ASME Partners with Congressional Robotics Caucus for Briefing ...

ASME Partners with Congressional Robotics Caucus for Briefing ... ASME Partners with Congressional Robotics Caucus for Briefing ... ASME Partners with Congressional Robotics Caucus for Briefing on Autonomous VehiclesNov. 3, 2017 (Far left) Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, provided opening remarks at the recent briefing on autonomous vehicles. Also taking part in the briefing were (at the table, left to right) moderator Said Jahanmir, president-nominee of ASME, Joe Jarzombek of Synopsys Inc., Chuck Thorpe of Clarkson University and chair of the ASME Robotics Public Policy Task Force, Constantine Samaras of Carnegie Mellon University, and Finch Fulton from the Transportation Policy schreibstube of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. ASME recently partnered with the Robotics Caucus Advisory Committee and the Congressional Robotics Caucus to convene a briefing for Congressional staff on the anticipated arrival and integralrechn ung of automated vehicles (AVs) into the United States transportation infrastructure.The Congressional Robotics Caucus, chaired by Congressman Rob Woodall (R-GA) and Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), focuses on issues facing the robotics industry, including technological as well as legal and regulatory challenges. Both Congressmen Woodall and Doyle addressed the audience during the event, which took place Oct. 24 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, and shared their excitement for the economic and societal benefits AV technology will provide, while also expressing their commitment to addressing policy concerns. The briefing was co-hosted by IEEE-USA and Carnegie Mellon University, who are members of the Robotics Caucus Advisory Committee along with ASME. (Left to right) Congressman Rob Woodall (R-GA) speaks with ASME President-Nominee Said Jahanmir at the Congressional briefing on autonomous vehicles. Congressman Woodall also delivered opening remarks at the event, wh ich was held Oct. 24. In addition to hearing from the Caucus co-chairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary Finch Fulton spoke to the role of the Federal government in integrating automated vehicles. He remarked that the U.S. Department of Transportation recently released new guidelines for automated driving systems in A Vision for Safety 2.0, and is already working on version 3.0 to be released in 2018.After the opening remarks, incoming ASME President-Nominee Said Jahanmir, Ph.D., moderated the panel session featuring experts who provided their insights on where the government should play a role and what issues the government should be addressing proactively. Panelists included Chuck Thorpe, Ph.D., chair of the ASME Robotics Public Policy Task Force and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Clarkson University Constantine Samaras, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Joe Jarzombek, global manager of the Software Integrity Group at Synopsys Inc. A crowd of 86, primarily consisting of Congressional staffers, attended the briefing at the Rayburn House Office Buildings House Transportation and Infrastructure Hearing Room.The speakers offered insightful remarks on the specific challenges the government must be thinking about while researchers and industry race towards full AV integration. During the event, it became clear that while the benefits automated vehicles promise are vast, AVs face major societal obstacles as they are integrated into society, such as how to deter malicious activities aimed at connected vehicles, where and to what extent the technology should be utilized, and how to prepare a sufficient infrastructure that moves at the same pace as the technology. All of the panelists noted that it is necessary for policymakers to consider these far-reaching impacts as technologists continue to improve and innovate AV capabilities.To learn more about the Congressional Robotics Caucus, visit http //roboticscaucus.org.- Samantha Fijacko, Government Relations

This type of sitting is killing you faster (and its not the one you think)

This type of sitting is killing you faster (and its not the one you think)This type of sitting is killing you faster (and its not the one you think)We all know that sitting for long periods is bad for you, even deadly. However, most studies have not followed a group of people over a long period of time while tracking their sedentary behavior. When researchers at Columbia University did, they made a shocking find about which sort of sitting is the worst when it comes to the risk of heart disease and death.Hint its not sitting at a desk all day, its what many people do afterthat sacking out in front of the TV, oftentimes for a large number of hours. Thats the sort of sitting that poses real health risks, researchers found.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIt may be that most people tend to watch television for hours without moving, while most workers get up from their desk frequent ly, explained study author Keith M. Diaz, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University, in a release. The combination of eating a large meal such as dinner and then sitting for hours could also be particularly harmful.More research is needed, but its possible that just taking a short break from your TV time and going for a walk may be enough to offset the harm of leisure-time sitting, Diaz added.For the study, whose findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association,researchers followed 3,592 African-Americans living in Jackson, Missouri for nearly eight-and-a-half years. The subjects reported how long they sat in front of the TV each day, as well as how much time they sat at work. They also reported how much time they spent on daily exercise.It was found that participants who spent four hours or more watching TV every day had a 50% greater risk of heart disease and death compared to those who spent two hours or less in front of the TV.And sitting down at work wasnt as bad as researchers expected the participants who sat the most for their jobs had the same health risks as the subjects who sat the least overall. This indicates that there is a contrast in the heart health effects of sitting and work and sprawling in front of a TV.So what is to be done? Exercise, of course.Our findings show that how you spend your time outside of work may matter more when it comes to heart health, said Diaz. Even if you have a job that requires you to sit for long periods of time, replacing the time you spend sitting at home with tenuous exercise could reduce your risk of heart disease and death.

A Guide to Common Health and Safety Jobs

A Guide to Common Health and Safety JobsA Guide to Common Health and Safety JobsHealth and safety jobs in the fields of law enforcement, fire safety, the environment, and wellness are numerous, and all offer potentially intriguing career opportunities. Health and Wellness If you have an interest in health and wellness, the field is wide open with a wealth of options. You could pursue a career as anepidemiologistand help study and control diseases. In office environments, ergonomists study where and how people work and recommend ways for employees to be more healthy and efficient at their desks and elsewhere. In medicine, you could pursue a career as a staff physician specializing in occupational medicine and primary careor work as a medical director in employee health services. You also could train to become anindustrial hygiene/safety engineer or become credentialed in that field to assess injuries and safety hazards. Other health professions working in the health and wellness a rea include occupational health analysts and nurses. Nursing The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the number of registered nurses in the country will increase 15 percent between 2016 and 2026. Several reasons are cited for this, but the aging of the baby boomer generation is expected to put greater demands on the ?healthcare profession. Law Enforcement Positions If law enforcement is a career field thats always appealed to you, working as a police officer,corrections officer,or security guard can be just the beginning of a broad range of possibilities for women and men. Specific careers in law enforcement can range from small towns to big cities to federal agencies. As analyses of scientific evidence and electronic data has increased, the need for law enforcement professionals with relevant specialized skills has increased as well. Fire-Related Jobs There is never a shortage of fire-related jobs in the health and safety field, including opportunities as afire and arson investigator,fire marshal, fire inspector, orfirefighter. Jobs helping to prevent fires by working as a fire prevention inspector or fire prevention specialist also are available. Environmental Protection Careers If youd like to pursue a career in the safety arena with a focus on the environment, youre in luck as there are a number of environmental jobs you can choose from. Environmental scientistsare needed to study soil, water, and more, while environmental health specialists help enforce regulations related to food, water, and hazardous wastes, among other things. If protecting nature is your calling, a career as an environmental protection specialist might be enticing. Environmental jobs also include career options such as toxics program officers andwaste management specialists. Miscellaneous Health and Safety Jobs A lot of jobs in the health and safety field are general or do not fit into a specific area. Product safety consultants help make sure products meet ne cessary standards before reaching the marketplace.Other possible careers includeworkas a cargo surveyor,marine surveyor, petroleum inspector, extravehicular activity safety engineer, insuranceclaims and insurance analyst, or compliance investigator. You could also work as a safety director, engineer, or technician.