Registration is open for NSPECon26 in New York City, New York!
Volunteering at NSPE is a great opportunity to grow your professional network and connect with other leaders in the field.
Decisions at the ballot box influence policies that support engineering standards and public safety.NSPECon brings the best experts and knowledge in professional engineering to you each year! Learn from the best and most forward-thinking professionals that speak to all aspects of your life, your profession, and you as a person.
Dave Sanderson is a nationally recognized leadership speaker, accomplished author and inspirational survivor of what is known as "The Miracle on the Hudson." As the last passenger off US Airways Flight 1549 which had to ditch into the river, he took the lessons he learned from that profound experience in the frigid water and emerged from the wreckage with a mission to encourage others to do the right thing and share coping skills to address any adversity they may face.
Named one of Inc.com's Top 100 Leadership speakers, Dave travels the world to share his inspirational leadership lessons and has raised over $14.8M USD for the American Red Cross over the last ten years through his talks.
He lives in Charlotte, NC with Terri, his wife of 35 years and has four children who were very happy their father came home that day.
Beyond Disruption: Pioneering a New Path for the Engineering Community
NSPECon26 Keynote Session
Friday, August 7, 8:00 am - 9:15 am ET
Imagine waking up on a Spring morning in 2046. Over the last two decades, the U.S. has experienced a sustained period of responsible growth and widespread prosperity. Central to the achievement of this abundant future has been the contributions of the engineering community.
This scenario captures the heart of the collective inquiry that emerged during Engineering Change Lab – USA’s (ECL) latest summit, Beyond Disruption: Pioneering a New Path for the Engineering Community.
Our observation leading into this summit was that 2025 was a year of disruptive change leaving people and institutions unmoored and at risk. 50 leaders of all ages drawn from the engineering community gathered for the summit to take a clear-eyed look at this disruption.
The discussions at the summit were framed around the brutal facts and fortunate surprises that emerged in 2025. Brutal facts included rapid, radical advances in AI and political challenges that have impacted funding, research, and regulatory policy. Fortunate surprises included opportunities presented by AI and the rising demand for engineering in reaction to a new set of grand challenges.
Key outcomes of the summit were the development of an aspirational vision for the engineering community captured in the scenario described above and transformational strategies that can advance us toward that vision.
This keynote session will include a panel of summit participants who will share their perspectives on the challenges we face and this once-in-a-generation opportunity for the engineering community to take on a leadership role in driving positive changes.
Panelists
Michael McMeekin, P.E., Engineering Change Lab - USA
Tricia H. Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE, Freese and Nichols
Brian LaFoy, P.E., F.NSPE, Halff Associates, Inc.
Urban Congestion Pricing: Impacts on Air Quality and Public Health in NYC
NSPECon26 Keynote Session
Friday, August 7, 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm ET
In January 2025, New York City launched the first congestion pricing program in the United States, offering a rare real-world test of how traffic policy affects air quality. Over the last year, Cornell researchers led a study to measure the environmental impacts. Their team combined high-frequency air quality measurements across New York City with detailed data on weather, background pollution, and neighborhood characteristics. They used statistical methods designed to measure what air quality would have looked like in 2025 if congestion pricing had never happened. Their study found substantial pollution reductions within Manhattan’s congestion zone, with spillover benefits across the city and region.
The panelists used this to measure the effect of congestion pricing in its first 6 months. In this panel, panelists will review what they found, why the effects look the way they do, where the evidence is strongest, and where uncertainties remain. Further, the team will discuss results over 1 year since, what these results mean for environmental health, transportation policy, and the broader question of whether congestion pricing can work in other U.S. cities.
Panelists
Tim Fraser, Ph.D., Cornell University
Yeonkyeong Gina Park, Ph.D., California Air Resources Board
Haiyan Deng, Ph.D., Cornell University
NSPECon26 attendees can join the third cohort of this unique professional development program designed for mid-career women professional engineers. This three-day, in-person leadership program is woven into NSPE's national conference and supports participants in confidently navigating their career path and discovering ways to move to the next level of leadership. Attendance requires additional registration fee.
Shout it from the skyscrapers!
NSPE has created a set of graphics you can use to promote NSPECon26 and the NSPE Women’s Leadership Program. Download a Zoom background, share a LinkedIn post, or send an email letting your network know you’ll be attending the World Cup of Engineering this summer. Invite colleagues and friends to celebrate PE Day and join us in NYC to connect, collaborate, and advance the engineering profession together.
