Mid-December
2006
Table
of Contents:
Hampton Roads Section |
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Pacific Northwest Section |
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New England Section |
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Mid-December
2006
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Hampton
Roads Section September 14, 2006 Presented by Mr. David E. Baker, Hunton & Williams On September 14, 2006, Mr. David E. Baker of Hunton & Williams law firm spoke on patent law and trade secrets at the SNAME Hampton Roads Section meeting. This discussion began with a brief talk on the differences, advantages, and downfalls of patents and trade secrets. A company may decide to move in either direction depending on the circumstances of their industry. Companies may also decide to have a patent in a new market in order to have a foothold in that market. While the speaker is involved with patents from all industries, he included several patents created specifically for the Marine Industry: patents on hull forms, shafting, propellers, and complete concept ship designs. Mr. Baker was an excellent and engaged speaker by moving around the stage and giving thoughtful and detailed answers to the questions from the crowd. This discussion unraveled the mysteries behind patents and the nuances to receiving patents. Mr. David E. Baker is an intellectual property specialist at the Richmond-based law firm of Hunton & Williams. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University in 1981, his MBA from the University of North Alabama in 1994 and his Juris Doctor from the William and Mary School of Law in 1998. In his previous life, he spent twelve years as an engineer in the solid rocket industry, working on such programs as the Space Shuttle, Peacekeeper ICBM and Trident II SLBM.
October
19, 2006 “Programmatic
and Acquisition Challenges of the Advanced Seal Delivery System” On
October 19, 2006, Mr. Dennis Gallimore of Northrop Grumman Newport News
presented on the programmatic challenges of the Advanced Seal Delivery
System (ASDS), at the SNAME Hampton Roads Section Meeting. Currently,
Mr. Gallimore is responsible for a team of experts throughout Northrop
Grumman, who are charged with reviewing and resolving critical technical
aspects of the ASDS – design, testing, operation, and maintenance.
This team is focused on improving the vehicle’s reliability and
restoring the confidence of its highly trained operators. After a brief
review of the vehicle and it’s program history, Mr. Gallimore discussed
some of the key issues that consistently plagued the design, construction,
and operation of the submersible. The audience was shown that a performance-based
acquisition strategy requires a thorough knowledge and understanding of
the product and its use by both the contractor and the customer, and that
there is no substitute for rigorous testing. November
9, 2006 On November 9, 2006, the SNAME Hampton Roads Section held a meeting where Captain Kevin Dale spoke about the U.S. Coast Guard’s enhanced role in port security following the events of September 11, 2001. Prior to retiring from active duty in the Coast Guard, Captain Dale served as the Chief of the Office of Vessel and Port Security. There, he was responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of regulations mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002. He discussed the importance of the provisions of the MTSA in the Coast Guard’s renewed Port, Waterways, and Security mission. All of the legislation, requirements, and programs that have been developed seek to enhance the mission’s goal of creating and maintaining an effective maritime security regime in the coastal waters of the United States. Captain Dale also addressed the perpetual problem that the need for Coast Guard capability is limitless and that one key goal is to share security responsibilities with the private sector and their facilities, in addition to regulation. Making security a standard part of commercial practices is imperative to true success. Not once did Captain Dale admit to a trade-off of Coast Guard responsibilities – highlighting that this enhanced mission is just part of the many varied responsibilities for the men and women that protect our shores.
Pacific
Northwest Section November 3, 2006 The November 3, 2006 SNAME PNW meeting was held at the BC Ocean Engineering Centre (OEC) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). There were 63 attendees for the dinner and presentation, with quite a few members making the long trip north from Seattle, WA. Social hour started at 5:30 p.m. with an interesting tour of the towing tank and detailed explanation of the tank and all machinery involved. The tour was followed by an excellent dinner. At 7:30 p.m. Pacific Northwest (PNW) section chairman Mr. Brig Henry introduced the guest speakers: Mr. Gary Novaleski, Jon Mikkelsen, Dr. Sander Calisal, and Mr. George Roddan. Mr. Gary Novaleski, was the first to present, with a historic presentation about the towing tank and the Ocean Engineering Centre facility, and it’s involvement in various projects since its start in 1976. The projects, that the facility handled, included various designs ranging from: yachts, tugs, barges, small ferries, jet foils, articulated tug-and-barge units (ATB’s), and optimization for various ship’s bulbous bows etc. Afterwards, Jon Mikkelsen, Senior Instructor in the Mechanical Engineering Department of University of British Columbia presented on the educational role of the Ocean Engineering Centre and the center’s vital role in the various naval architecture courses taught at UBC since the late 1970’s. Mr. Mikkelsen described how students benefit from the hands on experience they receive conducting labs at the Ocean Engineering Centre, and how the facility is used in their research projects, at the undergraduate and graduate level. In summary the towing tank facility has been an important part of the education of many naval architects and ocean engineers working today in the industry on the West coast and throughout North America.
Following
Jon Mikkelsen’s presentation, Dr. Sander Calisal, retired Professor
at the University of British Columbia Department of Mechanical Engineering,
presented an overview of the research activities carried out at UBC in
the fields of naval architecture and ocean engineering. Dr. Calisal described
how UBC and the marine industry together benefit from research work carried
at the Ocean Engineering Centre. This work was accomplished as a collaborate
effort of between research engineers, M.A.Sc. candidates, and PhD candidates.
As a result, this work benefited many national and international groups
in the research community. Dr. Calsial’s presentation detailed various
projects, many of which are on vessels that operate on the west coast
today, including some well known small ferries, offshore structures, and
coastal tankers. At the end of the presentations, Prof. Mikkelsen read a letter that was sent from Dr. Michael Isaacson, Dean of Applied Science at UBC. The letter was a surprise to most members, as it described the uncertain future of the towing tank facility and Ocean Engineering Centre and, perhaps most surprising to everyone, the uncertain future of the naval architecture program at UBC. The evening concluded with a lively discussion regarding what can be done to support the towing tank facility. Mr. Dan McGreer offered to be a point contact for marine industry working group that will be working to gather support for saving the facility and the naval architecture program at UBC.
New
England Section September 16, 2006 After two joint sessions with the Northern New England Section of ASNE This was our first SNAME New England Section “solo” meeting of the year. Once again, we had good student attendance, primarily from the Coast Guard Academy, and one enthusiastic student from the University of Rhode Island, attending his first SNAME event. Our presenters, Mr. Dave Bonney of Bay Marine, Inc., and Mr. Ray Fischer of Noise Control Engineering, presented on the design, construction, and sea trials of the R/V SHARP, a general purpose oceanographic research vessel built for the University of Delaware. There was an insightful comparison of how the vessel had several “big boat” features, while retaining the look and operational feel of a small boat. The discussion included how they were able to influence the design requirements to allow displacement and cost constraints to be met, while still producing a vessel with the capabilities the customer desired. They showed how the vessel was designed to meet or exceed ICES standards for reduced radiated noise levels to allow fisheries research, how the sound trial was conducted and the data used to validate achieving the design goals. At the conclusion of their presentation, we presented both speakers with handsome SNAME emblem coffee mugs. |
