December 31, 2007 To help organizations provide efficient global access through testing, inspection, and certification services, UL has signed bi-lateral agreement with Bodycote warringtonfire. Alliance will help fire and security manufacturers gain UL Listing, CERTIFIRE certification, and/or certification in support of CE marking. Each organization will accept the others test data and provide surveillance and follow-up inspections services as needed.

December 31, 2007 Joseph M. Pietrantonio is VP, Global Operations for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc, which provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. John P. Ryan is President and CEO of Dresser, Inc, which provides products for global energy infrastructure. Executive VP of Illinois Tools Works Inc, E.Scott Santi is also responsible for ITW's worldwide Welding, Electronic Component Fabrication, and Aircraft Ground Support Equipment Group.

December 31, 2007 Celebrating its 75th year, Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI continues its peer education Council program with 28 Spring meetings in 2008, covering 24 distinct corporate functions. Program provides forums for frank exchange of information among industry executives, and enables council members to lead discussions and deliver presentations. Agendas are hands-on and problem-resolution oriented; nearly every meeting features extensive dialogue on hot topics raised by participants.

December 28, 2007 Under federal energy bill signed into law by President Bush, U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Agriculture will be required to meet energy efficiency requirements in ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1. ASHRAE has also provided technical guidance for proposed legislation that would shorten depreciation of certain HVAC/R systems from 39 years to 20 or 25 years. To enhance public safety, ASHRAE has lent support to legislation to strengthen building code enforcement.

December 27, 2007 In accordance with ALA's Election Policy, 3 new members will join ALA Board of Directors at LabAutomation2008. Jason Abbas, M.S., has been active within ALA serving on Steering Committee and LabAutomation2008 Scientific Committee, while Malcolm Crook, Ph.D., has exhibited at LabAutomation conference and exhibition. Kerstin Thurow, Ph.D., is established as past presenter at conferences, author for ALA journal, and monthly reviewer of commercial and educational books on laboratory automation.

December 20, 2007 Long-Term Data Center Planning: the Push Toward Net-Zero Energy and Other Considerations will take place on January 20th at ASHRAE's 2008 Winter Meeting in New York. Don Beaty, chair of the forum, said participants will discuss the impact of net-zero-energy on long-term data center planning. The forum will be sponsored by ASHRAE's Technical Committee 9.9 - Mission Critical Facilities, Technology Spaces, and Electronic Equipment.

December 20, 2007 To be held at the ASHRAE 2008 Winter Meeting, HVAC Designs for Security and Sustainability will take place on January 22nd in New York. According to moderator Harmohindar Singh, Ph.D., building professionals should be educated about chemical and/or biological agents, possible scenarios of their release, how they may be detected, and how buildings may be immunized against them. At the same time, engineers and architects need to address building's overall impact on the environment.

December 20, 2007 ASHRAE has chartered its 170th chapter, based in Indonesia, 85 years after creating its first chapter outside the U.S. According to Kent Peterson, ASHRAE president, bringing members together via chapters enables them to work together, share ideas, and advance the standards of practice to improve the built environment. ASHRAE's continued growth is part of its overall strategic plan, which calls for the Society to be a global leader in the HVAC&R community.

December 20, 2007 Established in 1992, Total Excellence in Electronics Manufacturing Award is given annually to individual in recognition of dedication and innovation in setting new or higher levels of achievement in electronics manufacturing. Leaders of Electronics Manufacturing Tech Group will judge nominations and select winner. Group is comprised of industry practitioners, vendors, and academics providing educational leadership and promoting exchange of information in electronics manufacturing.

December 20, 2007 Chairman and CEO of First Restoration Services, and President of Disaster Rental and Supply, Frank Headen has decades of experience in industry, working on many high-profile projects such as Pentagon and World Trade Center Tower 7 following 9-11. John L. Volkert, owner of Primo Clean Restorative Services, has been involved in restoration industry for 27 years and has completed more than 5,000 water damage and 1,850 smoke damage projects.

December 19, 2007 Promoted by NEMA, legislation passed by U.S. House of Representatives included policies to support energy efficiency. NEMA advocated extension of energy-efficient commercial buildings tax deduction through 2013; energy efficient standards for light bulbs, metal halide lighting fixtures, electric motors, and external power supplies; and policies to support commercial Green buildings. NEMA also promoted policies to support research, development, and demonstration of Smart Grid technologies.

December 19, 2007 Following Labor Department report that consumer prices increased 0.8% in November, NAM's Chief Economist, David Huether reiterated need for energy bill that increases access to domestic supplies. Inflationary factors will likely have dampening effect on consumer spending this quarter, another sign that economy is slowing. Data also reinforced NAM's belief that affordable and reliable domestic energy supply is essential to long-term health of U.S. economy.

December 19, 2007 Following announcement of climate initiatives from U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, NAM's President and CEO, John Engler stated he was pleased to see U.S. making ambitious, forward-leaning proposal in World Trade Organization. NAM has expressed support to end tariff and non-tariff barriers on environmental goods, as mandated in Doha Declaration. Environmental goods and services proposal will offer chance for every nation to put world's health before commercial interests.

December 19, 2007 NEMA thanked Senate for overwhelming approval of U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, following House of Representatives' similar vote. NEMA President and CEO, Evan Gaddis noted that Agreement is in best interest of U.S. electrical equipment exporters due to Lima lifting remaining tariffs, and will also benefit Peru, which will be able to access quality infrastructure products. NEMA now calls on Congress to ratify U.S. free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.

December 17, 2007 NASA's Associate Administrator for Science, Alan Stern, announced the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, which will cost $375 million and is scheduled to launch in 2011. The mission will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the Moon for several months to measure its gravity field in detail. Scientists will use the data to x-ray the moon from crust to core to reveal its subsurface structures and, indirectly, its thermal history.

December 17, 2007 NASA and an international team are developing plans and seeking recommendations to launch the first Mars mission to bring soil samples back to Earth. The International Mars Architecture for Return of Sample (IMARS), a committee of the International Mars Exploration Working Group, (IMEWG), met in Washington at a NASA-hosted meeting, which also included representatives from the ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

December 14, 2007 NASA has selected The Boeing Company to produce, deliver, and install avionics systems for the Ares I rocket that will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle into orbit by 2020. Boeing will provide one instrument unit avionics ground test article, 3 flight test units, and 6 production flight units to support integrated flight tests and missions through 2016. Contract type is cost-plus-award-fee and has a total estimated value of $799,535,079.

December 14, 2007 Aeronautics engineer Richard T. Whitcomb, whose NASA research made supersonic flight possible, will be inducted into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine at the Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor's center in Kitty Hawk, N.C., on December 17. Spending his career at what is now NASA's Langley Research Center, the engineer discovered and experimentally verified the area rule in 1952, developed a wing design for jet liners in the 1960's, and designed winglets in the 1970's.

December 13, 2007 Originally signed on Nov 17, 2005, OSHA's alliance with Precision Metalforming Association will continue to provide members and others with guidance, information, and access to training to protect health and safety of employees in metalforming industry. Alliance will continue to address ergonomic hazards and press safety issues such as machine guarding and lockout/tagout. Through Alliance, PMA created PMA/Alliance Web page featuring OSHA's Machine Guarding eTool and Small Business Handbook.

December 13, 2007 Originally signed on Oct 5, 2005, Alliance between OSHA, CMAA, HMI, and MMA will continue to provide systems owners and operators in general industry with information and access to training resources that will assist in protecting employees, including Spanish-speaking, high-risk, or vulnerable employees. Organizations will try to minimize and prevent exposure to safety and health issues such as electrical hazards, falls from elevations, or being struck by moving equipment.