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.
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.
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