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.