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May 16, 2008
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Elaine Vaught, Textron’s director of global engineering services, kicked off the 10th Annual Textron Technology Forum in Fort Worth, which was attended by 160 engineers. |
For engineers from across Textron, the Textron Technology Forum has become a valuable opportunity to meet colleagues and share new ideas and concepts. And the Technology Forum, which celebrated its 10th anniversary when it was held May 7-9 in Fort Worth, Texas, continues to grow.
Its success is reflected in the numbers. There were 160 engineers in attendance this year, which is double the size of last year’s event. And the 46 papers presented by Textron engineers at sessions over the course of the three-day forum represented a significant increase over the previous year. Of those 46 papers, 19 were presented by Ph.D.s.
Elaine Vaught, Textron’s director of global engineering services and the conference chair, noted an increasing amount of collaboration among engineers. “Last year there were one or two opportunities for real “a-ha” moments where technology could be shared. This year it was more like 10 or 15,” she said. “The tenth year for the Technology Forum was the year for this to really catch on.”
Dr. Sally Ride, a former NASA astronaut and the first American woman in space, kicked off the forum. Ride, who is the president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, is dedicated to supporting the interest of young people in science, math and technology and her keynote address “Reach for the Stars!” reflected this passion.
Dr. Brian Wardle, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT and the director of its Nano-Engineered Composite Aerospace Structures (NECST) Consortium, was the guest speaker on the forum’s second day.
Papers presented by Textron engineers at sessions over the course of three days addressed such issues as networked enterprises, testing, engineering technology, design technology, manufacturing technology and systems & technology.
The forum was notable not just for the guest speakers and the papers that were presented, but for the informal collaboration that took place before and after the sessions. Whether it was over coffee or at lunch, engineers, many of whom had never met one another, forged new relationships and added to the Networked Enterprise.
“Networking together allows people to know what is happening, where it may be happening and how they can get involved and engaged in the process,” says Ken Bohlen, Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer.
Harish Chachadi, an electrical design engineer at the Textron Global Technology Center in Banglaore, India, works on projects virtually with Cessna engineers. Being at the forum gave him exposure to a wider range of engineering issues within Textron. “I get face to face interaction,” he says. “It’s given me a broader view of what Textron doing and how we can help out in the future. That’s a good thing for us to come over here and understand what Textron does.”
Vaught says the forum also serves as a way to connect younger engineers with more experienced colleagues across the company. This is especially important at a time when demand for talented engineers continues to grow.
“We have to be able to engage and retain young engineers as they develop in their careers,” she said. “This gives them the perfect opportunity to come in and see the exciting work that is happening and look for opportunities within Textron.”
Christos Bais, a Bell engineer in his mid-20s, presented a paper at the forum on an internal design competition at Bell that he and other young engineers initiated this year. The opportunity for young professionals like himself to attend the forum and present a paper is a big selling point for those coming out of engineering school.
“It’s something for them to aspire to,” he says. “If they get involved in research, after maybe a year or two or even right out of the gate if they have a great research project that goes to fruition, this would be an excellent place to showcase it. It’s also an excellent place to come and learn about other avenues and challenges faced by other business units and then take them back to their own projects.”
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