Things to Do in The "D" (Detroit)

Getting some perspectives from STLE staff and members, here are some suggested attractions and restaurants, if you're planning your trip to join us next week. And don't forget that Detroit has an easy way to get around the city - the PeopleMover. The weather should be in the mid-high 60s all week, so be sure to pack for that, and remember to wear layers while you're attending the conference - conference centers and big hotels have a tendency to run cold.

Don Smolenski: Don loves the water, and as such, recommends you check out the Detroit Riverfront, along Lake St. Clair. He also recommends the following restaurants: Sinbad's Restaurant, Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen, Mike's on the Water, Rojo Mexican Bistro, Brownie's on the Lake and The Rattlesnake Club. The river walk is also quite nice for running or biking. There are a few shops, and this area has the largest concentration of boats in fresh water. It's a great place to take a break - get away, go for a walk and while you're there, take in the water, the boats, and the beautiful mansions along the lake shore. "Lake Clair is one of the reasons I love living in Detroit. It's not as intimidating as Lake Erie or Michigan, but you can still see water for miles."

Charlie Paxton: The Henry Ford Museum is a little far from the meeting location, but it's always good. And, if you make the trip, you can also visit the largest IMAX theater in the state of Michigan. Charlie, as part of the Detroit Section, helped set up a tour of the GM Plant that produced the Volt (the tour filled up within a short couple of days!). Thanks to the Detroit Section, those attending get free transportation.

Rachel Colbert: says that there are some great lakes and parks in Detroit (Ash Park is closest to the hotel), and she also recommends Greektown and the Ford Museum.

Tracy VanEe: This Detroit-native STLE staff member recommends The Fox Theater (historic and very ornate), which is next to Hockeytown - lots of Red Wings nostalgia to be found here.

Attractions: Motown Museum, Heidelberg Project, The Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit Zoo, Comerica Park for a Tigers game, and Cobo Hall or the Joe Louis Arena (if you check the concert schedule, you might catch one of Detroit's locals - Bob Seger, Kid Rock or Eminem).

Restaurant favorites: Elwood Bar & Grill and the Detroit Beer Co.are around Comerica Park. For upscale dining, try the Rattlesnake Club. For less-than-upscale, try The Coney Island Challenge - Lafayette and American Coney Islands -they're located next to each other and make a show over luring customers into one diner over the other. Old Shillelagh's is a fun Irish pub - they have live music and it's always fun and festive. In addition to Greektown, there is Mexican Town, with a string of Mexican restaurants. My favorite is Xochimilco's (pronounced Soshimoko's), which has great fare.

If you're bringing family, or are just interested in a charming town, try Birmingham (about 5 miles away from Detroit) - it has lots of nice shops and dining.

If you want to go outside of Detroit, visit Dearborn for the Henry Ford Museum, Automotive Hall of Fame, and the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant to see where they make the F150. In addition, try Greenfield Village (historical town, mini-Williamsburg).

Or, try the two Big 10 University towns - East Lansing and Ann Arbor. They're within an hour's drive of Detroit and are great places to visit.
Don't forget to take a look at the Visit Detroit website (look at the Downtown Detroit area), and local attractions on the Marriott's website.

What will you be visiting or doing while in Detroit? Respond in the comments below, send me an email to be included in this post (to ksniegowski@stle.org), or your tweet activities (using hashtag #STLE2013)!

And Visit Detroit has some great videos, including this one, on Downtown Detroit.

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)
  
  

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.

#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

• An Introduction to Corrosion (co-hosted with ASM International)* NEW!
• BioFuels and Lubes
• Basic Lubrication 101: Lubrication Fundamentals
• Condition Monitoring 301: CM in the 21st Century
• Metalworking 105: Metal Forming Fluids
• Grease and its Lubrication in Rolling Element Bearings (co-hosted with ABMA)* NEW!
• Synthetic Lubricants 203: Non-Petroleum Fluids & Their Uses

Wednesday, May 8

• Advanced Lubrication 301
• Automotive Lubrication 201: Gasoline - NEW!
• Basic Lubrication 102: Basic Applications
• Hydraulics 101: Basic Fluids & Applications
• Metalworking 250: Understanding & Controlling Metal Removal Fluid Failure

[Click here] for more details, or click on the course title for more information on each.

Surviving a Conference: Essential Tools You Must Have!

Whether you're attending the upcoming #IJTC2012, or you're planning on attending #STLE2013 in Detroit, MI, here are some great tools that could come in handy as you walk around the show or prepare for your trip:

• TaxiMagic: a travel app to help you get from the conference to the airport and back
• GroupMe: free group text messaging - use with co-workers or colleagues on site to coordinate plans
• Evernote: take notes and share with others at the conference (if you're into sharing)
• Cardmunch: iPhone app that allows you to scan a card on the spot, connect with that person on LinkedIn and make notes about the conversation and when/where you met them. You can also send emails to the contact from the app and forward the contact to your other accounts or to someone else.
• #IJTC2012 and #STLE2013: use the Twitter hashtag to keep up with the conference - including sessions you cannot attend, connecting with other attendees and making your own comments/notes for post-conference use. If following, use a social media management/monitoring tool to keep up with discussions and tweetable tidbits (i.e. Tweetchat, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, etc.); you can also use Storify to organize all the relevant items mentioned about the conference that you've found on social media
• Flickr: share photos in real time on STLE's photo stream either by uploading your own photos or by tagging yourself and friends in the photos we post. You could use any photo-sharing site - another popular site is Picasa. If you want it on the go, you can use Instagram.

If this is your first time attending, see our tips to help you acclimate. Once the event is over, be sure to check out our upcoming post on what to do after the conference.

What are your tips, tricks and best practices for attending a conference? What apps, tools, resources or websites would you recommend for the upcoming meeting? Leave a comment and make suggestions for your fellow travelers!