Goodbye 2021, hello 2022
Dr. Ken Hope, STLE President | TLT President's Report January 2022
Looking back and hoping for normal days to come.
The future is uncertain, but what does remain is that we will press on with diligence.
Hello, 2022! We definitely have high hopes for a good year. My mind quickly goes back to the beginning of 2021 when we were wanting desperately to say goodbye to 2020 and hoping that the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic were past us. Well, the future is uncertain, but what does remain is that we will press on with diligence. It also is a good time to take stock of what we have learned and what we have talked about. Since my first column in the July 2021 issue of TLT, we have covered topics on connectedness during separation, the jagged path of electricity, podcasts, volunteerism and, most recently, sustainability and STLE’s part in that quest.
Many of these topics remain relevant and probably will be with us for a while, good or bad. For instance, finding ways to engage, do business, research and work toward the goals uppermost in our minds will be here regardless of our circumstances. The column on the jagged path of electricity pointed out that advancements of a technology to fruition is seldom straight. There are unanticipated challenges that will need to be overcome, and this has similarities to where we find ourselves today. Continuing on, we find that my column on podcasts points out the need to seek out new information and new ways of disseminating that information. There is a wealth of information out there. I also covered the tribology of bowling where we followed on STLE Past President Mike Anderson’s pointing out that tribology is everywhere.
The whole area of sustainability will likely continue and take new directions as we encounter problems—some of our own making—and solutions that might involve new uses for previously discarded items. I am often amazed at the ingenuity that comes when we are faced with a problem. Solutions will come, and that gives me hope for the future. It also ensures that the future will be interesting and full of challenges.
As we begin 2022, one of my first opportunities will be speaking at the International Colloquium Tribology in Ostfildern, Germany, and virtually in January on the “Emerging Trends to Current Challenges,” where we will look at what issues were foreseen by the many experts in the field of tribology and lubrication engineering and how those have changed (or not) in more recent times.
The last column I’d like to point out is the one on volunteerism. As we well know, change is a constant, but one thing that remains for STLE is the many volunteers that guide our path to the future will always be necessary. Whatever the topics in my future columns are, the underpinnings of how we achieve our goals will be by the many volunteers and wonderful staff at STLE headquarters. My prediction for a successful future is that we will work together as we move into it.
Dr. Ken Hope, CLS, is global PAO technical services manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical in The Woodlands, Texas. You can reach him at ken.hope@cpchem.com.