Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast

Episode 140 - Tim Burch, finally caught up with Narelle Underwood, Surveyor-General & Executive Director of Spatial Services in New South Wales, Australia and the conversation did not disappoint.

Coming from a quiet meeting room from a hotel in Warsaw, Poland, we bring you the latest episode of “Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast” recorded during the recent FIG Congress 2022 and it was a way overdue interview. Your host, Tim Burch, finally caught up with Narelle Underwood, Surveyor-General & Executive Director of Spatial Services in New South Wales, Australia and the conversation did not disappoint. Nel and Tim covered her journey to both the Surveyor-General/Executive Director AND dodging a bullet to become a surveyor instead of an engineer. She also talked about educational and experience requirements to be a registered land surveyor in NSW, the responsibilities of overseeing a CORS and control point network, and being the authoritative office of issuing, reviewing, and revoking surveying licenses. Nel also shared her love for LEGOS and how her children are not allowed to touch Mom’s building sets. Oh, yeah, they also talked about Nel’s tattoo…

For more information about these events, visit nsps.us.com for details. Thank for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

EP139 - From The Director’s Desk

As Labor Day passes, we say goodbye to summer breaks and hello to autumn, various conferences and meetings, and lots of things going on in the surveying and geospatial profession. This episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us catching up from the long holiday weekend and bringing you this installment of “From the Director’s Desk” and your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch. He shares news from the recent NCEES Annual Meeting, visits from international dignitaries, upcoming conferences, and upcoming events and promotions.

For more information about these events, visit nsps.us.com for details. Thank for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

Episode 138 - This week’s guest is Adrian Aguirre, a survey analyst with Guida Surveying in Fresno, CA.

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us back in “The Golden State” catching up with another surveyor who is making a significant “mark” on the profession. This week’s guest is Adrian Aguirre, a survey analyst with Guida Surveying in Fresno, CA who is also is the Secretary of the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of CLSA. Tim Burch was able to catch up with Adrian to discuss plans for a virtual webinar and YouTube recording bringing various professional associations together to share commonality and fellowship to surveyors of all ages. They discussed how many surveyors don’t realize all the opportunities for networking and furthering one’s education simply by attending association functions and how Adrian wants to close that gap by hosting these informative sessions for all surveyors.

If you have an interest in being part of Adrian’s upcoming sessions, connect with him on LinkedIn and/or send us a note at info@nsps.us.com and we will get you hooked up! Look for more information from Adrian and social media for dates and time coming soon.

Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

Episode 137 - This week we caught up with our Lobbyist, JB Byrd.

This week’s episode went from collecting a few sound bites about ongoing legislative efforts from our NSPS Lobbyist, JB Byrd, to a full-blown recording! We caught up with him on a late Friday afternoon to provide “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and boy, are we glad we did! JB chatted with Executive Director Tim Burch about the ongoing Ligado saga, their presentation to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel that will be included in the upcoming published NAS report, and legislative outreach during the mid-term election campaigns.

Once again, it was a pleasure to hear JB provide great insight into the sometimes-aggravating world of US politics. Thank you for tuning into this great conversation with JB & Tim on this episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast.

Episode 136 - We have a winner! The NSPS Podcast finds us in Morgantown, WV at the offices of Triad Engineering as hosts for the presentation of the 2022 Trig-Star National Competition to Lauren Shen.

We have a winner! This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us in Morgantown, WV at the offices of Triad Engineering as hosts for the presentation of the 2022 Trig-Star National Competition to Lauren Shen, a student at Morgantown High School. Kevin Brockett, PLS, who serves as Triad’s Surveying Manager, sponsored Lauren, and her classmates in this year’s competition. Tim Burch attended the presentation and sat down with Lauren, Kevin, and Lauren’s teacher, Brian Jackson to discuss the Trig-Star test process and what lead to her success with the competition. Lauren also shared her thoughts on maintaining focus on school, personal time, and making sure to take care of her mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of great life lessons in this episode from a sixteen-year-old who truly sees the big picture. Congrats again on your achievement with the Trig-Star competition!

Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

Episode 135 - This week’s episode is with Steve Martin, a recently retired surveyor formerly with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).

It is often said that surveyors don’t know how to retire and that they go on to do bigger and better things. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast proves exactly that as we catch up with Steve Martin, a recently retired surveyor formerly with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). He is a long serving CLSA member (2011 Member of the Year recipient) and dedicated steward to the “GPS on Benchmarks” initiative through NGS (for more information, listen to Episode 111 w/ Galen Scott). Steve recent chatted with Tim Burch about his efforts to recover and submit data for the initiative, thoughts on mentoring, and the future of the profession. Check out Steve’s efforts through his posts on LinkedIn and let him know that his work is appreciated! Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

For more information about “GPS on Benchmarks,” visit the NGS website at:

https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_series/gpsonbm-nsrs-campaign-continues.shtml

https://geodesy.noaa.gov/GPSonBM/

Episode 134 - The NSPS Podcast finds us having a conversation with the US Forest Service.

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast finds us having a conversation with the US Forest Service discussing how vital surveyors are to their overall mission as stewards of public lands. Joining Tim Burch for the podcast is Gino San Paolo and Forrest Decker, both surveyors with the Forest Service heading up operations in California and Georgia, respectively. They discussed what a typical day as a Forest Service surveyor is like, how boundary retracement is a key aspect of their duties, and why each day brings its own set of challenges and rewards. Gino and Forrest shared what the agency is looking for in hiring surveyors and technicians and how opportunities are abound with coming on board the US Forest Service. 

For more information on job openings within the Forest service, visit USAJOBS.gov for more information. Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.  

 

Episode 133 -Surveyor Says had a great conversation with Melissa Seitzinger, Project Development Manager for LJA Surveying in Tallahassee, FL.

The age old question for our storied profession has consistently been for (literally) centuries, “What does a surveyor do?” Whether it be for an audience of fellow professionals (engineers, architects, etc.) or John Q. Public, the surveying profession has struggled with telling our story of who we are and what we do. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast asked that question during the Florida Surveying & Mapping Society (FSMS) Conference and ended up with a great conversation with Melissa Seitzinger, Project Development Manager for LJA Surveying in Tallahassee, FL. Melissa and Tim Burch sat down to discuss the challenges of “selling surveying” to not just those who may need our services, but to parents and their children who could potentially be our next generation of geospatialists. They also identified the ways surveyors can improve their communication, refine their presentation skills, and have a short “elevator speech” primed and ready for connecting with non-surveyors.

A big thanks to the FSMS staff for a great conference and giving us space to record this excellent conversation. Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

Episode 132 - Surveyor Says catches up with the NSPS Trig-Star Committee

This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast catches up with the NSPS Trig-Star Program Committee as they complete their summer meeting. This session finds Tim Burch sitting down with the group during a break of test grading and strategic planning for the upcoming school year. Joining Tim is the Trig-Star Chair Jerry Juarez, Aaron Leach, John Chagnon, Mike Given, and Sherry Toutges to talk about the value of the Trig-Star program as a recruiting tool and outreach program to help students identify STEM-related careers. They also discuss scholarship opportunities and how the program gives our existing surveying practitioners an opportunity to connect with our future geospatialists.

The Trig-Star program has been in place for almost 40 years and continues to grow. Check out more information about the program at Trig-Star.Com. Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.

Episode 131 - Longest Active CST III!!

The NSPS Certified Survey Technician Program and increasing levels of certification provides real-world feedback on what a technician knows AND doesn’t know. This week’s episode of “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast dives into two stories: one of a career that is just beginning, and another one who has taken advantage of the CST program and now gives back as a mentor to those just starting in surveying. Tim Burch recently talked all things CST with Larry Harvey, a Senior Technician who is the longest active CST III, and Ryan Baker, Field Technician who recent graduated from the IPLSA Surveying Apprenticeship Program AND Passed the CST Level I exam. Both gentlemen work for HLR Engineering, based in Elgin, Illinois with three offices throughout the state. They talked about the value of the CST program as a training tool and position evaluator, as well as the importance of having a good mentor while coming up through the ranks. Larry and Ryan also spoke of having a positive office culture that encourages continuing education for all staff and provides opportunities for each employee to achieve their own goals.

The CST program has been in place for over 35 years and continues to grow. Check out more information about the program at CSTNSPS.Com. Thanks for listening to “Surveyor Says!” The NSPS Podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to your audio selections.