Chapter Info
Dear Chapter Presidents:
Please schedule and hold at least the two chapter meetings that are required by our Constitution prior to the end of Society Year 2008 on July 1, 2008.
According to Section 3.5 of the System Safety Society's Constitution,
"Chapters which fail to hold at least two meetings during the Society Year shall be considered inactive. Inactive chapters shall not be eligible for financial reimbursement and their chairperson shall not have a vote on the Executive Council. Chapters which are inactive for three consecutive years shall have their charter revoked."
Please ensure that your chapter members are aware of the System Safety Society Constitution requirement and the consequences for a failure to hold two meetings.
My kudos to those of you who have already met this Constitutional requirement.
Thanks,
Jerry
Jerry Banister
OVP of Chapter Services
760 377-4690
Houston Chapter
The Houston Chapter held a meeting on April 2, 2008, at Perry's Grill in Clearlake, Texas, with 12 members and guests in attendance. Marcelo DiAmico of RISKtec presented the safety process and considerations in fire-protection systems for high-value facilities such as aircraft hangers or fuel-loading areas. The group heard information about and discussed the type of assessments performed, common hazards and design considerations. Diane Rivera presented Chapter news and discussed international Conference participation, the Treasurer's report, and future meeting dates and topics. Chris Pickerell presented the positive results of a recent Chapter survey, and the group discussed how to use the information to improve future meetings and select meeting topics that respond to members' areas of interest. The Chapter will have its next meeting in June, and welcomes all members, past members and guests to join in.
Northwest Chapter
The Northwest Chapter presented a paper, co-authored a second paper, and operated the System Safety Society display at the May 2008 Energy Facility Contractor's Group (EFCOG). The EFCOG is the U.S. Department of Energy's version of the System Safety Society. Several dozen Society membership applications were distributed.
Sierra High Desert Chapter
The Sierra High Desert Chapter held a virtual meeting on Feb. 21, 2008. This was a joint meeting with the Washington DC Chapter. Jim Zidzik, NAVAIR Section Head for the System Safety Competency, was the speaker for this meeting at EG&G in Lexington Park, Maryland. The Sierra High Desert Chapter thanks the Washington DC Chapter for allowing them to participate in a joint meeting.
Chapter Member David Sweitzer was selected as Principal for Safety (PFS) for a major weapon program. In addition, Bill Rauch finished his Aviation Safety Certification at the University of Southern California and received his PFS appointment for his program.
Dave Mesa and Steve Bussell are both Naval Reserve Officers who are deployed on active duty. Dave Mesa is Chapter treasurer and Steve Bussell is Chapter past president. Both will be in members' hearts and prayers until they return.
Jerry Boone encouraged a few scouts in his troop to ride their bikes for 100 miles a few years ago. This year, Jerry is ride director of the Fifth Ojai Valley Century Bike Ride, with a projection of more than 600 participants. An opening ceremony and safety announcement precede the start of the race.
Tennessee Valley Chapter
The TVC participated in the Northern Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which was held in March, by sponsoring System Safety Awards. Thanks to Bill Pottratz for judging and presenting these awards. The winners are:
- Elementary: "Torch It — Choice of Insulation for Smoke Inhalation" by Hannah Finney from Covenant Christian Academy, Huntsville, Alabama
- Junior: "Child Proof — Testing Child-Proof Container Designs" by Stephanie Jensen from Liberty Middle School, Madison, Alabama
- Senior: "Safer Building Design — Mathematical Modeling of Drag Coefficients for Model Structures in a Wind Tunnel" by Keith Leahy from Catholic High School, Huntsville, Alabama.
The Chapter's March meeting was held at APT Research in Huntsville, Alabama, with 30 members and guests present. Members discussed the results of a Chapter vote to provide funding for the Chapter president to attend the annual System Safety Society Executive Council meeting, which is held just prior to the ISSC. Representation of the Chapter at this international event is vital to Chapter growth and prosperity, as it allows for leadership interaction and information exchange while providing Chapter input into international issues and discussions regarding system safety.
Ken Rose, the System Safety Program Manager for U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) Safety at Redstone Arsenal, was March's speaker. Rose recently returned to AMCOM Safety with goals of standardizing policy and improving and promoting system safety in the Army. The focus of discussion was on system safety processes and expectations, including how system safety is currently being conducted and current issues of concern in the Army, Army Materiel Command (AMC) and AMCOM.
The Great Moonbuggy Race was again hosted by NASA and held on April 4-5, 2008, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. At this event, high school and college teams compete to verify whether they could really design a buggy worthy of going to the moon. This year's competition included 50 teams, including teams from Germany, India, Puerto Rico and Canada. The races were clouded by overcast skies with sporadic bursts of rain; however, this did not dampen the enthusiasm. Teams made repairs and adjustments and raced their hearts out. The Erie High Team from Erie, Kansas, came in first for the high school competition, with the University of Evansville, Indiana, taking the collegiate prize. The System Safety Society, in partnership with APT Research, sponsored the Chapter's annual System Safety Award. The requirements for this award are published on the TVC's and NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race Web site, http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov. All submissions are reviewed for early stage construction, design and operational issues.
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| The Great Moonbuggy Race, hosted by NASA, was held on April 4-5, 2008, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This year's System Safety Award winner in the high school division was the German Space Education Institute from Leipzig. There was a tie at the college level, with the awards being presented to Middle Tennessee State University Team 1 from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Delhi College of Engineering Team 2 from India. |
Many of the teams showed that they are maintaining a hazard-tracking system by re-stating previous years' issues and showing how mitigations for those hazards were incorporated. The Chapter's Special Events Coordinator and a two-member panel voted on the submissions. The German Space Education Institute from Leipzig won this year's System Safety Award in the high school division. There was a tie at the college level, with the awards being presented to Middle Tennessee State University Team 1 from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Delhi College of Engineering Team 2 from India. A huge thank-you goes to Jim Blanteno, Gary Braman and Phil Eder for their assistance on this year's System Safety Award Committee.
We are looking to expand Chapter participation in this award to other companies. If you think your company may be interested, please contact Jim Blanteno, Special Events Coordinator, for more information.
The Chapter's April meeting was held at Lockheed Martin, Huntsville, Alabama, with 15 members and guests present in person or via telecon. The theme for the 2009 ISSC was proposed and is still being worked on in coordination with the Conference committee and international leadership. Gary Braman, co-chair for Technical Programs, previewed possible tracks and solicited Chapter input, and several great suggestions were provided.
Jon Wetherholt was the April speaker. Jon has worked on NASA programs since 1983 and became a safety engineer on the Marshall Space Flight Center Constellation Program in 2005. Jon talked about developing teams to address system safety in complex systems, and emphasized the challenges of integrated safety teams as lack of qualified safety engineers and communication on safety risk versus cost/schedule risks.
Washington DC Chapter
The Washington DC Chapter continues its aggressive meetings and special events schedule. Among numerous Executive Committee meetings, training symposium planning meetings and routine monthly Chapter meetings, our meetings and events officers have coordinated presentations from such speakers as Jim Zidzik, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Section Head for the System Safety Competency. This meeting provided a great opportunity for Chapter members to meet and network with their NAVAIR system safety counterparts and to learn more about how NAVAIR incorporates system safety into avionics programs. Additionally, a meeting and event was conducted and included a tour of the spectacular Marine Corps Museum. If you are ever in the DC area, be sure to drop down to Quantico and check it out. Finally, the Chapter held a social bowling event at Cannonball Lanes at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), with prizes and snacks provided. The DC Chapter will be well represented at the 2008 ISSC in Vancouver, with more than 20 Chapter members attending.
As always, when your travels bring you into the Washington DC area, feel free to contact one of our Chapter EC representatives and attend one of our monthly meetings. The Washington DC Web site lists all of our EC members and their contact information and also provides a calendar of events.
Winners Circle Chapter
A meeting of the Winners Circle Chapter of the System Safety Society was held on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at the Smith's Row Restaurant in Columbus, Indiana. The meeting was the second general Chapter meeting since last year.
Chapter President David Heimerdinger announced that several members are planning to attend the Washington DC Chapter training symposium in La Plata, Maryland.
In an effort to facilitate communication with Indiana and Kentucky members, the next meeting will again occur in Indiana.
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