Joseph R. Vadus
Technical Activities are the backbone of our society, mainly exemplified by the quality and stature of our human resources and the products we produce.The most notable products are our publications and conferences.
Our product-producing human resources include: ExCom/AdCom, technical committees, editors and supporting associate editors, chapters and membership.’
Technical Committees: Coordinator of our eleven technical committees, Stan Chamberlain and committee chairs continue to marshal technical expertise in support of Oceans conferences and workshops, and provide sources for journal papers. Environmental technology is new and open for members.
Publications: Jim Lynch, Editor of our Journal of Oceanic Engineering, with his supporting associate editors, continue to produce a first class journal recognized world-wide for high quality. Fred Maltz, Editor of the OES Newsletter does a great job in keeping us all well informed. After the fall issue, the newsletter will appear exclusively on the internet. The journal and newsletter have also proven invaluable for promoting OES conferences.
Ocean Oriented Conferences: Their numbers continue to proliferate world- wide and tend to dilute attendance spread over many conferences, and reduce availability of good papers and exhibitors. There is an apparent need for more inter society collaboration. I’ll try harder for out years.
The MTS-IEEE/OES Coordinating Committee has completed the n th iteration of the relatively new conference guidelines due out before the new millennium. While procrastination continues, we have sent out draft guidelines to Oceans-99-00-01-02-03.
After serious deliberation, J.Spargo Associates of Fairfax , VA was selected as the conference support contractor:to handle administrative and operational functions in support of conference committees for oceans conferences in 2000, 2001 and 2002. IEEE s ITCMS will complete their contract after 1999.
OCEANS 98: Once again (after OCEANS 94), the French Chapter and strong committees proved that going abroad can be successful and serve our international membership. The great success of the 98 endeavor has been greatly appreciated and well reported.
All Conferences: 1999-2003 will be titled OCEANS XX MTS/IEEE.
OCEANS 99: In Seattle, September 13-16. A great venue and shaping up nicely with Chair Bob Spindel and co chair Ted Brockett at the helm and Norm Miller, OES liaison.
A sizable technical program of over 325 papers being structured by co chairs Jack Jaeger and Alan Beam. A record of 28 countries participating. For excitement you can catch a 25 pound salmon at Pikes Market. Check the internet at http://www.cms.udel.edu/mts/oceans99/oceans99.html .
Underwater Technology 2000: May 23-26, In Tokyo again to repeat a universally acclaimed successful symposium run by the Japan Chapter, OES’s newest and largest active chapter. Sponsors are OES, ONR and the University of Tokyo. The ExCom includes OES’s: Hisaaki Maeda, Joe Vadus, Tamaki Ura, Bob Wernli, and Dick Root & Hassan Ali of ONR. Five star accommodations and registration package provide unbeatable value for Tokyo. A sure sellout. Check us out on the internet: http://underwater.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ut00/.
AUV 2000: In Cambridge, MA being planned for summer 2002 under the perennial guiding hand of Claude Brancart. The new format focuses on subsystems. Hear the best and leave with the latest. Details will be made available soon. For immediate information, and expression of interest contact Claude at c.brancart@ieee.org.
OCEANS 2000: In Providence R.I. on Narragansett Bay, September 11-14, is shaping up under Chair John Sirmalis, Naval Undersea Warfare Center with Claude Brancart, providing OES Liaison, with support from many Y2K embedded New Englanders. The OES Directory lists more OES members in the Providence Chapter than any other city in the U.S. Check us out on the internet. We are Y2K certified.
OCEANS 2001 or OCEAN Space Odyssey 2001: In Honolulu, November 4-8 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a one stop paradise for papers, pools and pu-pu s. A great venue. If you were there for OCEANS 91, you ll likely be there again. Plans are being coordinated by Craig MacDonald and Liz Corbin, State of Hawaii, Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). The Director of DBEDT, Seiji Naya is Honorary Conference Chair. Honorary Chairs to be invited at the opening event are the Governor and the Navy Commander Pacific Fleet. MTS Vice President, Michael Cruickshank of the University of Hawaii provides oversight at the local level. OES members Kiman Wong and Oscar Libed, with their great experience running 0’91, are lending their support.
OCEANS 2002: October 28-31 in Biloxi, Mississippi. About one hour from New Orleans and from Stennis Space Center, with a large contingent of Navy, NOAA and NASA, and their supporting contractors. Navy Rear Admiral K. Barbor, Commander of the Navy Meteorology and Oceanography Command will Chair, with a strong team of committee chairs. The Five- Star Beau Rivage Resort Hotel on the beach, just completed for $ 600 Million, and the nearby convention center amidst many resort hotels along the beach, provide the local venue. Lloyd Breslau, of the OES AdCom, is a member of the committee.
OCEANS 2003: In San Diego, September 21-26, at the pleasant Town & Country Resort & Convention Center. A proposal is in the works for 2003, but out of cycle with past 75, 85, 95 conferences in San Diego, because of a great opportunity — The University of California-Scripps would like to celebrate it s centennial anniversary September 26 during the OCEANS 2003 MTS/IEEE Conference. Bob Wernli (former Chairman of OCEANS ’95 in San Diego) has agreed to Co-Chair the conference with the Director of Scripps. They will be collaborating with Kevin Hardy of Scripps in preparing a conference plan, and expect to launch the conference committee later this year — 4 years in advance. Many Scripps Alumni and the popularity of Oceans in San Diego should make it a formidable event.
OCEANS 2004: OES ExCom has prompted me to look offshore in 04 . So, now there are strong possibilities for a venue in Norway. I started with Norway Chapter Chair Thor Fossen, Professor of Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology in Trondheim, and then contacted my good friend Jens Balchen, Professor Emeritus of Engineering Cybernetics at the University. With their help, we were fortunate to identify a Chairman, past Director of Marintek/SINTEF, Arnold Hansen, another good friend dating back to a U.S.-Norway Workshop on AUV’s, to help organize and explore the possibilities.The Norway Defense Research Establishment’s Underwater Division has also expressed interest via Jerry Carroll of the U.S. Navy Meteorology & Oceanography Command, and one of the 02 prime movers.Stan Chamberlain has supplied conference guidelines and is willing to co chair the technical program. Thor Fossen also chairs the IEEE Control Systems Society Chapter in Norway, which may add support. Marine and control systems are inter related at the University. We will explore other possible partners such as the bi annual Underwater Technology Conference (UTC) sponsors. Meetings to begin organizing, identifying participants , preliminary plans and venue will be attended in July.
Ideally, we should consider late August or early September for the 04 conference dates.
Engineering Tomorrow: The title of IEEE s new hardbound, limited edition book to be sent out postmarked 1 January 2000. Its description and ordering forms appear in the centerfold of The Institute. Fifty contributors, drawn from IEEE s diverse societies, were interviewed to project their ideas on some technology directions in the 21st Century. I was invited for a telephone interview which lasted 90 minutes. I covered a spectrum of topics related to OES interests, including earlier OES inputs for the new technology directives survey. The IEEE Editors, chose about 15 percent of what I said and wove it into one of the 12 chapters called Exploration, which included inputs from three space technology experts and Sylvia Earle. Fortunately, I was able to laud the future of ROV s and AUV s, but very little detail was wanted. They were also intrigued by floating cities and Navy MOBS, waste disposal, and ocean resource exploration, as related to that chapter. It was mainly the editor/writers choice on all content to portray a uniform total.
Also, they did not permit corporate review of the interviewees remarks; I guess to encourage imagination.
Chapters and Membership: In planning for future conferences, I learned quickly how important chapters are for hosting conferences in major coastal cities. To my knowledge, the only really active U.S. OES Chapter is in Seattle. On the International scene, we have active, conference-supporting chapters: Victoria, Canada and Canadian Atlantic, France, Japan, and now Norway stepping up to meet the challenge.
I believe membership is more attractive if a member could be allied with an active local chapter to enjoy camaraderie, networking and technology exchange. A local Chapter needs strong leadership and a local program to remain active, and, in some cases meeting jointly with MTS. One way to get started in revitalizing dormant chapters may be to try partially subsidized OES renewal luncheons and speaker program, with occasional imported speakers to provide topical diversity. I believe an investment in OES human resources is a better return on investment than sending money to other entities. In earlier Newsletters, Jim Collins presented some good ideas on increasing membership and Jim Glynn described his plans for chapter revitalization. We hope for good progress to build up our regional network of chapters and membership that are so vital for sustainable development of OES.
Potpourri of Activity: You are cordially invited to volunteer to help support one or more of the above functions. Your participation is appreciated, and you can enjoy the camaraderie of a cooperative effort. OES needs a few more good men and women. We need you. Your ideas and suggestions are welcome. Contact me at jvadus@erols.com.
Joseph R. Vadus
Vice-President, IEEE/OES Technical Activities President,
Global Ocean Inc. —International Consultants