Strategies and Tips for Recruiting and Keeping Industry Members

Leonard J. Bond, Center Director & Professor

Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE)

Iowa State University

I/UCRC Annual Center Directors Meeting, Washington DC

January 8-9, 2015

About Our Center

Our Center has one site: Iowa State University

Center’s vision and mission

CNDE develops the science & technology for advanced NDE.

CNDE provides materials characterization (material state awareness) using nondestructive tools to enable condition assessment and prediction of remaining safe or service life.

NDE tools applied at all stages of an item’s life cycle.

Goals: perform world class research, maintain recognition as the leading Center for NDE R&D in the USA, provide thoughtful leadership in NDE and related topics, provide leadership in NDE education AND be an enduring entity that provides value to sponsors and clients.

Center established 1985 – 30th Anniversary 2015 (graduate 2016)

Historical Evolution• DARPA/AFRL-Science base (Rockwell

International) – 1970’s

• NSF I/UCRC-Generic, precompetitive research supported by industry – 1985

• Today:– R&D - core research /IU CRC Program

– Federal programs-Maturation of technology in context of agency-specific needs

– Industrial support (some proprietary & export controlled) - Application to specific corporate problems

– IPRT – Company Assistance – NDT: Transfer of results to Iowa companies – State funded

– NDT Resource Center (web resource)

– Annual Review of Progress in QNDE with QNDE Programs (501c3)

C-5 pylon failure

F-111 wing failure

Iowa State University - CNDE– 13 professional researchers

– ~20 Affiliated faculty

– ~50 students + visitors

– More than $7.5M in equipment

– Modeling & simulation codes

Applied Sciences Complex

Materials Science, degradation, fracture

Data Analysis TechniquesSignal ProcessingImage AnalysisStatistical AnalysisProbability of Detection

Non-Invasive Measurement & Modeling Techniques

UltrasonicsRadiographyElectromagnetic TechniqueMagnetic TechniquesFluorescent PenetrantsThermal and Sonic IRTerahertz RadiationGround Penetrating RadarNovel Sensors

Sponsor/Industrial Background and Competitive Landscape

Center history was focused on Aerospace – i.e., roots in the DARPA, USAF and then FAA and other Federal agencies (defense & civil aviation focus)

Now expanded into :

(i) Commercial Space

(i) Energy/Manufacturing, (nuclear, oil/gas - pipelines, renewables)

- Anything that is big, expensive and people don’t want it to break!

- Aging infrastructure- Large products – high risk/failure

consequences

Profile: Larger companies/agencies

Opportunity (?):San Bruno: natural gas pipeline failure (2010)

I/UCRC: Gateway To Other ProgramsNSF I/UCRC (1985)

•Generic, precompetitive•Technical foundations and early development of new techniques and simulation

tools•Established network with other companies

Government Support

•Public domain•Often applied research with focus on transition•Often includes partnership with companies as subcontractors to ISU

Industrial Proprietary

•Results unique to company needs•Ability to support ITAR/EAR related projects•Access to unique theoretical and experimental resources

Subcontractor Support

• ISU as subcontractor to company •Ability to support ITAR/ERA requirements•Access to unique theoretical and experimental resources

Center Value: Meeting Industry NeedsR&D - core research/IU CRC Program

Federal programs-Maturation of technology in context of agency-specific needs

Industrial support (some proprietary & export controlled) - Application to specific corporate problems

IPRT – Company Assistance – NDT: Transfer of results to Iowa companies – State funded

NDT Resource Center (web resource)

Annual Review of Progress in QNDE(42nd meeting 2015)with QNDE Programs (501c3)

Recruitment Ideas

Potential sponsors fall into two groups:(i) Grow contacts/engagement – start from R&D contract or problem solved

Use NDT Resource Center ContactsQNDE meeting participationPeople who contact us to recruit studentsPeople who want us to undertake projects

(ii) Industry sector e.g., Commercial Space [NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX]

Potential sponsors invited to an IAB meeting as an observer.

Engage at QNDE [technical meeting ~ 400 participants].

Finding contacts- you have to know the companies & community.

- use Center Alumni network (150+ people).

Recruitment/Retention Ideas

Recent example:

Company X recognized it had a need and had a technical problem

(i) They visited CNDE twice – brain stormed – found key inside people.

(ii) Conference calls, some white papers, came to IAB meeting.

(iii) Center Director attended VP level retreat (about 30 people) at one of their sites –provided a briefing (intended to be about 60 minutes – became 3 hours dialogue).

(iv) Eight potential projects identified. Business cases prioritized five. Four were undertaken as “feasibility studies.” Provided data and insights for company gate point meetings (December 2015).

(v) Next phase, probably three projects with Divisions in 2015.

ENGAGE, UNDERSTAND CLIENT NEEDS, IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES, PERFORM PROJECTS and DELIVER (on time and within budget)

Keeping SponsorsListen to sponsor needs (this includes site visits).

Spend time interacting with sponsors.

Be willing to adjust what we want to do to fit their needs.

DON’T simply tell them this is what we do! We know best!

Sponsors have access to:(i) SIM computer codes (ii) Preferential R&D overhead rates(iii) Access to students(iv) Networking(v) Access to CNDE expertise (researchers and faculty)

Retention --- relationships, communication and visits.

Engage sponsors in proprietary projects (IU/CRC probably only 15% of what we do)

Closing Words of Wisdom

Know your “market”

Have needed technical expertise and capabilities

Be recognized as a (or the) leader in your field

Be the preferred provider in your field

Be open to evolving interests

Be flexible

Listen to your clients (and partners) and be willing to VISIT sites and facilities

The #1 item is your relationship with your center sponsors and clients

CNDE : Center Major Participants

• Energy/manufacturing • Aerospace

Selection of

appropriate

conventional

technique Development of

new inspection

techniquesImplementation

of techniques in

factory and field

Quantification of

technique

performance

Prototype

instrumentation

and software

New

inspection

conceptsUnderstanding

inspection

physics

Inspection

simulators

(including

POD)Educational

programs • Distance Ed• Undergrad/grad• Community

College

Well-trained

workforce at

multiple levels

Transfer Mechanisms:

• Expert advice

• Technique development

• Applications studies

• Inspection tools

• Training materials

• Students

Push and Pull

CNDE is located in ~52,000 sq feet in Applied Sciences Complex

CNDE Modeling • Goal: Increase use and modeling

capabilities

• CNDE Codes– UT Sim– X-Ray Sim– EC SIM– EC (Bowler)– Grain Scattering etc

• Chalmers SUNDT– Weld inspection

• ZETEC - Ultravision 3-D– 3-D Phased array + data review

– FE - COMSOL

Eddy Current

Ultrasonics

X-ray

CNDE develops the science and technology for advanced NDE.

Provides:• Materials characterization• Advanced diagnostics and prognostics• Prediction of remaining safe or service

life

All applied to a diverse range of structures, systems and components (SSC).

Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE)

San Bruno: natural gas pipeline failure (2010)

New NDE drivers

Shearon Harris nuclear plant crack in head – discovered May 2013

Need NDE in advanced manufacturing

Prognostics – prediction of remaining/safe life

Design for testability

CNDE is located in ~52,000 sq feet in Applied Sciences Complex

CNDE Modeling • Goal: Increase use and modeling

capabilities

• CNDE Codes– UT Sim– X-Ray Sim– EC SIM– EC (Bowler)– Grain Scattering etc

• Chalmers SUNDT– Weld inspection

• ZETEC - Ultravision 3-D– 3-D Phased array + data review

– FE - COMSOL

Eddy Current

Ultrasonics

X-ray

I/UCRC: Gateway To Other ProgramsNSF I/UCRC (1985)

•Generic, precompetitive•Technical foundations and early development of new techniques and simulation

tools•Established network with other companies

Government Support

•Public domain•Often applied research with focus on transition•Often includes partnership with companies as subcontractors to ISU

Industrial Proprietary

•Results unique to company needs•Ability to support ITAR/EAR related projects•Access to unique theoretical and experimental resources

Subcontractor Support

• ISU as subcontractor to company •Ability to support ITAR/ERA requirements•Access to unique theoretical and experimental resources

Research at CNDE• IU CRC Core Program

– 12 projects– 4 new 3 year projects ($60k per year)

• Sponsor Projects 35 current projects (majority industry sponsored)

• Other funded research– E.g. DOE NEUP

Engine Titanium Consortium• To provide reliable and cost-effective tools for

detecting cracks, inclusions, and imperfections in critical rotating materials and hardware

• ISU-led consortia with GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce and Honeywell

• ISU provides fundamental understanding in support of engineering applications expertise at the OEMs

• Resulted in numerous changes to inspection practice thru out the life-cycle of jet engines

• Established CNDE as a trusted partner and respected coordinator of large, joint projects

• Led to a factor of five reduction in catastrophic engine events FAA William J. Hughes Technical

Center (1992 – 2012)Cu Nguyen, Technical Monitor

From NDE to Total Quality Management

• QA/QC on finished products is too late in process

• Need to reject defective parts as early as possible – to save energy to enable material reuse

• Need NDE to identify process parameters that must be controlled to obtain narrow process and part parametersExample of types

of defects2013 Hagen Symposium

Shear crack (left) and brittle crack in green PM compacts (GKN Sinter Metals Engineering)

42nd Annual QNDE 2015Incorporating the 6th European-American Workshop on Reliability of NDE & proceeded by World Federation NDE Workshop

Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MinnesotaJuly 26th – 31st

Communication & community engagement

Iowa State University Digital Repository3000 NDE articles downloaded a month

NDT Resource Center

NDT Resource Center www.ndt-ed.org

• International resource

– 2013 – 62 M hits

– 13+M page views

– Over 5 million visits

– 3.5M unique visitors

– 2014

– 400,000+ visitors per month

Get 10 + technical enquiries &/or requests to use content per month

Education – (goal – increase output!)• BS Level

– Interns– 490 (project students)– NDE Minor

• NDE Graduate Education– on-line certificate

• Graduate students – engaged in research– Required course options under review

• Engineering mechanics (Aero), ME/MSE etc.

CNDE Researcher: Leonard J. BondSelected publications

• Ensminger, D and Bond, L.J. (2011) Ultrasonics: fundamentals, technology, applications, 3rd, CRC Press.

• Bond, L.J. (2012) Moving beyond nondestructive examination to proactive management of materials degradation. J. Pressure Vessel Technology (ASME) 134 (1) 014501

• Bond, L.J. (2012) Old Reactors, New Tricks, IEEE Spectrum, 49 (8) 30-35.

Position(s)

Director CNDE &

Professor

Qualifications:

B.Sc. Applied Physics

(1974)

Ph.D. Physics (1978)

- The City University,

London

Expertise:

• Ultrasonics (high &

low power)

• Advanced Sensors

• Diagnostics &

prognostics

Personal & professional GOALS

• Develop R&D in NDE for powder metals

and advanced manufacturing

• Grow industry interactions and non-federal

funded research at CNDE

Greater CNDE – more than an IUCRC

Annual QNDE

Conference

World Federation

NDE Centers

IPRT –company assistance

NDT Resource Center

ISU, professional researchers & facultyTeaming partners

Employable graduates

RESOURCES

• Listen to sponsor needs

• Visit sponsors

• Be willing to adjust what you plan to do!

• Don’t tell sponsors you know best

• Need to understand business drivers/needs

• Deliver something of value

• Communicate –communicate –communicate

• Engage-engage-engage

• Not just core projects

• Make your activities part of their activities

New sponsoes

• Have something to offer

• Market & deliver on time, within budget

• Spend time engaging sponsors

• Understand sponsor needs

• Local

• National

• international

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

Recruiting New Members For I/UCRCs:

Things We Did StartingThe CAC Site at Texas Tech

Alan Sill

Site Director, Cloud and Autonomic Computing Center Texas Tech University

Associate Site Directors: Ravi Vadapalli, Yong Chen

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

It’s Not Just Your Show• Involvement of university administration from the

beginning to get them on your side is crucial.

• Buy-in for participation from multiple individuals

• Involvement on an equal basis with potential cooperative research partners

• Money is NOT your biggest problem at this time!

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

The Three Crucial Pieces

To do an I/UCRC well, you will have to master at least the following three crucial pieces of the program:

1. Be the best in your field (or at least working at the forefront).

2. Recruit new members more or less constantly.

3. Deliver value to each of your members.

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

The Three Crucial Pieces

To do an I/UCRC well, you will have to master at least the following three crucial pieces of the program:

1. Be the best in your field (or at least working at the forefront).

2. Recruit new members more or less constantly.

3. Deliver value to each of your members.

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

Things I Think We Did Right• Involved multiple PIs from the outset

• Used strengths of each to the greatest advantage

• Asked for help from the university administration (they have contacts that you don’t have)

• Stayed involved in our field!

• Conducted outward-facing projects through the center that had an impact on our field.

NSF CAC Current Participants:

6

CAC IAB MeetingOct. 8-9, 2014 Dallas, Texas

Technical Partnerships:Others

to come!

TTU

…(Existing)

Active Industry Members:

MSU

(Pending)

Continuing series…

Oriented towards REAL DEVELOPMENT

Past and current eventsco-sponsored by many open source and standards-related

organizations including OGF, DMTF, SNIA, OASIS, ETSI, OCEAN, CloudWATCH and OW2

Developer-oriented in-person

standards and software testing

series

Easy to get involved and join in events as open

source or commercial

developers or project

researchers!

Cloud Plugfest 15 just held!

http://cloudplugfest.org

Cloud Plugfest Developer Series:

UCC 2014 Infrastructure PanelDec. 10, 2014 London, UK

More events in planning pipeline.

Problem:

What it usually looks like when developers encounter standards committees.

Solution: What it ought to look like

(Taken from an actual Cloud Plugfest.)

Target Cloud Standards-Related Organizations:

It is often said that there are “too many standards organizations”. This is a lot like saying there is “too much software”. Each has its own area of specialty, its own contributor base, and its own method of funding to develop its work products. CAC will study products and effectiveness of each of these organizations and work with them using a DevOps approach.

10

CAC IAB MeetingOct. 8-9, 2014 Dallas, Texas

…

CAC will use its testbed efforts to work with all relevant SDOs and standards-related customer and trade organizations

NSF I/UCRCAnnual MeetingJan. 7-9, 2015

Conclusions:Keys to Recruitment

• Look for opportunities constantly.

• Listen at all opportunities.

• Don’t sell! (At least not all the time.)

• Look for partnerships.

• Ask questions instead of making statements.

• Look for ways you can help your members succeed.

Strategies and Tips for Recruiting and Keeping Industry Members

T. Avery Walton GRAPES I/UCRC

University of Arkansas (L) University of South Carolina

I/UCRC Annual Center Directors Meeting, Washington DC

January 8-9, 2015

About Our Center Our Center currently has two Sites (considering two others):

University of Arkansas – Lead Site H. Alan Mantooth Executive Director

University of South Carolina Roger Dougal, Co-Director and Site

Our Center’s Mission:

• “The mission of GRAPES is to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness, and economy.”

How long has your Center been in existence?

• Five Years

Other pertinent Center information: • Approved for Phase II Funding

• Approved for Innovative Managing Director Supplement for second year

• Completed two Strategic Planning Sessions in life of center

Sponsor/Industrial Background and Competitive Landscape

Tell us about the pool of potential sponsors: • Utilities • Power Equipment and Power Electronics Manufacturers • Electronic Device Manufacturers • Large end users of electricity Provide some background on the industrial and research environment relevant to your Center.

Several technology gaps were identified that currently inhibit the widespread adoption and insertion of power electronics in the electric grid, which further hinders realization of a true “smart grid”. Several of these technology gaps were addressed by existing and planned GRAPES projects.

What are the characteristics of the industry that impact your recruitment/ retention strategies? - SPECIFIC TO YOUR BUSINESS CATEGORY • Inertia due to high capital investment that resists early trial of technology • Highly regulated industry • Highly commoditized product – making cost and reliability paramount • Competitive and environments affecting some of our manufacturers

GRAPES CORE VALUES • Spirit of Collaboration – leveraging the fact that faculty at USC and UA have

worked together for over a decade in one capacity or another. • Dedication to Excellence—being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us,

promoting the reputation of our respective universities, playing to our respective strengths while simultaneously respecting one another’s expertise in areas of overlap;

• Commitment to Learning and Growing—continually improving our ability to identify opportunities, promoting learning and growth for our students and faculty, and sharing our best insights with one another;

• Visionary Thinking —imagining the future of power electronics, working at the frontier, realizing the full potential of the research and education at our schools, embracing risk, advancing promising ideas whenever possible, and encouraging creativity and initiative;

• Inclusive Behavior—seeking and including contributions from all sources while reaching out, including groups that are underrepresented;

• Mutual Accountability—collaborating with integrity and transparency, following through on commitments to one another, and maintaining high standards in administration, management, and oversight.

Center Value

How do you learn about and prioritize these values? Strategic Planning The GRAPES strategic plan is a “living document” designed to be revisited periodically and revised as appropriate. Each year, we will measure our productivity against this plan to see how we are doing and to ensure that we provide maximum value to the “stakeholders” of this strategic plan - our member companies and our universities. Do sponsor needs/values change over time? YES! We have learned in Phase I that creating and sustaining value to our industrial stakeholders is a dynamic, ongoing component of our vision. Phase II refinements that were discussed include increasing the center’s focus, and thereby improving stakeholder value through:

• focusing in areas where we have technological leadership • anticipating needs and providing technical resources • being a “GO-TO” power electronics center consistently producing

high-caliber students.

Recruitment Ideas What is your recruitment strategy? • Our strategy has become more “all hands on deck” as time has evolved • Started with Directors’ existing research and industry relationships • Later involved our faculty researchers and other industrial contacts • Later evolved to members opening doors to new prospective members Based on what you know about sponsors, how do you approach potential new sponsors? • We involve our current sponsors to help seek out new ones. We talk to

them about potential members before we approach many of them. • We ask our members if any of them have relationships with the prospects.

If so, they assist with the formal introduction or encourage them to join directly.

Is there a process you use to collect a list of all possible sponsors and/or a way to identify the best leads? • We have “war room meetings” where all faculty come together to

coordinate. How do you find the right contact(s) within sponsoring organizations? • We ask our industrial contacts to identify the gate keepers and decision

makers at prospective organizations whenever possible.

Recruitment Ideas Other recruitment ideas, stories, insights? What has worked well…or not so well? Things that have worked well: • Utilizing Member networks to identify and to contact prospective members. • Allowing attendance at one semi-annual meeting as a guest (with a signed NDA) • Encouraging members to bring one of their business associates to semi-annual

meeting • Leveraging project poster nights and resume’ books as part of our semi-annual

member experience • Leveraging the access to Researchers and Interns Not so much: • Setting creative expectations during negotiations • “Desperation negotiation” to gain a member (shows up in many ways) • Seeking members that do not fit within the focus of the center • Anything that puts recruiting ahead of core values (slow poison, in my point of view) Other quick tips on how to recruit (or NOT recruit) • Focus on Features and Benefits of membership • Sometimes, it is right to say “No”. • Keep a level playing field for all members – avoid “sweetheart deals” to get members

Keeping Sponsors What is your retention strategy? • Member visits to better learn what is important to them • Exploration of options to help them with technical issues: GRAPES projects,

internships, special projects, or independent research. • Members engage and participate in the solutions by providing data and insights into

technical needs. • Seek opportunities to engage members in joint research efforts • Survey the members as to what they are (or would be) looking for in a student, and

match need • Track the number of undergraduate and graduate students interning with members

or having been hired full-time • Have members actively share the benefits of our GRAPES interns and new hires Do sponsor motives toward membership change over time? YES Has your Center had to evolve over time to address changing environmental/sponsor demands? YES Why do some sponsors leave quickly while others remain for years? • Varying motivations for joining in the first place • Loss of a champion within sponsor’s organization • Budget changes in business units/reorganization/company sold or temporal funding

Keeping Sponsors

Are there policies or structures within your Center that support long-term retention? • Involvement of sponsors in our second Strategic Planning Session • Involvement of sponsors in Bylaws revision and IP rights structure • Strategic Plan review by full membership (attending and not attending) • Member Survey on research priorities and strategic choices Are there specific activities you employ to rescue a membership that might in in danger of lapsing? • “War Room” meetings – designed to discuss at-risk memberships as well as

recruiting • Member site visits – to gain additional insights and perspective of an at-risk member Are there characteristics you’ve developed within the IAB that help recruit/retain sponsors? • IAB participation in recruiting (introductions, joint visits, joint conference calls) Other quick tips on keeping sponsors (or approaching sponsors who have left)? • Exit interviews • On-site visits

Closing Words of Wisdom

Other comments about your experiences? Any “words of wisdom” for us to take home?

Attrition happens!

Centers must adapt to the competitive environment

Do not grow faster than your capacity to do work

Be choiceful as you bring in members

The care taken in recruiting will reflect in attrits

Be watchful of changing dynamics

Open and transparent dealings seem to work best