- April 20, 2016
- Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
ISA Automation Expo & Conference (AEC)
20-21 April 2016
Northlands Edmonton Expo Centre
The ISA Automation Expo & Conference ("AEC") is the ISA Edmonton Section’s flagship event... and it’s happening this spring (20-21 April 2016)!
It’s the place-to-be for everything automation. AEC is one of North America’s largest automation events, occurring bi-annually in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We welcome automation, instrumentation and control systems professionals from a diverse range of global industries, including: petroleum (oil & gas), mining, power, water & wastewater, forestry, agriculture and more.
Expo Highlights
- More than 175 exhibitors!
- VIP Tours - Reserved for operating companies and EPC’s, a private VIP Tour will maximize your attendee experience!
- Intel Talks - Think "TED Talks", but for our industry! Happening right on the exhibit floor in an intimate bar-style set-up (10 attendees max). (link to more info coming soon)
- Top 5 Innovations - View the top 5 most innovative offerings on our exhibit floor voted on by ISA Edmonton Section execs! (link to more info coming soon)
- Headliner 1/Todd Hirsch Breakfast & AEC Kick-Off - Free for all attendees & exhibitors, thanks to our sponsor, the CSA Group! Todd Hirsch, Chief Economist at ATB Financial, presents "Alberta’s Economic Forecast for 2016 - An Automation Perspective.”
Conference Highlights
Headliner 2/Mafiaboy Lunch - Michael Calce, convicted hacker turned cybersecurity consultant, will be speaking at this by-invitation-only event!
The conference will be made up of four main tracks: cybersecurity, alarm management, water and waste water, and maintenance training. Each track will include four or five one-hour sessions/presentations. Content for every track has been curated by our ISA Edmonton Section track developers, all experts in these areas.
- Cybersecurity Track - A full-day, in-depth look at cybersecurity!
- Alarm Management Track - A full-day, in-depth look at alarm management!
- Water & Waste Water Track - A full-day, in-depth look at water & waste water!
- Maintenance Training Track - A full-day, in-depth look at maintenance training!
For more information and details on registering visit http://www.isaedmonton.org/events-education/isa-automation-expo-conference-2016/.
Foundations of Alarm Management (Two-Day Workshop)
27-28 April 2016
9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
16500 Van Aken Blvd.
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 USA
Hosted by the ISA Cleveland Section, this two-day workshop provides foundation and practical understanding in the current state of alarm management. The workshop is presented by alarm management expert Doug Rothenberg. The technology and practices of the workshop are drawn from established world standards, guidelines and recommended practices, including EEMUA Publication 191, API Recommend Practice 1167, NAMUR NA-102, and ANSI/ISA-18.2. Full handouts and a copy of the book, Alarm Management for Process Control, will be provided for each attendee. Lunches, snacks and beverages are included.
Contact John Mihevic at jamihevic@msn.com or by calling +1 330-722-4558 for more information or to register. Or you can register and pay online at www.isa.org/events-and-conferences/ohio-2016-0427-foundations-of-alarm-management.
Price:
- $1,150 (USD) for ISA dues-paying members (and paid members of Cleveland Technical Society Council member societies)
- $1,270 for non-members (which includes one year of paid regular ISA membership)
The workshop is limited to 30 students. The workshop may be cancelled if fewer than 10 students have registered by 20 April 2016. You can cancel your registration by 20 April 2016, for a full refund. Refunds for cancellations after 20 April 2016 are subject to approval only.
PIPE—Family Fun Eat and Run
Sunday, 15 May 2016
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
New Orleans City Park
Corner of Henry Thomas and Palm Drive
New Orleans, LA 70124
The ISA New Orleans Section belongs to PIPE (Petroleum Industry Promoting Education), a gathering of petroleum industry companies and societies focused on education and outreach.
PIPE’s current major initiative is to coordinate fund-raising efforts to support energy-related exhibits at the Early Learning Village of the Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) and the Children’s Museum of St. Tammany (CMST).
Both have agreed to include an exhibit in their museum that is positive to the petroleum industry. We think the exhibits will inspire children and improve the perception of our industry for both locals and tourists who visit the museums. The more money PIPE raises, the bigger and better the exhibits. This is a one-time opportunity since the exhibits will be built into the museum designs. PIPE is trying to get all of the petroleum-related companies in the area involved to see how much we can do when we all work together.
In keeping with this positive effort, PIPE will conduct its Family Fun Eat and Run event on Sunday, 15 May 2016 at City Park. The event includes 5k and ½-mile runs. Serious runners may start at 8:30 a.m., but most folks will enjoy a leisurely, non-competitive walk (from service provider food tent to service provider food tent). In fact, this could be one of the unhealthiest 5k runs ever! We wanted an event to bring our families together to enjoy some of the wonderful food we usually experience at golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, clay shoots, etc. This will definitely be a family oriented event. We also will have shorter-distance competitions for children, divided by age groups, with lots of prizes provided.
Here’s what you can do to support the effort:
- Have your company sponsor the event (sign up at http://connect.spe.org/delta/home)
- Have your company set up a food tent at the event (sign up at rickf@llog.com)
- Attend the event with your family (registration at http://nolarunning.com/)
- Encourage others to attend the event!
We hope you will come out and have a great time and show the community how many people in our community work in the energy industry! You can sign up directly on the nolarunning.com website.
If you have any questions, contact Rick Fowler, API-Delta Chapter, at rickf@llog.com or +1-985-801-4323.
ISA Las Vegas Section Fall Classic Golf Tournament & Table Top Show
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Las Vegas, Nevada
Two events:
- Golf Tournament at Las Vegas National Golf Course
1911 E. Desert Inn Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169
Shotgun start begins at 7:30 a.m.
Golf awards at 1:00 p.m.
- Tabletop Show at the Railhead Show Room at Boulder Station Casino
4111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV 89121
Open from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Raffle prizes awarded at 5 p.m. (Must be present to win)
Happy Hour from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Please join us for our Annual ISA Las Vegas Fall Classic Golf Tournament and Table Top Show. This year we will have the golf tournament followed by Table Top Show—both to be conducted on Thursday, 13 October 2016.
Come stop by the show and get information on new technology and services from various vendors and suppliers in the automation industry. Additionally, there will be two technical training sessions during the show with PDH certificates for those who need them. Win various prizes towards the end of the show.
We invite any interested vendors/suppliers to exhibit and/or provide technical training sessions at the show. Finally, for those visiting Las Vegas, Boulder Station is offering our section a great room rate of $45.00/night, plus tax and resort fees for Wednesday, 12 October and Thursday, 13 October. Please contact Jeff Blue (jeff.blue@lvvwd.com) or visit our section web site www.isalasvegas.org for registration forms and detailed information. PLEASE RSVP by Thursday, 29 September.
Role of Automation in Lean Manufacturing
ISA Pune Section (India) runs a Tech Talk Series every alternate month on various topics relevant to automation professionals. First Tech Talk of 2016 was organized on 6 February 2016 on the “Role of Automation in Lean Manufacturing.” The presentation was delivered by Dr. Subodh Govardhan, Head Operations at Krohne Marshall. Govardhan demonstrated live case studies on how automation assists in achieving the critical goal of a “lean” philosophy and significant reduction of waste. The presentation was well received by more than 100 professionals who attended.
The next Tech Talk, focusing on Applications of Robotics in Automotive, will be held on 23 April 2016.
International Machine Tools Expo (IMTEX) 2016
21-26 January 2016
Bangalore International Exhibition Centre
Annually held in Bangalore, India, the International Machine Tools Expo (IMTEX) is the one of the largest machine tool exhibitions in India.
IMTEX brings together various companies in the fields of production, automation and instrumentation of machine tools. The “mega” event attracts visitors from a wide spectrum of manufacturing and ancillary industries and key decision and policymakers, including industry captains who are keen to discover the latest technologies and manufacturing solutions for their production lines.
IMTEX is a one-stop forum where customers can experience “live” displays of products, helping them make more accurate evaluations of manufacturing solutions. The forum also affords students with tremendous learning opportunities. This year’s display of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies was massive, comprising four halls.
Students from ISA RVCE Student Section visited IMTEX 2016, held in late January, and were very interested in the automation and control solutions employed by these manufacturing companies. Some of the prominent exhibits were laser-machining tools, precision laser cutting and welding, vibration sensing and control, massive manufacturing units with the usual temperature, pressure sensing and feedback, etc. Well-known companies in robotics, automation and control, and other allied areas were present, including FANUC and Yokogawa.
It was an incredible learning experience for the students as they got to see first-hand production technology and the complexities and nuances of the field. They gained perspective on the ubiquitous presence of instrumentation in every machining tool and process, and gained a better understanding of the applications of instrumentation and control.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is poised to revolutionize our lives in the near future. It is finding increasing applications in all aspects of technology. From drug delivery to carbon nanotubes in power production, nanotech has abundant applications.
Gadadhar Reddy is the CEO of NOPO Nanotechnologies. He is one of the few successful producers of carbon nanotubes in the world. He has a plant in which high purity CNTs are manufactured by using the high-pressure carbon monoxide (HiPco) process.
Reddy, during a recent visit to RV College of Engineering, gave brilliant insights into how things work at the nanoscale and how nanotechnology, with the right methodology, can make a big technological contribution to humanity.
Gadadhar Reddy talking about nanotubes
Reddy also focused on the instrumentation and control aspects of CNT production in his talk. The HiPco process operates at extremely high pressures and temperatures and some details were explained to students regarding the control systems involved and safety of this process. He also offered advice on careers in nanoscience and nanoengineering, which students were encouraged to explore and contribute to this field.
Close to 100 students gaining insights on instrumentation.
Dharmsinh Desai University Alumni Reunion 2016
The Dharmsinh Desai University Alumni Reunion was held 28 February 2016 at the Seminar Hall. A presentation was given at the occasion, showcasing the development of university resources during the last few years. In addition, there were interactive sessions between alumni and professors (where alumni shared their college life and professional life experiences), and between alumni and current students (who benefited from the sharing of knowledge and work experiences).
Alumni encouraged the students to work hard toward creativity and innovation, not just focusing on book smarts alone. New opportunities were explored and discussed. The session ended with lunch. All had great fun.
ISA New Orleans Section Spring Seminar on industrial control system cybersecurity
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (CDT)
Metairie, LA
The ISA New Orleans Section is honored to present a panel of distinguished speakers to provide insight and share best practices on topics related to industrial control system cybersecurity. The seminar, to be held 27 April, will follow the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity and will be broken down into topics around the five core functions—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—with each speaker focusing on a core function.
Following is the lineup to date:
Identify
Presentation: “Identifying the Threats to the ICS”
Speaker: David Bacque, Senior Manager, Accenture Asset and Operations Services (AAOS), North America
David Bacque is a Senior Manager within Accenture’s Asset and Operations Services division. He previously held positions at Cimation as industrial IT consultant, supervisor, program manager, and director of Operations. Bacque received a bachelor of science degree in information systems and decision sciences (management information systems) from Louisiana State University in 2001. Prior to his involvement with Cimation, he was involved in IT and systems administration at Albert Garaudy and Associates, TOTAL Petrochemicals, and Audubon Engineering.
Protect
Presentation: “How to Protect and Defend Against Cyber Threats”
Speaker: Mitch Williams, IT Operations Supervisor, Chevron Oronite Company
Mitch Williams currently works in Belle Chasse, La., at Chevron Oronite Company. As IT Operations Supervisor, Williams is responsible for the security and information protection governance for the entire IT system. He also supports global efforts to increase protection from cyberattacks. Prior to joining Chevron, Williams was appointed as the Network Security Officer (NSO) at the Coast Guard Finance Center. He and his team of IT professionals have successfully passed several IT audits with the government and while working for Chevron.
Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in internetworking technology from Strayer University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Ashford University. His experience in cybersecurity extends into network traffic analyzing, intrusion protection, next-generation firewall as well as monitoring and alerting on suspicious behavior.
Detect
Presentation: “Detection of Undesired Activities in Real-Time”
Speaker: Robert Albach, Senior Product Line Manager, IoT Security, Cisco Systems
Robert Albach joined Cisco in 2010. As a product manager, he has defined and delivered three network security solutions. His most recent solution is Cisco’s first Industrial Security Appliance. Prior to his Cisco tenure, he guided the IPS management solutions and low-end IPS solutions for intrusion prevention pioneer Tipping-Point. Outside of network security, Albach has led product management efforts in the application management space at IBM/Tivoli; BMC; and Quest Software.
Plans are still in development relating to the speakers and topics for the remaining two functions.
A speaker from DuPont will cover the topic of Response and another industry consultant will discuss Recovery. More details on these speakers and their topics and biographies will be available in the coming weeks.
The event will conclude with an open Q&A discussion with our distinguished panelists.
The ISA New Orleans Section is extremely excited about our seminar this year. The topic is timely and our speakers are subject matter experts in their fields.
Please register here and join us for what will prove to be a very high-value event to our automation community.