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TN Valley Robotics has a busy January to kick off the new year.

FLL (FIRST Lego League) Qualifiers: 

Jan 13, Dalton GA, Career Academy

Jan 20, Dahlonega, GA Lumpkin Middle School

Jan 27, Adairsville, GA Bartow Middle School

VEX IQ

Jan 13, Flintstone, GA, Chattanooga Valley Middle School

Jan 13, Knoxville, TN, Bearden Middle School

Jan 23, Chattanooga, TN, OLPH

More updates to come.

Visit TNVR site for updates and details - https://www.tnvrobotics.org/

Position Summary

Assistant/Associate/Professor of Engineering (level commensurate with experience) to begin in the fall semester 2024.  The position requires academic excellence in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service with an emphasis on teaching.  The successful candidate will teach a broad range of engineering courses.  Bryan College currently offers an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) degree with Options in Mechanical, Civil, Biology, Computing, Chemistry, and Engineering Management.  The Vogel School of Engineering opened in the fall of 2018 and currently has 65 students.  Enrollment is projected to continue to increase yearly as the program develops.  State-of-the-art classroom and laboratory facilities have recently been constructed.

Education Required

• An earned graduate degree [doctorate preferred] in Engineering or closely related fields.  All disciplines will be considered, but preference will be given to mechanical or civil engineering.

For additional details and to apply, please visit the website.

Established in 1990, the Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge is a residential, hands-on learning experience for Appalachia’s middle and high school students, as well as high school teachers in STEM-related fields.

Hosted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this program is a gateway to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in the Appalachian Region. Many participants come from economically distressed counties and often gain their first exposure to applied science and STEM education through this experience.

All participants work with award-winning scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the largest U.S. Department of Energy research facilities in the United States.

High school and middle school students conduct guided group science, math, and computer science technology research projects, while high school teachers work with science practitioners to develop STEM-related curriculum. The program culminates in a graduation ceremony where participants showcase their work.

Visit here for more information and to apply.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Engineering Manager establishes and directs a technical engineering team to define, develop, and design new product lines from concept to full production as well as expand existing product lines for the forestry and recycling markets ensuring customer technical and cost requirement satisfaction. As a member of the Leadership Team, the Engineering Manager will develop cost effective and product improvement strategies for existing products and provide leadership and mentoring to the Engineering Department and site staff.

Key Deliverables

• Propose and manage budgets for projects.
• Research and develop designs and products.
• Provide clear and concise instructions to engineering teams.
• Ensure that final machines designs are cost-effective and meets requirements.
• Supports the sales department with product applications.

Key Activities & Responsibilities

• Directs a team of engineers and designers of which may include several subordinate supervisors or team leaders, some of whom are in a position comparable to Senior Engineers.
• Responsible for Research and Development of new product lines.
• Develops, deploys, monitors, and measures internal design standards within all engineering groups and subgroups ensuring accuracy of the Bill of Material (BOM) and its structure on drawings and for computer use.
• Ensures final output of machine designs are functional, cost-effective, and meet customer requirements.
• Prepares, communicates, and monitors individual workloads to optimize and adhere to project schedules as well as capacity management.
• Develops department best practices and standard operating procedures to include integration and hand-off of designs to the Purchasing and Operations departments.
• Promotes good communication and engagement amongst internal and external teams to ensure customer expectations are met.
• Inspires, mentors, grows, and develops engineering talent while providing vision and direction for the team.
• Conducts a continuous search of new materials, processes, and procedures to enhance and improve the product line.
• Prepares budget and schedules for the development of new product lines. Maintains system of budget and schedule control.
• Reviews manufacturing processes for cost effectiveness and feasibility.
• Hold the Engineering Team accountable for Astec Core Values, strategic plan performance, budget performance and schedule performance.
• Works with Operations to ensure new parts are compatible with capabilities. Identifies when new capability is required.
• Provides status reports to the Director of Engineering for projects under their supervision.

To be successful in this role, your experience and competencies are:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Forestry Engineering, Forest Resources, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field or equivalent and/or combination of training and experience.
• 8 + years of progressive leadership role om an Engineering related fields
• Manufacturing and engineering experience in heavy machinery and/or "big iron" preferred.
• Proficient in the use of SolidWorks and/or AutoCAD to generate 3D solid model designs from concept to fabrication.
• Familiarity with industry policies and procedures to ensure safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance.
• Must possess in-depth understanding in one or more engineering fields (i.e., electrical, software, mechanical) and design criteria.
• Thorough working knowledge of plant engineering, industrial engineering, and tooling.
• Hydraulic and diesel knowledge required, control systems and power train knowledge a plus.

see job post on Linkedin

Per CEC Constitution, at the first meeting in October, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of three Past Presidents of the Club. 

The Nominating Committee shall nominate members for the Club offices specified in Article VI of the Constitution. - The committee shall nominate one or more members for the office of Vice President, and two or more members for the office of Secretary. - The office of President shall be filled by automatic succession of the previous year's Vice President, who shall be deemed President-elect provided he or she has completed a full term in that office. - If the Vice President has assumed the duties of President for more than six (6) months, or if he or she is unable to hold the office of President, nomination for President shall be made in accordance with provisions for other offices. - The position of Treasurer shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall be held for an indefinite period of time.

Al Curtis, Gabe Kurtz and Steve Poteet communicated their efforts on recruiting new officers leading up to the November 13 meeting when the election took place. At the meeting, there was no candidate for Vice President or Secretary.  Rama Etekallapalli will be our 2024 President.  The gavel will be presented on December 4 at our holiday social and scholarship fundraiser.  

Steve Poteet just announced Rob Gagliano, past E Week chair, E Week People to People award recipient, past chair of ASME, and recently retired BASF Chattanooga site director, is willing to accept the nomination of Vice President.  Please submit additional nomination or self-nominate for Vice President or secretary.  Election for Vice President will take place on December 4 at the holiday social.

During our October 9 joint meeting with CRMA on Resources for Manufacturing Companies, George Aslinger announced the nomination committee members:

Al Curtis, Gabe Kurtz and Steve Poteet, three past presidents of the Club.

CEC is seeking nominations for vice president.

Our 2023 VP Rama Etekallapalli will assume the role of 2024 President in January.

Please reach out to any of the three past presidents if you want to serve as an officer or a committee member.

Election will take place at our Nov 13 meeting before proceeding with the scheduled program:

Announcing and Planning Discussion or CEC's 100-year Anniversary.

Branch Technology is hiring!

Did you read about their recent world record structure in Nashville?

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Branch Technology exists to create a beautiful built world, impacting a wide variety of industries including construction, aerospace, logistics, and more. Its patented technology utilizes the power of creative design, software, robotic automation, and lean manufacturing to provide solutions to our diverse customer base. We’re growing and are attracting top talent from all over the world. Our team includes seasoned leaders from 3D printing, software, architecture, robotics, manufacturing, design, material science, and product development.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Product Development Engineer (PDE) will lead Branch’s efforts on two prioritized fronts: primarily (1) moving new products from ideation stage to full commercialization; secondarily (2) find and implement solutions for optimizing and improving existing products and processes. The PDE will enable solutions for new product concepts through the integration of engineering, material science, and manufacturing principles, all with an eye toward long-term company growth and profitability. This team player is tenacious to overcome the many “known-unknowns” and be able to adapt quickly when “unknown-unknowns” arise. The PDE challenges the status quo on a daily basis, digs deep into the “why” with a continuous-improvement mindset, and considers how their work impacts all other areas in the company. We need someone who is an aggressive self-starter and who realizes the sense of urgency that comes with being a steward of nascent technology. This person is attentive to detail and motivated to exceed deadlines because of the greater impact on enterprise value. The best candidate is business-savvy, driven by the reality that the work they and their team does each day catalyzes the company to perform at its best. Most importantly, they exemplify our six core values of humble genius, other centered, relentless execution, designed beauty, intense collaboration, and wise stewardship.

For more details and to apply, visit their job site - https://branchtechnology.bamboohr.com/careers/64

Celebrated nationally on the first Friday in October, MFGDay is manufacturing’s biggest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation, positively shift perceptions about the industry, and build the foundation for the manufacturing workforce of the future.

Here are some MFGDay celebration events around the area:

October 6 - TN Made: MSC Industrial Supply Co.: Manufacturing Day 2023 at MSC Machining Research Laboratory, 2030 Valley Vista Rd, Knoxville, TN

October 6 - Cornerstone Building Brands: 1274 Industrial Blvd, Jasper, TN

October 7 - TCAT Knoxville: TCAT Knoxville Manufacturing Day, 1100 Liberty Street, Knoxville, TN

October 9 - CEC, CRMA: Resources for Manufacturers, 5600 Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN

October 12 - ABB: Manufacturing Day 2023, 400 South 4th Street, Selmer, TN

October 18 - SWE CA: Eaton - Manufacturing Tour, 3990 Old Tasso Rd NE, Cleveland, TN 

October 20 - Peak Performance, Operators of the Smart Factory Institute: 9th Annual Peak Performance Symposium, 2215 Parker Street Northeast, Cleveland, TN

Details for each can be found at MFGDay site, we also included three events on the CEC site.

Bryan College’s Bachelor’s degree program in Engineering has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.

Developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies, ABET criteria focus on what students experience and learn. ABET accreditation reviews look at program curricula, faculty, facilities, and institutional support and are conducted by teams of highly skilled professionals from industry, academia, and government, with expertise in the ABET disciplines.

ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization with ISO 9001:2015 certification. It currently accredits 4,564 programs at 895 colleges and universities in 40 countries and areas.

More information about ABET, its member societies and the accreditation criteria used to evaluate programs can be found at http://www.abet.org.

The Chattanooga Technology Council (ChaTech) has named Austin Corcoran as executive director, following his term as interim head of the technology trade group in Chattanooga.

Austin has a bachelor's degree in business administration and has served in leadership roles in both the local non-profit and private sectors, most recently serving as chief of staff at CO.LAB and director of talent engagement at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the ChaTech board for over three years before stepping in as interim executive director for ChaTech in March.

"Austin will bring additional leadership, energy, and creativity to the organization's programs and a deep commitment to our community and businesses," Daniela LaCelle, assistant vice president of IT delivery at Unum and chair of the ChaTech board, said in a statement. "He has served other area non-profits at the program, fundraising, and leadership levels, and has a range of perspective and experience."

ChaTech also announced the upcoming fourth annual Chattanooga Technology Excellence Awards, scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Signal. Nominations and event details can be found at ChaTech.org/TechX. A calendar of in-person events, tech-related affinity groups, and additional resources can also be found on ChaTech's website.