The iAU2M8.09 Experience

* Workforce development
* Developing the next generation of automation professionals
* Developing the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)-related students and professionals

These are initiatives that I hold near and dear to my heart. So when I read about high unemployment AND a lack of STEM-related professionals in the same newspaper, on the same day, I begin to wonder where we went wrong. How is it that we aren’t producing the workforce we need and yet there are people going without jobs? It just doesn’t make sense.

Then I attend an event like iAU2M8.09 (held in Houston 8 October in conjunction with ISA Automation Week) and I realize just how hard and how easy it is to get the students (our future workforce) we need moving in the right direction.

Over 600 high-school and middle-school students from the Houston Independent School District attended this event. In fact, over 1,500 students wanted to attend! I was tasked with settling this large group down but only succeeded in getting them riled up instead. They ROCKED the Reliant Center to the extent that people were coming down the hall to ask us to keep it down. One individual had wondered if there was an earthquake! Now really, you can’t have 600 students from 20 different schools all in one place and expect them to be quiet. I enjoyed re-living school spirit as only high-school and middle-school students can show!

The students were introduced to technology on the ISA EXPO 2009 show floor; introduced to the great employment opportunities by the likes of Monte King, manager of workforce development for Shell US; introduced to the kinds of skills required to pursue the right education by Greg Crouch of National Instruments; and told real-life stories by the Automation Avengers. I highly recommend you check out the “Automation Is Cool” website (www.automationiscool.org) for more on the AA’s.

What stands out to me the most when meeting with, speaking to, and engaging with students? The light that shines when they comprehend the possibilities and realize that they can play a part in a bright future.

There were countless instances of this as I toured a group of 50—yes, I said 50—high-school students from Sterling High School around the ISA EXPO floor. As I pointed out the section of the floor dedicated to standards technology, I explained the importance of standards: Without them, there is no consistent “language” for engineers to use to communicate with each other. The example I presented to the students was the MP3 format on their iPods. MP3 is a standard used to communicate music. There are other formats for digital music files, but MP3 is a standard that most players are embracing. If there were no standard, every musician or recording company could have their own format and you might need one player to listen to the Black Eyed Peas and another one for Lady Gaga. You guessed it! I saw the “Ah Hah” moment.

We moved on to the Corning booth that specialized in fiber optic cable. I will be forever grateful to the booth staff that took the time to explain the amount of data that can travel over the fiber optic cable and also taught a few of the “kids” to crimp and fit the cable for use. Nothing like a hands-on activity to engage the mind!

Then we went by the ASCO booth. As I was asking the “kids” if they ever heard the “PSSHHTT” sound as a rollercoaster begins and ends its journey at a theme park and explaining to them that hydraulics were at work, an ASCO rep grabbed the students’ attention with, “We have a working pneumatic valve here so you can see what she’s talking about.” A few more eyes lit up.

But my favorite reaction was when I pointed to a P&ID on the backdrop of a display and talked about the standard used to develop the diagram. A young lady said, “That looks really complicated,” and I replied, “Not so much. You know how when you get anything that requires assembly there is a diagram that tells you how to put it together? Well that is the assembly diagram, more or less, for a process.” The response: “Really! That’s cool...I think I get it!”

WOW! Out of the 600 students in attendance, I am guessing that we reached close to 100 with our message. And if 100 students choose a path in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, or Automation, we will have succeeded. I’m counting on 3,000 students wanting to participate in iAU2M8.10. We probably won’t be able to accommodate all that want to attend, but that’s a nice problem to have.

To all the students, faculty, ISA staff, and volunteers that made this event happen: A big and hearty thank you!

To all the sponsors of the event: An even bigger thank you! I can’t think of a better investment than the future of technology.

Kim Miller-Dunn
2009 AF Chair