SAMPE Journal -September/October 2011 - 2

President’s Message

Anthony J. Vizzini, Ph.D.

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Western Michigan University tony.vizzini@wmich.edu

SAMPE is Society My hope this year is to explore the very nature of the name of our organization. The kickoff letter is S for Society. The best definition I found is in Wikipedia as “a group of people related to each other through persistent relations.” It sounded like it was written for SAMPE; we do relate to each other persistently! The origin of the word society is from the 16th century Middle French societe derived from the Latin root socius meaning comrade, friend, and ally. We all have some concept of how civilization sprung up. Our ancestors were the ones with keen eyesight and sense of smell. They could take down dinner with a single spear if need be. They formed bands to go after faster and larger animals. Eventually the hunter/gatherer became land bound as agriculture supplemented the diet. Divisions of labor became quite apparent and we developed an extensive set of objectives beyond the necessities. Fast forward and we find ourselves in the 21st century. One glance at our membership and we will see so many different sets of skills in SAMPE. We have marketers, material suppliers, vendors, service providers, analysts, researchers, educators. I know of no other society that is as vertically integrated within its membership. And yet there is great breadth in each of the categories. So SAMPE is clearly a great society with all of the complexities. Yet it is a society that is true to its Latin root – socius. As I mentioned last month, one of the greatest attribute of SAMPE is the way in which we interact with each other. Our talents are made available to each other. We strive in a world of intellectual property, export control, corporate proprietary, and ITAR to communicate in an open and candid fashion. We do so not only to advance our agenda but the agenda of others. We know that although knowledge is power, shared knowledge is omnipotent. SAMPE provides many different ways to be involved in its society. If you have the good fortune to be near to an active local chapter or club, you will find a monthly gathering of friends with various backgrounds experiencing different aspects of M&P. If you are able to attend one of the seven international conferences this year (Europe’s SETEC 11, SAMPE China, SAMPE Tech 2011, Japan’s JISSE 12, SAMPE Asia 2012|Kuala Lumpur, Europe’s SEICO 12, SAMPE 2012|Baltimore), you will find a gathering of international friends speaking a common language of M&P. If you take advantage of the LinkedIn communities, you will enter the ever expanding virtual world of SAMPE. Though relatively new, I expect many of our members will exploit these new methods of connecting individuals and disseminating information. If you have access to the SAMPE Journal and SAMPE website, you will at least be able to help yourself to lots of information. We are social creatures and as such crave participation in societies. SAMPE is a great society and can be made greater by your activity. Darwin’s theory is summarized as the “survival of the fittest.” SAMPE has survived more than 60 years. It is a fit society. Increase your chances of survival in this world by participating in our society. Get involved; stay involved; involve others! SAMPE good!

SAMPE Journal, Volume 47, No. 5, September/October 2011

SAMPE Journal -September/October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal -September/October 2011