March 26, 2012 Held February 29 to March 1, LAM 2012 put Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) technology at its forefront. Workshop gave nearly 200 attendees look at traditional laser cladding practices as well as cutting-edge future of photonic manufacture. Expert keynote speakers Terry Wohlers and Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa of Fraunhofer ILT detailed advances in rapid production using powder bed and freeform methods. Notable advances were cited by such companies as Boeing, Airbus, and Fraunhofer ILT.

March 26, 2012 LIA, in conjunction with OSHA Alliance partner and American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), invites communities, businesses, and individuals to support North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 6-12, in effort to enhance workplace safety. Annual NAOSH Week and May 9, 2012 Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day aim to raise awareness about importance of being safe at work. Its 2012 theme is "Safety: What Every Business Needs."

March 26, 2012 EPRI measures geo-magnetically induced currents through its SUNBURST program, a system of strategically positioned monitoring sites throughout U.S. and Canada. It uses data from that system, to provide guidance to utilities on keeping power delivery system functioning during solar storms. According to EPRI, nation's grid system was largely unaffected as 2-day solar storm pummeled Earth starting March 8 with massive blast of plasma that was ejected from the sun at as much as 4 million mph.

March 26, 2012 Based on PMI meeting attendance, leadership, expertise, and overall commitment, PMI president Stewart Yang made his selections for 2 chairs to serve on PMI's Focus and Standing Committees. Marketing Council will be co-chaired by Kohler Co.'s Rick Reles, who will serve alongside current co-chair Tim Doyle of Amerikam. Government Affairs Standing Committee will be co-chaired by Daniel Gleiberman of Sloan Valve Company and David MacNair of InSinkErator.

March 26, 2012 U.S. EPA is adding 9 hazardous waste sites that pose risks to people's health and environment to National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites and is proposing to include 10 additional sites. With all NPL sites, EPA works to identify companies or people responsible for contamination and require them to conduct or pay for cleanup. For newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate full extent of contamination before starting significant cleanup.

March 26, 2012 With Russia joining World Trade Organization in coming months, Congress must act by granting Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) in order for U.S. workers and businesses to benefit from Russia's agreement to lower overall tariff rates, enhance IP enforcement, and diminish technical barriers to trade. According to AEM, if Congress does not grant Russian PNTR, U.S. equipment manufacturers will be at significant economic disadvantage in Russian marketplace.

March 26, 2012 ASTM International Committee E57 on 3D Imaging Systems named Faraz Ravi, director of product management for point clouds at Bentley Systems, Exton, PA, as its new chairman. Ravi was director at IGLOO Software, London, UK, from 2001-2003 and then co-founded Pointools Ltd., a hardware-neutral provider of point cloud software technology. In 2011, Pointools was acquired by Bentley Systems, which provides software solutions for sustaining infrastructure.

March 26, 2012 Workshop on ASR Testing, Specification Management and Mitigation from a Ready-Mix Perspective, will be held June 24 in San Diego, CA. Sponsored by ASTM International Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, workshop will provide forum for discussion from ready-mix concrete producer's perspective of ASR specifications and limits. Presentations will showcase challenges faced by producer when confronted with real world situations.

March 26, 2012 Released at IPC APEX EXPO® 2012, 2011 IPC International Technology Roadmap for Electronic Interconnections incorporates data and comparisons to help users serve clients and/or guide their companies in identifying, selecting, and developing appropriate technology alternatives to create products needed for future markets. Roadmap includes regional analysis and comparison and also links emulators to industry standards and specifications.

March 23, 2012 MichBio announces appointment of Wendy Wendel as Director of Marketing and Communications. In this role, she will oversee planning and execution of MichBio's marketing, communications, public relations, and social media efforts. Prior to joining MichBio, Wendy served as Director of Marketing for Engineering Society of Detroit and Manager of Marketing and Communications for United Solar. Wendel's background includes 15+ years of working in diverse industries.

March 23, 2012 NASA and GM are developing robotic glove that astronauts and autoworkers can wear to help do their jobs better while potentially reducing risk of repetitive stress injuries. Human Grasp Assist device, known internally as K-glove or Robo-Glove, resulted from NASA and GM's Robonaut 2 project. Using sensors, actuators, and tendons comparable to nerves, muscles, and tendons in human hand, Robo-Glove has potential to reduce amount of force worker needs to exert when operating tool for extended time.

March 23, 2012 On April 30, 2012, ASTM will host online forum to discuss coordination of standards activity relative to commercial scale hydraulic fracturing. ASTM has several technical committees whose scope and work activity is relevant to this topic. Open to public and free of charge, forum is an opportunity to expand preliminary discussions that have begun within several ASTM technical committees to see if there are other standards needs recognized by stakeholder community that ASTM could support.

March 23, 2012 Dhuanne Dodrill, president of Rollprint Packaging Products Inc., is new chair of ASTM International Committee F02 on Flexible Barrier Packaging. Member of ASTM International since 1996, Dodrill also serves on Committee D10 on Packaging and has 25+ years of experience in flexible packaging industry. She has held various technical, QA, and management positions. She joined Rollprint Packaging Products in 1982 and served as VP of technology and executive VP before assuming her current role.

March 23, 2012 NIST is soliciting proposals to establish steering group in support of National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) and to provide group with ongoing secretarial, administrative, and logistical support. NIST anticipates supporting one proposal with approximately $2 million in funding for up to 2 years. Accredited institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, and commercial organizations in U.S. and its territories are eligible.

March 23, 2012 Scheduled for June 5-9, 2012 HI Technical Meeting offers venue for interested members to volunteer their expertise and join industry-transforming technical committees that idely respected ANSI/HI Standards, technical guidelines, and reports for pumps and pumping systems. Some highlights include preview of Pump Systems Optimization: Energy Efficiency and Bottom-Line Savings course, Technical Affairs Update, and preview of Rotodynamic Pump Acceptance Tests webinar.

March 23, 2012 Taking place in San Francisco, CA from May 8-10, All About the Cloud will bring together hundreds of industry leaders who revolutionize way software is developed, consumed, and delivered. This ISV conference on cloud computing will focus on emerging trends and critical issues, including mobile, security and compliance, and big data. NextGen: Spotlight on Cloud Innovators showcase will spotlight innovative early-stage cloud companies, and 2012 SIIA CODiE Award winners will be announced.

March 23, 2012 AAMA sent letter to U.S. House Judiciary Committee requesting approval of Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2012 (H.R. 3862). Legislation would require early disclosure of proposed consent decrees and regulatory settlements, providing affected parties with proper notice. Bill would also make it possible for affected parties to participate in settlement negotiations by requiring federal agencies to take public comment prior to entry of consent decree with court.

March 23, 2012 Scheduled for April 29 to May 1, BSA 2012 Annual Convention offers opportunity to participate in dynamic business program with channel partners and colleagues. "Technology Drives Productivity" challenges industry to consider how to best leverage latest business tools. Line-up of experts will engage attendees with overview of how authorized distributors and supply chain partners can differentiate themselves in the marketplace, providing customer solutions and products using latest technology.

March 22, 2012 NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons issued statement in response to release of House Republican budget for FY 2013. According to Timmons, Chairman Ryan put forth credible, fiscally responsible budget plan that will pave way for economic growth and job creation. Comprehensive tax reform plan incorporates lower tax rates for businesses of all sizes and a move to a more competitive territorial tax system. Manufacturers also appreciate that plan avoids pending cuts in defense spending set for 2013.

March 22, 2012 In addition to Eureka Park Challenge, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced plans to expand size of Eureka Park TechZone, a dedicated area showcasing innovative start-ups and entrepreneurs, by 40% at 2013 International CES®. Additionally, CEA renews its partnerships with 2 Eureka Park sponsors - National Science Foundation (NSF) and Startup America Partnership - to secure participation from start-up companies that will introduce innovative products at 2013 CES.