MIT Club of Washington DC
 

Thirty-first Annual Seminar Series

Rebuilding U.S. Manufacturing

Six Monthly Dinner Seminars

October 2012 through March 2013

Kenwood Club, 5601 River Road, Bethesda, MD

On this page: Program | Schedule | Directions & Parking | Accessibility | Questions?

Note: Space is available for the remaining sessions; contact Ray Daniels raphaeldaniels@alum.mit.edu to register.

The MIT Club of Washington is pleased to present its 31st annual Seminar Series on an important national topic related to science and technology. Each year, the series offers engineers, scientists, industry leaders, policy makers, and educators an opportunity to explore a specific topic in depth. Both those within and outside the Washington area MIT community gain the opportunity to develop a better understanding of recent developments and key issues.

Presentations by distinguished speakers are followed by ample time for questions and discussion. The social hour and dinner provide additional opportunities to meet the speakers, renew acquaintances, or join in stimulating discussions with other participants.

2012-2013 Topic: Rebuilding U.S. Manufacturing

The United States economy is in crisis. The strength and competitive status of its manufacturing sector have declined significantly during the last several decades. This has contributed to the mediocre performance of U.S. industrial firms and the consequent decline in jobs in that sector. The good news is that the United States now has a once-in-a-century opportunity to ride the wave of the Next Industrial Revolution. This revolution will be built upon advanced manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing (3-D printing), designer materials, and new generations of robots. Social networks will bring consumers and manufacturers closer together and shorten product cycles. Like other industrial revolutions, this confluence of technologies, social media, and new ideas will undoubtedly raise living standards, but the change will also be disruptive.

This seminar series will explore how new manufacturing technologies can take America from the widely perceived position of competitive decline to being a manufacturing powerhouse once again. As important as the technologies will be in this revolution, national policy must also support entrepreneurial thinking so that American manufacturing can be nimble in the global economy.

PROGRAM

Tues. Oct. 9, 2012

What is Wrong with U.S. Manufacturing?

The decline of U.S. manufacturing in recent decades has been the subject of much debate by economists and politicians. This session will take an objective look at the current status of the manufacturing sector and what that implies about potential remedial actions by industry and the government. Dr. Tassey has researched and written about this issue extensively, and is an active participant in government policy deliberations.

Speaker: Dr. Gregory Tassey, Director, Economic Analysis Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology

View the presentation (PDF).

Tues. Nov. 13, 2012

Production in the Innovation Economy (PIE): A New MIT Study on the Current State and Future of U.S. Manufacturing

Since 2011 MIT has embarked on a major new study on the current state and future of U.S. manufacturing and its relationship to innovation. The Production in the Innovation Economy (PIE) project brings together leading MIT faculty from a variety of disciplines-–economics, engineering, political science, management, biology, and others-–to look at U.S. industry from different perspectives: national, sectoral, and global. The study's overarching goal is to shed light on how America's great strengths in innovation can be scaled up into new productive capabilities. This talk will present some preliminary findings from PIE and focus on examples of successful manufacturing models in the U.S. based on over 160 company interviews to date. The message is a mixed one. U.S. manufacturing is clearly in crisis, but there is hope in the form of new innovations--many emerging from research universities--and the creation of a more favorable business climate for manufacturers.

Speaker: Professor Oliver de Weck '01, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, MIT

View the presentation (PDF).

Tues. Dec. 11, 2012

Can Advanced Robots Save US Manufacturing?

While automated machines have been utilized in some assembly lines like the auto industry, robots have not been widely utilized in U.S. manufacturing to the extent many forecasted decades ago. Advancing technology is leading to a new generation of intelligent robots that can work alongside human workers to create enhanced productivity. Dr. Brooks has been a pioneer in artificial intelligence and robotics in academia and industry for decades, and is active in extending their capabilities into manufacturing.

Speaker: Dr. Rodney Brooks, Co-founder and CTO, Rethink Robotics; Professor Emeritus, MIT; Co-Founder and Former CTO, iRobot

View the presentation (PDF).

Tues. Jan. 15, 2013

What Can Governments Do To Promote Advanced Manufacturing?

While the development and implementation of new manufacturing technologies must be carried out by industrial firms, the actions of federal and state governments can be important factors at several stages of that process. Dr. Kurfess will draw from his long experience with industrial and academic manufacturing activities to discuss current and potential actions by governments.

Speaker: Dr. Thomas Kurfess '83, Director for Advanced Manufacturing, OSTP; on leave from BMW Manufacturing Chair, Georgia Institute of Technology

View the presentation (PDF).

Tues. Feb. 12, 2013

 

What is the Future of Biological Based Manufacturing?

The last two decades have brought great advances in DNA sequencing, genomics, and molecular biology. With its ability to perform complex chemistries, be flexibly programmed through DNA, scale, adapt to changing environments, and self-repair, biology represents a powerful manufacturing platform. Yet our ability to harness these capabilities is severely limited. The goal now is to integrate engineering with biology, developing the tools and methodologies to enable the production of new and otherwise unmanufacturable materials, therapeutics, and functions, and to develop novel manufacturing processes and paradigms for increased process versatility and resiliency. An expert in this new field will share news of current and future advances that may increase the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing firms.

Speaker: Dr. Alicia Jackson '02 '07, Program Manager, Microsystems Technology Office, DARPA, DoD

Tues. Mar. 12, 2012

Radical Advances in System Design and Manufacturing

Adaptive Make: Radical Advances in System Design & Manufacturing

Since 2008 DARPA has invested about $1 billion in research and experiments to develop entirely new approaches to the functions of system design, computational modeling, and the processes of making things. Often this leads to so-called additive manufacturing, with significant gains in life-cycle costing and time. Dr. Gabriel will discuss these approaches, their results, and how American industry will benefit.

Speaker: Dr. Kaigham Gabriel '83, Formerly Deputy Director and Acting Director, DARPA, DoD

Speaker: Paul Eremeko

View the presentation (PPT).

SCHEDULE

Each session begins at 6:15 p.m. with a cash bar, followed by dinner at 7:00, and the seminar from approximately 8:00 to 9:30.

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

Each of the sessions will be held at the Kenwood Club, 5601 River Road, Bethesda, MD.

From the Beltway (I-495) use Exit 39, River Road. Go toward Washington, continue 2.8 miles. At the Springfield Drive stoplight turn left into the Kenwood Club. There is plenty of free parking in the lots to the left of the clubhouse.

From DC head northwest on Massachusetts Avenue NW to Westmoreland Circle at the DC line; turn right onto Western Avenue; turn left onto River Road; proceed to 5601 River Road and turn right into the Kenwood Club.

Using mass transit take the Metro Red Line to Friendship Heights, then take the nine minute ride on the T2 Metrobus that leaves the station at 5:35, 5:55, and 6:15.

NOTE: The sessions meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, except the January session, which meets on the 3rd Tuesday.

ACCESSIBILITY

There is an elevator, accessible from outside, that brings people up to the patio level outside the registration table.

REGISTRATION AND COST

Registration will be accepted for the complete series only, though spaces are transferable for individual sessions. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received, up to the capacity limit. The series is open to MIT Alumni/ae, their guests and all others interested in the topic. To avoid disappointment from oversubscription, we recommend early response. Federal employees may submit an approved SF-182 for payment.

The subscription cost of the Washington Seminar Series is $320 per person for members of the MIT Club of Washington and their guests, and $350 for non members, which includes dinner for each session. To register and pay by check, mail in the coupon below. Or register online and pay by credit card using MIT's SmarTrans at https://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/register-login.vm?eventID=68821&groupID=1161. Club Partners only may register via e-mail to Ray Daniels to raphaeldaniels@alum.mit.edu

QUESTIONS?

Contact Ken Gordon at 301-469-9240 or kengordon@alum.mit.edu.

STEERING COMMITTEE

General Chairman
Kenneth Gordon, Ph. D.

Program Committee
Chair: John Starke
Mark Joseph
Michael R. Leavitt, Ph. D.
Ray Daniels
Lynn Garland
Fred Glave
Robert Hershey, Ph. D.

Treasurer
Mark Joseph

Registration
Ray Daniels
Bernard Paiewonsky, Ph. D.

Publicity
Robert Hershey, Ph. D.

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SEMINAR SERIES; REBUILDING U.S. MANUFACTURING; OCT 2012 THRU MAR 2013; KENWOOD CLUB, BETHESDA, MD

Enclosed is a check made out to "MIT Seminar Series" for $_______ for _______ people ($320 each for dues-paid members and their guests; $350 each for nonmembers).

Check one:
_____ I have already paid my dues for 2011-2012.
_____ I am enclosing a dues check for $30; send my Club newsletters via __ email,  __ US Mail, __ both;
Name _______________________________________________________________ Class: _______
Guest(s) __________________________________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________________(h)  ___________________________________(b)
Fax   _____________________ E-Mail __________________________________________________

Special Note: Please provide your current e-mail address since we will use it to disseminate reminders and any re-scheduling notices.

Send your registration and payment to:

Mr. Ray Daniels
MIT Seminar Series
4700 Falstone Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815-5544