MESSAGE FROM THE EDUCATION CHAIR

"New Education Chair... Last Message"

Section Members & Honored Eavesdroppers,

This will be my last message as Manijeh Farrokhi will be taking over for me as Education Chair.  It's been real and it's been fun ...

National Engineers Week

Quality and Reliability Engineers should know that National Engineers week is Feb. 14-20.  

See http://www.new-sandiego.org/  for a list of events including the annual awards banquet at USD. 

Order Your FREE Bumper Stickers to Promote Engineers Week!  ASQ headquarters is offering FREE bumper stickers to members. The bumper stickers come in two distinct messages, and there is a limit of six bumper stickers (total) per member. This is a member value item, offered for a limited time only. To order, contact ASQ Customer Care at 800-248-1946 and reference the following items:

• Item #B1668: I Love [Picture of Heart] Quality Engineers

• Item #B1669: Have You Hugged an Engineer Today?

Also, make sure to take part in our Engineers Week Initiative by filling out the appropriate information in this template news release and distributing it to local media outlets.  

Student Chapter Kickoff Meeting Feb. 5

If you are interested in attending the kickoff meeting for our new student Chapter, contact 

Mia Hamilton at miahamilton@san.rr.com ; (858) 535-0892 home ; (619) 665-7916 cell

Study Group Formation / Linked-In

We have received several emails from members interested in starting study groups.  Please use our Linked-in group to get in touch.  See http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1234957 

The following people are interested in the following study groups.  They need someone to volunteer a location and coordinate meetings, special guest speakers, etc.  If you are interested in joining one of the two following study groups to study on your own without taking a class, please contact these folks and cc me as possible:

• Six Sigma Black Belt study group (so far has rbrugger58@yahoo.com, Elbawatkins@gmail.com, and ben.lee@navy.mil)  

• Reliability Engineering study group (so far has rbrugger58@yahoo.com,  rob.bruening@gmail.com, and anthonyw@kyocera-wireless.com) 

Class Schedule 

Please distribute these education program based files around your company as possible.

• Download The 1-Page Power Point Flyer Here (ppt 278kb)

• Download the 1-Page Sign up Flyer Here (pdf 128kb)

• Download the 2-Page Full Schedule Sign up Flyer Here (pdf 178kb)

Other Announcements

• Nomination and Election Cycle Under way
  Divisions and sections electing officers for terms beginning July 1, 2010, should begin communicating to members the call for nominations to ensure elections are complete and results are reported to ASQ by May 1. Please visit the Nominating Chair position materials for checklists and templates.

• Are You Attending the Community Leadership Institute?
  The Community Leadership Institute, a member leader conference preceding the World Conference on Quality and Improvement, engages leaders in strategic dialogue, provides educational opportunities related to member unit operations, and recognizes member units for performance excellence. Join us Saturday, May 22, in St. Louis, MO, for networking, learning, and leadership development. For more information and to register, visit the member leader events page.

• Getting Kids Off the Street: A Quality for Life™ Video Story
  In Porto Alegre, Brazil, children can live on the streets and no one, not even the authorities, can make them return home. Hear how Ron Atkinson, past-president of ASQ and quality manager at General Motors (retired), used quality tools to help get kids off the street. View the video.  Also, be sure to recognize the work that your members do to make a positive impact in the lives of others by visiting the Member Leader Community of Practice and taking advantage of a special member leader Quality for Life toolkit! 

• ASQ Learning Institute™ Success Story
  The Columbia Basin Section partnered with the ASQ Learning Institute in late November to hold a Software Quality Engineering course. ASQ headquarters provided registration, the instructor, and materials. The section took care of the venue, meals, and refreshments. Satisfaction ratings were high, and the section is likely to increase its entire year's cash flow by 50 percent thanks to this partnership. Contact Susan Westergard to discuss how your member unit can benefit from a Learning Institute partnership.

• Montreal Section Celebrates 60^th Anniversary
  The Montreal Section celebrated its 60^th anniversary January 20. The section was chartered August 12, 1950, with 15 founding members, and continues to serve as a model for other ASQ sections to emulate. Visit the section's Web site to learn more or send a congratulatory message.

• Tell a Story in Five Minutes: Presenters Wanted for Excite @ Nite!
  The ASQ Technical Program Committee is planning an Excite @ Nite! session during the World Conference on Quality and Improvement opening reception, May 23. Similar to Pecha Kucha and Ignite!, Excite @ Nite gives individuals five minutes to tell a story with 20 slides (slides will automatically advance every 15 seconds). Talk about any topic of interest to you, but keep it short and exciting, and expect audience feedback. Click here to learn more. Those interested in presenting can contact Dennis Arter.

• Successful Ideas - New Member Prize Drawing
  The Toronto Section increased new member engagement and loyalty by implementing a new member prize drawing at its monthly meetings. All new members are asked to put their ASQ membership card into a hat at the meeting, and then one name is drawn. That new member wins a gift certificate for an ASQ Quality Press purchase. Click here to read the full story.   If you have a Successful Idea, please contact us. We will be highlighting a member unit idea each month-a new Friday Fast Facts feature we recently created to provide you with new strategies to increase member engagement. Submissions are available in their entirety on the Member Leader Community of Practice. 

• 21 New ASQ Fellows Announced
  ASQ has awarded "Fellow" status to 21 members of the Society. Fellows are recognized as having achieved professional distinction and pre-eminence in the technology, theory, education, application, or management of quality control. ASQ currently has 600 active Fellows. Click here to learn more.

• Tips for Crafting a Successful Fellow Nomination - Part 3
  The third article in a series explaining common pitfalls that cause non-acceptance of Fellow nominations is now available. Read Article 3 - The Fellow Nomination - Evidence vs. claim. Contact Karen Prosser for additional information.

• Member Unit Satisfaction and Loyalty Study Now Open
  ASQ member leaders are asked to promote this membership and loyalty survey to their member units. Your members' input provides guidance for creating opportunities focused on your needs, and allows ASQ headquarters to provide the products and services that are beneficial to you and your member units.  As a thank you, participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of eight $25 ASQ Bucks. ASQ headquarters will provide (division, forum, or section) leadership with the results when available in early spring. The study will be open through February 28. 

• Community Good Works Program Repositioned
  The ASQ Office of the President and Community Good Works chair have decided that the Community Good Works (CGW) initiative will be repositioned and folded into the Quality for Life program effective January 1, 2010. Under this new direction, CGW grant monies will no longer be awarded; however, we will continue to tell the stories of ASQ members whose passion and commitment to quality make a difference as part of the Quality for Life program. For more information on Quality for Life or to submit a story, visit www.asq.org/qualityforlife.

• Reminder - Change of ASQ Certification Exam Dates
  As a result of a survey completed by section member leaders, certification exam dates have been moved for October 2010. The ASQ exam dates for the October administrations will be changed from the third Saturday to the first Saturday in October, effective October 2010. Thanks to everyone who responded!

• ASQ Advocacy Efforts Lead to Creation of Healthcare Reform Task Force 
  ASQ's continued advocacy efforts have ensured that quality fundamentals will play a key role in overhauling healthcare in the United States. ASQ has created a healthcare reform task force to provide information requested by Dr. David Blumenthal at the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology). Dr. Blumenthal has reached out to ASQ to assist him in his work of transforming healthcare in the United States using advances in information. Read the full story.

• Call for Papers: 2010 Service Quality Division Conference
  The ASQ Service Quality Division is seeking proposals for concurrent session presentations and tutorials for its19th annual conference. The conference will be held September 13-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. If you have a success story, case study, or new technique in the service quality field, we want to hear from you! For more information, visit the conference page. To submit a proposal for either a concurrent session or tutorial, please complete the appropriate form and return it via e-mail to Teressa Hupfer by February 28.  

• We recently had our 810th job ad!!  See http://www.asqsandiego.org/jobs.htm ... and keep sending them in.  

• Post a question to our officers at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1234957&trk=anet_ug_hm    

• Sponsor Pages:  Don't forget to check out our sponsor pages.  Great courses and products being offered!!  See links at the bottom of this email. 

• Other Local Events:  Don't forget to check out other local events on our local event calendar.

I look forward to hearing from you and or seeing you soon,

Sincerely,

Dave Clinard, ASQ-CQA & CSQE 

Outgoing Education Committee Chair

ASQ Section 703

619.466.4007 

This month we are highlighting: 

San Diego Mfg. Industry Report for 2009

by Michele Nash-Hoff  

Adobe pdf file (273kb) free reader link below

This annual report highlights San Diego manufacturing company moves for 2009.       

"Audit Worksheet Tool" 

From ASQ GA

(81kb Word Doc file)

The attached file was a gift from ASQ GA, meant to help us make more efficient internal audits.

"Articles Needed":  Now is your time to earn CU's and beef up that resume.  Send Kim your articles for publication in our newsletter.  The link above takes you to a web page on our site with author guidelines.