LISAT2011 General Chair's Message

Dave Mesecher – Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

In last year’s message I wrote that, even after the mammoth government bailout, our economy remains largely a shell, short on the technology development, innovation, manufacturing know-how, intellectual-property development, and technology education necessary for true growth, but long on the kind of debt that can easily lead to another implosion if not corrected soon by regaining our competitiveness. Since then economic indicators, especially employment, have improved, and compensation and bonuses in the financial sector are back to their pre-bailout levels. But are we more competitive? Does the economy reward carrier choices “…that actually contribute to making things and making people's lives better … to put our economy on solid footing …,” as President Obama recommended? Well, our trade imbalance has gotten worse by 24%, from $37 billion for the month of January of last year to $46 billion for January of this year. IEEE membership in the US has dropped 2.6% from 177,196 last year to 172,553 this, while non-US membership has increased 5.5% from 135,913 to 143,331 over the same period.

These trends continue to be disturbing. It does not seem as though we are heeding Mr. Obama’s advice that “… what we need is … young people … instead of wanting to be an investment banker, we need them to decide they want to be an engineer, they want to be a scientist, they want to be a doctor or a teacher...” Still, on Long Island, there are encouraging signs. The Long Island Section of the IEEE is particularly vibrant, with twelve Technical Society Chapters holding several evening lectures each month, mostly featuring local technology talent. The Long Island units of the American Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, The Institute of Industrial Engineers, The American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers, to name a few, all offer events that allow ideas to be presented and exchanged that fuel the development of technology. During the recent Engineers Week, the Engineers Joint Committee of Long Island held an all-day seminar including a variety of lectures by local speakers.

LISAT continues to grow. The number and quality of paper submissions has increased steadily since the first conference in 2005. Once again, LISAT hopes to foster competitiveness and technical innovation through the exchange of ideas in our three technical tracks, our poster session, and our product applications track. At the same time, we encourage technology education through our continuing-education track, our seven scholarships, and through the inclusion of several papers from students of local colleges and universities in the program. Moreover, we facilitate industry partnerships and employment with our exhibits hall.

Once again I would like to thank all of our supporters and our participants, including our presenters and exhibitors, for giving up the time and resources needed to make their contributions. Thanks also to Farmingdale State College for their facilities and student assistance, and to the Farmingdale Foundation for matching the LISAT scholarships.

I hope you find this year’s conference educational, enjoyable, and productive!

– Dave Mesecher
IEEE LISAT2011 General Chair