NFPA

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NFPA’s Career Resources Connects Job Seekers to Jobs

Did you know that there’s a Career Resources section on NFPA’s website? It introduces students to careers in fluid power and provides helpful links to job seekers.

Career Resources was recently updated and reorganized. It’s revamped into two sections for two different audiences: those looking for jobs in fluid power and those looking for information on the education needed to get a job in fluid power.

Do you want to know . . .

• what types of jobs are available in the fluid power industry?
• how much these jobs pay?
• what type of education you’ll need to enter the industry?

The site has answers to these questions and more. There are expanded sections for job descriptions, finding a career in fluid power, salary information, and certification courses. There’s even a current listing of employment opportunities available at NFPA member companies.

To access the site, go to www.nfpa.com, choose Education & Careers, then Career Resources. For further information, contact Carrie Tatman Schwartz at 414-778-3347 or ctschwartz@nfpa.com.

Wisconsin School District Incorporates Fluid Power Into Curriculum

Students at two middle schools in Wauwatosa, Wis., are currently using Fluid Power Challenge classroom exercise kits and building mini-hydraulics kits in conjunction with their PLTW curriculum. During the 2012-13 school year, 480 students at Longfellow Middle School and Whitman Middle School will learn about fluid power and fluid mechanics using the lessons that are based loosely on the PLTW Gateway to Technology course. Further, the Wauwatosa School District is implementing a new K-8 science curriculum inquiry-based learning system based on the new Next Generation Science standards released in May 2012.

The project began when two educators with the school district started working with educator/consultant Steve Rogers of Mechanical Kits Ltd. to incorporate fluid power into their grade 6 curriculum. They held a workshop in August to acquaint other middle school teachers with hydraulics and pneumatics by having them build the lifter and rotating arm exercise kits.

Each of the schools received a Fluid Power Challenge grant to help cover the cost of curriculum development, materials, and teacher training. For more information on the Fluid Power Challenge or how schools in your area can apply for a grant, contact Carrie Tatman Schwartz at ctschwartz@nfpa.com or 414-778-3347.

IFPE 2014 Update: Call for Papers for IFPE Technical Conference is Underway

IFPE’s Education Committee, co-chaired by Tom Wanke, director, Fluid Power Institute, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and James D. Van de Ven, Ph.D., assistant professor, department of mechanical engineering, University of Minnesota, have issued a call for papers for the IFPE 2014 technical conference. The conference is scheduled from March 4-8, 2014 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The IFPE 2014 technical conference will feature presentations by international experts in hydraulics, pneumatics, power transmission, and their control. Papers presented at the conference will also be published in subsequent proceedings.

Abstracts are now being accepted for the following topics:

• Fluid power systems – hydraulic, hydromechanical, hydro-electric, hybrid (energy storage)
• Basic components – pumps, motors, transmissions (HST, HMT, hybrid), actuators, electronics, valves, fluid conductors
• Analysis, modeling, simulation – component, fluid system, system-vehicle integration and optimization, control systems
• Noise and vibration – analysis, measurement, control; fluidborne, structureborne, airborne
• Fluids – new fluids, green concerns (biodegradable), fluid properties, contamination, filtration
• Materials / manufacturing – new materials, improved manufacturing practices (tolerances, reliability, efficiency), green materials and manufacturing techniques
• Auxiliary components related to fluid power – electric motors, brakes, clutches, gear boxes, linear positioners, belts and pulleys, sensors, communication protocols
• Standards – industry, national, international
• Fluid power in renewable energy applications
• Impact of Tier 4 and beyond
• Controls and control systems
• Seals and sealing technology

The deadline for submitting abstracts is expected to be late May or early June 2013, and the list of topics is subject to change. For more information visit www.ifpe.com/education.