Friday, March 29, 2013

2013 Annual Meeting - Early Bird Pricing Expires Monday!

Don't forget to save a bit of money by registering early - by April 1.
Take a look at the Preliminary Program Guide and start making your plans so you can be part of this can't-miss conference!

[Click here] to view the conference brochure (left), or [click here] for the PDF download
[Click here] to register online
[Click here] to download a PDF registration form (fax or scan/email back in)
[Click here] for the Corporate Member registration form - you get two free registrations and two free education courses with the Basic tier, and three registrations and three courses with the Premium!

Still not sure if you should attend this year?
1. We have recorded some of the sessions that were chosen by attendees at last year's Annual Meeting - they chose these presentations as Highlights they'd like to review and share after the conference. [Click here] to listen to some of the sessions chosen as Highlights from last year's meeting

2. Read The Business Case For Attending STLE's Annual Meeting - either to present to your supervisor, or to assuage any of your own doubts. And read our President's Message on the meeting, Tradition and Innovation.

3. Check out some Detroit blogs (including Visit Detroit, Detroit Moxie, Detroit UnSpun, Dig Downtown, and Eat It Detroit), to get a feel for the destination. Also be sure to read our tips for first time attendees, and get some perspective from past attendees.

4. Hear it direct from other members and non-members who've attended - see our testimonials below! Or read more here.
  • “I can always count on the Annual STLE Meeting and Exhibitions to have all our customers under one roof and great networking. It is a great way to keep in touch with the pulse of the industry.” – David Oesterle, The Lubrizol Corporation
  • Evan Zabawski
  • “The STLE Annual Meeting is the best venue for sales, marketing, and technical people to meet and discuss products that are instrumental in moving our industry forward.” –Samuel Wolfe, Wolfe Chemicals
  • “The STLE Annual Meeting offers both the best information on tribological related research and the best technical approaches to improve equipment reliability. Technical session and exhibition provides a proper balance of basic understanding and practical applications. Technical courses offer additional edge of required knowledge.” – George Staniewski, Ontario Power Generation
  • “A great event to both meet colleagues involved in all facets of lubrication, and partake of the excellent technical content.” – Evan Zabawski
  • Don Smolenski
  • “This was my first time attending. I took 3 courses and all were excellent and presenters were extremely knowledgeable. Overall, a great group of people. They were friendly and willing to share expertise and discuss technology.” – Gary Bilski, Honeywell Consumer Products Group
  • “Outstanding opportunity to meet and discuss with experts within the biggest and most active association of tribologists worldwide.” – Steffen Bots, Oelcheck
  • “The STLE Annual Meeting provides excellent technical content, training, exhibits and networking, all in one place.” – David Turner, Shell Global Solutions
  • “Presentation technical quality was very good. Networking was excellent. The meeting is great for collaboration.” – Don Smolenski, General Motors (now Evonik)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Resources & Navigating the Annual Meeting for Students & Early Careerists

Read on below for information on upcoming events, deadlines and news for both students and early careerists. Each item will be marked with an S (for student), EC (for early careerist), or both.

Tweet the Meeting (S, EC)
If you’d like to be more involved during the conference and share information with fellow attendees, we’re encouraging attendees to use Twitter to tweet noteworthy sessions, questions, resources, and information on talks you’re presenting.

We have started to compile a list of attendees and if you’d like to be included, just tweet using the #STLE2013 hashtag, or email us your Twitter handle. And stop by the Membership Booth to see our live Twitter wall, where we’ll display #STLE2013 tweets. Don’t forget to follow @STLE_Tribology for news, information and resources direct from STLE!
 
2013 Annual Meeting Networking Event (S, EC)

Click here for more photos from 2012

This year’s Early Careerist Networking Event will be held at Drive – the ping pong social club, on Sunday, May 5, from 7-10 pm. Drive is a quick walk or PeopleMover ride from the Renaissance Center. Admission is FREE for all you students and early careerists and includes a chance to show off your ping pong skills, a drink ticket and sweets, and a great opportunity to network with some of STLE’s well-known members! RSVP to ensure space by April 19. Send your RSVP to Kara Sniegowski at ksniegowski@stle.org, or call us at (847) 825-5536.
[Click here] to visit Drive’s website
[Click here] to get information on the PeopleMover
Like us on Facebook or join our LinkedIn group to receive updates on this event

2 Days Left to Apply for Annual Meeting Housing Award (S)
The Young Tribologists Committee is sponsoring the annual Housing Award for our conference coming up in May. Applications are due March 30, so be sure to get yours in to see if you can get a free hotel stay while at the 2013 Annual Meeting!
[Click here] for details and to apply

Scholarships Available (S)

Our local sections – including Central Illinois and Philadelphia – are currently offering scholarships to students working in the field of lubrication and tribology. Deadlines are April 1 and May 1. Don’t miss your chance – apply today!
[Click here] for details and to apply

Upcoming Webinar Series (S, EC)

Starting this year, we’ll be offering a series of FREE webinars on topics relevant to students and early careerists to help you get ahead in your career. The first webinar has been scheduled, with more topics to come. See below for details and to register. Future topics will include: How to Present Your Work, Successful Grant Writing as well as job-search related topics. If you’d like to make a suggestion, contact Kara Sniegowski.
  • 4/8: Best Practices for Presenting Your Poster | REGISTER
  • 4/15: Getting Published | REGISTER
  • 4/16: Preview/Demo the New Annual Meeting App | REGISTER
To receive information on the webinar series, the networking event, scholarships and awards, you’ll have to mark your interest in your online profile. Simply log in at www.stle.org, click to edit your Demographic information and choose “Early Careerist” as an interest area. You’ll then start receiving information on articles, events and resources catered to you.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

#STLE2013 Education Courses - Register before Early Bird to save!

The Early Bird deadline (April 1) to register for the 2013 STLE Annual Meeting & Exhibition is coming up fast. Be sure to get registered for the meeting, and while you're doing that, be sure to sign up for an education course. It never hurts to sign up for a refresher on a given topic, maintain your certification, get started in a new area that you've been assigned at work, or simply learn more. Courses will be offered on Sunday, May 5, and Wednesday, May 8, 2013. They include:

Sunday, May 5
Wednesday, May 8
[Click here] for more details, or click on the course title for more information on each.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

April Webinar Registration Now Open - EFFs and Test Methods

This month we'll be featuring environmentally friendly fluids and test methods for lubricants. See below for more details on each and to preview upcoming topics.

Challenges in Using Environmentally Friendly Fluids
Date/Time: Thursday, April 11, 2013; 12-1 pm CST (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Dr. Neil Canter, Chemical Solutions
Overview: The purpose of this webinar is to provide information on the challenges in working with environmentally friendly lubricants. As part of this process, the confusion about what is an environmentally friendly lubricant and what is biodegradable is discussed. Two of the key detrimental properties for environmentally friendly lubricants are covered along with some of their main applications. Two government sponsored programs (the US Biopreferred Program and the European Union Eco-Label Program) are reviewed with details provided on what testing is needed to comply with both. Examples are given of guidelines for specific lubricant applications. The webinar will conclude with an assessment of the future of environmentally friendly lubricants.
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (must log in to obtain correct pricing)

Test Methods for Lubricants
Date/Time: Friday, April 19, 2013; 12-1 pm CST (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Ray Thibault, LTC
Overview: This webinar will discuss the various ASTM tests which evaluate lubricant performance. These tests are utilized as predictors of actual field performance of lubricants. It is important to understand these test methods and their correlation to field performance when making lubricant decisions. All the major tests will be discussed with major emphasis on testing procedures, results interpretation, and relevance to field performance. Turbine, hydraulic, and gear oil tests will be examined utilizing sample data sheets from some of the major suppliers. Also, OEM requirements for these various product groups will be presented.After this webinar you will feel more confident in understanding the various performance tests so you can make meaningful comparisons between lubricant suppliers’ products.
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register (must log in to obtain correct pricing)

Upcoming topics:
[Click here] to see all topics booked for 2013 (new events posted as information becomes available)
[Click here] to view online events in our Calendar

Friday, March 8, 2013

5 Minutes With...Juliane Benedet, MechEng PhD Student, Imperial College London

5 Minutes with… 
Juliane, STLE Annual Meeting 2010, Las Vegas
Juliane Benedet, PhD student, Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London

What got you interested in tribology, and where has that interest led you? To support myself through my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering I worked for the National Service for Industrial Training in Brazil, which is a network of nonprofit professional schools and technology centres that have been established and maintained by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry. These institutions provide formal training for specialized workers in the areas of chemistry, mechanics, construction, etc. Having always been interested in research, I found myself surrounded by like minded people who had a strong academic background. They encouraged me to specialise and pursue postgraduate qualifications.

Upon moving to the UK in 2006, I had the opportunity to work on the research and development of additives for both fuels and lubricants and when the opportunity to do a PhD in Tribology presented itself in the end of 2007, I did not think twice. When I first started I was looking forward to learning more about lubrication and lubricants, but given the multidisciplinary nature of this amazing science I have learnt so much more. It has been a great privilege to work alongside chemists, physicists, material scientists, chemical engineers and mechanical engineers in the Tribology group at Imperial College London, which has an outstanding reputation for experimental tribological research.

Can you give us some detail on your current research? Because energy demands are expected to double by 2050, lubricants are required to reduce friction and thus energy consumption, while maintaining reliability; throughout my PhD I have investigated the film-forming, friction and wear-reducing properties of a very wide range of potential, low and zero sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur (SAPS) antiwear additives of different chemical types to replace ZDDP in engine oils and mitigate its deleterious effects, i.e. (i) degradation of exhaust aftertreatment systems, (ii) increase in engine friction, which compromise fuel economy and (iii) corrosive-abrasive wear with soot in diesel engines.

I employed a multi-technique approach, i.e. MTM-SLIM, MTM-Reciprocating, AFM, FIB-SIMS, FIB-TEM, ToF-SIMS and XANES, in order to determine which classes of lubricant additive types are able to form protective boundary films that reduce wear and friction in rubbing contacts. This study benefits designers of the next generation of engine lubricants and also helps us understand at a more fundamental level the various ways that lubricants can control wear in boundary lubrication conditions.

What recommendations would you give to other students and researchers in the field? Although very rewarding, research can also be quite lonesome sometimes, so try to have perseverance, keep a close eye on the details and ask for help or a second opinion.

Tribologists and tribologists-to-be: don’t mind if most people have no idea what Tribology is. There are endless examples of “tribology-at-work” from cars and machines to joint replacements, food and hair products. No matter how much you try to explain, some people will still look puzzled and either say you are brainy or make a few lubrication-related jokes, don’t worry you can always count on your fellow tribologists.

What are some of your favorites?
Tribology/Mechanical Engineering book: Engineering Tribology by Gwidon Stachowiak and Andrew Batchelor
Professor: Professor Hugh Spikes, for his invaluable support, insights and encouragement throughout my PhD.
Website: Tribology ABC http://www.tribology-abc.com/
Interests: Because I am of Italian-Brazilian descent I have inherited a passion for food and cooking so I spend my free time trying new recipes and entertaining my good friends and family.

Biography
Juliane has received her Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering in 2005, from the University of Southern Santa Catarina in Brazil, where she worked for the National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI, 1998-2005) in the investigation, optimization and knowledge transfer of rheological aspects of ceramic suspensions.

She began working in the R&D of additives in 2006 at Infineum UK, where she investigated lubricity and detergency improvers for diesel fuels, afterwards joining Castrol Ltd in 2007 to investigate the thermal stability of lubricating oils. She briefly re-joined Infineum in 2011 as a Power Transmission Fluid Technologist, responsible for proposing technical solutions to fluid related hardware issues.

Currently, she is a PhD student in the Tribology Group of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Imperial College London, where she has investigated the film-forming, friction and wear-reducing properties of a very wide range of alternative low and zero sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur (SAPS) antiwear additives of different chemical types to improve the next generation of engine oils and extend the life of vehicle exhaust aftertreatment systems.