Blogs

Understanding Carbon Tracking and ESG Goals: Leveraging Smart Metering

By Rohit Kadam posted 20 Apr, 2024
In the quest for environmental sustainability, the dialogue surrounding carbon tracking and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals is more vibrant than ever. Industries across the globe are on a mission to diminish their carbon footprint and bolster their sustainability efforts. An interesting example of this is how electrical production facilities use smart metering infrastructure to track their carbon emissions. This initiative, aimed at enhancing the understanding and management of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, offers a glimpse into how companies can leverage automation to meet their ESG objectives. The recent ISA joint Connect ...

Celebrating Excellence in Automation: Nominate Outstanding Individuals for the ISA Honors and Awards Program

By Rohit Kadam posted 13 Mar, 2024
Each year, the ISA Honors and Awards Program offers an exciting opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding work of our members, partners, and fellow automation professionals. We're proud to shine a light on their achievements and showcase the amazing talent that drives the world of automation forward. Nominations are now open until 31 March. Submit your nominations now and help us recognize those who have made a significant impact in their respective fields. We encourage both self-nominations and nominations of your peers who have made significant contributions to ...

ISA Connect Live: Academic Credentials in Automation - Current and Future State

By Ana Stefanova posted 17 Feb, 2024
Please join us to an ISA Connect Live online discussion hosted by the Education and Research Division! ISA Connect Live: Academic Credentials in Automation - Current and Future State When: Feb 29, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada) This interactive online session brings together leading experts, educators, and industry professionals to explore the current landscape and future trajectories of academic credentials in automation. From certifications and diplomas to degrees and specialized programs, we'll delve into the diverse array of educational pathways available to aspiring automation specialists. Our panel will examine the relevance of different ...

The ISA Scholarship application is now OPEN until 28 February! 📣

By Ana Stefanova posted 05 Feb, 2024
The ISA Scholarship application is now OPEN until 28 February! 📣 ISA Scholarships are awarded to student members enrolled in a college or university who demonstrate outstanding potential for long-range contribution to the fields of automation and control. The scholarship awards support tuition and related expenses and research activities and initiatives. ISA Technical Divisions award scholarships through endowments of generous gifts from supporters. If you or somebody you know may be interested in applying, visit https://www.isa.org/membership/students/scholarships ...

Considerations for Incident Response for Critical Infrastructure

By Durgesh Kalya posted 04 Dec, 2023
Incident response is an important piece of the cybersecurity puzzle. It encompasses the meticulous process of identifying, containing, and recovering from security incidents. While this practice is imperative for all organizations, its significance is magnified for entities classified as critical infrastructure organizations. Critical infrastructure organizations are part and parcel of our societies, providing essential services such as power generation, water supply, transportation systems, and telecommunications networks. The repercussions of a cyberattack on such entities can be catastrophic, affecting the well-being of countless individuals and businesses ...

Don Dickinson - 2023 ISA Division Excellence in Technical Achievement

By Manoj Yegnaraman posted 31 Oct, 2023
Our very own Don Dickinson was awarded with the 2023 ISA Division Excellence in Technical Achievement. Don is a great inspiration to our automation community, and specifically to our Water Wastewater industry. Don Dickinson - you truly deserved this accolade. We missed Don at the Gala celebration earlier this month in Colorado Springs. Attached are few images that recognized Don for his achievement and award. Regards, Manoj Yegnaraman

Thank you ISA WWID for the 2023 Excellence in Leadership Award.

By Manoj Yegnaraman posted 31 Oct, 2023
I am humbled and honored for being selected by ISA WWID to receive the 2023 Excellence in Division Leadership Award for the ISA Water Wastewater Industries Division. Thanks to our past and current leaders, and our members for all the inspiration. According to the AWWA State of the Water Industry 2023 (https://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/AWWA/ETS/Resources/2023-SOTWI-Executive-Summary.pdf), our industry continues to face several challenges (and they are only increasing each year). There is a lot to do. And I am sure automation can serve as part of the solution (at least to some of the challenges). I look forward to continue learning and supporting our water industry ...

ISA WWID OnPoint Webinar - Utility-wide Control System upgrade

By Manoj Yegnaraman posted 31 Oct, 2023
Cassity Smalling (Schneider Electric), Hassan Ajami (PCI Vetrix) and I will be presenting an example of an approach taken for a Water/Wastewater Utility-wide control system upgrade - tomorrow, Nov 1 at 10 AM USA Central Daylight Time. The City of Odessa, TX - Water Wastewater Utilities Division faced typical challenges such as aging infrastructure, unreliable communication to remote sites, and an infrastructure that was unique to each of their facilities. They were spending more than what should be generally needed for control system maintenance, and were looking for an efficient solution to optimize their Utility-wide operations, maintenance and management ...

ISA will be at the World’s largest Wastewater Conference

By Manoj Yegnaraman posted 20 Sep, 2023
We are happy to announce that ISA will be presenting at the 2023 WEFTEC’s (Wastewater Conference - Chicago, IL, USA) Innovation Theater in less than 2 weeks! Don Dickinson (Past Director, ISA WWID) and Hassan Ajami (Director, ISA WWID) will be presenting on “ Enabling AI/ML for Operational Technology Applications with Open Control Platforms“ on Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023 at 11:30 AM Central time (North America). WEFTEC is the largest global wastewater conference , organized by WEF, annually. We at ISA take this opportunity to thank WEF for their continued support, for giving us this opportunity each year, and for valuing ISA as its automation governing ...

ISA honors and awards - Congratulations!

By Ana Stefanova posted 25 Jul, 2023
Congratulations to the 2023 ISA Excellence Award Recipients: Excellence in Division Leadership - Kelvin Erickson Division Excellence in Technical Achievement - R. Russell Rhinehart Thank you for all you do to advance the Education and Research Division and beyond!

Next-Gen Reactor Presentation

By Josiah Long posted 11 Jul, 2023
See Today exciting update in Nuclear Power Plant Standards Community Blog for an event on July 20th

Upcoming Power Events

By Josiah Long posted 11 Jul, 2023
ISA 67 on July 20 at University of Tennessee in Knoxville will be hosting a series of presentations on the the latest updates in the Next-Gen Reactors. Various Industry Experts and Specialist will be presenting from 1:00 to 4:00 on various topics including: Hermes Reactor eVinci AP300 Also included are presentations by the NRC on Risk-Informed Performance Based Advanced Reactor I&C System, National Reactor Innovation Center Accelerating Reactor Demonstrations, a Paragon presenting Advance Reactor I&C Safety Systems. Attendance is Free but you must contact Ryan Hoover at hooverrj@westinghouse.com The presentation will also be available ...

OnPoint Presentation - Linguistic Modeling; an Application to Student Success Prediction by Dr. Russ Rhinehart

By Ana Stefanova posted 26 Apr, 2023
You are invited to a OnPoint presentation by Dr. Russ Rhinehart on " Linguistic Modeling; an Application to Student Success Prediction .” When: May 4, 2023 11:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada). Hosted by the Education and Research Division (ERD). To register in advance for this meeting, click on the link: http://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvce2qpz8tH9Pkz8Ny5EDbJSXtzalaL0bu#/registration After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the meeting. Abstract Linguistic modeling uses human language to express cause-and-effect relations. The structure for the rules is “IF [antecedent} ...

ISA at the Offshore Technology Conference - NRG Park - Houston - May 1-4

By Dean Bickerton posted 22 Apr, 2023
ISA will have a booth in the front lobby of NRG Hall at the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston NRG Park, May 1-4. Stop by to say hello and introduce any prospective members to ISA and ChemPID. The team will be happy to discuss the benefits of ISA membership including standards, certifications, training, networking, and events.

Q1 Newsletter Posted

By Ryan Kershaw posted 28 Feb, 2023
The Q1 Newsletter for the SMIIoT division has been posted. Head over to the division page and the newsletter section specifically to learn about what has been happening and what the year ahead holds.

Building Cyber Resilience for Process Control Systems

By Durgesh Kalya posted 23 Feb, 2023
Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS) security has become a significant concern for organizations in the last decade. Cyber resilience for IACS means being able to recover from cybersecurity incidents quickly, with a priority on safety and maintaining system integrity and availability. To have a successful cyber resilience program, organizations should define their goals and commonly identify objectives when building a cybersecurity program. Identify and Detect This involves continuous security monitoring and attack surface management to detect anomalies and potential intrusions before a major attack on the ICS. Respond and Recover ...

MOU executed between ISA WWID and AWWA

By Manoj Yegnaraman posted 07 Feb, 2023
I am happy to let you all know that we have successfully executed a memorandum of understanding between ISA WWID and AWWA for the Jun 2023 annual water conference (ACE23) - Toronto, Canada. With this MOU, ISA WWID and AWWA are able to provide mutual benefits to one another, as it relates to the conference's program. This continued collaboration with AWWA allows us at WWID to understand the current challenges and trends with our Water industry. And this awareness allows us analyze and come up with the best automation solutions/best practices for our industry. I take this opportunity to thank AWWA for all the support over the years. We look forward to another ...

ChemPID awards at the annual ISA Honor and Awards Gala for the first time!

By Charlie Souza posted 30 Jan, 2023
Attention all ChemPID members! It's time to recognize and celebrate our peers' achievements in advancing our division's mission and contributing to the automation field. ChemPID's Excellence in Division Leadership and Division Excellence in Technical Achievement Awards are now open for nominations, and we encourage you to nominate your colleagues, volunteers, and leaders. Division awards will be presented and celebrated at the annual ISA Honor and Awards Gala for the first time! Take advantage of this opportunity to honor and showcase the exceptional work of your peers. But the nomination application is only open until March 31st ! Please ...

IACS Network Security Strategies

By Durgesh Kalya posted 25 Jan, 2023
Network security is one of the main pillars of defense-in-depth strategies in Industrial Control Systems and Business enterprise systems. Network security refers to the measures taken to protect the integrity and accessibility of networked systems and data. Network Security can include implementing firewalls, encrypting communications, and regularly updating software to fix vulnerabilities. There are several types of network security strategies, including: Preventative: These strategies aim to prevent security breaches from occurring in the first place, such as by implementing firewalls and intrusion prevention systems. Detective: These strategies ...

Applications open for ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships!

By Ana Stefanova posted 13 Jan, 2023
ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships are awarded to college or university students who demonstrate outstanding potential for long-range contribution to the fields of automation and control. The scholarship awards support tuition and related expenses, as well as research activities and initiatives. The application process is now open and runs through 28 February 2023 ! Click the link below for more info on eligibility and how to apply. https://www.isa.org/membership/students/scholarships