TG Gallagher Manager Passes PE Examination
Date: July 23, 2009
Cambridge, MA – Mike Betts, Senior Project Manager at Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc., has passed the Massachusetts Professional Engineer examination in Mechanical Engineering.
The morning part of the exam, formally titled Principles and Practice of Engineering, tests applicants’ knowledge of the breadth of their field, which in this case includes all three areas of mechanical engineering: HVAC and Refrigeration, Mechanical Systems and Materials, and Thermal and Fluids Systems.
In the afternoon, applicants test their mastery of the depth of one area. Betts chose HVAC and Refrigeration, which best reflects his work at Gallagher.
“Occupationally, there are a lot of situations as a mechanical contractor where it’s important to have an engineer on staff, a responsibility I can now fill,” said Betts. “Personally, it was just something I wanted to do, as a life accomplishment.”
Betts can now use his P.E. stamp to certify drawings, memos and affidavits of compliance in the course of a project.
The day-long test was an open-book exam, with no restrictions on what you could bring in. “Some people brought suitcases of stuff,” said Betts. “I brought in 4 or 5 books, refresher texts, notes from college. It works out to about 6 minutes per problem, and I didn’t want to get myself in a situation where it was taking me longer than that just to look something up.”
He feels that the experience definitely helped him professionally. “The first time around, when you’re coming out of college, you understand the math but not necessarily how to apply it. The second time around, after years in the field, you understand how to apply it, and studying for and taking the exam is a good opportunity to put that knowledge together with all the math.”
Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc., installs, services and maintains HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, and fire protection systems, providing the highest quality, project-specific services to businesses and institutions across New England.
