Society Opportunities

The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors has opportunities for members to be active in the society and the profession by volunteering for a variety of tasks and programs.  Different programs require a different level of commitment varying from short term as little as one day or long term over one or more years. Each of these activities offers members a chance to learn, network, and grow in the profession, while helping the profession to grow and flourish. Contact us at psls@psls.org for more information or to volunteer.

Creating and Maintaining Publications   

• The Boundary Retracement Principles and Procedures for PA book needs to be edited and updated for the next printing.   Volunteers will be asked to update and proof one or two chapters of the book or possibly update a section of the appendix.
  
• The Municipal and County Boundary Descriptions book needs to be updated and edited.  The book is broken down by county.  Volunteers are needed to research a county and make the necessary updates/revisions
  
• The PA Manual of Practice needs to be updated to be more in line with NCEES standards and to address changes in the industry. Volunteers are needed to work with the Chair of the Standards of Practice committee on this project. The more volunteers participate in this endeavor, the more comprehensive the final document will be.
  

Brochures:  Volunteers are needed to help write and maintain brochures about surveying for a variety of PR uses such as promoting surveying to high school students; promoting the society to geospatial professionals; educating the public about what each type of survey is and why it might be needed; educating township and municipal supervisors of the services provided by surveyors as well as the services that may only be provided by a licensed surveyor.  Brochures written on these topics could then be used a PSLS exhibit opportunities in order to directly target the area of interest.   Volunteers willing to contribute to the creation and maintenance of the brochures will work with the Public Relations committee.

Professional Articles and Opinions: Articles written by society members make publications such as the PA Surveyor and the PSLS website more valuable to surveyors.  Those who volunteer to submit an article in the PA Surveyor or update a webpage need not be professional authors or editors.  Some of the best material published has been written by Surveyors for Surveyors. Whether you have a 2 paragraph opinion paper or a 6 page article with citations and pictures, PSLS will publish all appropriate material where it best serves the public and the profession. 

“Every man owes some of his time to the up-building of the profession to which he belongs.” - Theodore Roosevelt -

Year Round Activities

Pennsylvania Reaching New Heights: PSLS is asking volunteers to recover bench marks published in the NGS database and occupy them with dual-frequency GPS receivers for a minimum of four hours and to document the occupation by taking photographs. This is a program that will benefit surveyors directly as well as the public and anyone using geospatial data with a vertical component for years to come 

 In order to improve the geoid and implement the next iteration of our vertical datum, PSLS is seeking volunteers to occupy First and Second Order Bench Marks with dual-frequency GPS receivers for 4.5 hours.  This data will be submitted to OPUS and the solutions published so NGS can use them to refine the current geoid and to develop the upcoming vertical datum known as GRAV-D.  

Conference and Webinar Planning: The PSLS Education Committee plans and executes the annual PA Surveyors Conference as well as the Webinar Wednesday series.  In order to keep the programs fresh and keep the educational offerings up-to-date with current and emerging technologies, the committee needs input from the surveyors who will attend and benefit from them.  Volunteers are needed to offer input, suggest programs and presenters, and help in the actual execution of the program. 

Program Specific Opportunities

TrigStar: The Trig-Star program contest is an annual high school mathematics competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors based on the practical application of trigonometry. The program recognizes the best students from high schools throughout the nation. The purpose of the program is to:

• To promote the study of trigonometry in high school and to promote excellence in the mastery of trigonometry by honoring the individual student who has demonstrated superior skill among classmates at the high school level.
• To acquaint the high school trigonometry students with the use and practical application of trigonometry in the surveying profession.
• To build an awareness of surveying as a profession among the mathematically skilled high school students, career guidance counselors and high school math teachers.

Committee Membership

Committee volunteers are responsible for each major accomplishment of the Society. From policing the Registration Law to promoting the profession, from legislation to education, each accomplishment is a result of committee members’ volunteer efforts.  With 15 active committees to choose from, members are guaranteed to find something of interest to volunteer for.  Most committees meet via GoToMeeting allowing volunteers to participate with no travel time.  Each minute spent will further the profession, benefit the society, and enrich the volunteer.          

 "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson