Keynotes & Luminaries
Keynote #1: Electric Aircraft: The Future of Flight, or a Fleeting Fancy?
Tuesday, 12:00 – 1:15
Room: Grand Bay Ballroom
Ravi Rajamani
drR² consulting
Abstract: Electric propulsion for manned flight is growing around the world with both established companies and startups competing to be the first to offer viable solutions. In this keynote we will discuss the history of electric propulsion and see how various key technologies are evolving, in as non-technical a manner as possible. Starting from lighter-than-air craft in the nineteenth century to blended-wing bodies using cryogenic components in the twenty-first, this history wends its way through solar, all-electric, and hybrid-electric propulsion architectures. In spite of various barriers to its success, this sector is growing furiously and we will try to understand why this is happening.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Ravi Rajamani established drR² consulting in 2016 to leverage more than 25 years of experience and expertise in data analytics and model-based design to help clients in aerospace and other industries solve diagnostics and prognostics issues. Prior to this, Ravi was an Engineering Director with Meggitt for 5 years, following an 11-year tenure with United Technologies Corporation, first at the Research Center, and then with its Pratt & Whitney division. Before that he was with the General Electric Company for 10 years. He was closely associated with its Research Center and its Power Generation business; but worked with all other businesses as well. Ravi has worked in the area of controls and diagnostics of gas turbines and other complex systems, primarily using model-based and data-based analytical techniques. Ravi has a BTech (ME) from IIT Delhi, an MS (Automation) from IISc, Bangalore, a PhD (EE) from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He has produced a book on electric propulsion; four book chapters and is working on two more; numerous papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings; has been invited to speak at conferences and institutions around the world; and has several patents to his name. He is active within SAE’s Propulsion Health Management (E-32), Integrated Vehicle Health Management (HM-1) committees, and various steering groups: IVHM, Electric-Aircraft, and Digital. He is also active in the PHM Society, serving on its board of directors, and he was the general chair of the 2014 European PHM conference in Nantes, France. Ravi is a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University, UK. He is a chartered engineer and a fellow of the IMechE in the UK. He also serves as a board member of the Edison Tech Center in Schenectady.
Keynote #2: Issues and Opportunities in Automotive PHM
Wednesday, 8:00 – 8:45
Room: Grand Bay Ballroom
Steve Holland
General Motors
Abstract: The advent of predictive analytics technology coupled with high-bandwidth telematic access to vehicles has opened the door for advancements in automotive PHM. This new paradigm offers a path to enhance diagnostic development and implementation as well. Prognostics has demonstrated the ability to dramatically improve perceived reliability from the customer’s point of view as well as providing a host of other potential benefits. For example, the same type of information that is useful for detecting the onset of specific failure modes can also be used to enhance the vehicle validation process and to more effectively manage field issues. The need becomes ever greater as vehicles are equipped with more sophisticated control systems and advanced safety features. In the future, automotive suppliers will need to play an increasingly important role in the cost-effective implementation of prognostics by providing “health-ready components” to the OEMs. Emerging standards under development within SAE are expected to facilitate that eventuality.
Speaker Bio: Steven W. Holland is a Research Fellow at GM Global R&D and is currently responsible for technology strategy in Vehicle Health Management. He has been with GM for over 45 years and has held a wide variety of technical and executive positions in both R&D and Manufacturing Engineering. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a Member of SAE. Steve is active in SAE’s HM-1 IVHM Standards Committee & the IVHM Steering Group. He is a member of the Prognostics & Health Management (PHM) Society Board of Directors & their International Scientific Committee. He has served on a variety of industry, academic and government advisory boards and is a registered professional engineer. Mr. Holland holds technical degrees from Kettering & Stanford Universities.
Luminary Presentation #1: Uncertainty in Hazard Forecasting; Or Where Will You Go When the Volcano Blows?
Tuesday, 8:00 – 8:45
Room: Grand Bay Ballroom
Elaine Spiller
Marquette University
Abstract: It is typical for individuals and communities to internalize the potential threat level of hazards based on previous experience and history. The idea that something of THAT scale couldn’t possibly happen because it has never happened before is dangerous. It neither captures the inherent randomness (aleatoric uncertainty) of geophysical phenomenon nor the idea that devastating events are governed by so-called tail behavior. Their rare nature makes such events nearly impossible to forecast, if forecasts are based only on previous observations. To capture rare events, we must rely on complex physical and mathematical models that often require significant computational resources to exercise. These models come with their own sets of assumptions and approximations adding layers of epistemic uncertainty to hazard forecasts. Our approach to probabilistic hazard forecasting allows for rapid uncertainty quantification and can be quickly updated with new data or to reflect emerging scenarios. This approach constitutes a dramatic improvement in scientifically-based decision support.
Speaker Bio: Elaine Spiller is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado in 2000 and her PhD in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University in 2005. Her thesis work focused on studying rare events in nonlinear lightwave systems. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) from 2006-2008. At that point her interest in rare events transitioned to geophysical hazards applications. Elaine and colleagues have pioneered a strategy to make fully probabilistic geophysical hazard maps.
Luminary Presentation #2: Digital Transformation Across Industries: Is PHM only for Industrial Assets?
Thursday, 8:00 – 8:45
Room: Grand Bay Ballroom
Gilbert Haddad
Sparkcognition
Abstract: Big Data and Analytics and Digital Transformation have become some of the hottest topics in different industries over the last few years. There is a myriad of new data sources, cost of collecting and storing has declined significantly, and there is a new ‘data rush’ to extract the most value while driving business impact. Industrial companies have embraced PHM for more than a decade now, and substantial efforts have been made to leverage the data to reduce downtime, increase efficiency, reduce costs, etc.. Other industries have started to adopt this recently under the name of ‘data science’, ‘big data and analytics’, or ‘digital transformation’. What can those industries learn from PHM? What are the communalities and differences? Are the lessons learned in PHM applicable to financial services? Where are we going from here and what are the missing gaps? These are some of the questions that will be addressed while drawing on the experience from different industries.
Speaker Bio: Gilbert Haddad has participated in shaping the Digital Transformation in multiple industries. Gilbert currently works with hedge funds on data science for investments, and advises a tech startup with their data science initiatives. Most recently Gilbert was a Data and Analytics Director for a multi-billion dollar fund where he led their big data and analytics organization. Prior, Gilbert was with Schlumberger, where he held the positions of Director of Digital Transformation and Global Analytics Manager. During both assignments, he led the strategy, development, execution, delivery and monetization of PHM applications within the company. Before Schlumberger, Gilbert was a Lead Data Scientist for GE Software and Analytics. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He also holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the PHM center at the University of Maryland, College Park.