Technical Activities Committee
TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
Pasadena, CA
1 September 2015
0930-1600 hrs.
Minutes
Attending: David Riley, Nancy Andersen, Joaquin Castro, David Dress, Thomas Duerr, Jeff Hamstra,
Peter Hartwich, Basil Hassan, Wayne Hurwitz, Jim Keenan, Ron Kohl, Jeff Laube, David McGrath,
Mark Melanson, Achille Messac, Peter Montgomery, Shamim Rahman, Jim Rankin, Mark Whorton,
Peggy Hayes, Betty Guillie, Tom Irvine, Megan Scheidt
Guests: Karen Rosenblum, Sandy Magnus, Ann Ames, Tim Hinerman
1.
Opening Remarks – Tom Duerr opened the meeting for David Riley, who was at the Finance
Committee meeting.
2.
Approval of Minutes – All – A motion was made to approve the minutes from the 6 May 2015
TAC meeting. The motion was seconded and approved.
3.
Staff Report - Betty Guillie – Attachment 1 – The presentation includes the actual full paid
numbers for the Hypersonics Conference along with the AVIATION and P&E 2015 Forums. The
presentation also includes some of the highlights from the events.
4.
Regional Reports
Region III - Robert Bruckner – not attending
Region V - James Casler – not attending
Region VI - Jeff Laube – Attachment 2 – The presentation includes the membership health and
status along with an update on the section awards. There are 4 sections with a decline in membership –
Antelope Valley, China Lake, Point Lobos and Utah. The presentation also provides some highlights
from the sections. Improvement is needed concerning the participation of the sections with the
Congressional Visits Day. Region VI is made up of 9 states but only two (California and Arizona) were
represented. The 4th Annual California Aerospace Week took place in Sacramento, CA on 23-24 March
2015. Region VI has 34 student branches. The presentation includes the list of the universities.
5.
Liaison Reports
Membership/RSAC - George Lesieutre – not attending but sent in presentation – Attachment 3 –
The presentation covers RSAC/Membership and ways a member can engage in the Institute.
Young Professionals - Greg Johnston – Attachment 4 – Tim Hinerman (YPC BoD Liaison) gave
the presentation since Greg could not attend. The current membership for the committee is at 21. The
committee recently restructured which resulted in a better alignment with AIAA and the YPs. The YPC
is made up of 4 teams: AIAA Strategy Team, Development Team, Engagement Team, and Networking
Team. The presentation goes into detail with what each team does.
Corporate - Joaquin Castro – The CMC is currently under the leadership of Al Romig and Julie
Van Kleeck. The CMACs that were formed when the Forums were first started have been dissolved.
Technical Activities Committee
There were issues with roles and responsibilities. There is basically now one large CMAC that will play
a strategic role by having a representative on the Executive Committee of the Forums.
Standards - Ron Kohl – Attachment 5 – The first draft of the “Occupant Imparted Loads”
standard coming out of the Commercial Space Federation (CSF) is expected later this year. There is a
campaign to collect informal practices for Standards. For example: best practices, lessons learned,
guidelines, collections of related technical papers. The SEC is currently developing new material to
share with the TC/PCs to indicate opportunities for new products. The SEC formed the International
Standards Advisory Board (ISAB) to advise them on international standards.
6.
Staff Topics - Megan Scheidt/Tom Irvine – Megan and Tom have several topics to go over.
Please see the individual presentation for more details.
a. Cosponsor Conferences – Attachment 6 - A working group was formed in January 2015 to
study co-sponsorship and make a recommendation on strategy/policy per the Institute Development
Committee (IDC). The working group agreed on the following tenets: be selective about co-sponsorship,
align with strategic plan, AIAA adds/gains value/prominence from co-sponsorship, not just use of logo,
and define and uphold the AIAA brand. The working group has drafted a charter, developed forms,
conducted test cases, and defined how co-sponsored events will be promoted to the AIAA community.
There are 4 steps to the process: proposal submission, staff assessment, CRC review and decision, and
response to organizing entity. The process was briefed to the IDC and the Board of Directors at the
September meetings. The new process was endorsed by the Board of Directors, contingent on some
adjustments to the proposed approach. The new process will be put in place in the fall of 2015.
b. ScholarOne Update – Megan Scheidt provided TAC an update on the year-long assessment
of alternative systems to Thomson Reuter’s ScholarOne Abstracts (S1A). The assessment was in
response to concerns with S1A expressed by some members involved in organizing technical
conferences. The assessment was an intensive evaluation of the user interface and also of the
requirements and functionality required from a business perspective. As a result of the assessment, the
decision was made to stay with S1A and continue to work with Thomson Reuters to make improvements
to the system to better serve our conference organizers. Please see the article in the September 2015
TAC newsletter for more information about this assessment.
c. Forum Update – Attachment 7 - This presentation provides the dates and locations for
confirmed locations of out-year Forums. . It was mentioned that if you have suggestions for further
locations of the DEFENSE Forum, please send to Megan. The consensus is to try to determine the
location of 2017 prior to the 2016 event. It was suggested to create a database of potential locations for
when we outgrow the Applied Physics Laboratory, the forum’s current venue.
The presentation includes a chart on the new Forum Organizing Structure. One of the changes is that
input from various areas of the Institute (IAC, PPC, CMC, etc.) will be filtered through the Forum 360
Chair. Information concerning other AIAA events (not meeting at upcoming forums) can also be found
in the presentation. They are ICSSC, Aeroacoustics and the International Space Planes and Hypersonic
Systems and Technologies Conference. Megan also mentioned that AIAA is planning to bid on the
International Astronautical Congress 2019. A formal letter of intent will be provided to the International
Astronautical Federation (IAF) on 1 February 2016. A decision will be made by IAF by 30 September
2016
ACTION ITEM: Send suggestions for possible future locations of the DEFENSE Forum to Megan
Scheidt at megans@aiaa.org. Please note that the venue needs to be able to hold classified sessions and
be able to accommodate a minimum of 450 people in plenary session.
Technical Activities Committee
d. Retiree Rate – Attachment 8 – Megan had to leave the TAC meeting so Tom Irvine took over
the presentations. In 2014, AIAA stopped subsidizing the retiree rate at conferences but continued to
subsidize the undergraduate student rate. There has been a noticeable and steady decrease in number of
retiree registrations since the rate increase. The current retiree rate package for forums includes all
catered events except the awards luncheon and does not include proceedings. A question was asked
about providing proceedings to retirees. The majority in the group thought they should receive them. As
a result of the discussion, there will be an assessment of the retiree rate and package to determine what
adjustments should be made.
A motion was made: TAC recommends that retirees be provided proceedings for as part of their
registration fee. Staff will look at the financial costs of doing this. Possibly implement for FY16 and if
possible, FY15. The motion was seconded and passed.
ACTION ITEM: AIAA staff to assess the financial costs of including proceedings in the retiree rate. If
the marginal cost of doing so is negligible, staff will implement retirees receiving proceedings going
forward. If marginal costs are prohibitive, staff will not implement this and will provide that
information and rationale back to TAC.
e. Continuing Education – Attachment 9 – Currently continuing education includes: courses at
conferences, onsite (at facility), home study and TC-organized workshops. The TC-organized
workshops are generally well attended. The TC receives a $10.00 per registrant back to them. However,
the courses are struggling. The number of courses at conferences and course attendance has been
declining. A number of TCs are assessing their courses to improve results. The Career and Professional
Development Committee (CPDC) wants to work with TAC to address issues and determine the path
forward. It is recommended by the CPDC that a small ad hoc group of TC members work with staff to
discuss options and develop recommendations. It was suggested to have a brainstorming session during
SciTech 2016 to get feedback.
ACTION ITEM: Megan will solicit names of TC members from the group directors to work with
CPDC on recommendations for improving the onsite courses.
ACTION ITEM: Megan to schedule brainstorming session about course content, delivery, and
marketing during SciTech 2016.
7.
AIAA Update - Sandy Magnus – Sandy provided an update on the search for an IT director. She
said they want to take a good look at what requirements are needed and make sure the incoming director
has those skills. AIAA is also looking to add another staff person in the Content Development area.
8.
Financial Update - Karen Rosenblum – Attachment 10 – Karen’s presentation includes the YTD
July FY15 financial results. Both revenue and expenses are better than budget. Journal and Technical
Paper Archive sales remain strong, SciTech and AVIATION Forum revenue better than budget, NACA
100th Anniversary provided unbudgeted financial boost and Aerospace America Advertising revenue is
up. Karen reported that the FY16 budget was approved by the Finance Committee and would be
presented/approved at the Board of Directors meeting this week. TAC Funding is back in the budget for
TAC.
Technical Activities Committee
9.
Group Directors’ Reports
Information Systems - James Rankin – Attachment 11 – Jim’s presentation includes the goals for
the Information Systems Group along with some recent accomplishments. Infotech@Aerospace was part
of SciTech 2015 and many of the TCs within the group participated at SPACE 2015. The presentation
includes a short status on each committee in the group. Three are very active, three are active, and one is
struggling. Some of the items the group plans to focus on in the future: continue to strenghten I@A,
have visible ISG participation at the Forums, and continute to work with the chairs of the TCs that are
struggling or need to grow. Jim’s presentation also includes an update on the Aerospace Cybersecurity
Working Group (ACWG).
Propulsion and Energy - Jeff Hamstra – Attachment 12 – Jeff’s presentation includes the PEG
organization update, some highlights within the group, 2015 P&E Forum summary and feedback, 2016
and beyond Forum planning, TC chair roundtable, and an Aircraft Electric Propulsion update. The status
of the 2014 PEG Initiatives is also included in the presentation. Concerning the feedback from the 2015
P&E Forum, it was more positive than in 2014 with many saying the “Conference was excellent!”
Some notable complaints: retiree registration fee, inadequate government rate rooms, “Energy” content
missing from plenary sessions. The presentation includes a chart from the group meeting/TC chair
roundtable that lists the 15 top topics/ideas. The categories are success or best practice, problem we can
fix, opportunity, or roadblock. One of the continuing challenges is ITAR session strategy. AVIATION
2016 will have a separate call for papers for the ITAR papers. They are planning to have one person
from each TC (government person) on an ITAR committee that will look at the papers. Some
suggestions concerning marketing: target past AIAA members about new things, i.e. ITAR sessions;
also reach out to non-AIAA constituents.
ACTION ITEM: AIAA staff will re-evaluate the number of staff currently working on ITAR and reconstitute an ITAR focus team to address the strategy and approach of ITAR sessions at all Forums.
10.
Subcommittee Reports
New Initiatives - Jeff Laube – Attachment 13 – Jeff’s presentation provides an update on the next
issue of the TAC Newsletter which is due out in September/October 2015. It also includes a status report
of the suggestions from the 2015 TAC Workshop. Jeff provided an update on the investigation into
whether there is sufficient interest and motivation to see peer-review status for AIAA conference papers.
A survey was sent to academic department heads in the spring and only 4 people responded. The
presentation includes the questions and responses. Based on the responses, the conclusion is - lack of
response indicates this isn’t a big deal to the department heads, there was no consensus in the responses,
and not worth the upheaval and increased workload to peer review conference papers. The most
important outcome was – why don’t we fast track good papers for journals like we used to? NIS could
be tasked in the future to look at conference meeting teleconnectivity.
ACTION ITEM: NIS to investigate and propose AV guidelines for TC/PC/TAC meetings
Honors & Awards - Basil Hassan – Attachment 14 – Basil’s slides include the award health
status, award changes, and information about a new award. The Survivability Award will not be
presented in 2016 because of too few nominations. Future discussions are needed by TAC concerning
the two Missile Sciences Awards.
Technical Activities Committee
ACTION ITEM: Peter Montgomery will provide Basil with a point of contact concerning the Missile
Sciences Award. A presentation will need to be completed to submit to the Honors and Awards
Committee if they want to combine the awards.
The Aerodynamics Measurement Technology Award was approved to move to an odd year schedule
instead of an even year schedule. They will present the award in June 2016, again in June 2017 and then
move to a biennial odd year schedule. TAC and HAC both approved the Integrated Computational
Materials Engineering Prize (ICME) sponsored by the Materials TC. The Microgravity and Space
Processes TC would like to permanently change the venue of presentation of their award from the
SPACE Forum to the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research Annual Meeting. In 2013
and 2015, TAC and HAC approved one time venue changes. TAC will revisit this at the January
meeting.
Public Policy - Joaquin Castro – Joaquin reported on the reorganization of the PPC. They have
divided into 6 areas with working groups for each. They are: Key Issues Development, Congressional
Visits Day, Forum Integration, State Advocacy, Engagement Activities, and Honors and Awards.
11. Program Committee Update - Mark Melanson – Attachments 15 and 16 – Mark reported that all of
the PC reviews are complete. They are now working on feedback sessions with each PC. The Space
Station PC is not viable and has not shown any progress on revitalization. The Aerospace Traffic
Management PC has shown improvement. Mark’s presentation includes a one page annual report he is
going to try out this next cycle.
Attachment 16 is the proposed changes to AIAA Bylaws, TAC Charter and Chair Manual. The goal is to
have all three documents be consistent in the wording. On slide 3, there is a final draft of a Bylaw
change proposal:
5.5 …The Chairperson of each Technical Committee shall serve up to two years. Members of Technical
Committees shall serve one year terms with an expectation of three consecutive years of service. The
membership of any Technical Committee shall be limited to a maximum of 35 regular members and a
total of 50 including associate, international, and alumni members. Any deviations from these rules
require approval by the cognizant Technical Activities Group Director.
The changes are noted in red. A motion was made to accept these changes. The motion was seconded
and approved. The next step is to provide it to the Board of Directors for approval.
ACTION ITEM: Membership bylaw update, briefed by Mark Melanson, to be brought to the Board in
January
12. VP Topic - David Riley - David mentioned the TAC Funding was approved for FY16. The
distribution will be decided and communicated to the directors. The submittal form that was used
previously will be updated and distributed. David also mentioned that Susan Frost, chair of the
Diversity Working Group spoke at TAC Executive. TAC does not have a diversity plan. Achille Messac
and Jeff Hamstra volunteered to create one.
ACTION ITEM: Achille Messac and Jeff Hamstra will create a diversity plan for TAC.
Technical Activities Committee
13. Broken Sword Award - Tom Irvine – Tom presented the award to Tom Duerr for his remark at the
very beginning of the meeting – “Dave’s not here, so we’ll save some time!”
14.
Adjourn – A motion was made to adjourn. It was seconded and passed.