Every time I look at a clock on the wall or at a calendar on a desk, I realize that time is really flying by. It seems like it was only the other day when I was busy writing one of these columns about the benefits of Division membership for the December newsletter, and now it is time to write another one. Maybe I really need to slow down and think about just what I have been writing about for more than a couple of years, and give some thought to what my fellow members really think about their roles in the Society. And, particularly, what they think their roles in the Divisions of ISA should be.

I really believe that the technical backbone of the Society is the role that is played by the members of the Divisions. Where would we be as a technical society if we had to wonder each year where we would get writers, reviewers and presenters of technical papers for the many symposia and conferences that are supported by the Society. How many of you think that the endless calls for papers are the only tools that bring writers out of the proverbial bushes to write challenging papers for presentation? Where do you think the reviewers and the session developers come from when it is time to put together a program worthy of the ISA? Well, of course, the Divisions provide almost all of the support for the technical programming and without that support, where would we be?

And, where will you be in the next year as far as your ISA career is concerned? Will you be content to take that back seat and, as the commercial goes, "Leave the driving to us", or will you and your associates take a bold step and start to become more involved with the technical aspects of your Society. Remember, it doesn't even have to be your paper that gets presented. If you're not a writer, consider co-authoring a paper or maybe even being a session developer for other presenters. You'll be surprised how many slots are available for the next fall conference next October in Chicago. What's that, you say, "I can't travel", well that's understandable, but how about taking some time and volunteering to be a paper reviewer? There is a big need for engineers and technicians with certain types of experience to take the time to review papers that have been written by some of the folks in your field of expertise. Think about it.

L.M."Dutch" Keen, P.E.

Section/Division Liaison