires break out as a result of dry temperature and extreme heat. Fighting these wildfires can be a treacherous job for firefighters. 

In 2013, a wildfire began in Arizona and ended up killing 19 firefighters. The firefighters became trapped by the flames and were forced to use their foil, tent-like safety shelters as a last resort to save their lives. Unfortunately, the shelters they had did not hold up to the heat, causing the team to perish in the fire. 

As a result, the Fire Shelter project was initiated as an attempt to reevaluate the safety shelters and to fix the flaws the previous shelters had. According to National Geographic, "This latest version [of safety shelters] consists of an outside layer made of high-temperature resistant silica cloth and an inside layer composed of a lightweight, fiberglass scrim cloth. Both layers are laminated to aluminum foil, which is an excellent reflector of radiant heat." Unfortunately, the glue used to keep these shelters together and to keep the heat from entering the shelters is what failed during the Arizona wildfire. Because of the direct contact with flames, the glue melted. Now, a new, improved shelter is being tested and is expected to withstand direct contact with flames. 

These are just a few emerging technologies that have saved lives. As technology evolves and becomes more advanced, it is because of the engineers behind the technology that makes disaster relief successful. If you are interested in keeping the public safe, becoming an engineer may be right for you. To become a licensed engineer, one must pass the FE exam and the PE exam. School of PE offers a wide variety of licensing exam review courses, such as PE Civil, PE Electrical, PE Environmental, and PE Mechanical. Start your engineering career today by signing up for a licensure exam review course! 

References:

Paez, D. 3 Incredible Engineering Techniques that Helped Saved the Thai Cave Boys. Retrieved 

from https://www.inverse.com/ article/46898-thai cave-rescue-3-engineering

French, S. 7 Ways Drones are Helping Hurricane Irma, Harvey Recovery Experts. Retrieved from 

http://thedronegirl.com/ 2017/09/16/ 7-ways-drones-helping hurricane-irma-harvey recovery-experts/

Than, K. New Firefighting Technologies: Drones, Super Shelters. Retrieved from 

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2013/07/130702 yarnell-hill-wildfire firefighting-technology-science/

Instructor Features: PE Petroleum

Petroleum is an essential aspect to everyday life with oil being sourced to transportation, industrial and residential sectors. Even with renewable energy emerging and becoming more prominent in today's society, the oil industry is expected to grow. 

As the industry continues to grow, more and more people are becoming licensed in Petroleum Engineering. As a result, School of PE has decided to launch it's own PE Petroleum exam review course to help exam applicants prepare for the PE Petroleum exam. 

I had the privilege of speaking with two of School of PE's PE Petroleum instructors and discussed the petroleum industry and talked about the exam itself. This article goes over the highlights of the conversations. But first, below are the bios of the two instructors I talked to: Tan Nguyen and Quy Doan. 

Dr. Tan Nguyen received his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa and is the founder and director of a Production and Drilling Research Project at New Mexico Tech. Outside of teaching the PE Petroleum drilling course at School of PE, he enjoys performing research. His current research projects focus on directional and horizontal drilling, rheology of drilling fluid, multiphase flow, well completion, well stimulation, and artificial lift methods. 

Mr. Doan holds his professional engineering license in California. He received his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and his master's degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California. Outside of teaching PE Petroleum Production/ Completion and Project Management courses at School of PE, he currently works for InterAct PMTI as a Petroleum Engineer. His area of expertise includes Pressure Transient Analysis, Well Test Design and Operations, and Well Production and Surveillance. 

Why do you think Petroleum Engineering is important and how does it impact society as a whole? 

Nguyen: Most of products around us are from petroleum products. Therefore, petroleum engineering has a great impact on society as a whole. If cruel oil or gas prices change, it will affect not only gas and natural gas prices, but also the whole economy. 

Doan: Petroleum is important for many things, such as cars and electricity. Without petroleum, we wouldn't have what we have today. 

What originally made you want to pursue a career in Petroleum Engineering? 

Nguyen: High income (Makes sense. The median pay for petroleum engineers in 2017 was $132,280 per year or $63.60 per hour. The job outlook for the next decade for PE Petroleum is also promising). 

Doan: Petroleum is a very important industry. We need petroleum to live out our every day lives. 

Do you have any advice for those who are preparing for the PE Petroleum exam? 

Nguyen: Students need to have a strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics and constantly try to apply the concepts of fluid mechanics into petroleum engineering. 

Doan: Students need strong concentration when studying. They need to make sure they understand all of the concepts on the exam. When they study, they need to consistently study a topic until they have a strong understanding of it.

Student- Exclusive School of PE Features

School of PE offers tons of amazing features to help prepare students for NCEES exams. Our goal is to help our students pass their exams, and we are always striving to make every student's learning experience the best it can be. 

Ever wonder what features are exclusively available for School of PE students? Well, the list is very long, but we have listed our favorites below: 

Table of Contents

1. Advanced Study Hub Capabilities

2. Refresher Notes

3. Practice Problems and Solutions

4. Question Bank

5. Instructor Accessibility

1. Advanced Study Hub Capabilities 

Our Study Hub offers many advanced capabilities in order to provide our students with a great experience. Our Study Hub offers the ability to: 

1. Bookmark time stamps by making notes to easily return to a section of a video later
2. Fast forward or rewind 30 seconds at the click of a button
3. Continually watch videos without closing any windows when a lecture is finished
4. Bookmark video lectures to sort out videos to focus on
5. View the percentage of the lecture watched for each video
6. And do so much more!

2. Refresher Notes 

School of PE's refresher notes are strategically prepared by our instructors. The notes are designed around NCEES' exam specs and are great tool to review outside of the classroom. If you are taking a pencil and paper exam, such as the PE Civil exam, the refresher notes are perfect to take into your exam as reference materials. 

3. Practice Problems and Solutions 

Practice, Practice, Practice! Practicing problems is a proven strategy to improve exam scores. Our instructor-written practice problems and solution handouts can be downloaded from your Study Hub. Instructors go over these files during class, so if you get stuck on a problem, they will show you how to solve it. It's that easy! 

4. Question Bank

If the practice problem and solution files aren't enough, we also provide our Question Bank as a tool to practice problems with. Since our Question Bank is brand-new, it is only available for FE students at this time but will soon be released to other courses. The Question Bank closely mimics NCEES' CBT experience, and offers a variety of topics students can choose to test their knowledge with. 

5. Instructor Accessibility 

All of our courses, including OnDemand, provide students access to ask questions to their instructors. Stuck on a practice problem or need something explained to you? Our instructors are there to help! 

Enticing, right? If you are looking for an exam review course to help prepare you for an NCEES exam, School of PE is the right choice. School of PE offers, FE, PE, SE, and FS/PS exam prep. Plus, School of PE's pass rates are much higher than the national average. We guarantee that you will have a great learning experience with us!

Emerging Technologies for PE Civil Engineering

Technology is always evolving and advancing to better enhance productivity. Safety and productivity are extremely important in the engineering industry as engineers are equipped with the responsibility to keep everyone safe. As we approach the end of the decade, there are many new technologies emerging within the engineering field. 

Interested in what is currently being introduced into the field for PE Civil engineers? Check out a few of our favorite emerging technologies below: 

Table of Contents

1. Drones

2. Augmented Reality

3. Brick-Laying Robots

4. 3D Printing

5. Freezing Steel

1. Drones 

What is that in the sky? Is it a bird? A plane? Neither! It's a drone! Drones have emerged throughout the past few years as not only a leisure device but also have made their way into engineering and surveying projects. Drones can be used to survey a construction site, send images of nearly inaccessible points on a structure, and improve overall job-site safety.ⁱ 

2. Augmented Reality 

Augmented Reality (AR) has become increasingly popular in many fields and has made its way into the engineering field. Construction sites are an example of where AR can be implemented into modern-day engineering practices. Engineers who work in construction can scale a 3D model of the structure that is being built by using the technology, therefore improving awareness of the overall design. AR can also significantly improve site safety, increase overall profitability of a project, and give engineers the ability to effortlessly record building defects.ⁱⁱ 

3. Brick-Laying Robots 

As the robotics industry continually advances, those in the construction industry can take a breather, as robots can soon take over the time-consuming repetitive tasks such as brick-laying. Of course, the robots would need supervision to make sure nothing goes wrong, but this advancement of technology is a big step forward for the construction industry.ⁱⁱⁱ 

4. 3D Printing 

3D printing has been increasing in popularity throughout the last few years. For construction projects, 3D printing is starting to be used to build large structures such as buildings and bridges. As of now, the technology has allowed small residential houses and small office buildings to be constructed. A small pedestrian bridge was constructed in Spain in 2016 using 3D printing.ⁱⁱⁱ 

5. Freezing Steel 

Exposing steel to extremely low temperatures (below −190 ^°C (−310 ^°F)), also known as cryogenic treatment, has emerged as a new strategy in improving steel durability. Exposing steel to extremely low temperatures is carried out by using liquid nitrogen. Cryogenic treatment can improve deterioration resistance and can also help eliminate any pre-existing residual stresses.^iv 

With this exciting engineering technology emerging, now is a great time to go into the civil engineering field. To make the process of becoming a licensed civil engineer as smooth and as stress free as possible, School of PE offers an 84-hour PE Civil exam review course, which covers both the breadth and depth portions of the exam. Past PE Civil students have had great success with School of PE, as 90% of PE Civil students passed their exam in October 2017. 

What are you waiting for? Begin preparing for the PE Civil exam today! 

Prepare, Practice, Pass 

It's that easy! 

References 

i Dillow, C. The Construction Industry Is in Love with Drones. Retrieved from 

http://fortune.com/2016/09/13/ commercial-drone-construction-industry/

ii Woyke, E. Augmented Reality Could Speed Up Construction Projects. Retrieved from 

https://www.technologyreview.com /s/602124/ augmented-reality-could speed-up-construction-projects/

iii 10 Construction Trends Shaping the Industry in 2016 and Beyond. Retrieved from 

https:// www.forconstructionpros.com / business/article/12162200/10 construction-trends-shaping the-industry-in-2016-and-beyond

iv Slatter, Tom & Thornton, R. (2016). Cryogenic Treatment of Engineering Materials. Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering. 10.1016/B978-0-12-803581-8.09165-7.

Jump Start Your Engineering Career in Undergrad by Passing the FE Exam

As an exam review course provider, we often get asked about the best time to take the FE exam. Our answer: during senior year of college or very soon after graduating. Although some examinees may wait several years after graduating college to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, those who take the exam while in college have many advantages over those who wait. 

The main advantage college students have when taking the FE exam is that the information is very fresh in their minds. Many topics on the FE exam are based on concepts learned in undergraduate engineering classes. In fact, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) claims the FE exam "is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program." If you take the FE exam around the completion of your undergrad career, you will most likely cut down on many hours of study time. Who wants to study hydraulics more than they really have to? 

Another advantage of taking the FE exam in college is to jump start your career. Those who take the FE exam as soon as possible will be able to get their Professional Engineering (PE) license earlier in their careers than those who wait. Technically by law, people can only refer to themselves as engineers once they have a PE license, and many engineering positions require a license. 

Higher salaries are typically a result of obtaining a PE license. According to NCEES' website, "Salary studies show that as a P.E., you can expect to earn significantly more throughout your career."

We, at School of PE, want to help college students get a jump start in their professional careers. For those who are enrolled in an accredited university as a full-time student, School of PE offers a $200 undergraduate discount for FE exam review classes. We offer FE Chemical, FE Civil, FE Electrical, FE Environmental, FE Industrial and Systems, FE Mechanical, and FE Other (General) exam review courses. 

For more information regarding this discount, email info@schoolofpe.com.