"Automation Olympics"

I love the Olympics. I love the pageantry. I love the world coming together for a positive event. I love watching heroes born and others taken down a notch. I sit mesmerized watching athletes defy gravity, speed barriers, physical limitations, and the human psyche. Summer, winter—it doesn’t matter. I save up my television viewing rights for 102 weeks just so I can monopolize the T.V. every two years during the Olympics (much to my family’s chagrin). It doesn’t matter the event…from the most commercially intriguing to the most obscure…I love the Olympics.

This year it’s been a little tough. Although events are shown “live” US East Coast time, they are delayed on West Coast time so that we can also watch them “live”—not real-time, but “live.” This means many of the medal round events are between 11 p.m. and midnight my time…long past my bed time; however, the dark circles under my eyes and occasionally dosing off during meetings at work is worth not missing events of the XXIX Olympiad!

Which brings to mind ISA’s own “Automation Olympics,” the Honors and Awards Gala—held in conjunction with EXPO every fall. If you open up the event program to the back, where you can peruse a listing of all award recipients since 1948, you come across a rather impressive list of names. Honorary members include Bailey, Behar, Rimbach, Sperry, Beckman, Draper, Packard, Hewlett, Bristol, Sprague, Hart, Fisher, Moore, Fluke, Parker, Bajek, Knight, Williams, and Gates (just to name a few). When you take a look at all 1400 award recipients from over the years, it is a very impressive list indeed. Yet, I wonder if we do enough? Do we honor enough of our colleagues? Do we promote the industry enough by recognizing the technical expertise and technology gains made by our fellow Automation professionals? Not by a long shot.

I recently received a communication from a member who expressed some concern that not enough awards are given out—that multiple recipients should be chosen in many cases. I agree. The problem is we don’t receive enough nominations. I must confess I have had little to do with our H&A program beyond making a few nominations the few times I’ve been able (serving board members are prohibited from submitting nominations). But I have been a huge supporter of the event and the program.

By definition, awards programs are long, can verge on boring, and are usually costly for attendees. But I wouldn’t miss our annual event for anything. I believe in my 20 plus years in ISA I have only missed two or three! The list of recipients is always impressive and it is nice to have an opportunity to rub shoulders with some very impressive personalities in the industry. This year is no exception. Just look at some of this year’s recipients:

http://www.isa.org/filestore/2008%20Honorees.doc

Some awards have gone unclaimed due to a lack of nomination submissions. PLEASE! If you are aware of a contributor to our industry worthy of recognition, make sure the H&A Committee receives a nomination on that person’s behalf. We have a great story to tell…we just need to tell it more often.

And now….back to the Olympics!

The Wireless Wars

I must apologize for not posting something sooner. I took a much needed family vacation and returned to a mountain of work in the office…But, enough with the excuses already!

For those of us that have been around awhile, we remember the BUS wars of a few years back. Any time ISA has volunteers working on a standard addressing a major technology shift, controversy begins. This is currently happening with the ISA100 wireless standard.

I will be the first to admit that I am not an unbiased observer in the wireless wars, like I was during the BUS wars. I am employed by one of the large vendors involved in this arena. But as the President of ISA, I am disturbed by the formation of technology camps and the resulting controversy. Apparently there are times when consensus is all but impossible!

So…How do we resolve that?

The obvious answer is to let the market duke it out and for the users to ultimately decide. This happened with Beta vs. VHS. Why not allow the market to determine the right protocol for wireless? Ah, but the users don’t want to invest in a technology that may be driven out of the market place. They want a standard so they know where to invest their wireless dollars. There is the added pressure that ISA has been criticized for not getting standards to market in a timely fashion. This is not the fault of ISA per se. ISA staff depends on the volunteers to drive the standards activity—especially when the barriers to quick delivery are technical in nature.

So is there a resolution to this dilemma?

I’m not sure there is a quick and easy solution. While the ISA100 Committee and working groups continue to attempt writing a standard that meets with consensus, we (ISA, WINA, and all the vendors involved with the technology) have the opportunity to educate users on the right questions to ask before they invest in wireless instruments and networks.

There is much to be gained from wireless technology in the manufacturing arena. Wireless provides a way to make measurements that were uneconomical in the past or measurements that were all but impossible to make. I encourage users and vendors alike to not only self-educate themselves on wireless technology, but also to provide input to the technical gurus on the Standards committee. They need to hear the perspective of “outsiders” to help develop the best path forward for the standard.

Hopefully consensus will be reached soon, and a resulting standard published. But in the meantime we all get to enjoy watching the controversy develop. For those of us in automation, it ranks right up there with the political debates of an election!

The Next Generation of Automation Professionals at ISA EXPO

All things “student” are my passion. People who know me recognize this fact. During my twenty-plus years with ISA much of my activity has centered on students. ISA does quite a bit for students, but as with many things, the Society receives little recognition for its efforts.

In my experience—at universities and colleges where there is an ISA Student section as well as the multitude of other engineering societies—though the other engineering societies probably have more members, the ISA section is more engaged with their senior (read that as working professional) counterparts. I have long engaged with the Cal Poly Pomona ISA Student Section and although they partner with IEEE quite a bit on campus, it is the ISA group that has connections with the professional community and it is the ISA student chapter that reaps the benefits from these connections. Many a student has been recruited from the ISA student chapter for full time positions following graduation as well as for internships while still in school! I have had many students express their appreciation for the close tie between the Los Angeles Section of ISA and the Cal Poly Student Section. Not only do the students benefit, but so does the Section. The Los Angeles Section Board has had numerous former students hold leadership chair positions. But even better than that: The students coordinate and run a beach party every summer for the entire student and senior membership. What a great way to get to know each other!

I don’t think that Cal Poly and ISA Los Angeles have a unique relationship. When I participate in the Council of Student Affairs meeting, yearly at Society Leader’s meetings, it is quite evident that this close relationship exists between many of our senior and student sections.

But having student sections is not enough…about 12 years ago some great leaders within ISA came up with the idea of holding a student competition at the annual fall conference. This prompted the formation of what is now called the International Student Games—one of ISA’s best kept secrets! Every year twelve teams of 4-6 students travel to Houston to participate in a full day of competing on their knowledge of automation technology and concepts. The competition has been well supported by industry who provides the equipment and problems. Even though the companies put a great amount of time and effort into these problems, I have never heard of one that didn’t want to come back to provide problems and equipment again after their first year of participation. I have to give public thanks to my own company, Emerson, who has provided problems and equipment every year of the competition—Thank you Emerson Education Services!

Unfortunately, the International Student games can only accommodate 60 students—so, how can ISA reach a broader group of students and young professional? Well, two years ago the Society came up with the concept of YAPFEST (Young Automation Professionals Festival). Allow me to set the scene two years ago when the first YAPFEST was held…It was raining—flooding might be the correct term—and under a tent in the parking lot at Reliant Center. About 200 young Automation Professionals and students got to participate in a great event. The rule was you had to be under 30 years of age to be allowed in the tent; however, an exception was made for the Executive Committee of ISA—I was fortunate enough at the time to be serving on the Committee and had the privilege of sharing a few beers, barbeque, and good music with some very enthusiastic and young members of our profession. It was a fantastic event! Truly a great networking opportunity!

This year, students and YAPs will be bringing their resumes to the event to share with YAPFEST sponsors. To learn more about the event or to become a sponsor, visit www.isa.org/yapfest.

But both the International Student Games and YAPFEST—as great as these events are—require the work of many volunteers and ISA staff people to pull them off. They also require donations or sponsorships from industry. Neither YAPFEST nor the International Student Games are supposed to be funded entirely by Society funds. Both events require donations from industry to make them successful and enjoyable for the students.

If you wish to be a sponsor of either of these great opportunities or would like to provide problems for the games—these would be much appreciated by our event coordinators—contact Chris Johnson at (919) 990-9230 or cjohnson@isa.org (YAPFEST) or Laura Crumpler at (919) 990-9232 or lcrumpler@isa.org (International Student Games) to learn more.

As all of our companies struggle with the issue of aging workforce and developing the new generation of automation professionals, keep in mind these great opportunities to attract and keep young people in automation. You never know where you will find the next Arnold Beckman, Kermit Fisher, Béla G. Lipták, W. Wayne Wittenberger, Hewlett and Packard, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, A.G. Bell, Edison, T. Jefferson, and the list goes on and on.

Districts 7 & 3 Joint District Leadership Conference Wrap-Up: Student Recruiting, Mascots, and More

Greetings from Houston, Texas—a little belated! Once again I found myself sitting in an airport, waiting for a plane home. As I write this, I am on my way home from the Joint District Leadership Conference (JDLC) at South Shore Harbor Hotel and Conference Center (20-22 June) where Districts 7 & 3 (Southeast US, Texas, and Mexico) members participated in a one and one-half days of leadership training, camaraderie, and learning about best practices for ISA.

The event was largely staged and run by Mary Cannon of the Houston Section with some help from Grady and Katherine Andrews from the Atlanta Section. For those of you that have the privilege of knowing Mary—she is a paragon of ISA enthusiasm! Mary and I have quite a history in the Society, both beginning our ISA leadership careers back in the mid-nineties (at the national level). At the time we were both—relatively speaking—young, single, blonde, and some might say (depending on your perspective)the instigators of many trouble or fun-filled escapades. But the bond that has truly cemented our friendship over the years has been a passion for all things “student” with regards to ISA.

There have been many champions of student activities within the Society besides myself, including 2009 President Dr. Gerald Cockrell, Sheldon Weatherby, Mike Perron, and Don Thompson; but, Mary has been one of the stalwart contributors to students for many years now and continues to be the Society’s leading student recruiter. How Mary finds the time to balance her work schedule and the many, MANY visits she makes to schools in the Houston area to discuss ISA and the automation profession in general never ceases to amaze me. Ms. Cannon’s enthusiasm is infectious and I always feel renewed and re-energized after hanging with Mary for a few hours!

This exuberance carried over into the discussions at the JDLC, with its many highlights: a tour at NASA arranged by Zafar Taqvi, a presentation on creativity and mind mapping—an excellent tool when your boss says “think out of the box” according to Connie Harryman, a guest speaker—and a great talk on how to…as well as how not to…recruit volunteers.

Probably the most significant conversation was with Glenn Allen of Southern Polytechnic University in Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Allen has established a Mechatronics degree which will be accredited by ABET in a year when they graduate their first set of students. The degree is part electrical engineering, part chemical engineering and part computer/science/robotics—according to Professor Allen…Sound familiar? This is how most of us would describe the necessary background to be in Automation. Not only did Professor Allen establish a great program—which is growing, by the way—he is working with “Best Robots,” a program to attract young math and science types into engineering, and is working with the Georgia State government on workforce development. Professor Allen may not know it yet, but there is a huge sucking sound from a vacuum pulling him into the ISA circle. He has an interesting perspective on what is needed to match our education system to current and future societal and industry needs, instead of teaching the same degrees the same way.

The other significant conversation was around the need for a mascot for ISA. An image we can rally around, promote and use to gain recognition. Some of us (those who participated in the Districts 8, 9, 10, 11 JDLC) think that Tiki Picture should be considered. But there are numerous possibilities. If you have any bright ideas please communicate them.

Congratulations to Mary, Grady, Catherine, and all the leaders of Districts 7 & 3 for a great event. I hope to participate again next year!

Volunteers

Volunteerism is alive and well. Not only is it alive and well, but what volunteers can accomplish is incredible. Most of us need look no further than our local Boy Scouts of America. This was brought home to me last week when I participated in my son’s Cub Scout day camp.

This is an amazing event. Two thousand cub scouts descend on O’Neil Park in South Orange County California—in two shifts: One thousand from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and another thousand from 2:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Keep in mind that there is at least one adult for every four cub scouts and several hundred boy scouts earning service hours by participating as “Orange Shirts” (Counselors and assistants). In addition, there are also about hundred or so siblings in attendance at “sibling camp” as well as numerous Emergency Medical Technicians, law enforcement people, and firemen on hand to keep everyone safe. These people (including the firemen, law enforcement, and EMT’s) are volunteering their time to work for these kids…They do not get paid to participate in this event!

We participated in the afternoon shift, so our day began with trying to time our entrance into the park at the right moment: after the morning shift left but before the rest of the afternoon attendees showed up. There is about a 30 second window to accomplish this! Luckily, there are lots of Orange Shirts directing traffic and telling us where to park to drop off our little guys.

After mustering with our group we began rotating through the activities earning belt loops (Cub equivalent of merit badges) and points towards rank advancement throughout the day (and week). The activities included building bird houses (there is something about 30 or 40 little boys with saws and hammers in their hands that makes me nervous), water bottle rockets (a slightly more high tech version that the ones my son and I made a few weeks ago), Go Cart races (they just look dangerous and feel dangerous when a couple little boys are pushing and another is “behind the wheel”), archery (if 30 or 40 boys with saws frightens me, think how I felt when I saw 50 or 60 with bows and arrows), flag football, soccer, marbles, and owl pellet dissecting (just think about a hairball from a cat with the bonus of small critter bones—that is what we were dissecting…totally disgusting but very interesting!). And, if you could stomach it after the owl-pellets, solar baked apples and cub-made ice cream and last but not least a good ol’ fashioned water/mud fight.

It was hot. It was dusty. But the boys were having far too much fun to realize the important lessons they were learning: sportsmanship, being part of a team, sharing, looking out for each other, plus all the technical stuff they learned. But the biggest lesson I hope they learned is the value of giving to your community. Without hundreds of volunteers, this event would be a no go. The core team of volunteers that organizes and coordinates the event is phenomenal. They have the rotations and people control down to a science—there must be someone from Disneyland on the crew! But their single most underappreciated attribute has to be their commitment to youth. We can’t produce leaders for the future unless we take the time to show them the way: how to be leaders, how to be volunteers, and how to give back to their community.

My hat is off to the staff of Saddleback Valley Day Camp. They set the standard in volunteerism, and they do it with a staff of about 10 people. Imagine what we can do with our membership of 30,000 in ISA? The possibilities are endless.

ISA Divisions & Symposia

One of the best kept secrets in ISA is our Division Symposia. Last month I attended the ISA International Instrumentation Symposium—a joint event held by the ISA Aerospace Industries, Test and Measurement, and Process Measurement & Control Divisions. Last week I participated in the ISA POWID/EPRI Symposium. Unfortunately, I missed the ISA Analysis Division Symposium, but reports are that it too, was fantastic.

In my opinion, ISA’s Division Symposia are where the proverbial rubber meets the road of our organization. Professionals dedicated to an Industry or Science within the automation profession develop a program that is geared toward a specific interest. The papers are usually timely, involving the latest technologies and techniques in use. Does it get any better than that?

ISA Divisions (and their Symposia) are great places to network with kindred spirits. We all have our own acronyms and language specific to our respective industries…Just think, you can meet and talk with people that understand your lingo without a raised eyebrow or that deer-in-the-headlights look we all get when we start talking technical on the outside!

My company sent a new employee to the Power Division Symposium (POWID/ERPI) to soak up some of the technical expertise. I was somewhat humored when he leaned over at one point and asked, “How much of this should I understand?”…My reply, “All of it in about 20 years!”

There is a proposal afoot within our organization to make ISA Division membership automatic—included in your dues, instead of a price-adder option. Since we are a technical society, it should be safe to assume that we all have our own technical bent and SHOULD belong to at least one ISA Division. Most of us should probably participate in more than one. So check out the existing ISA Divisions on the ISA website: www.isa.org/divisions.

If you don’t see one that meets your needs, consider starting a new one. Since automation is in a constant state of flux with shifting technologies and applications, ISA Divisions will need to evolve constantly to meet changing market needs. The one requirement is ISA Member involvement. Without participation, the network fails and the information sharing becomes meaningless. For those considering joining or creating an ISA Division, remember that this is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with ISA Members and potential members, find out how other companies in your technical industry are dealing with industry challenges, play an active role in planning Division events, and provide a hub for your industry’s technical audience.

So which ISA Divisions do you participate in?

Summer ISA Leaders’ Meeting a Success!

I’m sitting in the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, after completing five days of meeting with fellow leaders of ISA at the Summer Leaders’ Meeting. We had a very active week of steering the mother ship…Endorsing and continuing existing programs for our membership, considering a few new programs, and making sure the Society is on solid footing for the long haul.

I have been a leader in ISA for 20+ years. Like any organization, the Society has had its ups and down over the years and some leaders’ meetings are more inspirational than others. Though a few things didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked, I sit in the airport re-charged and ready to tackle the remaining 6 months of my presidency.

It is always good to attend these meetings. I see friends that I don’t have the opportunity to talk with often. I get an opportunity to feel the pulse of industry and share and learn from all the other leaders present. But most importantly, the Summer Leaders’ Meeting is typically where the leadership of ISA sets our course for the coming years.

The leadership took action to fund over $1.5 million in “New Venture Investments”—all dealing with globalization, the Automation Federation, and Certification (Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®) program). Many of these programs are multi-year programs that will require roughly $5 million of investment over the coming years. It wasn’t long ago that industry pundits accused the Society of sitting on reserves while a proverbial iceberg was melting. Well, I don’t think the “iceberg” is melting any longer.

Our membership is growing. Training courses are selling out. We have invested in a sales person just to sell the CAP certification. We continue to invest in India and globalization in general. Standards, a Member benefit, are downloaded by the thousands. ISA is being consulted with by the US government for cyber-security. As a result of our efforts in Washington DC, we are in communication with the Department of Labor and getting recognition on employment web sites. We have an agreement with US World & News Report for an industry specific newsletter that will be distributed widely among our Members and InTech subscribers…This is all good and exciting stuff!

The Summer Leaders’ Meeting was successful according to people I talked with. New leaders came away informed and positive about the Society’s direction. Our seasoned leaders came away with an understanding that we want to be much more than an instrument society—in the words of Dr. Gerald Cockrell, our President Elect Secretary, “…we don’t just want the instrumentation on the plane, we want the whole plane.” From my perspective I saw more people communicating in the halls than ever at the group social event and in the evenings in the hospitality suite hosted by District 3 (Thank you Grady and Kathryn Andrews!). We even had the Standards Dudes (as I fondly referred to them) joining in the evening socials en masse which has not occurred in the past.

Yes, I came away from the meeting feeling positive and energized. It is a good time to be an ISA Member and leader. I hope that everyone that attended came away with the same positive energy, ready to move our Society forward. Putting a stake in the ground and claiming ownership of the profession will take the efforts of every single one of our 30,000 plus Members. It can’t be done by the six-member Executive Committee, the sixteen-member Executive Board, the roughly fifty members of the two Activity Boards (District and Department), or even the 150 plus leaders that attended West Palm Beach meeting. It will require all of us working together towards a common purpose.