DFW SAMPE Takes A Hike with the Boy Scouts

During the recent SAMPE Tech 2011 Fall Conference, local Boy Scouts of America troop leaders presented composite hiking staffs to the sponsors of their Composite Materials Merit Badge Workshop.

 “I developed the idea while helping scouts in our local troop make composite hiking staffs in my garage at home”, said Tony Bergerson, a BELL Helicopter engineer and member of DFW SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering). “My initial plan was to ask the local organizing committee of the Fall Conference what they thought about me presenting a white paper on ‘How to Conduct a Composite Materials Merit Badge’.”

“After a few brain storming sessions Tony’s original idea was endorsed, volunteers were recruited and the tasks were distributed,” said Rick Willardson, DFW SAMPE International Director and Aerospace Engineer at DELL Engineering Services. “With several former scouts on the board at DFW SAMPE the enthusiasm was contagious.”

“In addition to the white paper presentation at SAMPE Tech, BELL Textron donated the use of their Composites Training Lab located at Alliance Airfield in Fort Worth, Texas. The timing was perfect with the Alliance Air Show taking place the weekend after SAMPE Tech” said Todd Hammer, DFW SAMPE Chairman and Sales Manager for Aerospace & Advanced Materials at Stiles Machinery. “58 scouts earned their merit badges, had an opportunity to visit a great air show and were treated to lunch at the exclusive BELL Textron lunch tents along the runway.”

“With more than 20 volunteers from our industry helping during the 2 sessions, and the scouts rotating in groups of 10, the workshop ran surprising well,” said James Meadows, Treasurer of DFW SAMPE and Research & Development Engineer at Triumph Aerostructures – Vought Aircraft Division. “I was shocked that such a merit badge exists and look forward to next year’s event”.

For additional information about this event, send requests to thammer@stilesmachinery.com

The Composites Material Merit Badge was developed by the ACMA (American Composites Manufacturers Association). Learn more about it by visiting http://meritbadge.org/wiki/images/e/e5/Composite_Materials.pdf

[IMAGE ‘868’ /]Workshop sponsors, pictured from left to right:

• Rob Mehal – VP Sales & Marketing, DUNSTONE
• Tony Bergerson – Engineering Producibility, Principal Engineer, BELL Helicopter, Textron
• Todd Hammer – Sales Manager Aerospace & Advanced Materials, Stiles Machinery
• Todd Holder – Marketing Manager Advanced Materials, HUNSTMAN
• Jill Sluder – Sales Representative, A & P Technologies