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Minutes for HRASNT Meeting 28 September 2010, Annual Kick-off Meeting
Location: Bill’s Seafood Restaurant, Newport News, Va.
Time: 6:30PM
Attendance: 15 persons
Program:
Meeting called to order by Chairman Ches Weeks.
· All in attendance welcomed.
· Itinerary for the 2010-2011 HRASNT was reviewed per the agenda.
· Financial Report was given by Treasurer Dave Finke. A short review of anticipated revenue from future education events followed.
· Membership Report was summarized by Chairman Weeks.
· Chairman Weeks discussed summer Board meeting discussions including fundraising events such as a TNT / newsletter, an electronic yearbook and method education classes.
· Bill Via, Regional representative from Old Dominion section spoke concerning some negative trends in legislative actions making onerous background checks in the radiography arena.
· Guest speaker Ricky Morgan, incoming ASNT National President presented his vision for the association called “ASNT 2020”. Questions from the membership centered around exit surveys for education events, visual testing, refresher training for visual testing and outreach through high school career fairs.
· Meeting adjourned: 8:15PM
October 2010
Location: Home of HRS ASNT Member Larry and Tracy Wedel Hampton Virginia
Time: 2:30PM
Attendance: 18 Persons
Program: In October we enjoyed a Membership Drive Cookout! This cookout was a nice way to enter the winter months. Grilled chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fix'ins were served with other various delicious sides. The Hampton Roads Section members enjoyed playing horse shoes, and cornhole in the back yard. A great time was had by all and this was a great time of fellowship!
November 2010
Location: Lillian's Seafood Restaraurant
Time: 6:00PM
Attendance: 22 persons
Program: In November the Hampton Roads Section of ASNT met at Lillian's Seafood Restaurant for an exciting meeting presented by NASA Langley's engineer Bruce Gudorf. The group enjoyed a delicious seafood and soul food buffet for dinner. Bruce presented an animated talk on recent discoveries in the solar system beginning from our sun expanding to other galaxies. We discussed the physical characteristics of all of the planets in our solar system, how those physical characteristics came about, and what technologies NASA is using to make other discoveries in our solar system and beyond.
December 2010
Location: Peking International Restaurant, Hampton VA.
Time: 6:00PM
Attendance: 16 persons
Program: In December the Hampton Roads Section of ASNT had their annual Toys for Tots drive! Sixteen members and guests met at Peking International restaurant in Hampton, and brought gifts for the less fortunate children of the community. After a short introduction and welcome by Chairman Ches Weeks the group spent the evening socializing and spending time together. It was a great evening that supported a great cause.
January 2011
Location: Peking International Restaurant, Hampton VA.
Time: 6:00PM
Attendance: 23 persons
Program: I want to thank all of you who came out to participate in our January ASNT plant tour of NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton Va. last month! For those of you who were unable to attend I just wanted to provide you with a recap of the event. Twenty four members and guests started out by meeting in the main parking lot of the Hampton NASA Langley campus. From there we boarded a bus and headed to the research aircraft hangar. The aircraft hangar was a massive space that we were lead through in two groups by NASA's chief pilot and chief engineer. The guides provided the groups with colorful commentary, facts, and information about the history of NASA aviation and the hangar itself. Next, group one went to the National Transonic Facility (NTF), one of NASA's functional wind tunnels where they perform scale model testing at extreme subfreezing temperatures. The tour guide provided the group with a chance to enter the research laboratories and see one of the models that was being assembled at that time. We then headed upstairs to the main control center for the wind tunnel and learned about how the engineer team controls the variables for testing in the facility. Before we left the NTF, we were able to get an up close tour of the massive pressure vessel and the axillary systems used to create the environment necessary for the precision testing that takes place there. At the last stop of the tour, group one went to the Impact and Landing facility on the NASA campus which is home to the gigantic gantry crane that can be seen from miles away. The group headed inside and saw a video that showcased some of the amazing impact testing that has taken place at the facility. It has been used to test everything from airbags to space shuttle hulls. We ended the tour outside where we were able to observe the huge crane and the recently installed impact pool designed to test the new Orion shuttle landing system. The tour was a lot of fun and really informative.
February 2011
Location: The Mariners Museum & Mike's Place Irish Pub and Restaurant in Newport News, Virginia
Time: 5:00PM
Attendance: 26 Persons
Program: This month we had a dual part meeting. We stared out at the Mariner's Museum, and went on an exclusive tour of the conservation facilities at the museum. We were able to see some of the actual pieces of the historic USS Monitor as they are being conserved at the museum. Our host Eric Nordgren provided us with a great narration during the tour outlining the difficulties of such a large conservation effort. We were able to see their X-ray facility and check out some of the advanced CR equipment that is being utilized to help guide the conservators as to what needs to be removed from the outside of the priceless pieces, and how the parts are assembled so that they can accurately be reassembled once taken apart for cleaning. After that we met at the local Irish Pub Mike's Place and enjoyed a delicious dinner and a presentation by Nordgren about the extent of renovation that has taken place on the USS Monitor and what is yet to come. This was a great meeting that was well attended!
March 2011
Location: Peking International Restaurant
Time: 6:00PM
Attendance: 27
Program: This month we had renowned physicist Anne-Marie Valente Feliciano from Jefferson Laboratories present a technical talk on the project that she is currently working at J-Lab: “Niobium Superconductors”. Anne-Marie provided an interesting talk focused on the molecular properties of materials, the laws of physics and how the two interact. Anne-Marie has worked at CERN, The European Organization for Nuclear Research, home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and she currently performs research at Jefferson Labs in Newport News, Virginia. She was a brilliant individual! Everyone enjoyed the buffet and had a great time fellowshipping with one another.
April 2011
Location: Rocco's Smokehouse Grille
Time: 6:00PM
Attendance: 21
Program: This month we enjoyed a joint meeting with the Old Dominion Section out of Richmond, Virginia. Our Hampton Roads members met the Old Dominion Section members half way between the groups at Rocco's Smokehouse Grille in Williamsburg, Virginia. Newport News Shipbuilding's Director of Non-Nuclear Quality, Ron Murray presented a lively and interesting discussion titled "Who We Are and What We Do". With the news that Newport News Shipbuilding was spun-off at the end of March, many in the NDT community and abroad were wondering what role quality control will play in Newport News Shipbuilding’s business. A large focus on quality was placed at the forefront of Northrop Grumman’s mission, but will that continue? Mr. Murray discussed the unique role of Newport News Shipbuilding in the past, present, and future. He also explained what impact the spin-off will have on NNS’s quality programs, and what quality strategies they have developed to ensure that the highest level of quality is met.