Dear Members,
I am honored to serve as the Detroit Section President of STLE for the 2018/19 calendar year. As the new President, I will work my hardest to fill the big shoes left by my predecessors Bill Kearney, Donald Cohen, Edward Becker, Arup Gangopadhyay and Simon Tung. For the last two years, I have had the privilege to serve as the secretary of the Detroit Section and am looking forward to my new role.
I have been a member of STLE since 1990 and attended local section meetings in Dayton, Chicago, and Detroit. Over the years, my membership in this excellent organization has allowed myself and countless others to keep up with the latest developments in tribology and lubrication technologies and engage with industry leaders who share a passion for solving our daily challenges. My engagement in STLE has advanced my career and furthered my technical proficiency and I am looking forward to increasing my participation and responsibility within the organization.
In the new term, we plan to continue with the bi-annual brunch meeting format that we followed for the last two years. For those who are unfamiliar we offer three high quality presentations at these meetings from the local pool of subject matter experts with light breakfast and lunch. We found that offering three presentations over a half day was a draw for members and allowed those living farther to attend. Attendance has doubled from 20 to 40 people per event compared to the monthly evening meetings of the past. We are very proud of this increased engagement and hope that members continue taking advantage of these opportunities. Additionally, we will continue our annual education seminar with five or six presentations over one day in October. Please reach out to myself or any other board members if you are interested in presenting your tribology knowledge during one of these meetings.
In the new term, we will also revitalize our educational and charitable activities, offer more scholarship opportunities, and strengthen ties with our membership. Kathy Helmetag and Kumar Kumarasekaran are leading the charity and the scholarship committees respectively. At this time, we are gathering suggestions for charitable activities for our section to participate in. Please reach out to Kathy Helmetag or myself if you have suggestions for volunteer opportunities for our organization. In order to strengthen ties with our members and recruit new volunteers and officers to the local section, we plan to hold the December board meeting in-person followed by lunch at a local restaurant. We will invite members to attend, socialize with the board, and observe the board meeting with hopes that participation will foster engagement.
We are looking forward to another fantastic year. We look forward to seeing you at future events and hope that the activities and opportunities are to your satisfaction. This organization is focused on serving its members, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Bulent Chavdar
Detroit Section | STLE 