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National Society of Professional Surveyors
Director’s Report to New York State
Association of Professional Land Surveyors
Spring 2024
By Patricia P. Brooks, LS, NSPS Director (NY)
Directors and members gather on the steps of the Capitol for NSPS’s
annual “Day on the Hill”
Students from the two Alfred State College teams attending the
Awards Ceremony
Patricia Brooks receiving a 10-Year
Award from NSPS President
Davey Edwards in appreciation
for her years of service as New
York’s Director
Richard Brooks next to the Jefferson
Richard Brooks at the Capitol Pier Stone on the Washington
building Monument grounds
12 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 60 • NO 4 / 2024 • JULY/AUGUST
It just keeps getting better and better! The Spring 2024 meeting of
the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) was held at the
Hilton in Arlington Virginia, from Sunday, April 21st through Friday,
April 26th this year. While this venue continues to exceed expectations,
the overflow crowd at the Student Awards Luncheon held on Wednesday
may indicate we are outgrowing the facility. I think that is a very good
sign for the profession. This report will focus primarily on the first few
days of the meeting emphasizing the Washington D.C. experience.
Student Competition
The Student Competition continues to be one of the highlights of the
Spring meeting. The students were welcomed Sunday evening at a pre-
competition meeting and reception where they were introduced to
the Early 19th Century surveying equipment they would be utilizing
to perform their field exercises on the National Mall over the course
of the next two days. While I was lagging behind in New York, my
husband Rick thoroughly enjoyed meeting many of the students
Sunday evening, including the two teams representing New York from
Alfred State College. Due to the overwhelming positive response to the
competition, the event was spread over two days to accommodate the
24 teams participating. Half of the teams participated in the monument
hunt on Monday and half performed the field exercises, with the teams
switching tasks on Tuesday. The location and duration of the student
event presented exposure to the general public and positive interaction.
Tents were set up on the National Mall at the base of the hill below the
Washington Monument with survey information available and staffed
with volunteers including several Young Surveyors who coordinated
the Student Competition. Students and faculty on school trips,
International visitors, and families from throughout the United States
who were visiting our Nation’s Capital were able to experience and learn
about the surveying profession. This was no small achievement and
the NSPS staff commitment to providing the best possible experience
including obtaining use permits from National Park Service was no
easy feat. Tuesday evening was filled with fun and games at the Student
Competition event, with both the Sunday and Tuesday networking
events made possible through generous donations and sponsorships.
While there are opportunities for large Supporting Sponsors, you can also
make an NSPS general donation on the website (Membership/Donate/
General Donation) and note in the comments that the donation is to
be directed towards the Student Competition – or any other area you
may have interest in supporting for our profession. One of my favorite