AIRSHOW – U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones

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By Andrea Shalal-Esa

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. aerospace companies, keen to benefit from billions of dollars in possible future orders for civilian drones, are mobilizing to assuage public concerns about privacy and safety.

The Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. industry's biggest lobbying group, released a new poll on Wednesday at the Paris Airshow, which showed that 54 percent of Americans favor use of drones for civilian purposes, including border patrol, weather prediction and disaster response.

Marion Blakey, former administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and AIA's chief executive, said she was heartened by the poll, conducted by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper, but her industry needed to do a better job dispelling misperceptions about drones.

"We feel like there's been too much rhetoric about privacy concerns and things that aren't relevant to domestic use of unmanned aerial systems," Blakey told Reuters. "Nobody's talking about using militarized drones in U.S. civil airspace."

The U.S. government has used unmanned planes in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as, for targeted attacks of suspected terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen.

Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Robert Mueller testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the FBI uses drones for surveillance on U.S. soil.

Many states and industry officials favor using drones for civilian purposes, but hurdles including regulatory approval and public skepticism remain.

Blakey said potential benefits were obscured by misperceptions of how remotely piloted planes would be used in the United States. AIA said the worldwide market for such unmanned planes would exceed $89 billion over the next decade.

She said it was important to explain what drones, or unmanned aerial systems (UAS), could or could not do, although she conceded that recent revelations of widespread domestic surveillance by the NSA could be "fogging" the issue.

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AIRSHOW - U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones

Bothell aerospace firm to open Everett plant

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Published: Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 5:54 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., announced the news Wednesday during a conference call with journalists. Larsen said he had met at the air show with leaders from Pacifica's parent, MTorres of Torres de Elorz, Spain, which designs and builds aerospace manufacturing equipment.

Last year, MTorres bought Pacifica Engineering. At the time, Pacifica employed about 60 people, Larsen said. Since then, Pacifica has added 25 workers in Bothell and plans to employ 100 people in Bothell and Everett by year's end.

State officials did not have additional information about Pacifica's plans for Everett, and company officials could not be reached for comment. But a local aerospace executive who did know said that Pacifica will lease 25,000 square feet of space in the building owned by Majestic Glove, on West Casino Road just south of Boeing's big factory near Paine Field.

The Everett plant, which is to open next month, will employ about 20 people, said the executive, who asked not to be named.

Among other things, MTorres and Pacifica specialize in building tools for the manufacture of carbon composites.

The investment by MTorres in an Everett site underscores the message Larsen learned from talking with representatives of aerospace companies at the air show: "Workforce for these folks is the number one issue."

Many aerospace companies, including Boeing rival Airbus, are looking to expand their presence in the U.S. That gives them the advantage of pricing and selling their products using the U.S. dollar rather than the euro.

Larsen led the delegation of Washington economic development officials, business leaders and educators to Paris on behalf of Inslee, who stayed in Olympia during the legislative special session. Inslee joined the conference call from Washington.

The governor emphasized the need for the Legislature to support his education and workforce training initiatives to keep the state's aerospace workforce strong and attractive to outside companies.

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Bothell aerospace firm to open Everett plant

UTC Aerospace Systems receives two Bombardier’s 2013 In-Service STAR Awards for excellence in customer service

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PARIS AIR SHOW --UTC Aerospace Systems, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), was recently recognized by Bombardier with two 2013 In-Service Supplier Top Achievement Recognition (STAR) Awards for its in-service support of Bombardier's Q400* aircraft program, as well as its CRJ700*, CRJ900*, and CRJ1000* aircraft programs.

UTC Aerospace Systems received the In-Service STAR Award from Bombardier based on the performance of air management systems for the Q400 aircraft and actuation systems for the CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000 aircraft programs over the past year. UTC Aerospace Systems was among six suppliers recognized for superior in-service support at Bombardier's inaugural All Series European Regional Review in Munich, Germany.

"Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and UTC Aerospace Systems is pleased to receive special recognition from Bombardier for the fourth consecutive year," said Cindy Egnotovich, UTC Aerospace Systems Customer Service president. "While our company has evolved since we received the award in 2012 with the integration of Hamilton Sundstrand and Goodrich, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality and most consistent service to support our operators and to help maintain their fleets."

Bombardier's In-Service STAR Awards are presented to suppliers for excellence in customer support based on overall performance in 2012. To be eligible for this award, a supplier must have scored at least 85 percent in areas deemed most important by Bombardier's customers, such as product performance, airline support and customer focus.

UTC Aerospace Systems designs, manufactures and services integrated systems and components for the aerospace and defense industries. UTC Aerospace Systems supports a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and customer service facilities.

United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries.

*Trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries

For updates from United Technologies Corp.'s aerospace businesses visit http://www.utcaero.com or follow @UTC on Twitter.

http://www.utcaerospacesystems.com

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UTC Aerospace Systems receives two Bombardier's 2013 In-Service STAR Awards for excellence in customer service

U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones

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By Andrea Shalal-Esa

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. aerospace companies, keen to benefit from billions of dollars in possible future orders for civilian drones, are mobilizing to assuage public concerns about privacy and safety.

The Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. industry's biggest lobbying group, released a new poll on Wednesday at the Paris Airshow, which showed that 54 percent of Americans favor use of drones for civilian purposes, including border patrol, weather prediction and disaster response.

Marion Blakey, former administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and AIA's chief executive, said she was heartened by the poll, conducted by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper, but her industry needed to do a better job dispelling misperceptions about drones.

"We feel like there's been too much rhetoric about privacy concerns and things that aren't relevant to domestic use of unmanned aerial systems," Blakey told Reuters. "Nobody's talking about using militarized drones in U.S. civil airspace."

The U.S. government has used unmanned planes in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as, for targeted attacks of suspected terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen.

Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Robert Mueller testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the FBI uses drones for surveillance on U.S. soil.

Many states and industry officials favor using drones for civilian purposes, but hurdles including regulatory approval and public skepticism remain.

Blakey said potential benefits were obscured by misperceptions of how remotely piloted planes would be used in the United States. AIA said the worldwide market for such unmanned planes would exceed $89 billion over the next decade.

She said it was important to explain what drones, or unmanned aerial systems (UAS), could or could not do, although she conceded that recent revelations of widespread domestic surveillance by the NSA could be "fogging" the issue.

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U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones

Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. Announces Introduction of Tranquility Shade System: Electronically Dimmable Window …

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WOODBURY, N.Y., June 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerospace Technologies Group, Inc. (ATG) and Research Frontiers (REFR) licensee InspecTech Aero Service (IAS) have announced the Tranquility Shade System, ATG's standalone EDW featuring Research Frontiers' SPD-Smart light-control technology. An SPD-Smart EDW is a dimmable window capable of instantly switching from clear to dark, and any intermediate degree of tint desired.

ATG expanded its product line to include Tranquility due to recent performance improvements in InspecTech's EDW. The new generation provides exceptional cabin darkening without a secondary pleated shade, with full optical clarity when clear. ATG now offers customers a full range of EDW options: Tranquility, with a clean, sleek look and Panacea, which incorporates an elegant fabric look into a combination electromechanical and EDW shade.

In an ATG press release, ATG said:

"Aesthetically pleasing, Tranquility's clean design and customizable options offer the ability to create the perfect complement to the aircraft interior. Tranquility allows virtually instant transition to any level of tint from clear to very dark, thereby eliminating glare while still being able to enjoy the view of the world outside. Tranquility also features automated light-control; passengers set the desired level of light and the system maintains it by automatically adjusting to changing outside light conditions."

For details, we invite you to read two ATG press releases:

Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. announces the introduction of the Tranquility Shade System

Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. and InspecTech Aero Service Inc. "up the ante" with performance improvements to their latest offerings

For further information about SPD-Smart technology, visit http://www.smartglass.com/, or contact:

Michael LaPointe Vice President -- Marketing Research Frontiers Inc. +1-516-364-1902 Info@SmartGlass.com

About Research Frontiers Inc.

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Aerospace Technologies Group Inc. Announces Introduction of Tranquility Shade System: Electronically Dimmable Window ...

NCKU Professor Awarded Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology

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TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Vice Dean of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) College of Medicine, Dr. Jiunn-Jong Wu, who is also distinguished professor at the NCKU Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology and Institute of Molecular Medicine, has been awarded the Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology to commend his excellent achievements and influence in medical microbiology.

Most people at the NCKU College of Medicine notice that Dr. Wu is always the first person to arrive at the office, at around 3 or 4 oclock in the morning, and the last person to leave.

Despite working for long hours, he always shows great spirits and joy during work. Im dedicated to work and I never feel tired of what Im doing, said Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu received his PhD degree at the Pennsylvania Temple Universitys Department of Immunology and Microbiology, focusing on clinical microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, bacterial resistance, epidemiology, nosocomial infection and others. Till now, Dr. Wu has published more than 250 Science Citation Index (SCI) papers.

Awarding Dr. Wu the Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology was an effort initiated by the Dean of School of Medicine at Temple University, in order to show recognition for Dr. Wus outstanding performance and lifelong contributions to the field of microbiology for 30 years.

In Taiwans medical field, former NCKU President Dr. Michael Lai has also been given this award while carrying research at the University of Southern California in 2002.

The American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) is a worldwide organization. Every year, three AAM fellows will nominate researchers from all over the world to receive this honor.

After going through detailed review of nominees, 87 researchers were awarded the Fellow of AAM in 2013. Dr. Wu accepted the award at the end of May.

Being awarded this honor is the recognition for my lifelong contribution to academics, said Dr. Wu, who would like to share this honor with NCKU as well as show his gratitude to his teachers and advisors for giving him education and guidance.

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NCKU Professor Awarded Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology

Microbial diversity course designated as a ‘Milestones in Microbiology’ site

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Public release date: 19-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org 202-942-9389 American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC The Microbial Diversity Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has been named a Milestones in Microbiology site by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The ASM Milestones in Microbiology program recognizes institutions and the scientists who worked there that have made significant contributions toward advancing the science of microbiology. A ceremony unveiling the plaque that will mark the site is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 2013, at 4:30 pm in the MBL Club during the Microbial Diversity Course. Jeffery Miller, President of the ASM, will present the plaque on behalf of the Society.

The Course is an intensive six-and-a-half-week research and training experience for graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as established investigators, who want to become competent in microbiological techniques for working with a broad range of microbes, and in approaches for recognizing the metabolic, phylogenetic, and genomic diversity of cultivated and as yet uncultivated bacteria. Admission is limited to 20 students.

"Since its creation in 1971 by Holger Jannasch, the MBL Microbial Diversity Course has trained many outstanding microbiologists from around the world, providing scientific tools that they have used to make many important discoveries," said Stanley Maloy, a past-President of ASM. "MBL has been a major place where scientists have gathered (mostly over the summer) to discuss and do research on marine biology, ecology, and development and microbiology has influenced and been influenced by each of these areas. MBL, including the Microbial Diversity Course, has had an important impact on our understanding of the critical role that microbes play in the environment, from the characterization of microbes that use unusual sources of nutrients to the discovery of microbes that live in unique ecosystems in the depths of the ocean. For example, work by Jannasch led to the discovery of bacteria that live adjacent to deep-sea hydrothermal vents and use sulfur as an energy source. Research on microbial ecology and physiology has led to many practical applications, from novel enzymes in laundry detergents to enzymes used for genetic engineering, from bioremediation to energy production, from novel antibiotics to phage therapy, and from environmental health to animal and human health."

One feature of the MBL summer courses, including Microbial Diversity, is that every four or five years, a new set of directors brings a fresh approach and a new set of tools to the course. "Each year, the Course has a different 'menu,' because during the winter months, directors become 'chefs', developing elaborate plans for each microbial 'feast of the week', deciding which areas to feature and whom to invite for the 20 or more guest lectures," writes Ralph S. Wolfe in a brief history of the course.

Many leading microbiologists have served as directors of the Microbial Diversity Course over the years, including course founder Holger Jannasch, Harlyn Halvorson, Ralph Wolfe, E. Peter Greenberg, Martin Dworkin, John Breznak, Edward Leadbetter, Abigail Salyers, Caroline Harwood, Alfred Spormann, William Metcalf, Thomas Schmidt, and current co-directors Daniel Buckley and Stephen Zinder.

The Microbial Diversity Course has shaped the careers of generations of outstanding microbiologists, and continues to be a premier site for advanced training at the leading edge of microbiological investigation.

In recognition of these contributions, the American Society for Microbiology is pleased to designate the Marine Biological Laboratory Microbial Diversity Course as a Milestones in Microbiology site. By placing plaques at Milestones sites, ASM hopes to increase professional and public recognition and appreciation of the significance of the science of microbiology.

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Microbial diversity course designated as a 'Milestones in Microbiology' site

Lynn to pay out $2.87M in longevity pay for 2013-14

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Home > News Lynn to pay out $2.87M in longevity pay for 2013-14 Originally Published on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item

LYNN The citys $266.4 million spending plan for 2013-14 includes salary bonuses for senior city workers that, in some municipal departments, have nearly doubled over the past 10 years.

City Council members voted 7-3 to approve the budget Tuesday after councilors William Trahant Jr., Darren Cyr and Peter Capano unsuccessfully pleaded with colleagues to delay the vote a week and ask Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy to boost Public Works spending.

The trio said DPWs 49-employee workforce needs to be expanded to handle snow plowing, tree stump removal and other work. Ward 4 Councilor Richard Colucci voted present on the budget and said he was attempting to reach out to Kennedy when the vote was taken.

Longevity pay is a $2.87 million expense in the city budget divided among the various city offices, with amounts paid to employees tied to the number of years they have worked for the city. Municipal unions negotiate longevity with most contracts providing a bonus equivalent to 3 percent of a workers salary after five years on the job and escalating to a 5 percent bonus after 10 years.

Its all collectively bargained its contractual, said City Council President and mayoral candidate Timothy Phelan.

The Lynn Teachers Union contract provides school employees with 30 years or more of city service with a 17 percent longevity pay boost. Other contracts set 20 years as a longevity threshold with employees receiving at least 12 percent longevity when they hit that seniority mark.

Sixteen police officers hired in 1993 hit the 20-year mark this year, and Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said another 21 hired in 1995 during an era when former President Clinton made community police spending a priority, are approaching 20 years.

A glance at city budgets dating back to 2004 shows Police Department longevity costs jumped from $710,000 in 2004 to $1.47 million spent this year. Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy budgeted $1.38 million for police longevity for the spending year that starts July 1.

Coppinger said retirements, including the gradual exodus of 25 officers hired in 1985, will reduce longevity costs.

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Lynn to pay out $2.87M in longevity pay for 2013-14

Premier Anti-Aging Company Ageology Expands Network with Dr. Judi Goldstone and the Southern California Center for Aging

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CHICAGO, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ageology, http://www.ageology.com, a premier anti-aging medicine company, today announced that Dr. Judi Goldstone has joined the Ageology network. Helping patients regain and maintain optimum health and address the challenges associated with normal signs of aging is the purpose that unites Ageology and Goldstone. The addition of Judi and her practice to the network further expands Ageology's corporate presence in California.

"I am excited about the opportunity to work with Dr. Savage and join a team that is committed to anti-aging medicine," said Dr. Goldstone. "It is very rewarding to help people who are striving to live lives of quality as they age, but facing challenges that make such quality feel unattainable at times. Our goal is to help them change that dynamic and feel better about how they achieve it."

Dr. Goldstone is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Bariatric Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine. A recognized expert in anti-aging and weight loss, she has devoted her life to helping men and women attain their optimum health and longevity using the most sophisticated medical approaches. She received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she graduated in the top of her class; she is also a cum laude graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles.Using cutting edge techniques, Dr. Goldstone helps her patients to look and feel younger, stay thinner and age peacefully. It is about an individual and their body.

"Ageology is extremely pleased to have a physician of Judi's caliber join the Ageology network," said Dr. Paul Savage, founder of Ageology, CEO and Chief Medical Director, and one of the nation's premier anti-aging physicians. "Her commitment to the practice of aging medicine, and the individualized approach required to drive results for patients is the embodiment of our vision for Ageology."

About Ageology

Ageology is focused on the application of integrative healthy aging medical practices that help people regain and maintain their optimal health, despite the changes that occur as they age. The core treatment paradigm involves medical evaluation, nutrition and wellness guidance, as well as hormone and supplement therapy. Headquartered in Chicago, the company is built around a growing national network of integrative anti-aging physicians and experts, but is primarily driven by the vision of its founder, Dr. Paul Savage.

About Dr. Paul Savage

Dr. Paul Savage MD FACEPis a world-renowned physician and acknowledged expert in the field integrative healthy aging, regenerative and metabolic medicine. Dr. Savage is board-certified by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), as well as, a Fellow of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. He has been practicing anti-aging medicine since 2002. His goal for his patients is to regain and maintain optimum health as the best method for preventing disease. He remains on the front lines of integrative medicine therapies and continues to treat patients personally.

Media Contact: Lisa Spathis Email 847 831 1367

This press release was issued through eReleases Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

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Premier Anti-Aging Company Ageology Expands Network with Dr. Judi Goldstone and the Southern California Center for Aging