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MALSCE News
A monthly Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and
Civil Engineers member newsletter
January 2025
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MALSCE Sustaining Members: Allen & Major Associates, Inc., Beals and Thomas, Inc.,
Bluesky Geospatial Limited, Brennan Consulting, Inc., BSC Group, Inc., Crocker Design Group,
DGT Associates, Eastern Topographics, E.T. Engineering Enterprises, Feldman Geospatial,
Field Resources, Inc., Hancock Associates, Maine Technical Source, Merrill Engineers & Land Surveyors, Nitsch Engineering, RJ O'Connell & Associates, Inc., Samiotes Consultants Inc., Spiller's,
Topcon Solutions Store, VHB, Inc., Waypoint Technology Group, WSP
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Register today for the... | |
2025 MALSCE Convention
Hosted by the MALSCE Eastern MA Chapter
Friday - Saturday, February 28 - March 1, 2025
Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center
242 Adams Place, Boxborough, MA 01719
Organized under the theme of The Future is Now, the 2025 MALSCE Convention features the following sessions:
Convention Exhibit
Featuring live exhibitor demonstrations
How to Be an Effective Expert Witness in Court
Honorable Howard P. Speicher, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Land Court
Keys to Surveying in Massachusetts and Preparing For Licensure
William “Terry” McGovern, PLS, Project Manager, Zenith Land Surveyors LLC, and Adjunct Faculty, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
Legal Aspects of Business
Joseph Lichtblau, Esq.
Optimizing Survey Workflows: Practical CAD, Tech Tools, and AI for Survey Technicians
Shaine R. Bonin, PLS, EIT, Principal, Northeast Geospatial Consultants, LLC, Senior Project Engineer, Bowman Consulting Group LTD
Review of Recent Complaints and Their Disposition
Paul J. Tyrell, PE, PLS, LEED AP, Associate Vice President, HDR, Chair, Massachusetts Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
GNSS Best Practices
Dan Martin, Northeast Regional Geodetic Advisor, NOAA/NOS/National Geodetic Survey
Elevating the Customer Experience
Elise Simard, President, SpeechComm, Inc.
The Last Mile: Final Push for New Datums, Progress, and What is Still to Come
Dan Martin, Northeast Regional Geodetic Advisor, NOAA/NOS/National Geodetic Survey
Leadership Elevated: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
Elise Simard, President, SpeechComm, Inc.
Click here to learn more and register
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Reserve Your Overnight Room for the Convention
by Saturday, February 8!
Until Saturday, February 8, 2025, a block of discounted overnight rooms for 2025 MALSCE Convention participants has been reserved at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center for the nights of Thursday and Friday, February 27 & 28.
Click here to learn how to get a discounted room rate.
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The 2025 MALSCE Plan and Field Notes Contests Are Open for Entries – Submit Yours Today!
Help us make sure the 2025 MALSCE Plan & Field Notes Contests are as successful as the 2024 contests! Don’t wait, submit a plan and/or field notes for judging during the 2025 MALSCE Convention, which is being held Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center. Submit your entries and see how your plans and/or field notes stack up against the competition. You could be a contest winner and receive a commemorative plaque in recognition of your achievement.
Click here to learn more.
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Promote Your Organization to MALSCE Members by Becoming a 2025 MALSCE Convention Sponsor | |
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Members of the Convention Planning Committee are pleased to offer a new and improved sponsorship program. You can now sponsor one or more of the convention's ten featured sessions, all of the convention's meals and refreshment breaks, and/or the convention attendee booklet.
Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.
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Exhibit at the 2025 MALSCE Convention
Promote your organization’s products and/or services to MALSCE members by exhibiting during the 2025 MALSCE Convention, which is taking place on Friday and Saturday, February 28 & March 1. The convention exhibit is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM on Friday, February 28. In addition to checking in with visitors during scheduled downtimes throughout the day, you'll have an opportunity for an extended visit during a two-hour general session in the morning.
Click here to learn more about exhibiting at the Convention.
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Donate an Item to the MALSCE Education
Trust Benefit Auction
To donate an item for Friday’s auction to benefit the MALSCE Education Trust simply bring it to the convention registration desk. To donate an item before the convention, contact Rich Keenan: 617/305-4110 or rkeenan@engineers.org.
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Fundamentals of Surveying Exam
Refresher Course
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center
242 Adams Place Boxborough, MA 01719
Registration: 7:45 AM, Course: 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Instructor:
Clark Donkin, PLS, District Survey Supervisor
MassDOT Highway Division
The spring 2025 MALSCE Fundamentals of Surveying Exam (FS) Refresher Course is being offered as a separate program on the the second day of the 2025 MALSCE Convention. This course, which is intended to help participants prepare to take the FS Exam, features an eight-hour review of the knowledge areas you are likely to be tested on during the exam. Utilizing two practice exams and other attendee handouts, course instructor Clark Donkin, PLS, will discuss the following subjects.
- General Information
- Water Boundaries
- Basic Boundary
- PLSS Overview
- Survey Math/Calculations
- GPS/Photogrammetry
Click here to learn more and register.
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MALSCE Proprietors’ Council Meeting
Open to All MALSCE Members
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Aldrich Center at TEC, One Walnut Street, Boston, MA 02108
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Moderator:
Michael A. Clifford, PLS
Co-founder and Principal, DGT Associates and MALSCE Proprietors’ Council Chair
Join MALSCE Proprietors’ Council Chair Mike Clifford for the third of four Proprietors’ Council luncheon meetings planned for the remainder of the current fiscal year. This meeting will feature ongoing discussions of business issues impacting land surveying and engineering firms and MALSCE undertakings.
Look to future broadcast email to learn more and register.
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Introducing MALSCE's New Website
and Membership Database!
If you haven't done so already, be sure to visit the new MALSCE website! Looking to enhance your online experience, MALSCE leaders are pleased to announce this website has been combined with a new membership database powered by GrowthZone. You are now able to manage your own member profile by easily changing your information as needed. You'll also find it easier to register and pay for MALSCE programs, pay annual dues, and stay up to date on matters impacting the land surveying and civil engineering professions.
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Become a MALSCE Sustaining Member
There is still time to become a 2024-2025 MALSCE Sustaining Member. The enrollment period for this popular program is ongoing. Promote your organization to over 400 MALSCE members and demonstrate your support of the land surveying profession by becoming a MALSCE Sustaining Member today! For a prorated fee of $275, your organization can become a Sustaining Member for the rest of the 2025 MALSCE fiscal year as well as the FY26 Sustaining Member renewal period which lasts until fall 2025.
Click here to learn about the benefits and how your organization can become a sustaining member.
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MALSCE Government Affairs Update January 2025
Click here to learn about government affairs news impacting MALSCE members including Governor Healey's $8 billion transportation plan and proposed fiscal year 2026 budget along with recent Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors discussions.
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Join the MALSCE Public Awareness Committee
The MALSCE Public Awareness Committee is charged with promoting the general recognition and acceptance of the practice of land surveying and survey engineering and stimulating a greater interest in public perceptions affecting the profession. Committee chair David Prince, PLS, from WSP, has been holding regular meetings and committee members are visiting schools to promote a career in land surveying to secondary school students.
To see a full committee description, click here. If you would like to volunteer to serve on the committee, email David Prince at david.prince@wsp.com.
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Stephen J. Pflug (1943 - 2025)
MALSCE leaders are saddened to announce the passing of Stephen "Steve" Pflug on January 6, 2025 at the age of 81. Steve was an active MALSCE member and was named the 1993 MALSCE Surveyor of the Year. A graduate from Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he received and associate degree in civil engineering, Steve worked as a civil engineer and land surveyor at Thompson-Liston Associates before his retirement.
Click here to read Steve's full obituary.
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Donate to the MALSCE Education Trust
The MALSCE Education Trust is a 501(c) (3) organization that invests in students and educators for the future of the land surveying and civil engineering professions. Current initiatives include the annual MALSCE Education Trust scholarships for students of land surveying and civil engineering who are Massachusetts residents and ongoing support for the University of Maine Surveying program. Donations to the MALSCE Education Trust make these and other undertakings possible and available for you and future professionals. Please consider contributing today!
You can donate to the Trust by downloading and completing a donation form, or click here to donate online.
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A Compendium on Adverse Possession in the State of Massachusetts and its Application to Municipal Land
Submitted to MALSCE by Schuyler van Pelt, Project Land Surveyor, Crocker Design Group, and Graduate Student, University of Maine
Abstract
This report looks to address common practice for surveyors in the state of Massachusetts as it relates to adverse possession and the state adherences pertaining to these laws. The research aims to provide clarity to surveyors within the state on the challenging question of municipal land and how our profession should address these conflicts on a statewide level. The research additionally aims to provide land surveyors with an insightful comparative analysis between adverse possession laws and eminent domain situations.
Click here to read Schuyler's full paper
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Donate to the UMaine NSPS Student Chapter
Members of the University of Maine's student chapter of the National Society of Professional Surveyors are planning to compete in the NSPS Student Competition in Washington, DC, again this spring, and are soliciting donations to help them participate.
Click here to learn more and donate
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Surveying or Engineering Tech/Field Crew Chief/Instrument Operator – Blackwell & Associates, Inc.
Long-standing surveying and engineering firm on Nantucket is seeking a surveying or engineering tech or S.I.T. / E.I.T person, field crew chief or instrument operator. Salary commensurate with experience. Full benefits including health insurance, dental, 401k plan, vacation and holidays.
Those interested should email Jeff Blackwell at jeff@blackwellsurvey.com.
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Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Surveying Engineering Technology - University of Maine
The School of Engineering Technology at the University of Maine invites applications for an academic year, tenure track Assistant Professor of Surveying Engineering Technology. The Surveying Engineering Technology program offers innovative in-person and online education at the undergraduate and graduate levels to serve both traditional and non-traditional students. The successful applicant will develop and teach online and in-person courses at all levels of the curriculum.
Click here to learn more, including how to apply.
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Looking to promote a job to MALSCE members? Click here to learn more about posting on the MALSCE job board. | |
Surveying Education Opportunities | |
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Save the Date for the 2025 NSPS Day on the Hill
NSPS Day at the Hill is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, 2025! Save the date and plan to take part in this annual event to make sure the voice of the surveying profession is heard by Congress. NSPS Government Affairs leadership team selected and the Executive Committee approved the following three issues to be discussed that day:
- Protection of Professional Licensing;
- Monument Preservation;
- Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women entering civilian life with surveying experience in the military.
Look to future issues of MALSCE News for more information on NSPS Day on the Hill, including how to register.
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NSPS Election Results
NSPS recently announced that Jeff Clendenning has been elected to serve as the NSPS vice president for the 2024/2025 term and Patti Brooks has been elected to serve as the treasurer for a two-year term. They will be sworn in as officers at the NSPS Spring Business Meeting in March.
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Ligado Files for Chapter 11 Protection; Signs Deal for Spectrum Allocation
Ligado Networks has filed for Chapter 11 restructuring and has signed a deal with AST SpaceMobile to allow the company to use Ligado's mid-band spectrum. Ligado announced the bankruptcy filing on January 6, 2025, saying in a statement it incurred "large operational losses" from its allegation that the US government implemented an "unlawful taking" of its spectrum rights without compensation. In 2023, Ligado sued the US government, alleging the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and Congress prevented Ligado from using spectrum licensed by the FCC. NSPS and a broad coalition of government, industry, professional and agricultural interests have long opposed Ligado's proposal, based on studies showing the satellite-based broadband system will interfere with the Global Positioning System (GPS).
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Check Out "Surveyor Says" NSPS' Podcast
Want to hear from the movers and shakers of the surveying profession? Each week, NSPS brings you conversations with the trendsetters and difference-makers that are helping to shape the world of surveying. Your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch, sits down with various personalities to discuss all things surveying, all bundled in a 30-minute conversation.
Click here to listen to a recent episode with Minnesota County Surveyor, Patrick Veraguth, who is also president of the National Association of County Surveyors, discussing his role and day-to-day responsibilities.
Become a Certified Survey Technician
No matter what the future holds, prepare to meet challenges head on. Future-proof your resume by becoming a Certified Survey Technician (CST). This unique four-level certification program indicates official recognition by NSPS that a person can perform surveying tasks at a specific technical level. Show what you can do! Decide between the field or office track. Click here for more information.
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Check Out the NSPS Beasurveyor Website
Developed through a collaborative effort between NSPS and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), the redesigned beasurveyor.com now includes more outreach resources to engage young people and teach about surveying.
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MALSCE News is a monthly publication of the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers. This newsletter highlights the program and activities of MALSCE and reports on national and local matters of interest to land surveyors and civil engineers. While we cannot promise to print all news items that we receive, if you have one to share with your fellow MALSCE members please forward it to Rich Keenan at rkeenan@engineers.org.
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