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2005 Tri-Service Corrosion Conference Broadens Program and Audience

By Cynthia Greenwood

Amina Alam, an eighth grader at Ellicott Mills Middle School in Ellicott City, MD, presented her award-winning paper to Corrosion Forum participants at the Tri-Service Corrosion Conference.

For the first time, the bi-annual Tri-Service Corrosion Conference that welcomes corrosion scientists and engineers working for the Department of Defense (DoD) significantly broadened its program and audience to include experts involved in operating and sustaining DoD assets, as well as experts in research and development. The Tri-Service conference took place from November 14 through 18 at the Wyndham Palace Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The event was organized and produced by NACE International, with help from Concurrent Technologies Corporation.

Keynote panelists took questions from conference participants about a variety of corrosion issues facing the Navy, NASA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Pictured are (from left) Navy Rear Admiral Timothy Heely, Dr. Alex Kaznoff, NAVSEA Systems Command, Richard K. Sylvester, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, and Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center.

The conference focused squarely on how the DoD can overcome the traditional methods of addressing corrosion and its effects. Participants also debated and discussed how the agency can cost-effectively implement innovative and high-impact methods for preventing and controlling corrosion in government equipment and facilities.

The conference theme, "Transcending and Integrating Corrosion Prevention and Control for the Department of Defense," was conceived by Pentagon-based organizer Daniel J. Dunmire to emphasize the DoD goal of working closely with industry and university experts to tackle corrosion issues.

The conference organizing committee, led by Dunmire and technical program chairmen John Beatty and Ralph Adler of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, succeeded in attracting the corrosion prevention organizations of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, as well as their maintenance communities. Also attending were Coast Guard and NASA experts, as well as broader government and industrial sectors involved in fighting corrosion.

At the keynote luncheon on Wednesday, Major General James Pillsbury talked about the need to improve the corrosion control of Army aircraft and vehicles to maximize combat readiness.

"This year, we were very pleased to welcome experts from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, who specialize in preventing and mitigating corrosion of the DoD's vast array of military facilities throughout the world," Dunmire said. "This audience proved to be a significant addition to our core body of presenters."

Several speakers from the DoD and the military services delivered keynote presentations throughout the week. Tony Keane, Executive Director of NACE International, delivered the banquet presentation, titled "Progress and Challenges in Transcending Traditional Corrosion Control." In addition, the DoD Corrosion Forum met on Monday and Friday during sessions open to interested government and industry participants. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research also conducted concurrent sessions throughout the week. The conference welcomed 59 exhibiting companies, a representation from industry that also contributed to the event's success, Dunmire said.

Photos by Cassie Davie and Cynthia Greenwood, CorrDefense