CHANNEL ISLANDS SECTION

DECEMBER 1997 NEWSLETTER

Editor: K. Manning

HAPPY

HOLIDAYS!

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Dear Friends,

Last Tuesday I participated in the Ventura Engineers Week committee meeting. Representatives from 18 different engineering societies gathered over dinner to discuss preparation for National Engineers Week, Feb 22-28. Each year engineers focus their efforts during this week to increase public awareness of the role of engineering in modern society. Events include cultivation of math and science interests in schools, recognition of exceptional engineers, tours of engineering project sites, and informative technology exhibits.

One of the most exciting events is the "MathCounts" competition which is financed and sponsored by California Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineer. The purpose of the competition is to develop mathematical interest and proficiency among intermediate school students. I encourage you to volunteer in this meaningful and fun event, helping students compete toward the finals at the national level. Please contact Bob Morris at (805) 524-3727 for more information.

Take a minute to read the rest of this newsletter. In particular, note the included ASME Express Application. Remember that increased membership benefits not only our organization, but also those friends and colleagues that accept your invitations. And don't forget the great incentives of our Member-Get-A-Member program.

As always, we would certainly like to hear from you. Please contact us with your feedback and comments which will help us to roll out the events that best fit your interests. Thanks, and have a very Happy Holidays!

ASQ JOINT SUCCESS

Our November joint event with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) brought together about 20 ASQ and 5 ASME members. Adam Barlow and Allen Grizzard-Paul, engineers at Harris Corporation, discussed Demand Flow Technology (DFT) and the Kaizen Blitz technique. Adam described the application of DFT at Harris Corporation, and Allen presented the method for executing an effective Kaizen Blitz. Both generously fielded questions afterward. Thanks to all who attended, and especially to Adam and Allen. The Channel Islands Section looks forward to future joint events with ASQ.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

SPEAKER:          Dr. Lotfi A. Zadeh

                            University of California, Berkeley

PROGRAM:       What is Fuzzy Logic?

                            What are its Applications?

DATE:                   Tuesday, January 20, 1998

TIME:                    6:30 social, 7:00 dinner, 8:00 program

LOCATION:          Pierpont Inn, 550 Sanjon Rd, Ventura.

COST:                    Approximately $25.00, with student members half price. Pay at the event.

RESERVATIONS: Contact Bob Morris at (805) 524-3727. Please remember that a reservation is a commitment to pay.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Lotfi A. Zadeh as our Distinguished Speaker for 1998. Dr. Zadeh is the recognized father of fuzzy logic. His pursuit of this ground-breaking idea has led him to positions at the nation's finest universities and research institutions. He has been awarded numerous honors from IEEE and ASME. Dr. Zadeh holds honorary doctorates from around the world, has authored almost 200 papers, and serves on the editorial board of over 50 journals. His expertise is world-renown.

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Lotfi's abstract for this lecture:

"Applications of fuzzy logic are growing rapidly in number, variety and visibility. And yet there are many misconceptions about fuzzy logic and a lack of understanding of the nature of its applications. These are the issues that are addressed in my talk.

What is fuzzy logic? This question does not have a simple answer because fuzzy logic, or FL for short, has many distinct facets - facets which overlap and have unsharp boundaries.

To a first approximation, fuzzy logic is a body of concepts, constructs and techniques which relate to modes of reasoning which are approximate rather than exact. Much - perhaps most - of human reasoning is approximate in nature. In this perspective, the role model for fuzzy logic is the human mind. By contrast, classical logic is normative in spirit in the sense that it is aimed at serving as a role model for human reasoning rather than having the human mind as its role model. Fundamentally, however, fuzzy logic is a generalization of classical logic and rests on the same foundations."

                GETTING THERE

SOUTHBOUND 101 (FROM SANTA BARBARA)

Exit Seaward/Harbor

Right on Harbor

Right on Sanjon to Pierpont

NORTHBOUND 101 (FROM THOUSAND OAKS)

Exit Sanjon

Left under freeway

Right on Harbor

Right on Sanjon to Pierpont

Do not miss this extraordinary opportunity to learn from a true pioneer in modern science.

IN MEMORY OF: Frank W. Von Flue

Frank Walter Von Flue passed away on November 28, 1998. His numerous friends and colleagues join his family in their great loss and sadness at this time. Frank Von Flue is well remembered as an exemplary person, unselfish, enthusiastic, reliable and sincere in all his commitments.

Frank received his Engineering Degree from the University of Southern California. He was born in Los Angeles and most of his engineering career was spent with North American Aviation (later Rockwell International Corporation), where he became Manager of Advanced Programs at Rockwell's Space Division.

Frank was a model ASME member-he was an energetic, enthusiastic, and reliable volunteer who displayed great leadership skills. His posts included director of Industrial and Production Engineering, and Engineering Management Divisions through the 1960's and 1970's. He served on the L.A. section Executive Committee in the 1970's, and was L.A. section Chairman in 1975-1976. He was Region IX Vice President in the National Office in 1988, and was a member of the Board of Governors from 1993-1996.

In the words of close friend William L. Dean, (P.E.):

"I will remember him with others in ASME as the perfect American gentleman, a most thoughtful and sincere person and his natural ability for thoroughness in all he undertook - a necessity for success. We in engineering feel privileged to have been associated with him."

In 1988 Region IX established "The Frank W. Von Flue Outstanding Section Award". This award is provided to the Region's rated outstanding section annually.

ENGINEERS WEEK NOMINATIONS

Engineering Project Achievement awards and the prestigious Engineer of the Year award will be presented during Engineers Week. The Engineers Week Committee is currently accepting nominations. For Engineering Project Achievement awards, nominations are accepted from the following categories:

1. Large company

2. Small company

3. Federal, State, County, City engineering institution or department

4. College, University department

Engineer of the Year nominations are accepted from the following categories:

1. Design or Research and Development

2. System design or development

3. Project Management

4. Service to the Community

5. Service to the Profession

The deadline for all nominations is January 30, 1998. Forward your nomination to :

Doug McAvoy

Chairman, Awards Selection Committee

363 Hamilton Avenue

Ventura, CA 93003-1832

(W)805-982-7515; (H)805-644-4805

HOLIDAY CHALLENGES

Looking for some more mentally challenging reading from your Channel Islands Section newsletter? If so, take a crack at these puzzles from The Chicken from Minsk:

1. It is Spring, and there are 12 hours of daylight. A caterpillar climbs a vertical wall at a speed of 1 foot/hour during the day, and then sleeps for the 12 hours of darkness, during which it slides downward at 0.5 foot/hour. The wall is 48 feet high. How long will it take the caterpillar to reach the top of the wall?

2. Is it possible wash your hands with liquid nitrogen (77 Kelvin, or -196 C) without harm? Explain how this can occur.

3. In one warehouse, 1000 kg of fresh berries are stored. The berries contained 99% water when fresh, but a few days later, a test showed that there was now only 98% water, due to the drying out of the berries. What do the berries weigh now?

4. Rewinding an entire videotape cassette, where the tape spindle rotates at constant angular speed (that is, constant revolutions per unit time), takes 4 minutes. How long did it take to rewind the first 25% of the tape? For simplicity, assume that the diameter of the fully rewound tape reel is much greater than the diameter of the tape spindle.

SEE ANSWERS FOLLOWING COMMITTEE LISTING

UPDATED WEBSITES

Check out the latest developments at the Channel Islands Section Web site. Follow "section" links from the ASME International site at:

http://www.asme.org

ASME Region IX has recently enhanced their site. Explore the changes at:

http://www.primenet.com/~asmer9

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consider these upcoming Region IX Professional Development Courses:

DESCRIPTIONS:

"Finite Element Analysis"

Dr. Peter Woytowitz

Objective: One day course on basics of Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

Outline: Overview of FEA for many applications. Basic steps of performing successful and accurate finite element analysis. Strengths and weaknesses of FEA.

"Microprocessors for Mechanical Engineers"

Dr. Ping Hsu

Objective: One day course providing an introduction to microprocessors and their applications to control in mechanical engineering.

Outline: (1) Introduction to microprocessor system architecture, (2) Functionality of key components, (3) Programming, (4) Interfacing, and (5) Micro-controllers.

SCHEDULE:

February 14 Microprocessors for Mechanical Engineers

February 21 Finite Element Analysis

TIME:

9:00 am - 4:00 pm Registration begins at 8:30 am

PLACE:

Loyola Marymount University Engineering Building

FEES:

ASME Members $60

NON-ASME Members $90

ASME Student Members $20

Fee includes printed notes and refreshments.

REGISTRATION:

ASME Western Region Office 1-800-624-9002

YOUR COMMITTEE

Steve Tang 818.874.7735

Chairman tangs@std.teradyne.com

Bob Morris 805.524.3727

Treasurer rpmorris@compuserve.com

Steve Harrington 805.388.9911

Secretary/Technical Activities steveh@meissner.com

Dick Ramsey 805.445.7605

Industrial Relations dynamicsol@earthlink.net

Kevin Manning 310.457.3881

Vice Chairman/Newsletter kevinmanning@asme.org

Elizabeth Rowins -

Vice Chairman jerowins@west.net

Special thanks to Tarzen Kwok, also an ASME member, who helped us organize and deliver this issue of our newsletter.

Please contact us with feedback on past or future events, this newsletter, or anything else on your mind. And remember, you are all welcome to join our ranks!

ANSWERS TO CHALLENGES:

1. 6.5 days 2. Yes. Body temperature rapidly evaporates liquid nitrogen, producing protective, insulating gaseous layer. 3. 500kg 4. 2 minutes

CLOSING HOLIDAY THOUGHTS...

From the endless stream of e-mail distribution comes some provocative calculations for those wishing for a more quantitative Christmas season. Read through this adaptation to develop a powerful respect for the big guy in the red suit:

1. Assume 2 billion children on earth, 15% of which are Christian. With an average of 3.5 per household, that's 108 million homes.

2. With Earth's rotation and time zones, Santa has about 31 hours to deliver all the 108 million homes. That's 967.7 homes per second!

3. If the 108 million homes are distributed evenly around the earth, that's .78 miles per household, for a total trip of 75.5 million miles. Over 31 hours, Santa's average speed must be 2.3 million miles per hour.

4. Assume each child receives 2 lbs of toys. Santa's sleigh must then haul 500,000 tons. One regular reindeer can pull about 300 lbs. Maybe a flying reindeer can pull 10 times that - Santa still needs 360,000 reindeer.