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A record-breaking 2438 nondestructivetesting (NDT) professionals from aroundthe world came together at ASNT’s AnnualConference, held 28–31 October inHouston, Texas—300+ more attendeesthan last year’s record-breaking conferencein Nashville, Tennessee. A diverse group ofresearchers, technicians, and studentsrepresenting almost every NDT techniquetook part in the annual event, which washoused in the state-of-the-art MarriottMarquis Houston and George R. BrownConvention Center. At the conference andexhibition, attendees had the opportunityto learn about new products and develop-ments, take part in Society meetings and

activities, network, and help grow the NDTindustry.

Offerings from this year’s professionalprogram included four short courses and125 scheduled presentations in 29 tracks.With topics that covered over a dozen NDTmethods and applications, these informa-tive sessions explored a wide range ofindustries and applications.

In addition to participating incommittee meetings, information sessions,and valuable networking activities, confer-ence attendees enjoyed the opportunity tolearn more about a myriad of NDT productsand services displayed by 221 companiesin the exhibit hall.

Annual Business MeetingThe ASNT Annual Business Meeting washeld on Sunday. With 91 voting membersrepresenting 24 sections in attendance,quorum requirements were easily met. The2018 election results were ratified, andminutes from the 2017 Annual BusinessMeeting were approved. ExecutiveCommittee members for 2018–2019 wereannounced: Chairperson of the Board DavidA. Mandina, President Scott P. Cargill, VicePresident David Savoy, newly electedSecretary/Treasurer Michael V. McGloin, andExecutive Director Dr. Arny Bereson.

Outgoing Secretary/Treasurer Savoy’sreport for fiscal year 2017–2018 showedthat the financial health of ASNT remainsstrong. For the 2018 fiscal year, whichended 30 June 2018, the Society had totalassets of $29.6 million exceeding liabili-ties of $4.3 million, providing reserves of$25.3 million. Revenues from operationwere $8.2 million, which was $24 900higher than 2017. Revenue from booksales and certification was up over lastyear, while revenue from membershipdues, conferences, and advertising wasdown. Favorable market conditionscontributed $1.9 million to the Society’sinvestment portfolio. Overall, ASNT’s netassets increased by $1 million in fiscalyear 2018.

Outgoing Chairperson of the BoardDavid R. Bajula presented the annual Stateof the Society address, emphasizing thestrength and position of ASNT to remainthe premier professional society for NDT.He highlighted some Society accomplish-ments of this year: the debut of seven newpublications; renewed collaboration withindustry through ASNT’s Oil & Gas Industry

wrap-upA Look Back at ASNT Annual Conference 2018

Outgoing Chairperson of the Board David R. Bajula did the honors at the ribbon-cuttingceremony that officially opened the Exhibit Hall Sunday evening. From left: Vice PresidentDavid Savoy, Executive Director Dr. Arny Bereson, Incoming Chairperson of the Board David A.Mandina, Bajula, President Scott Cargill, and Secretary/Treasurer Michael V. McGloin.

From Materials Evaluation, Vol. 76, No. 12, pp: 1582-1587.

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Sector Qualification program, ACCPprogram, and employer-based certificationprogram; the success of ASNT conferencesand topicals; the upcoming 2025 AsiaPacific Conference in Hawaii, which ASNTwas selected to host; a grant from theNational Science Foundation; and ASNT’scontinued student outreach efforts throughthe biannual Day of STEM events held inconjunction with Annual Conference andResearch Symposium.

Bajula also thanked the members whoparticipated in the annual member-get-member drive, “Dig Deep, Fly High,” whichresulted in over 700 new members andhad a three-year record high of partici-pating member recruiters. He also took theopportunity to recognize outgoing ASNTdirectors Mohammed A. Abufour, B. BoroDjordjevic, McGloin, and Kevin D. Smith.Bajula also acknowledged the sponsors ofthe Annual Conference: Labino, CircleSystems Inc., Met-L-Check, AINDT, Acuren,Olympus, QSA Global, Teledyne ICM, andNorth Star Imaging.

The Town Hall Meeting, an open-forum discussion, followed the BusinessMeeting and included a presentation byASNT International Service Center (ISC)staff James Bennett and Heather Cowleson the grant that ASNT (in partnershipwith Weld-Ed, American Welding Society,Lorain County Community College, and

Chattanooga State Community College)has been awarded from the NationalScience Foundation. The nearly $600 000in funding will be used to expand educa-tional opportunities for NDT technicians.

Student Member Activities

Events for student members began onSaturday with a short training session toprepare them to serve as session monitors,registration assistants, and app ambassa-dors. Then, on Sunday it was off to a careerworkshop to learn about résumé prepara-tion, networking, and interviewing from apanel of NDT experts. NDT company repre-sentatives conducted interviews with thestudent members on Monday and Tuesday.

Throughout the week, student ambas-sadors could be spotted around the

Marriott and convention center helping torun the conference. ASNT staff thanks thestudents from Central PiedmontCommunity College, Ridgewater College,Salt Lake Community College, San JacintoCollege, and Southeast College for theirattendance and help.

A Day of STEM

On Monday, students and educators fromCarl Wunsche Sr. High School (Spring,Texas) and Wheatley High School(Houston, Texas) attended ASNT’s Day ofSTEM. This activity-packed workshopprovided an introduction to NDT, anoverview of its impact and applications,and a demonstration of its relationship to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula. After an

Students from community colleges with NDT programs served as session monitors,registration assistants, and app ambassadors for the Annual Conference, including theseSoutheast Community College students.

Students from local Texas high schools viewed demonstration of NDTmethods as part of ASNT’s A Day of STEM educational outreachprogram.

Local high school students, including these representatives from theUS Army Junior ROTC program, enjoyed the opportunity to tour theexhibit hall as part of ASNT’s A Day of STEM.

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introduction that included a video andbrief presentations, the students weredivided into small groups and visiteddifferent demonstration stations, eachshowcasing an NDT technique or applica-tion. The station setup provided a hands-on experience and offered the students achance to learn about different NDT careeroptions. They ended the day with a trip tothe exhibit hall, where several exhibitorsgraciously hosted them at their booths.

ASNT would like to thank sponsorsHellier, Olympus, and QSA Global, anddedicated ASNT member volunteers, fortheir assistance in making this day asuccess.

Exhibit Hall The ribbon-cutting ceremony that officiallyopened the exhibit hall was held Sundayevening. Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvresand beverages while mingling with repre-sentatives of 221 exhibiting companiesand learning about their latest productsand services.

This year, 12 companies participatedin the Exhibitors Innovation Forum. Thesewere short 20-minute vendor informationalsessions where members could examinenew products, find out about the latestdevelopments, and ask questions withoutthe distractions of a crowded exhibitbooth. For the second year, conferenceattendees competed in a virtual scavenger

hunt, where they could collect badgesthrough the official conference app for thechance to win prizes. Zak Milligan of ATIwas the winner of a Sonos Bluetoothspeaker.

International Representation

More than 560 individuals traveled toHouston from locations outside of theUnited States to participate in the AnnualConference, representing 23% of totalattendance. The International Reception,held Sunday evening, brought togetherinternational guests, representatives ofsister societies, and ASNT officers andmembers for a welcoming reception.Representatives from 16 internationalsocieties were in attendance at the AnnualConference, and 14 of ASNT’s internationalsections were represented.

Lecture Series

Monday’s activities were brought to anenergizing start with the inspiring personalstory of Olympic luger Ruben Gonzalez,who gave the keynote address on Monday.Gonzalez did not consider himself anaturally gifted athlete, yet he had a dreamof going to the Olympics and decided totake up competitive luge at age 21.Against all odds, he found himselfcompeting in the Winter Olympics four

wrap-up

Visitors to the busy exhibit hall enjoyed three consecutive days oflearning, browsing, and networking opportunities.

More than 220 exhibiting companies were on hand to demonstratethe latest products and equipment for nondestructive testing.

These representatives from Ridgewater Community College were happy to help kick offASNT’s new member-get-member campaign, “All Aboard the MemberSHIP!”

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years later, and then continued to competeuntil age 47. Like many in the NDTindustry, Gonzalez recognized the impor-tance of mentorship. “Find a coach, find amentor … find someone who has alreadydone what you want to do,” he told theaudience. “A coach allows you to take youreyes off the fear and back on the dream.”

Glenn M. Light presented theLester/Mehl Honor Award Lecture onTuesday. Light, who served as the directorof NDE research at Southwest ResearchInstitute for more than 20 years, gave apresentation titled “Where Would Researchand Development in NDE Be Without aLittle Risk?” During the presentation, heshared many examples of past researchefforts, not all of which were successful for

various reasons, but all of whichcontributed to the body of knowledge.Light emphasized the importance ofresearch sponsorship in advancing theindustry.

Ripi Singh rounded out lecture serieson Wednesday with the Plenary Lecture.This year’s topic focused on Industry 4.0and the role of NDE in the fourth industrialrevolution. Industry 4.0 is here now, withthe advent of artificial intelligence,automation/robotics, virtual reality,Internet of Things, and additive manufac-turing (3D printing). Singh explored howthese trends may impact NDE in the nextfive to ten years and challenged hiscolleagues to think about “NDE 4.0” as weenter the newest revolution.

Short Courses and EducationalSessions

Four short courses were presented onSunday through Wednesday. AnmolBirring, Birring NDE Center, presented thefirst course on Sunday morning titled“Time of Flight Diffraction for WeldInspections.” On Monday, Robert Conklinof the ASNT Center for Excellencepresented “Technical Writing for NDT.” DonLocke and Don Norton of Hellier NDTpresented “Leadership and Ethics in NDT”on Tuesday, and Joseph Mackin of theInternational Pipe Inspectors Associationpresented “Magnetic Particle Inspection:Beyond the Basics” on Wednesday. Theseshort courses enable NDT technicians,managers, and trainees to get theeducation and credits they need to staycurrent in the rapidly evolving NDTindustry.

Educational sessions held throughoutthe week provided 125 opportunities for30-minute research presentations on awide range of NDT topics in 29 tracks.Some covered specific methods andtechnologies, while others looked atgeneral industries or the future of NDT.Session chairs and presenters oftenmade themselves available for questionsand further discussions after theirpresentations. (Readers interested inmaking a presentation at the 2019Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevadaare encouraged to contact the ASNT ISC.)

The Annual Conference offered a myriad of networking opportunities to catch up with oldfriends and colleagues as well as meet fellow members.

Plenary Lecture presenter Ripi Singhexamined the impacts of the fourthindustrial revolution, also known asIndustry 4.0, on the NDT industry.

Four-time luge Olympian Ruben Gonzalezkept a packed room engaged by sharinghis inspirational story of achieving hisOlympic dream.

Glenn M. Light presented the 2018Lester/Mehl lecture, titled “Where WouldResearch and Development In NDE BeWithout a Little Risk?”

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Awards Banquet

At the sold-out Awards Banquet onTuesday evening, ASNT recognized volun-teers for their service to the industry andas well as to the Society.

The Society’s highest honor, the PhilipD. Johnson Honorary Member Recognition,was presented to Marvin Trimm. JohnKinsey was recognized with the George C.Wheeler Excellence in PersonnelCertification Recognition. Marwan Basrawiwas recognized with the Charles N.Sherlock Meritorious Service Recognition.The George L. Pherigo Tutorial CitationRecognition went to Robert Smilie. GlennLight was recognized for the Mehl/LesterHonor Lecture. The Robert C. McMasterGold Medal was awarded to John Newman.The 2017 Class of Fellows included TreyGordon and James Knowles. Joseph Bush,Ed Edgerton, Leonard Garcia, Jr., HerbertKaplan, and Jack Spanner, Sr. (posthu-mous) were all recognized as 50-YearMembers. The Chicago, Greater Houston,Greater Los Angeles, Miami Valley, OldDominion, Pacific Northwest, San Diego,and Saudi Arabian sections were allpresented with the gold level President’sAward for their activities in program year2017–2018.

Recognizing NDT education andmentoring is always an important part ofthe awards ceremony. The Recognition forthe Advancement of Women in NDT waspresented to Kathy Ferguson, and theRecognition for the Advancement of Active

Marvin Trimm (right) was presented with the Philip D. Johnson Honorary Member Recognition,the highest award bestowed by the Society, by ASNT Incoming Chairperson of the BoardDavid A. Mandina.

The 78th president of ASNT, Scott Cargill, and wife Victoria, attended the dessert receptionafter the sold-out Annual Banquet.

wrap-up

The following ASNT sections were recognized with the Gold level of the President’s Award at the Annual Banquet: Chicago, Greater Houston,Greater Los Angeles, Miami Valley, Old Dominion, Pacific Northwest, San Diego, and Saudi Arabian.

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Military and Veterans in NDT waspresented to Jeffrey Wagner. HosseinTaheri was recognized with the Young NDTProfessional Recognition. StudentsMelanie Schneider, of University of NewMexico; Sarah Sandler, of ClemsonUniversity; and David Zabel, of NorthCarolina State University, were recognizedwith the Engineering UndergraduateScholarship. Mohammed Abufour, JenniferAnaya, Anish Poudel, Timothy Roach, andMarvin Trimm were honored with theMentoring Award. Faculty Grants werepresented to Alexander Vakanski and LeeOstrom of University of Idaho and DavidEisenmann of Iowa State University forbeginning or enhancing NDT education.ASNT Fellowship Awards were received bystudents and teachers at University ofTexas at Austin, Portland State University,

Drexel University, Georgia Institute ofTechnology, and Iowa State University.Outstanding Paper Awards were presentedto Stefano Mariani, Thompson Nguyen,and Francesco Lanza di Scalea, forMaterials Evaluation, and to JongbeomKim, Dong-Gi Song, and Kyung-YoungJhang, for Research in NondestructiveEvaluation.

Past President Robert Feole served asthe evening’s master of ceremonies. Theincoming Board of Directors was recog-nized, including new directors SebastianZ. Fernandes, John Kinsey, and David H.Mitchell, Sr.

In keeping with ASNT tradition,outgoing President Mandina passed thepresidential collar to the 78th ASNTpresident, Scott P. Cargill. In his inauguraladdress, President Cargill echoed the

theme of mentoring that ran throughoutthe Annual Conference. “What single wordencompasses ASNT’s mission? I believe itis mentoring, and through mentoring wemake the world a safer place,” he told theaudience of 355 gathered.

Save the Date

The 2019 ASNT Annual Conference will beheld 18–21 November 2019 at theWestgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas,Nevada. If the last two record-breakingyears are any indication, it’s sure to be anevent that those the NDT industry won’twant to miss. wx

Digital Extras To view more photos from the2018 Annual Conference in Houston, log onto the digital M.E.