Bart Kemper, P.E., DFE was recognized as Fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) at the Summer 2023 Conference for the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE). NAFE is an affiliate organization of NSPE, where full membership and Board Certification as a forensic engineer requires membership in the NSPE as well as maintaining licensure as a Professional Engineer in at least one jurisdiction of the US or Canada. Bart was nominated by both NAFE and the Louisiana Engineering Society, one of the oldest state engineering organizations in the US.
Bart was one of 5 people conferred as Fellow of the NSPE for 2023. There are over 35,000 NSPE members. Bart has served in multiple offices in the LES, including President of the Baton Rouge Chapter as well as multiple state chairmanships. He is a frequent presenter at the Louisiana Joint Engineering Societies Conference, an annual 2 day multi-discipline conference that addresses business, legal, ethical, and technical aspects of the profession. He is a member of the Emerging Technologies Committee and the Committee for Policy and Advocacy with the NSPE, where he has been instrumental in developing programmatic solutions Congressional inquiries regarding autonomous vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, and related issues. His technical work in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers includes serving on codes & standards committees such as Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy (which includes medical systems, commercial diving systems, tunnel boring systems, and submarines), Mobile Uncrewed Systems (ROV’s, AUV’s, aerial drones, etc.), and Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ). As a NAFE member he served on their Board as Director and Vice President before stepping down to serve as Editor-In-Chief of the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers.
It is in this role as Editor-in-Chief that Bart manages the Saturday portion of the semi-annual NAFE conferences, introducing the eight papers being presented as part of the peer review process. The NAFE peer review process is different than many publications because it is intended to help Professional Engineers practice skills needed in depositions and court appearances. Once the author(s) have had their abstract accepted and submitted a suitable draft, they give an in-person presentation of their draft paper to the conference. The NAFE members then ask questions and offer critique of the points made, much as peer review had been conducted in the past. The authors use this feedback to revise their papers prior to the next step of the official blind peer review. The Editor-in-Chief manages the submission and peer review process with the assistance of the technical review committee who serve in various editorial roles.
Sunday traditionally is more focused on the professional side of forensic engineering, such as mock trials, report writing class, conducting remote inspections, and other issues as well as special presentations such as an Insider’s View of the 2003 STS-107 Columbia Shuttle Tragedy, which is part of the Winter 2024 NAFE conference, in Daytona Beach, Florida. The NAFE 2023 Summer Conference was on the site of another famous forensic engineering event, the 1981 Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse. A small change to construction drawings, approved by the Professional Engineer, created a failure mode that was the largest lost of life due to a building collapse in the US prior to 9-11. There were 114 killed and 216 injured. The location served as an appropriate vivid reminder of the duties of a Professional Engineer and their responsibility to hold paramount the life, safety, and welfare of the public.
Joseph G. Leane, P.E., DFE presents Bart Kemper, P.E., DFE his certificate as Fellow of NSPE. NAFE is an affiliate organization of NSPE. Bart was nominated by NAFE and the Louisiana Engineering Society.
A historical image of the aftermath of the walkway collapse. There were two suspended walkways, one directly above the other. The tie rods holding the walkways in place failed, dropping both walkways during a crowded holiday event. There were 114 killed and 216 injured.
The hotel is now owned by Marriott. A fixed structure has replaced the lower walkway and there is no longer an upper walkway.
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