ISA Education Division
At the end of the day, a process automation project is measured by how it delivered the unit of production – or in many processes, the “molecule” – to the client. I know, we hang our hat on a lot of other metrics, such as improved asset utilization, better selectivity, increased throughput, higher quality, less [...]
If recent events in St. Louis, Mo., are any indication of the future of automation, then prospects are indeed bright. More than 10,000 students from around the globe, from ages 6 to 18, gathered April 24-27 at the Edward Jones Dome to put their engineering skills and scientific know-how to the test at the annual [...]
In today’s tough economy, many employees are searching for ways they can stand out from the crowd, both strengthening their hold on their current jobs and boosting their prospects for career advancement. On the other side of the coin, employers—facing tight hiring budgets and fierce marketplace competition—are expecting that workers have the proven experience and [...]
Recently, a customer of mine who resides on the Gulf Coast (but is not an oil & gas or petrochemical company) approached me with a very interesting problem. He had lost all of his process engineers to other companies over the past three months, taking all of his process and control system knowledge with them. [...]
While the U.S. and world economies are still struggling to grow, there are important steps that manufacturers and process industries can take to improve their competitiveness. Workforce training can play a vital role in boosting operational performance and productivity. Well-trained employees are better able to adapt to change—a must in today’s economy—and less likely to [...]
The U.S. manufacturing sector faces a crisis: Our nation’s skilled automation professionals are diminishing in number — just when we need them most. Retiring workers are leaving a huge void in the field, but new blood hasn’t rushed to fill it. Even new opportunities like shale oil extraction haven’t attracted the manpower they require. Why? [...]
Since I was young, I can clearly remember how much I enjoyed imagining a world with technology everywhere making my life as easy as possible. To create such a place, I spent hours throughout most of my childhood building mini robots from pieces of my oldest toys, the main components of which were DC motors [...]
This year’s ISA Automation Week will be held in Orlando, Fla., on 24–27 September at the Orange County Convention Center. It will offer a world-class, unbiased technical program built around “operational and technical excellence.” ISA Insights recently sat down with Peter Martin, ISA Automation Week 2012 program chair, to find out more about this year’s [...]
ISA Insights asked the North Dakota State College of Science ISA Student Section to participate in a brief question and answer session to familiarize ISA members with this section. Shane Suko, associate professor of Electrical Technology at North Dakota State College of Science, participated in this introduction. Insights: Describe your section to other ISA Members [...]
Jim Cahill posted an interesting question today on Twitter from a Jeremy Salmon, a BYU student. He wanted to know: I reached out to some folks in the Automation Federation (AF) who have been working on standardizing Automation-type curriculum to universities, colleges, and high schools. They created the Automation Competency Model to help shape [...]
