- February 15, 2018
- Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Representatives and volunteer members of the International Society of Automation (ISA) and its umbrella organization, The Automation Federation, will demonstrate fundamental processes of automation to young people at the fifth biennial USA Science & Engineering Festival, which will be held 7-8 April 2018 in Washington, DC.
The free event, to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is expected to draw more than 350,000 attendees to the two full days of the event open to the public: Saturday, 7 April from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 8 April, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will feature more than 3,000 hands-on exhibits and stage shows sponsored by leading scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, high-tech corporations and STEM organizations
The USA Science & Engineering Festival plays an important role in encouraging young people to pursue learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and in expanding awareness about the virtues of STEM-related career fields, including automation. Through their participation and exhibition at the festival and other events like it, ISA and the Automation Federation broaden awareness and understanding of automation careers-a foundational step in cultivating the next generation of automation professionals.
Stop by the ISA/Automation Federation exhibit #1856 to learn more about automation, and witness a fun demonstration of automation technology
A select group of practicing automation professionals-volunteering on behalf of the ISA Baltimore-Washington Section and the Automation Federation-will greet visitors and participants and festival family members at exhibit #1856 to answer questions about automation, explain the value and significance of automation careers, and outline common educational and training paths leading to occupations in the automation field.
In addition, exhibit staff and volunteers will demonstrate a gaming system based on programmable logic controllers (PLCs)-small digital computers used for automating typical industrial electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures.
The display to be featured at the exhibit contains a PLC-5 controller, 96 lights and approximately 2,500 feet of wire. Designed by employees of Applied Control Engineering (ACE), Inc., and ISA Baltimore-Washington Section members, it required more than 400 hours to design, build, program, and test; and features eight games to choose from: Breakout, Maze, Memory, Pong, Snake, Space Invaders, Stacker, and Whack-A-Button!
The gaming system-built using salvaged parts from plant training equipment-demonstrates: how control circuits are wired for lights, switches, and buttons; how the switches use binary math for game selection; how the programs are structured; and how mathematics plays a key role in computer game programming. It also has been used to illustrate panel design concepts to college students.
Sneak Peak Friday
Sneak Peek Friday, to be held on Friday 6 April, is a special preview event open to school groups, homeschoolers and military families to preview and experience the festival exhibits before they open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to register for Sneak Peek Friday.