Minutes of Inaugural Piezoelectric Club Meeting

 

17^th December 1999

 

DERA Farnborough

 

 

Meetings

 

S.Powell         In favour of cross-disciplinary meetings, so that it is possible to meet members from different disciplines; he suggested a problem with ‘themed’ meetings is that only the people with an interest in that topic attend.

 

F.Rawson       Added that in ‘themed’ meetings the speakers would be inhibited due to the presence of their competitors.

 

General       Main reason for the meetings is the chance to network, and perhaps to solve problems that members do not want to take to a more formal level.

 

M.Cain       Asked whether members would want a bias in the presentations to marketing, etc.

 

S.Powell       Replied that it would be easiest to wait and see how the Club progresses.

 

 

Database

 

R.Whatmore   A members database is a useful aid to networking. However, the Club must be careful about the ‘data protection act’ when releasing names and addresses.

 

T.Ballenger       Asked whether the day’s attendance (and hence the potential database) had been representative of the piezoelectric community.

 

M.Cain       Responded that the attendance was not representative, but repeated that there had been several companies who were interested in the Club but had been unable to attend this meeting.

 

D.Stansfield       Enquired as to whom will put the database together? He also asked whether the data that DERA had accumulated up to 30 years ago would be available for the database, or was it lost, confidential, etc.

 

F.Lowrie       Replied that DERA will not break any contractual conditions concerning data, but any information that is available could be included in the database.

 

M.Cain           On the issue of funding for the database - £150 is quite a small sum for the amount of effort that will be needed to produce it, so would members be prepared to pay more, e.g. £300, for it, and / or make ‘in kind’ contributions?

 

General       Murmurs of assent on both accounts.

 

A.Perry       Suggested that potential users of the database would need to view and use it before paying for it – could the Club members trial it?

 

R.Whatmore       Asked whether the database could be put on the web, and a charge levvied each time someone uses it? Perhaps it could be structured in two levels, so that there is open-access for the basic site, and password access for extra data and more elite information, which people pay extra to obtain. Using the web, the database could also link in to other relevant clubs. Emphasised that the data must be updated regularly.

 

M.Cain       Asked what academia and industry would want from a database.

 

D.Pearce       Suggested academics require news on funding sources, and how to get ideas implemented in industry.

 

R.Whatmore       Added that industry would probably want specific data points, whereas academia would be more interested in current affairs and the latest news.

 

S.Powell       Stated that engineers in companies need a knowledge pool of who can help them when they are learning a new topic, and to provide answers to specific questions.

 

R.Whatmore       Said that a publications list would be useful, but the Club must be careful in setting up such a list not to be in breach of contracts with, e.g., BIDS.

 

 

Organisation

 

M.Williams       Asked on behalf of Howard Thomas how this Club would compare to the UATG club in Southampton, which had recently lost a lot of numbers.

 

R.Whatmore       Suggested that the Club constitution is considered – perhaps a committee is required to organise it.

 

M.Cain /       Replied that at present the Club will be run jointly by NPL and DERA, although in the future, when the

F.Lowrie       Club is more established, having a committee may be a better way of running it.

 

S.Powell       Suggested that the Club membership is opened up to overseas applicants, as a way of promoting the UK piezoelectric industry in Europe and the worldwide arena. In addition, if the Club is to be the forum for speaking with Europe and the USA, the Club itself must be promoted overseas, at conferences, etc. Must also ensure that piezoelectric devices and applications, which are a link into the overseas markets, are promoted in the Club.

 

General       Agreement for Club to be open to non-UK members.

 

M.Cain       Explained that the reason for the Club being for UK members was because the Club aims to promote UK industry, and had been given some funding from the DTI (i.e. from the UK treasury) to further this aim. NPL have no objections to non-UK members and would be able to provide literature for members to display at conferences that they attend, in order to raise the Club profile.

 

R.Whatmore       Observed that the Club membership should be UK based, not merely from SE Britain, which was the base reflected by attendance at this meeting. The Club must move around the country if companies in north Britain are to be involved.

 

F.Lowrie       Agreed that the Club must be prepared to move to different locations, and repeated the need for members to host events and meetings.

 

R.Hazelwood       Asked how easy it would be to cross-link with other clubs.

 

M.Cain       Replied that it would be easy for any other club which has a website, e.g. EMMA.

 

D. Pearce       Added that a link could be set up with other websites from a piezoelectric site; the site would act as the hub of a wheel, with many other sites leading from it.

 

T.Ballenger       Asked whether membership would be by company or by person.

 

M.Cain       Suggested by company, so that several people from the same company could attend meetings, each paying a charge only to cover food and administrative costs.

 

R.Whatmore       Asked whether individuals, such as retired consultants or academics, could join at a cheaper rate.

 

M.Cain       Replied that the charges will be fixed at a later date.

 

 

Standards

 

R.Hazelwood       Suggested that a way to initially involve members would be by each describing what they are actually working on; more detailed discussions could follow later.

 

 

Newsletter

 

R.Hazelwood       Suggested that the newsletter is also a database for those who do not care to use the electronic database; hence relevant data needs to be included in the newsletters.

 

 

Current Affairs

 

S.Powell       Stated that at present it is impossible for individuals in industry to keep abreast with the latest progress in the piezoelectric field, so it would be would be very helpful if the Club can do this. Dissemination will be a vital part in sharing what other groups are doing.

 

 

Extras

 

M.Reece       Suggested an email discussion group, which could be set up on the web page rather than simply a list of members.

 

M.Cain       Referring to ‘in kind’ contributions, maybe these could flow straight into the website, just as the publication lists would do.

 

T.Ballenger       Asked what the next stage would be, and how the momentum from this meeting would be carried forward.

 

F.Lowrie       Replied that NPL and DERA would analyse the comments sheets which attendees return to us, and from the suggestions, and if there were enough support for club, would start to plan for the next meeting, to be held at NPL in June. Preparations for the database and website could be started straightaway.