It is literally EVERYONE's opinion that JayUtah's authority on matters discussed here VASTLY exceeds yours - as does literally EVERYONE's authority here in this thread.
That may be true, and gracious of you to say, but I should clarify that the operative scope as regards my most recent authoritative judgment claim is limited to my ability to assess whether candidates for STEM degrees have met the requirements are are therefore entitled to the degree. In that respect my professional, informed opinion is (or rather, has been) deemed sufficient by the state of Utah to put the force of
its authority behind my endorsement of candidates for scientific qualification.
If Vixen claims to have a STEM degree, and I am able to independently assess whether she can demonstrate proficiency and knowledge commensurate to such a degree, my judgment on that matter is not merely personal whim or idle speculation. It is, in fact, the only means by which such accolades are granted by schools. The teachers get to decide which students have achieved proficiency. That decision is informed, binding, and authoritative.
Separately, and in many other threads at this forum, I have represented that my professional qualifications are relevant to the non-personalized claims made. They are, and I still maintain that they are. But those are slightly separate applications of expertise and authority. As a licensed professional, I have knowledge appropriate to that role. I have authority, but it is mostly limited to binding myself as liable for what I have issued under my official credentials, regardless of what anyone else says or does. At times that role has included judging the work of others, and making recommendations, but only by special mandate. My role as a professor and my role as a professional engineer both apply to this particular thread, but they are not the same thing or applicable to the same questions in the same ways.
