Proposed Dues Changes for ISA

Going home is always good. Last night I had the opportunity to return to my home town of Bakersfield, California, to attend the 25th Anniversary of the Southern San Joaquin Valley Section of ISA. The SSJV group is always a lot of fun to be around…You know you’re with a good group of people when they have board position titles like “Head Chef”!

Congratulations to the SSJV Section on 25 years! As with any Section, it waxes and wanes depending on the local economy (largely oil production), but the leaders always seem to keep the Section moving in a positive direction, even through downturns. Really a remarkable group!

The meeting was held at a favorite local restaurant, Luigi’s—famous for their wonderful Basque food, AND the many photos of local “celebrities.” I almost lost my appetite when I sat down to eat and staring me in the face was a rather large photo of my high school algebra teacher, Turk Eliades. Not-so-pleasant memories of mastering quadratic equations came back to me causing the hair on the back of my neck to rise! You see, Coach Eliades is legendary in Bakersfield for his sideline antics at Friday night football games. He had such a passion for the sport and coaching that he simply couldn’t contain himself. But if Turk had passion on the field, he had even more in the classroom. Eliades was (he’s retired now) one of those teachers that you hate at the time but come to realize the positive impact they have later in life. Turk never blamed a student for unwillingness or inability to learn—he blamed himself for an inability to teach and get through. I recall more than one instance of Mr. Eliades breaking down in tears of despair at not being able to get kids to understand the finer points of Trigonometry. I owe Mr. Eliades for teaching me algebra, but more importantly I owe him big time for teaching me the importance of passion.

Society Section Delegates have received their packets of information on all the agenda items which, in addition to the name change, include a dues increase and a reduction in the percentage of dues that is rebated to the Sections.

The dues increase is long overdue. The Society uses a formula (basically factoring in the cost of member benefits weighed with the CPI) to calculate when we should pull the trigger on a dues increase. According to the formula it should have been done several years ago, but the leadership of the Society was in the midst of adding some very worthwhile benefits (free standards downloads, access to all Expo and Symposia papers, etc.) and wanted the value to be present before raising dues. That was over two years ago. In addition to access to standards and papers, Division membership in two divisions will be included in the standard membership (an $18 value). By modifying our dues from $85.00 to $100.00 and including two Division memberships, many of our Members will actually pay less in the form of dues.

Currently 20% of member dues are rebated to the local Section of a Member. One quarter of this rebate is re-directed to the District a Member resides in to support regional activities and the District Vice-Presidential duties. The District funding is by choice and participation may be declined. There is a motion to reduce the percentage of the dues rebate to Sections from 20% to 15% and to eliminate the District “tax.” Please note that if the dues increase is passed, and a Section is no longer paying a quarter of that 20% to cover District funding, the actual funds that go to the section will increase:

($85 dues X 20%) – ($85 x 20%)(25%) =
$17 dues rebate - $4.25 district tax = $12.75 current dues rebate

vs.

$100 dues X 15% = $15.00 propsed dues rebate.

Districts will be funded by a standard Society budgeting process rather than having a separate pool of money. The reason for making this change is two-fold: First, we want to have our Sections (geographical entities) and Divisions (Technical/Industry Interest groups) on equal footing—both financially and with Members. Second, we want to be compliant with some of the rules and regulations that have resulted from Sarbanes-Oxley.

There has been a lot of e-mail traffic and discussion regarding the initiatives coming before the Council of Society Delegates. This is good. Even if I don’t agree with everything that is being said, I see it as a good omen for our Society that the discussions are taking place; however, I do feel the same despair as Turk Eliades when I see messages that indicate the Society has not provided leaders with adequate time to digest these issues. The information has been available since at least early June, and in most cases it dates back to January.

We may not all agree on the best path for ISA, but I do believe that we all have a passion for the success of the organization. So once again, your feedback is valued and I hope each and every member that reads this will throw in their two cents and not the proverbial towel!

Contact your Section delegate—or email me at isapresident@isa.org and I will forward your message to your delegate—to tell them your stance on the dues increase and Section rebate proposals.

For additional information about the proposed agenda items being brought before the Council of Society Delegates at EXPO this October, visit www.isa.org/mem/CSDFAQ.

Proposed ISA Name Change

Silence can be deafening.

To put it in automation “techy” terms: If you provide an input signal and get no output, something is wrong. This was brought to mind this week when I observed (thanks to many friends) an electronic dialogue regarding the proposed name change for ISA that is going to be brought before the Council of Society Delegates this October, as well as a few other key agenda items.

What really distressed me was the number of people who indicated that they have seen no effort by the Society leadership to promote the name change or any of the other agenda items. Huh?

I know that I and many of my Executive Board colleagues have been out promoting, informing, discussing, and dialoguing all year…How do we miss so many of our Members?

Well…I’ll take one more stab at it here and hope that the word gets out.

First: The name change.

I realize that changing the name of our organization is highly emotional for Members, especially those who have been around for a lot of years. The name and their membership is part of their identity; however, we need to recognize the massive changes that have taken place and reshaped our Society since its inception. We are no longer just instruments. Yes, instruments are an important part of any automation scheme or operation of plants, but we are more. Aren’t we?

We are no longer just Instruments and Systems. These are also part of a grand scheme to automate a process…right? The current name is all inclusive and specific, but what happens when technology changes? What happens when science and technology advances beyond our wildest imagination? When “instruments and systems” no longer describes what we are doing? We need a name that is timeless and not tied to any specific technology or job function. Although many do not feel that automation describes what they do, does any other single term do a better job of embracing all of the members that make up our Society?

These questions are the real motivation behind changing the name. As an added bonus, the name becomes easier to explain to people “outside the inner circle” and we match up with our positioning as the voice of the automation profession and setting the standard in automation.

It is my fervent hope that when this name change is passed, ISA will not need to modify the name again until we colonize the galaxy and have to change it to the Inter-galactic Society of Automation.

Below is a FAQ sheet regarding the name change that offers even more information. I hope that everyone will take the time to read the information and make an informed decision about the future direction of the Society and its name.

PROPOSED BYLAWS CHANGE
RESOLVED: that Article I, Section 1, be amended to strikeout the words “ISA – The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society” and insert the words “International Society of Automation” and that the officers of the Society be authorized and directed to execute any and all necessary documents to affect the change of the Society name legally.

The amended bylaws would read (eliminations; new wording):

ARTICLE I - Name

1. The name of this organization is ISA – The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society International Society of Automation. The organization is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation and is hereafter referred to as the “SOCIETY” or “ISA.”


ISA PROPOSED NAME CHANGE FAQs

Q. Why is this Society name change being recommended?
This name change is being recommended to more accurately position the Society as the “Voice of the Automation Profession” worldwide. The definition of automation, as developed by the Society Leadership (see FAQ 3#), is much broader than just instrumentation and control systems.

Q. Why is the Society recommending this change after it was rejected in 2007?
The name change resolution was narrowly rejected at the 2007 Council of Society Delegates meeting. This was primarily due to an inadequate definition of the term automation and a lack of communication about the desire and need to make this name change. Since then, a major effort has been placed on creating an all-encompassing, mutually-agreed-to definition for the term automation (see FAQ #3). In addition, a further effort by the Society Executive Committee has endeavored to reach out to the Membership. Discussions on this topic were held during all District Leadership Conferences, Kim Miller Dunn has covered the name change in her BLOG, and references to the name change have been included in the summer issue of the Section Leaders Brief that is mailed to all identified Section leaders.

Q. What does the term automation mean in this context?
The Society Leadership has been focusing on defining this term since the 2007 CSD meeting. Their goal was to craft a definition that would be all-encompassing and would serve to expand the horizons of the Society. The following definition for automation is the final result that was vetted through multiple Member peer-review groups:

“Automation is the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the production of goods and services.”

Q. What does this name change mean to me as a Member of ISA?
All of the activities, services, and product offerings of the Society will continue to serve ISA Members as before, but in an expanded capacity. In addition to providing Member value, the Society will be advancing the profession of automation and providing recognition for all who serve in this field. By representing the profession to the world at large, ISA will play a critical role in leading the profession into the future, and ISA Members will be at the forefront of this effort.

Q. Will this name change have any impact on Sections?
Possibly. As separate legal corporations, a Section determines its own legal name. An ISA Section is not required to change its legal name; however, the Society recommends Sections change their legal name to “International Society of Automation – xxxx Section.”

Q. Will the Society provide funds to help with Section expenses incurred with the name change?
Yes. Society funds of $250 will be made available, upon request, to Sections to help pay for any legal name change fees. All requests should be submitted to headquarters within six months following the announcement of a formal decision by the Council of Society Delegates.

Q. How will this name change be implemented?
The Society currently uses only the logo, letters “ISA,” and tagline, “Setting the Standard for Automation,” in published material; consequently, no major changes will be made as a result of this name change. Future campaigns will establish the Society as the voice of the automation profession on a worldwide basis.

Watch my blog for further information on other important agenda items coming before the Council of Society Delegates in October.

"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.