Krista Wohlfeil and Bart Kemper, P.E., DFE presented “Engaging the Media” at the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) Winter 2024 meeting in Daytona, Florida. The standard NAFE meeting format is Saturday is for presentations of the various Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers articles under submission in order to provide a live peer-review of the topic. This gives the authors feedback for revising their work before submitting for blind peer review. The Journal is open source and free to the public. Sundays are more about the business side of forensic engineering, ranging from mock trials to insurance discussions to new technology presentations. KES used their recent experience regarding the Titan Submersible implosion to provide examples of how to engage with the media. Unlike in the movies or TV, not every legal case will attract press coverage. However, it is more likely to happen as a forensic expert continues to prove their professionalism and technical expertise, leading to larger and larger cases.
Before Bart Kemper, the firm’s principal engineer, earned his engineering degree, he was an enlisted Army Public Affairs soldier. He later spent several years working as a freelance writer and photographer. His first engineering job was as Marketing Director at KnightHawk Engineering, leveraging his public affairs and journalism background when he was not pulling measurements in pipe racks, checking drawings, or designing storage tanks. He also volunteered in public relations and media relations for events such as the World Science Fiction Convention as well as organizations like the Louisiana Engineering Society. Bart is now in charge of the company’s outreach efforts. Krista Wohlfeil, the company president, also has a marketing background from the software industry as well as an artist and independent contractor. When the situation around the Titan Submersible was broke by New York Times, Bart recieved multiple requests for media interviews. Krista and Bart had to make a number of decisions of not just whether the speak to the media, but in what context and for what purpose. In this case, it was to make the point the Titan was “an experimental vessel“, not “a tourist submarine” as it was originally described. Krista and Bart worked together to manage and track not just the interviews, but the ways interviews can be cited in other articles or sections of broadcasts can be used by other outlets. They shared their experiences and processes with the Academy. They will be giving a similar presentation the following month in at the Louisiana Engineering Society Joint Engineering Societies Conference in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Sunday was also marked by an outstanding session, “Engineering Ethics: An Insider’s Account of the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster.” It was delivered by Mike Gordon, P.E., who was one of the investigators for the Columbia disaster. This two-hour presentation was an amazing insider’s view of a high-profile disaster,which included detailed technical discussions as well as learning points about the politics of a multi-agency operation and how keep the ethical aspects at the forefront. These are just two examples of the depth of expertise within the National Academy and the quality of information provided at the biannual meeting of NAFE. Attendees typically recieve 16 Professional Development Hours, including at least one hour block on ethics.
Bart Kemper and Krista Wohlfeil presenting “Engaging the Media” at the 2024 NAFE Winter meeting. Mike Gordon presenting “Engineering Ethics: An Insider’s Account of the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster”
One of the slides from the presentation, “Engaging The Media”, listing some of the questions one should ask before engaging.
An illustration from Mike Gordon’s 2-hour ethics presentation on the Columbia Shuttle disaster investigation. This shows a map of the parts recovered and identified.
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