GETTING THERE

YOUR COMMITTEE

Steve Tang 818.874.7735 Richard Ramsey 805.445.7605

Chairman tangs@std.teradyne.com Industrial Relations dynamicsol@earthlink.net

Bob Morris 805.524.3727 Kevin Manning 310.457.3881

Treasurer rpmorris@compuserve.com Vice Chairman/Newsletter kevinmanning@asme.org

Steve Harrington 805.388.9911 Elizabeth Rowins 805.525.7165

Secretary/Technical Activities steveh@meissner.com Vice Chairman jerowins@west.net

Many thanks to Tarzen Kwok for contributing "Why You Should Get A P.E. License."

ASME CHANNEL ISLANDS SECTION

c/o R.P. Morris

P.O. Box 73

Fillmore, CA 93016-0073

EX COM ELECTION DEADLINE

APRIL 30, 1998

HUMAN/COMPUTER INTERFACING

MAY 26, 1998

CHANNEL ISLANDS SECTION

APRIL 1998 NEWSLETTER

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Dear Members,

Not long ago I talked to a college roommate who previously lived in central Pennsylvania. In an abnormally excited tone, my friend told me that he finally got an ideal job in his dream town – a mechanical engineering position at Motorola in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Now he receives exciting assignments, enjoys the sunny weather, and drives a new car afforded by his pay raise. My friend found his ideal job through a contact at Motorola. This benefit of networking is not uncommon. Several of my ASME friends have built successful consulting businesses simply through their well-established network of acquaintances.

I think we are fortunate to live in an area with the potential to attract technology start-ups and the exciting career opportunities they offer. There are many favorable factors here. First, local engineering schools produce technology talent every year. Second, many military aerospace suppliers have reinvented themselves to become commercial suppliers with much lower cost and higher production efficiency. Third, it may be relatively easy to attract venture capital from the Bay Area due to the relative closeness of the two cities. Fourth, Los Angeles has a lower cost of living than, say, San Francisco, Boston, or New York City. This can attract additional talent from around the nation. However, regardless of these great factors, a start-up cannot prosper without a network of customers, suppliers, or business partners.

In my opinion, a successful career relies on, among many other factors, a strong network of contacts. As an ASME member, you already have access to more than 130,000 members around the world! The question is: Have you enjoyed that benefit? Every month this Channel Islands Section Committee organizes at least one event for its local members. For instance, our next important program is the Industry Breakfast. At this event, local industrial leaders will gather together in a special panel discussion.

The larger the ASME organization, the more extensive the contacts you can reach. Since we are continuing to build our membership base, we may also need your helping hand. If you know someone who is not a member, have you considered inviting her or him to become one? I have asked Kevin, our newsletter editor, to include an express ASME membership form that you can simply hand out to your friends or colleagues.

So come and participate in our events. Meet someone new, learn something useful and most importantly have fun!

DR. BAROTH ON DATA ACQUISITION

On April 16 Dr. Edmund C. Baroth of Jet Propulsion Laboratory presented the basics of building a data acquisition system. A group of about eleven attended the event, held at the Thousand Oaks Library.

Dr. Baroth is the Technical Manager for JPL’s Measurement Technology Center (MTC). MTC configures, delivers and supports turn-key measurement systems including software, sensors, signal conditioning, and data acquisition, analysis, display, simulation and control. Typically, a scientist or engineer at JPL approaches MTC with the simple request, "I just want to take some data." Satisfying that request, however, tends to be more involved.

According to Dr. Baroth, the engineer must first identify the application’s required versatility. Is the system to be a dedicated component in a large production setting, or just an occasional tool in a research and development center? With that question answered, the engineer should then identify all the necessary hardware and begin to construct a simple schematic. Considerations include communication protocols among instruments, display and control interfaces, and data storage and processing.

Selecting the system programming language demands particular care. While Dr. Baroth recommended graphical programming languages such as LabVIEW and HP-VEE for their general ease of use, he stressed that the selection should be made in the context of the application. For example, if the system programmers are already familiar with one language, the cost of learning another may not be worthwhile.

For hardware selection Dr. Baroth offered his "Law of Conservation of Aggravation." This law states that cost plus aggravation is a constant, suggesting that spending more money on hardware will reduce future aggravation. He also emphasized the importance of selecting hardware components that are compatible with each other. Not surprisingly, this should greatly facilitate the final system integration.

Dr. Baroth closed his presentation with two examples of MTC’s work. First he showed LabVIEW windows from the Mars Pathfinder mission that were used to display critical data from the Rover. His second example consisted of displays from the Brilliant Eyes Ten-Kelvin Sorption Cryocooler Experiment (BETSCE). These displays were actually available on the Internet over the course of the experiment.

During the question and answer session following his presentation, Dr. Baroth revealed that MTC is available for contract work outside JPL. If you would like to explore this option, or if you have data acquisition questions, contact Dr. Baroth at 818.354.8339 or ebaroth@eggcream.jpl.nasa.gov. And visit MTC’s website at: mtc.jpl.nasa.gov

The Channel Islands Section thanks Dr. Baroth for his informative presentation and for his generous support of our continuing effort to bring our members interesting events.

READER’S FORUM

I recently obtained my Professional Engineer (P.E.) license. I have written this piece in response to our section chairman Steve Tang, who encouraged me to write about the experience. In this short essay, I’ll go over my professional and personal motivations for getting a P.E. license, and try to convince you to get your P.E. ASAP. I’ll also go over my own experience with the P.E. test, along with some test-taking pointers. Lastly, I’ll philosophize about the implications and non-implications of having a P.E. license.

From a professional point of view, a P.E. license is required for many government jobs and contract work, and is definitely needed for most consulting work. Also, in some companies, the P.E. license is a prerequisite for job advancement. California has a rule whereby engineers in most private industries do not need a P.E. license to work. Since I work at Teradyne doing non-government related work (we make semiconductor test equipment), what was my motivation? I believe that the engineering community has always respected professionalism. A P.E. license is one step towards getting more professional respect (note it also looks good on your business card and resume!). Aside from this, my personal motivation came from my dad. He was an architect by training, but he never got the professional license in his field, so his career moved into other areas. He did not want me to make the same "mistake", and believed strongly that I would benefit from being licensed, wherever my career path might take me.

Now that I’ve hopefully inspired you to rush out and apply for licensing, you might ask, "What’s the process?" Basically, it involves accumulating the relevant engineering education (a B.S. degree or approved equivalent) and work experience, and passing two 8 hour exams. The first exam is called Fundamentals of Engineering (FE). The FE exam is basically a multiple choice test covering undergraduate college material, including non-engineering topics such as chemistry. After a certain amount of work experience that varies depending on education level and other factors, applicants take the second exam: the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam, commonly called the PE exam.

The PE Exam is "harder" than the FE for two reasons. First, the test problems tend to be more in-depth with both show-your-calculations-essay and multiple-choice formats. Second, while we all tend to specialize in one or two areas after working in industry, the exam is general in scope. I found that if you study to achieve a solid foundation in basic engineering (e.g. stress analysis, thermodynamics), there are enough problems covering these topics for you to do just fine. The test does tend to have several questions on HVAC material. If you work in this field, that’s a definite plus. If not, you can avoid these because the format of the exam allows you some freedom in selecting problems. In studying for the exam, you should review your strongest subjects first. This will build your confidence. Then study less familiar subjects. Several study aids are available; I have listed one resource below.

I strongly recommend that you try to get your P.E. license as early in your career as possible. First, it’ll be much easier to recall what you learned in college. Second, as we get older, it’ll be harder to find the time to study due to greater personal and professional commitments. For the PE exam, I hunkered down for about 3 months, studying on weekends.

In closing, I would like to reflect on the meaning of having a P.E. license. As with a college degree, having a P.E. license does not necessarily make you "better than the other guy". We all know being a good engineer requires combining analytical skills, experience, persistence, hard work, imagination, professional integrity and a "hands-on" attitude, among other things. So I don’t think that, just because I have a P.E. license, I am a better engineer. Instead, I see my P.E. license as symbolic of the pact I have made with the community to strive to do my job with the utmost in professionalism and excellence.

Here are some contacts / info:

Licensing Agency:

Board of Registration for Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors

2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 300

Sacramento, CA 95833-2926

TEL (916) 263-2222

Study Aids:

Professional Publications, Inc.

1250 Fifth Avenue

Belmont, CA 94002

TEL (800) 426-1178

VOTING DEADLINE: APRIL 30

The deadline to vote for next year’s Channel Islands Section Executive Committee is 4/30. Listed below are the four elected positions. For all positions except Secretary, the current Executive Committee has already identified candidates.

Chairman: Steve Tang

Vice Chairman: Alex Flores

Treasurer: Bob Morris

Secretary: We still need a volunteer!

You may vote for the listed candidates or nominate your own. In particular, consider volunteering for the position of Secretary. Refer to the March newsletter or contact a current committee member for more details.

To vote, e-mail Kevin Manning at kevinmanning@asme.org or leave a message at (310) 457-3881. For each position, state your vote for either the given candidate or a candidate of your choosing. Vote for yourself if you wish to volunteer.

PROGRAM CHAIRPERSON WANTED

Your Executive Committee also includes positions that are traditionally excluded from the formal election. Instead, the Executive Committee from the current year appoints volunteers for the following year based on their personal interests.

For next year, all positions except Program Chair have already been accepted by volunteers. The Program Chair is responsible for identifying members’ interests and selecting events accordingly. The Chair initiates contacts for new events and coordinates event planning, with the assistance of other committee members as necessary. Because it is our events that bring the section together, the Program Chair is a critical member of the Executive Committee.

If you are interested in being Program Chair, or if you would like to volunteer but have a different interest, contact Steve Tang at (818) 874-7735 or tangs@std.teradyne.com.

HUMAN/COMPUTER INTERFACING

      1. 449-2660

RESERVATIONS: Contact Steve Tang at (818) 874-7735

or tangs@std.teradyne.com

As the capabilities of computers continue to increase, so do the advantages of facilitating the interaction between computers and humans.

Dr. Boris Kamenster is the president and founder of Bokam Engineering, a company that specializes in developing sensors and controls for electromechanical systems. "Interface for the New Millennium" describes the technology and applications of unique sensors and transducers specifically designed to communicate human motion to a computer in a precise, accurate, and natural fashion. The sensors utilize multi-axis force sensing elements, made possible through innovations in thick film technology.

Please contact Steve Tang (see above) if you plan to attend.. This is a FREE event, and a good opportunity to learn about the latest developments in sensor technology, and about the future of the human/computer interface.

INDUSTRY BREAKFAST NEWS

The Channel Islands Section is hosting our Industry Breakfast on April 29 in Ventura. At this event, approximately 25 representatives from local industry and academia will meet with ASME officers to discuss the current state of mechanical engineering in the area. Representatives have been confirmed from the following:

Applied Magnetics Corporation

Astro Aerospace

Cal State University Channel Islands

Dynamic Solutions

Fluid Kinetics Corporation

Haas Automation, Inc.

IMODCO

Meissner Filtration Products

Oxnard Community College

R.P. Morris Engineering

Stainless Fluid Products

Teradyne, Inc.

Thomas & Beers

Tracor Systems Technologies, Inc.

University of California, Santa Barbara

Valex Corporation

In addition to the local representation of ASME by the Channel Islands Section officers, ASME will be represented nationally by Lynden Davis, the ASME Regional Director of Regions VIII, IX, and XII (Northwest, Pacific, and Rock Mountain).

By providing a forum for discussion between engineering managers, university faculty, and ASME, the breakfast seeks to:

With a strong turnout and productive brainstorming expected, the breakfast could establish a semi-annual Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties Engineering Forum. For more information, contact Richard Ramsey at 805-445-7605 or dynamicsol@earthlink.net.

LOOKING AHEAD: JUNE EVENT

A tour or program at Special Devices Incorporated (SDI) has been tentatively planned for June. SDI makes explosive and pyrotechnic devices for the automotive and aerospace industries. One of their primary products is initiators for automobile air bags. Be sure to check next month’s newsletter for more details on this event. It’s sure to be a real blast!