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We discuss the case of an Oregon man fined for “practicing engineering without a license” in this episode of The Engineering Commons.

• Both Jeff and Adam have attended a few plays authored by William Shakespeare.
• A line from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is often used to assert that names do not change what something actually is: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
• In this episode, we discuss the case of Mats Järlström, who was fined $500 by the Oregon Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying.
• Licensed engineers are known as “Professional Engineers” or “Registered Engineers” in the United States.
• Most engineers are able to work without a license due to an “industrial exemption.”
• In the course of his career, Brian has never interacted with a professional engineer.
• A large fraction of all applicants taking the PE exam in the U.S. are civil engineers.
• Many licensed mechanical engineers work in the field of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
• One requirement for licensure is that a candidate document a substantive period of supervised engineering experience.
• Brian investigated the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and found the questions to be non-trivial.
• An interesting summary of how Mats Järlström came to be fined by the Oregon Oregon Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying can be found in the article “Engineering and yellow lights,” from the “And now it’s all this” blog.
• Adam suggests interested listeners read the Law Enforcement Committee meeting minutes issued by the Oregon Board.
• Mats Järlström has sued the State of Oregon on grounds that his 1st Amendment rights have been violated.
• Jeff cites a forum discussion about the case from the ENG-TIPS website.

Thanks to Rick Ligthelm for use of the photo titled “light pink rose.” Opening music by John Trimble, and concluding theme by Paul Stevenson.