Jeffrey A. Pike, lecturer of civil engineering and construction engineering technology at Louisiana Tech University, has been appointed to a six-year term on the Louisiana Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (LAPELS) Board. Pike was selected by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards from a group of five experts nominated by the Louisiana Engineering Society (LES) to represent academics on the board. “Mr. Pike is an excellent choice to serve on the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board,” Dr. Hisham Hegab, dean of the College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech said. “He has a great passion for student learning and mentoring that is reflected in the many comments by his former students.  We are fortunate to have him as a role model for our students and to communicate the importance of professional registration to the students’ engineering careers.” Pike has been recognized for leadership and service at Louisiana Tech, and has been a full-time faculty member since 2009.  He is also the chair of the LES Monroe Chapter of the Professional Engineers in Education Committee. “I was honored to be appointed by the Governor to this active board,” Pike said. “I’ve already had an opportunity to be engaged in committee work for applications, academic transcript and engineering experience review, and enforcement decisions. This service to the engineering profession seems like a good fit for me, and I think it’s beneficial for Louisiana Tech University to have faculty engaged in this way.” Pike earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and his master’s degree in engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas. He went on to teach at the United States Military Academy in its Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering from 1995 to 1998, and the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences from 2001 to 2003. Pike was also the Professor of Military Science at Stephen F. Austin State University from 2003 to 2007. He has earned professional engineering licenses in Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, and is an active professional engineer in Louisiana. Pike served as an active duty infantryman in the United States Army for more than 22 years and earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring from the armed services in 2007. The LAPELS board, established in 1908, is the second oldest licensing board of its kind in the country. It consists of eleven board members: nine licensed professional engineers, and two licensed professional land surveyors. Written by Brandy McKnight – mcknight@latech.edu