ASME HAWAII P.E. REFRESHER COURSE FOR APRIL 2007

The ASME Hawaii P.E. refresher course held in preparation for the April exam ended on April 14, 2007 (Saturday). This 13 week preparation course, which started on January 20, 2007, was attended by LT. Chris Holzner (U.S. Navy), Mr. Edwin Yago, Mr. Justin Caruso, and Mr. Rodney Hollowell. Each candidate logged numerous additional hours outside of the course and earned a Certificate of Completion for proud display in their offices. The sponsors of this course were the ASME Hawaii Section and the College of Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The candidates met each Saturday morning at Holmes Hall, Rm. 242, from 8:00am to 12:00pm to discuss specifically selected problems that were previously assigned from the topics listed in the course syllabus. Having already read the topic chapters within the 12^th Edition of the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual (MERM) written by Michael R. Lindeburg, the candidates chose to discuss problems that required additional effort. The interactive group discussions were valuable as it focused on determination of the correct formulas to apply, the specific strategies used to solve the problems, as well as the emphasis to check unit conversions. In addition to the interactive nature of the discussion sessions, each problem offered a “unique lesson” that each candidate would remember and use during the exam. Each candidate also had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills by leading the various discussion sessions.

Once again, Dr. Stephen M. Masutani, P.E. and Dr. Charly Kinoshita, P.E. assisted with facilitating the course discussions on Heat Transfer and the Thermal Fluids section during a couple of the earlier sessions. As usual, the discussions were interesting and entertaining, while providing insightful and useful tips for the candidates.

To gauge the performance of the candidates, several “mock” exams (4 hours each) were given to simulate the “breadth” and “depth” portion of the exam. The “breadth” portion of the mock exam was given on March 10, 2007 and included problems taken from the topics of Machine Design, Thermal Science/Fluids, and HVAC/R. The “depth” portion of the “mock” exam was given on April 14, 2007 and focused only on the specific disciplines of the candidates. This allowed the candidates to determine their strengths as well as additional areas for improvement. At the end of the 13 week sessions involving much discussion, disagreements and critical thinking, it was apparent that the candidates benefited from the program as it not only taught them respect for each other in their roles as fellow mechanical engineers in the profession, but also made them better individuals and stewards of the profession as they all worked together to meet their common goals.

Unlike the previous P.E. refresher course, the four candidates represented mechanical engineers working in the various military branches. LT. Chris Holzner previously served 4 years in the U.S. Army and 7 years in the U.S. Navy. He currently works at NAVFAC Hawaii in the former ROICC offices. Mr. Ed Yago is a civilian mechanical engineer at the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers at Fort Shafter and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Mr. Rodney Hollowell is a civilian mechanical engineer at the U.S. Army Garrison – Directorate of Public Works at Schofield Barracks, and previously worked as a mechanical engineer on the mainland. Mr. Justin Caruso is a civilian mechanical engineer at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility assigned to projects related to the overhaul and repair of nuclear submarines.

ASME Hawaii congratulates the candidates for completing the course and wishes the best for a successful exam experience. Much acknowledgement to Dr. Bruce Liebert, Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Hawaii – College of Engineering; Amelia Shibata, staff member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; UH Security and Dr. S. Masutani, P.E. and Dr. C. Kinoshita, P.E. for their support of the program.

For more information about the ASME Hawaii P.E. refresher course for the October 2007 exam, please call Mr. Raymond Liu, P.E. at 497-1395 or visit the website at www.sections.asme.org/hawaii.