Advocacy, internationally
Evan Zabawski | TLT From the Editor December 2016
Based on recent events, we may unofficially declare 2016 The Year of Tribology.
In September more than 900 students and professors attended tribology-themed presentations at a two-day congress presented by the University of Monterrey’s Division of Engineering and Technologies.
IN MARCH 2016 A CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JOST REPORT was hosted by H.R.H. Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace. The significance of this event cannot be understated as it acknowledges the global appreciation of tribology’s role in ameliorating our lives through better designs of the various products and services we use.
We learned with great sadness, a short three months later, that professor Peter H. Jost, CBE, had passed away. However, countless others have assumed the mantle, working with industries and governments to reduce friction and wear and achieve significant cost savings. Starting with the spark created by the Jost Report findings, a slow burn was started in the form of research and development with each major discovery or advancement fanning the flames.
One of the greatest challenges along the way has been advocacy—that is, having the public’s support to pursue tribological efforts. Public support generally equates to government funding, and this funding is necessary for many universities to both educate students and perform further research.
In September I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a fantastic example of advocacy. The University of Monterrey (UDEM), a private university located in Monterrey, Mexico, held its biannual congress hosted by the Division of Engineering and Technologies at UDEM. The two-day program included conferences, expositions and workshops relating to various industries and types of engineering.
The academic portion involved invited speakers from all over North America presenting to a room filled with more than 800 students and 100 professors on a variety of topics. I was honored to be invited to give a tribology-themed lecture; I chose to explain viscosity and its role in the selection of motor oil in passenger vehicles. Based on the number of questions and people who stayed after for the Q&A, I feel the topic really struck a chord and perhaps some advocacy was achieved.
This type of event hopefully will inspire some young engineers who are just embarking on their educational journey to pursue tribology and its related sciences. Some of those who have already chosen tribology as their field attended the 2016 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Tribology, held in Lewiston, Maine, at the end of June. The GRC is a forum that allows interdisciplinary scientists and engineers an opportunity to exchange results of their research.
The GRC was preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar that offered young tribologists a similar opportunity to present their work—in an unintimidating atmosphere—to their peers and also network with academic and industry professionals. The organizers of the GRC were STLE-members Dr. Robert Carpick (chair) and Dr. Ashlie Martini (vice chair).
Another STLE member, albeit an honorary member, Dr. Said Jahanmir has been on assignment with the U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13). Dr. Jahanmir has been instrumental in working with STLE in drafting House Resolution 916, which has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This resolution calls for increased R&D investments in tribology and related fields. At this level, such action would represent a very significant acknowledgement in the form of public support. Let’s hope it passes and that at this level it will pave the wave for greater advocacy.
Based on these conferences and milestones, I believe I may look back on 2016 as an unofficial Year of Tribology and will remain optimistic that an official International Tribological Year of scientific exchange will occur someday.
Evan Zabawski, CLS, is the senior technical advisor for TestOil in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. You can reach him at ezabawski@testoil.com.