After nearly two years, it's great to again have the chance to serve the plumbing engineering community in an editorial capacity. My first chance came while I served as Managing Editor, Technical Publications, for the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) from Nov. 2003 to Sept. 2004.

Since then, I have served as a Web Editor for two magazines (covering chemical processing and plant-asset protection) and as a lead or contributing Editor for three magazines covering the grain industries (including biofuels and flour milling). Each of these positions offered professional growth, but being Editor of PM Engineer is an awesome opportunity I simply couldn't refuse.

Without a doubt, the best part of the ASPE job was learning the basics of - and the latest trends in - plumbing engineering by talking and meeting with plumbing engineers and manufacturer representatives. Equally beneficial was having the opportunity to edit technical books covering topics such as plumbing-engineering fundamentals and codes.

In my new role at PME, I foresee the same types of learning and networking opportunities, but on a larger scale and at a greater depth. A perfect example of this was having the chance to attend my first National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) World Safety Conference & Expo last month, just days after starting as Editor (see Industry News for July).

Editing this current issue of PME (and reviewing recent issues) also has been a refresher course on many other topics of concern to the specifying community, including water conservation.

In the coming months, look for more technical articles on this and other important issues. And don't hesitate to let me know how PME can best serve you.