What are Your Goals for AF?

I’d like to start my Automation Federation Chair’s blog by providing you with the answers to several questions posed to me regarding my views on and goals for the Automation Federation. My hope is that the answers to these questions will help you better understand why AF is important to me and to the Automation Profession and to invite you to provide feedback of your own.

1. What is your personal history with the Automation Federation?

I have been involved with the Automation Federation, or AF, through my involvement with the International Society of Automation, or ISA, the founding member of AF. During my time as the ISA President-elect and the 2009 ISA President, my commitment to AF has been strengthened by the continuous progress AF is making for the automation profession. My focus as AF chair in 2010 will be to maintain and grow this progress.


2. What do you feel is the strategic significance of the Automation Federation?

AF has taken up the role as spokesperson for a profession long silent and unheard. I feel that AF, as the “Voice of Automation,” is the tip of the spear for strategic efforts to promote and enhance the image of the automation profession globally. This organization is vital to gaining the recognition and growth we as automaton professionals deserve and need as a profession through its work and partnerships with industry, education, government, and other groups; and to the development of the next generation of automation professionals. In addition to benefiting the profession, AF’s efforts help promote and validate all the good work of our member organizations (ISA, OMAC, WBF, and WINA).


3. What Automation Federation successes stand out to you the most?

Of the many successes and accomplishments achieved by AF so far, the Automation Competency Model, our CyberSecurity and SmartGrid efforts, our open dialog with lawmakers, our connections with the European Union, our collaboration with the United States Congress, and our efforts to support veterans entering the field of automation stand out to me as some of our most significant accomplishments. The most important accomplishment is the growing recognition of the existence and importance of the automation profession in a growing number of circles. Now that I’ve pointed out the major accomplishments, I want to state that every AF accomplishment, no matter how big or small, is something to celebrate. I invite you to view a more complete list of Automation Federation Accomplishments at: http://www.automationfederation.org/Content/NavigationMenu/General_Information/Partners_and_Affiliates/The_Automation_Federation/About1/AF_Accomplishments/AF_Accomplishments.htm.


4. The Automation Federation has invited other industry associations to join as members of AF. What do you see is the greatest benefit AF can offer these potential members?

Let me start by saying that I would hope that any automation-related association/nonprofit organization would be able to recognize the many benefits of being part of the AF family. That being said, the greatest benefit to current and potential members is collaboration. As members of AF, these associations can pool their knowledge, resources, expertise, and more to provide tremendous benefits to the profession and to the industries that are the foundation of the profession. There is strength and a synergy that comes from the shared effort to develop automation as a visible, viable, and sought-after profession. More information about becoming an AF member organization can be found here: http://www.automationfederation.org/Content/NavigationMenu/General_Information/Partners_and_Affiliates/The_Automation_Federation/Membership4/Membership.htm.


5. What would you identify as the main objective for the Automation Federation for 2010?

There are so many avenues that are open to pursue in automation through the fine work of the Automation Federation and there are so many multiple, parallel activities occurring that it is difficult to focus on a few, let alone just one. Having said that, in order to realize progress over the next year, at the top of my list of objectives is the continuation of efforts to increase the level of recognition for the automation profession both in North America and throughout the world—this includes the ongoing work with various government agencies that has been and is paramount to realizing this major organizational objective. A more specific example would be enhancing and increasing AF collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to bring more visibility to our profession. It is absolutely vital that no matter what my personal goals may be, we must not falter in continuing the momentum started by AF.


6. As the 2010 Chair for the Automation Federation, what goals would you like to accomplish during your term?

My goals for 2010 are to:

• Make the Automation Competency Model the main reference/source of guidance for workforce development projects related to education and training programs in automation
• Continue AF’s efforts for aid transitioning veterans, unemployed workers, and others as they pursue careers in automation
• Pursue funding for an industrial CyberSecurity curriculum

7. Where do you see the Automation Federation in five years?

My vision for AF is for everyone inside and outside the field to view and reference AF as the “Voice of Automation,” as the source for automation-related expertise, and as the home for automation organizations. In five years, I hope to see AF blanket the automation landscape with partner resources that benefit all members in all facets of automation.

Now that I’ve shared my thoughts and goals with you, please feel free to share your thoughts and your own personal goals for the Automation Federation with me.

Sincerely,

Jerry Cockrell
2010 Automation Federation Chair

Passing the Torch

Well, December is almost over which means my term as Chair of the Automation Federation is coming to a close. 2009 has been an exciting year for me in this important role, and it just flew by. When I started in January, I knew we would be working hard this year to push the Automation Federation’s mission and vision forward. I just did not realize the depth of what we would accomplish for our profession over the last eleven months.

Let me recap some of the major accomplishments we have achieved for 2009 (emphasis on “some”):

• Senator Barbara Mikulski (MO) included language in the 2010 Congressional Budget recognizing the importance of automation for the future of manufacturing in the United States
• AF and the U.S. Department of Labor completed and launched the Automation Competency Model which will act as the key component in building the next generation of automation professionals
• AF was honored as a winner of the 2009 Progressive Manufacturing 100 Award for the development and dissemination of the Automation Competency Model
• The U. S. Department of Education revised the 2010 Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)—the accepted U.S. federal government statistical standard on instructional program)—to include new codes for “Automation Engineer Technology/Technician” and “Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering”
• AF was selected to serve as a Technology Partner for the 2010 Boy Scouts of America Jamboree (We will be reaching out to thousands of Scouts about the importance of math and science and of considering a career in automation)
• AF takes message about the importance of the automation profession global by sharing it with members of the European Union
• AF was selected to be a member of the Business LEADs Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help build the education framework for the next generation of workers
• AF exposed 600 plus high school and middle school students to the world of automation at iAU2M8.09 (part of Automation Week) in October in Houston, TX, USA

For a more detailed list of ISA accomplishments, click here.

In January 2010, Jerry Cockrell will assume the chairmanship of the Automation Federation. He and I, over the course of the last month, have discussed the passing of the torch. I can assure you that Jerry is ready to step into this vital role and is planning a very active year for the Federation. Jerry will also be taking over this blog in January. Guess that means this is my last post. Thanks for your readership!

I also want to thank the AF volunteers and staff for their dedication and hard work. We could never have achieved what we have without their efforts.

My term as Chair of the Automation Federation may be coming to a close, but my dedication to the automation profession is unending. That is why I want to take a moment to thank you for your support of the Automation Federation and our initiatives, and to invite you to contact Mike Marlowe (mmarlowe@automationfederation.org) about how you can get involved in our many AF activities.

Here is to another year of big steps forward for the Automation Federation and the automation profession!

Sincerely,

Kim Miller Dunn
2009 AF Chair

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

Half-way Through!

We have just passed the half-way mark for my term as the 2009 Chair of the Automation Federation. This has been an exciting year! We have celebrated one accomplishment after another for the Federation and for our partner organizations, including ISA.

I wanted to take a minute to tell you about a particular event the Automation Federation will be hosting this year at Automation Week in Houston, TX. The Automation Federation is a member of the Business Leads Committee for the Institute for a Competitive Workforce with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber has agreed to participate with the Automation Federation in presenting a Business & Academic LEADS Roundtable on 6 October 2009, at the Reliant Center (during ISA EXPO 2009). Principals, Counselors, and School Administrators from the Houston area will be invited to take part in this important presentation, where they will learn about “Business Partnerships Promoting Quality Education.”

Domenic Giandomenico, director - education & workforce program at the Institute for a Competitive Workforce with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will lead a discussion about the unique reasons why the business community & education professionals should be actively engaged to help ensure that students meet their full education potential. The Business LEADS network is a national coalition of business leaders working collaboratively with experts, elected officials, and other stakeholders dedicated to improving education and workforce development in the United States.

I will be leading the discussion about the Automation Federation’s workforce development initiative to build the next generation of automation professionals with the educators that will be present. Bringing our message to these educators in the Houston area is just one more exciting opportunity to reach out to students with the message that a potential career awaits them in automation. Having the U.S. Chamber of Commerce validating our message is an added bonus!

My term as Chair may be in its second half, but our workforce development initiatives are just starting to kick into high gear. I cannot wait to see what the second half of my term holds for the Federation!

See you in Houston and at the Business & Academic LEADS Roundtable,

Kim Miller-Dunn
2009 AF Chair

The Clock Is Ticking!

If you go the website for the Boy Scout Jamboree 2010 (http://www.bsajamboree.org/), you will see the ticking clock, counting down to the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of scouting in America next year.

Why is this important to automation professionals and to the Automation Federation?

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) selected the Automation Federation to be a Technology Partner for Technology Quest at the 2010 Jamboree. As a Technology Partner, the Automation Federation will have an exhibit at the Jamboree which will consist of a series of interactive stations that will give the Scouts and booth visitors a chance to take part in hands-on demonstrations that will give insight into a variety of automation careers.

It is anticipated that over 140,000 Scouts will be in attendance for this ten-day event, which will run from 26 July – 4 August 2010. Leo Staples and I serve as co-chairs for the planning of the AF presence at this highly anticipated event. We invite you to contact us or Mike Marlowe (mmarloew@automationfederation.org) with any questions you have about our presence and how you can take part.

At the ISA Leaders Meeting in Indianapolis last month, I got some great comments of support for the Automation Federation being part of the Jamboree. One ISA Member asked what our participation in this event meant for ISA and our profession. I thought it was an excellent question that deserved the following response:

The automation profession, for as long as I have been around, has never attained any visible recognition as a profession for the value it brings to manufacturing, nor the recognition for the men and women that have spent a lifetime in these careers that have made contributions to the betterment of manufacturing and to our profession.

In the past, when I have asked students—elementary, high school, and even college level—about what kind of job they would like to have and mention automation, I got the blank expression of “lady what are you talking about.”

For years ISA has tried to build a marketing effort around educating students about career paths in the automation profession and we made some progress. And yet, there was more that needed to be done.

In 2006, the leaders of ISA made an important decision to become the founding member for the creation of the Automation Federation. Since that time, the Automation Federation has aggressively stepped forward as the “Voice of Automation” to reach out to students and their advisors with a consistent message that tells the story about the value and importance of the automation professional.

The efforts undertaken by the Automation Federation have given our profession the recognition by and support of others, including the U.S. Department of Labor, several congressional constituents, government entities in Asia and Europe, and the Boy Scouts of America, to be a part of our effort to open the eyes of students—and the world—to the many careers in the fields of automation.

Just think: it was only a few years ago the ISA leaders were asking, “How we can reach out to students about what our profession has to offer?” Now, just take a look at what we will be doing in 2010.

This is just one of the many efforts underway to raise local—and global—awareness and the esteem of automation professionals at all levels. Don’t think being part of the Boy Scout Jamboree 2010 will be the crowning achievement for the Automation Federation’s efforts to reach out to students. I can assure you this is just one jewel in the crown and there will be many more to come.

Here’s to a successful Technology Quest at the 2010 Boy Scout Jamboree!

-Kim Miller-Dun
AF Chair

Students Are the Future

Students are the future. They are our future leaders, teachers, inventors, soldiers, doctors, and automation professionals. They are our greatest resource and asset for the future of automation and manufacturing.

The Automation Federation helped the Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP) organize the first Technology Career Days event for high school students in the twelve counties comprising the Piedmont Triad region in North Carolina, which took place 24 -25 March. Read the press release.

This event provided high school students the opportunity to learn more about careers in the automation profession and technology fields. They were presented with hands-on exhibits that offered information to help them better understand the importance of Math and Science in these fields.

These efforts are vital to creating the next generation of automation professionals, but we are forgetting a very important element: The “WHY.” Another important message we must convey to our students is that it’s not just about math and science.

We have to stop saying IF you are good at math and science and IF you get good grades, you can be an engineer. We don’t supply any “why” in that statement.

Why not say something like this:

• “Want to cure cancer? Don’t become a doctor. They manage the disease. Engineers will find the cure.”
• “Want to save the environment? Become an engineer. They will invent and implement the technology to reduce pollution and to clean our water and soil.”
• “Want to reduce humanity’s carbon imprint? Become an engineer. They will invent the next generation of energy saving technologies and new forms of clean fuel, and make them economical to use.”
• “If you really want to make an impact, get into automation—humankind in the modern world will not give up the luxuries we’ve come to count on like clean water, reliable power and energy, and all the goods and services that make life convenient. Automation of factories and facilities will make this possible as the population grows, resources are depleted, and demand increases.”

Youth today dreams of a better world, these dreams need to be engineered. We need our best and brightest to recognize that solutions don’t lie with Wall Street or in the courts; they lie in the innovation and application of science and technology.

I’ve said this before, but this message is so important, I’ll say it again:

The earlier and more often we introduce automation and technology to young scholars—and the “why” behind it—the better we will be able to help these students start out on the road to achieving a rewarding career in automation profession and technology fields.

I am asking my fellow automation professionals to take time to mentor a student, participate in a technology event for students, or anything else they can do to help get students interested in a career in this vital profession.

-Kim
AF Chair