STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State University department head has been appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to the state Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors.
Barbour has appointed Dennis Truax, James T. White Chair and head of MSU's department of civil and environmental engineering in the Bagley College of Engineering, to represent the Northern District of the state until July 2013.
A licensed professional engineer, Truax's appointment makes him the only academic serving on the nine-member panel, which consists of members from around the state. The governor selects members based on recommendations from the Mississippi Engineering Society.
Truax received his bachelor's degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and master's and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from MSU. His research interests include water and wastewater management systems and application of remote sensing to environmental management.
The board was established by the Mississippi Legislature in 1928 to safeguard life, health, and property and to promote public welfare by providing a complete and thorough registration process for professional engineers and surveyors. This helps ensure engineers and surveyors possess qualifications to practice in the state. The board also regulates engineering and surveying through investigation and disciplinary authority granted through state statutes.
