Gov. Mark Gordon Signs Proclamation Honoring Engineers Week; UW Organizes Statewide Activities

In the long list of historical firsts to which Wyoming can lay claim, you can also add the first professional engineer’s license issued in the United States. That first license was issued to Charles Bellamy in Laramie Aug. 8, 1907, and the tradition of excellence in engineering in the state has continued unabated since that time.

On Feb. 17 -- with representatives of the University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (WBPEPLS) present -- Gov. Mark Gordon signed a proclamation declaring “the week of Feb. 22-28, 2026, to be Professional Engineers Week in Wyoming.”

Engineers Week has been celebrated by the National Society of Professional Engineers since 1951. Now coordinated in partnership with DiscoverE, Engineers Week is set aside to “inspire the next generation of innovators, spotlight the impact of our profession and strengthen connections across our engineering community,” according to the society’s website.

The proclamation signed by the governor officially recognizes the importance of Engineers Week to Wyoming, citing the crucial role engineers play in the state’s infrastructure and economy as well as through outreach efforts which introduce public school students to the field of engineering.

Cindy Jones, assistant dean for student success at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, oversees a statewide K-14 outreach program that coordinates activities throughout the year and also during Engineers Week. This year’s Engineers Week activities, which are delivered by professional engineers from WBPEPLS and student ambassadors from UW, will reach over 5,000 third graders in every corner of the state.

“I am especially proud to partner with professional engineers across our state during Engineers Week to bring engineering directly into classrooms,” Jones says. “Each year, Wyoming engineers volunteer their time to visit elementary schools, where they lead hands-on design activities and share what it means to be a problem solver. For many third graders, this is their very first interaction with an engineer.”

Research shows that these experiences matter.

“They help students see that engineering is creative, collaborative and accessible -- and that someone from Wyoming can grow up to design solutions that impact the world,” Jones says.

Also present at the signing were Shannon Stanfill, executive director of WBPEPLS; Troy Niesen, exam and outreach coordinator for WBPEPLS; and Steve Barrett, professional engineer and associate dean of undergraduate programs at the college. UW student ambassadors Ever Johnson, of Gillette, and Will Brooks, of Sheridan, also were present and toured the Wyoming State Capitol for the first time.

According to Stanfill, the college and WBPEPLS have been working together on Engineers Week in Wyoming for 12 years and have expanded student reach four-fold during that time.

“Each professional engineer has a core mission to safeguard life, health and property of the Wyoming public through the practice of professional engineering and, through these school visits, they recognize that the future fulfillment of that mission lies within each of these students,” she says. “WBPEPLS thanks the governor for shining a light on the significance of this statewide effort coordinated by UW’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.”

This is an important moment for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Wyoming, Jones says.

“I am deeply grateful to the professional engineers and student engineers who inspire the next generation, to Union Telephone and the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation for their sponsorship, and to the governor’s office for recognizing the importance of this profession and this outreach effort,” she says.