Vol. 21, No.

1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
 The Standard
Vol 21, No. 1, March 2007
Managing Editor and Publisher
Jay L. Bucher
6700 Royal View Dr.
De Forest, WI 53532-2775
Voice: 608-277-2522
Fax: 608-846-4269
Email: yokota-69@charter.net
or jay.bucher@promega.com
Advertising
Submit your draft copy to Jay Bucher, with a
request for a quotation. Indicate size desired.
Since The Standard is published ‘in-house’
the requester must submit a photo or graphic
of their logo, if applicable. The following
rates apply:
Business card size ............................ $100
1/8 page .......................................... $150
1/4 page ........................................... $200
1/3 page ........................................... $250
½ page ............................................. $300
Full page ......................................... $550
Advertisements will be accepted on a ‘per
issue’ basis only; no long-term contracts will
be available at present. Advertising must be
clearly distinguished as an ad. Ads must be
related to measurement quality, quality of
measurement, or a related quality field. Ads
must not imply endorsement by the Measure-
ment Quality Division or ASQ.
Letters to the Editor
The Standard welcomes letters from mem-
bers and subscribers. Letters should clearly
state whether the author is expressing opin-
ion or presenting facts with supporting infor-
mation. Commendation, encouragement,
constructive critique, suggestions, and alter-
native approaches are accepted. If the con-
tent is more than 200 words, we may delete
portions to hold that limit. We reserve the
right to edit letters and papers.
Information for Authors
The Standard publishes papers on the qual-
ity of measurements and the measurement of
quality at all levels ranging from relatively
simple tutorial material to state-of-the-art.
Papers published in The Standard are not
referred in the usual sense, except to ascer-
tain that facts are correctly stated and to as-
sure that opinion and fact are clearly distin-
guished one from another. The Editor re-
serves the right to edit any paper.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chair’s Column...............................................................................3
Letter’s to the Editor .......................................................................4
MQD-NCSLI Collaborations Continues.........................................6
CCT Program Staus ........................................................................8
Metric Resources Available............................................................8
Daniel Child Wins Simmons Scholarship.......................................9
The Learning Curve ......................................................................10
MQD & NCSLI Metrology Job Description Initiative Update ....13
Chair-Elect’s Column ...................................................................14
NCSL International Workshop & Symposium 2007 info.............15
MQD Officers and Committee Chairs ..........................................16
MQD Regional Councilors …………………………………… ..17
Joe Simmons Scholarship Informational Brochure ......................19
MSC 2007 Report .........................................................................20
MSC 2008 Call for Papers ............................................................27
FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER
The Measurement Science Conference (MSC) 2007
has come and gone for another year. Dilip Shah has
provided coverage with an article that is attached at
the end of this edition, including pictures. Thanks,
Dilip, for the timely and informative write-up. It is
much appreciated.
We again would like to pass along our congratula-
tions to Phil Painchaud for being the 2006 recipient of the Measurement
Quality Division’s highest honor, the Max J. Unis Award.
On the cover: Some of the artifacts in the ‘museum’, and Phil Painchaud
manning the MQD booth, both from the 2007 edition of the Measurement
Science Conference.
The Standard is published quarterly by the Measurement Quality Division of
ASQ; deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. Text infor-
mation intended for publication can be sent via electronic mail as an attachment in
MS Word format (Times New Roman, 11 pt). Use single spacing between sen-
tences. Graphics/illustrations must be sent as a separate attachment, in jpg format.
Photographs of MQD activities are always welcome. Publication of articles, prod-
uct releases, advertisements or technical information does not imply endorsement
by MQD or ASQ. While The Standard makes every effort to ensure the accuracy
of articles, the publication disclaims responsibility for statements of fact or opinion
made by the authors or other contributors. Material from The Standard may not be
reproduced without permission of ASQ. Copyrights in the United States and all
other countries are reserved. Website information: MQD’s homepage can be found
at http://www.asq.org/measure. © 2007 ASQ, MQD. All rights reserved.
MQD
CHAIR’S COLUMN
By Graeme C. Payne
Continual Education
One of the foundations of
quality is continual im-
provement. As metrology
professionals we are all
involved in the quality
process, probably in several
ways. At a minimum, any
business that makes meas-
urements using tools or in-
struments should be using
calibrated instruments and
have an effective calibra-
tion management program as part of their quality
system.
I am sure that most of us also know that in order to
stay up to date in our profession we need to partake
of ongoing continual education – besides, it can
also be used for recertification units. But we also
know that the overall scope of the disciplines cov-
ered by metrology is so broad that most of us can
really only maintain our knowledge in the areas we
use most often. The rest of the education that may
have been stuffed into us at one time grows stale
and fades away ...
Sometimes the improvement through continual
education comes from unexpected sources. Just
before Thanksgiving, my wife was diagnosed with
breast cancer. Surgery a few days before Christmas
got the tumor out (it was very small) and it had not
spread so there is no need for chemotherapy. How-
ever, she is now going through course of radiation
treatments. Doing my research on what was going
to be happening was my unexpected source of
continual education.
When I first learned about ionizing radiation (in the
very early 1960's) everything was in roentgens,
rems and rads. That learning was reinforced in the
late 1960's and the 1970's by classes on protection
from nuclear weapons effects while I was in the
Marine Corps, and when my wife was working in
the nuclear power industry for a few years. Over
time all of that receded into the background. Of
Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality
Page 3
course I noticed the newer versions of the Interna-
tional System of Units (SI) had some unfamiliar
units, gray and sievert, but they were outside the
scope of my work so I did not pay any attention to
them beyond what was necessary to pass the CQE
and CCT exams. Now, suddenly, I was reading
about radiation therapy and realizing that I did not
know what they are talking about! For example: “...
the typical dose for a solid epithelial tumor ranges
from 50 to 70 Gy ...” and “... the typical fractiona-
tion schedule for adults is 1.8 to 2 Gy per day, five
days a week.” Time for a refresher!
Now for the learning. According to the SI, the gray
(Gy) is the unit for absorbed radiation dose. One
gray is the absorption of one joule of energy by one
kilogram of matter, and is a measure of the physi-
cal effects of radiation. More importantly for my
antique knowledge, one gray is approximately
equal to 100 rad. OK, now I know what they are
saying. She will be getting a total dose of 50 Gy
(5000 rad) spread out in daily doses of 2 Gy (200
rad) five days a week. That fits with what I know
from discussions with people who had radiation
therapy years ago, when they got doses measured
in rads. It's about the same amount, just the name
has changed. (By the way, the sievert is the SI unit
for dose equivalent or effective dose, to measure
the biological effects of radiation. One sievert is
equal to 100 rem. I won't discuss that further be-
cause it quickly gets even more complex.)
Your initial learning and professional education is
very important. I have long believed that it is at
least equally important to retain the ability and
willingness to learn, so you can refresh old knowl-
edge and learn new things that are necessary to
adapt to a changing social, technological and
physical environment. For me, this is just a recent
one of many examples. Continual learning is as
important for an individual as continual improve-
ment is to a process or a business.
Finally, my wife's cancer was detected in her rou-
tine annual mammogram. The learning from that is
that if you have any of the risk factors for breast
cancer – the biggest one is being female – get
checked regularly.
March 2007
MQD Page 4

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I have been involved with MQD over the past 7 years. Ever since ASQ headquarters took ‘control’ of
each division’s website (so as to provide a standardize look and feel) postings to the MQD website has
been erratic at best in terms of timeliness. Often conference information is still posted on the MQD web-
site weeks after the actual conference took place and on several occasions issue of The Standard posted
over a month after its publication date.

Need less to say this situation reflects very poorly on the division especially since going paperless with
The Standard. From my understanding MQD is at the ‘mercy’ of ASQ headquarters website support per-
sonnel for timely postings and that MQD has been re-assigned different support personnel several times
but doesn’t MQD pay for these services? Can’t ASQ headquarters be held responsible for insuring sub-
mitted website postings are processed in a timely manner? What can be done?

Concerned
The following came through email the same day that I received the above letter:
Date: January 29, 2007
From: Steve Wilson, DAC National Director
To: DAC and Division Officers
Subject: ASQ – Division Website Concerns

At the past DAC meeting in November, several Divisions brought up the issue of difficulties with their
websites. Concerns ranged from missing information and files to lack of continuity. Such issues have
been raised in the past and it was clear the Divisions wish ASQ to enter into a path of correction.

A Web Advisory Council has been formed by ASQ President Ron Atkinson. Several of your Division
colleagues have been asked to serve on the council. Although this is a strong step forward and I am
confident it will result in better web service to the Divisions, it is also important we focus our concerns to
the council for speedier resolve.

Therefore, Gary Johnson has asked me to serve as a liaison from the DAC to the Web Advisory Coun-
cil. In this role I will be collecting the issues Divisions encounter with the web pages and funneling them
to the council in a form that facilitates correction on the whole. To accomplish this I need your assis-
tance as Division leaders.

Please as members of the Division encounter difficulties with your website send an e-mail to me detail-
ing the issue. Provide as much information as possible to permit us to pinpoint the root cause. Such
information would include how the website was accessed (company terminal, home, etc.), virus pro-
grams, security issues at the terminal, and a description of the problem. Of course we are interested in
any issue, so if you have no further details as previously described it would still be wise to forward an e-
mail to me. I will then investigate the issue, compile it with others on the same subject, and ask the
council to focus on the problems of greatest impact first.

Also, as discussed in the last DAC meeting, Divisions need to keep their content and websites as cur-
rent as possible. Therefore, I will also be visiting each website periodically and provide an informal as-
sessment to each of you. In this way we can have a full picture for the Web Advisory Council.

I thank you for your efforts and appreciate your assistance. Please send your issues and comments to
me at Steven.Wilson@noaa.gov.

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 5

SPC by the Sea with Dilip Shah

(for Metrology Applications, in Clearwater and Orlando)

“Quality control data shall be analyzed and, where they are found to be outside pre-defined criteria, planned action
shall be taken to correct the problem and to prevent incorrect results from being reported.”
ISO 17025:2005, section 5.9.2
These 2-day workshops provide useful tools for meeting requirements of the ISO 17025 standard and
provide good lab practices for improving the confidence of the test and calibration process.
♦ Check Standards
♦ Stability Studies
♦ Characterizing Drift
♦ Long Term Reproducibility
♦ Determining Realistic tolerances
♦ Determining Measurement Uncertainties
Basic Statistics Introduction; Mean, Mode, Median, Range; Population and Sample Standard Deviation; Stan-
dard Deviation of the Mean; Histogram, Bell Curve, Central Limit Theorem; z, t and F distributions
SPC Methods; Types of Control Charts; Variable Charts; Attribute Charts; Decision rules for interpreting Control
Chart data; SPC Applications in Metrology; Process Capability and determining risks; Gage R & R and ANOVA
techniques; Using spreadsheets for SPC.

WorkPlace Clearwater FL Orlando FL

April 26-27 May 3-4
Training $795 includes continental breakfast and lunch
Call 952-471-8554 to enroll, www.wptraining.com for more info

Letter to the Editor

Mr. Bucher,

I own two of your books on metrology so I am taking the liberty of asking for some assistance.
I would like to have a table of the probabilities of false acceptance and false rejection (type 1 and 2 er-
rors) associated with TAR values.
I cannot find tables of these values in the literature or in your books.
I want to control the uncertainty of reference standards used to assay products such that the errors
(above) are controlled. The tolerance or specification in the numerator of the TAR value is 3-sigma and
symmetrical about the nominal or target value. The denominator is the uncertainty of the reference stan-
dards assigned value. The numerator and denominator both follow the normal curve.
Can you provide tables of this information? Or references to where they can be found?
I find graphs but precise values cannot be taken from them.
The TAR values of interest are 1:1 through 15:1.
Thank you for your help.
Regards, Stan Alekman

If any of our readers can assist with pertinent information, please send your response to Mr. Alekman at
this email address: Stanley110@aol.com . Thank you.

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 6

MQD – NCSLI Collaborations Continues

By Christopher L. Grachanen

Ask any person who has been a Metrology practitioner for any appreciable
length of time about new practitioners entering into the Metrology field
and you would likely get a response similar to ‘what new practitioners’?
This sentiment echoes many technical professionals alarm at the lack of
young people entering into engineering disciplines of which Metrology is
certainty not immune. There have been hundreds of articles written over
the years about the mounting crisis America is facing due to the lack of
new talent entering into technical professions. The allure of engineering is
not striking a chord with young people as the profession is often perceived
as being dull, a lot of hard work and in this day and age overly susceptible to layoffs.

So what can be done to help improve the perception of engineering in general and Metrology in particu-
lar so that young talent will consider entering the profession? Folks from MQD and NCSLI have again
joined forces to help improve this dire situation. From a grass root meeting of a few concerned Metrol-
ogy practitioners, a new sub-committee has been created under the auspices of NCSLI Education and
Training committee. The sub-committee (designated 164.1) is called Metrology Education & Training
Outreach and is chaired by Phil Smith of A2LA. The charter of the 164.1 sub-committee simply stated
is:
Develop and support initiatives and programs enabling Metrology Education & Training in the U.S.

The sub-committee have had several meetings (the last one held during the 2007 Measurement Science
Conference) to decide on a few specific projects that was felt could be accomplished in the 2007-08 time
frame while providing the ‘biggest bang for the buck’ in terms of impact. These projects are, in no par-
ticular order:

Test Equipment Clearing House – Provide guidance and help facilitate the donation of test
equipment to metrology education & training programs in terms of tax related documentation
and database of donations

Multimedia Outreach Project – Create a multimedia CD focusing on Metrology as a career to

include videos (one short intro e.g. ‘elevator speech’ and one longer more comprehensive),
hyperlinks and reference information about Metrology programs, Metrology resources, sug-
gested reading, etc. In addition, a brochure will also be created with the same Metrology as a
career focus.

Graduating Student Outreach Program – Provide new graduates of Metrology programs a

congratulation letter and NCSLI welcome package (the possibility of a free 1 year student
membership will be discussed with NCSLI Board of Directors).

Establish an ANSI/ASTM Outreach Liaison – Leverage existing outreach programs to help

promote Metrology careers as well as learning how to enhance NCSLI education & training
outreach programs

NCSLI Section Coordinator Outreach Training – Provide guidance for section coordinators
on ways to get student & professors to attend section meetings
(Continued on page 7)

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 7

Web-based Internship Posting Opportunity – Provide web-based means for posting Metrol-
ogy Internship opportunities

Current MQD and NCSLI 164.1 sub-committee members:

Philip Smith (Chair) A2LA

Tony Abel Central Georgia Technical College
Helga Alexander Keithley Instruments, Inc.
Keith Bennett Transcat
Keith W. Cable Davis Inotek
Graham Cameron Standards Council of Canada
Michelle Foncannon CalSource, Inc.
Elizabeth J. Gentry National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Christopher L. Grachanen Hewlett-Packard
Paul Hannsen Workplace Training
Georgia Harris National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Shawn Mason Boston Scientific
Edward Morse UNC Charlotte
Dan Neal DDN Laboratory Solutions, Inc.
Herbert O'Neil Ridgewater College
Christopher J. Pelchat Nebraska Public Power District
Mark S. Sanders Lockheed Martin
Dave Schiebel Butler Community College
Dilip Shah E=mc3 Solutions
Dr. Saiyld Fazal Wahid South Texas College
Larry Yates Consultant
Howard Zion Transcat

To find out more information about this wonderful opportunity to get involve and help insure young
folks are aware of the challenges and rewards of a Metrology career, please contact Phil Smith at:
psmith@a2la.org

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 8

CCT Program Status

By Chris Grachanen

The following is the latest statistics for the ASQ MQD Certified Calibra-
tion Technician (CCT) program. Hearty congratulations go out to new
Dec 2006 graduates!

Date of Exam Sat for Passed %

Exam Exam Passed
June 7, 2003 (Pilot) 97 69 71.13%
6-Dec-03 107 69 64.49%
May 23, 2004 (AQC) 4 4 100.00%
5-Jun-04 133 102 76.69%
4-Dec-04 139 104 74.82%
15-May-05 1 1 100.00%
4-Jun-05 147 114 77.55%
3-Dec-05 129 88 68.22%
April 30, 2006 (World Conf) 2 1 50.00%
3-Jun-06 122 88 72.13%
August 5, 2006 (NCSLI Conf) 1 1 100.00%
2-Dec-06 99 64 64.65%
Totals: 981 705 71.87%

Metric Resources Available

Have you been searching for the appropriate unit symbol to use in a report (gm or g)? Updating your
management system references? Looking for the conversion factor to convert between gallons and li-
ters? If so, look no further. Available metric system reference publications include:
NIST SP 330, The International System of Units (SI)
NIST SP 811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI)
NIST SP 1038, The International System of Units (SI)- Conversion Factors for General Use
NIST LC 1136, United States and the Metric System
NIST SP 304A, A Brief History of Measurement Systems with Metric System (SI) Chart
NIST SP 365, Metric Conversion Card
NIST SP 1020 Series, Consumer Package Labeling Guides- Selling by Weight, Volume, Count,
and Area
Electronic versions of these and other metric resources are accessible online at www.metric/nist.gov.
Bulk quantities are also available for on-the-job-training, lab tours, education outreach, metric system
training, and management system references. Please contact Elizabeth Gentry at TheSI@nist.gov or 301-
975-3690 for more information.

Elizabeth J. Gentry
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Weights and Measures Division
Laws and Metric Group
301-975-3690 Fax: 301-975-8091
http://www.nist.gov/metric

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 9

DANIEL CHILD WINS SIMMONS SCHOLARSHIP

The Executive Committee of the Joe D. Simmons Memorial Scholarship has announced that its 2006–7
award has been made to Daniel Child, a senior majoring in Manufacturing Engineering at Brigham
Young University in Provo, Utah. Child also works full time at a local company—U.S. Synthetic—as a
Process Engineering Technician. His interest is in the application of quality sciences, including experi-
mental design, statistical process control, Taguchi Loss Function, and process-capability indexing to
manufacturing processes, along with production concepts such as Lean Manufacturing. He intends to
pursue an industrial career after graduation in April 2008. Congratulations, Daniel Child!

The scholarship is awarded in memory of Dr. Joe D. Simmons, who was Chief of the NIST Calibration
Program, NIST liaison to the National Conference of Standards Laboratories. He devoted his later career
to promoting institutional support for metrology as the cornerstone of quality. The Scholarship fosters
the furtherance of metrology through education by striving to:

1. support the academic pursuit of a metrology career by worthy students;

2. promote measurement science education and educational opportunity;
3. encourage talented individuals to enter the field of metrology; and
4. stimulate professionalism in metrology

This annual award to a student exhibiting scholastic excellence in the study of measurement science and
quality accomplishes those goals. The Scholarship is supported by the ASQ Measurement Quality Divi-
sion, the Measurement Science Conference, NCSL International, and many individual friends and col-
leagues of Joe Simmons.

For the school year 2007–8, the amount of the award has been increased to $3000. Applications for the
2007–8 scholarship must be received by March 1, 2007 to be considered. To obtain an application form
go to <http://simmons-scholarship.com> or contact the scholarship at:

The Joe D. Simmons Memorial Scholarship

7413 Mill Run Drive
Derwood, MD 20855-1156
<simmons_scholar@comcast.net>

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 10

THE LEARNING CURVE

By Phil Painchaud

This is the forty-ninth in a contiguous series of causeries charted to be on the general

subject of Metrology Education. We are now entering our fifteenth year of writing
these open letters to our esteemed Boss, the Managing Editor of this increasingly pe-
riodic journal. We shall attempt in this segment to remain close to our charted topic
which we sometimes cannot do to the lack of current viable inputs on the subject.

Dear Boss: The snide remarks I have been making in the past concerning the perio-
dicity of this journal most assuredly have not been aimed at you. You have become a
paragon of periodicity. Some of your predecessors have been anything but.

Now let us get down to serious business; the annual MEASUREMENT SCIENCE CONFERENCE
(2007 version) has come and gone. I have not as yet been informed as to the precise attendance, but am
aware that the attendance was approximately 1500, with world wide attendance (I believe that every
continent except Antarctica was represented), thus making it the largest and probably the most important
Metrology confluence in the world. Social activities were held to a minimum and for five days the em-
phasis was on education and training in the Measurement Sciences. Our MQD had a booth in the exhibit
area; Dilip Shah, Duane Allen, and I took turns manning it and explaining ASQ-MQD to interested
passersby.

As was announced in an earlier edition of THE STANDARD, I was to be the recipient of the MAX JAY
UNIS AWARD for Lifetime Achievement during the Conference. Dilip Shah made the presentation. I
am most grateful to all of you who have made this recognition possible. The handsome plaque com-
memorating the Award will hang someplace in my home (when I can find a space for it as my late wife
had already covered most of the wall space with other memorabilia). The monetary honorarium that ac-
companies the Award I have already donated to a Metrology Education cause, as has every honorarium I
have received during the past forty years.

During the MSC, I had an opportunity for a long chat with Herb O’Neal from Ridgewater College in
Hutchinson, Minnesota. Many years ago, twenty-four to be precise, in 1983 under a consulting contract;
I visited Hutchinson and evaluated the Metrology Program as it existed at that point in time. Of course
my report to my sponsors was (and still is) confidential; the most merciful comment that I can make is
that what I found was that the alleged program was deficient to the point of nonexistent. The Admini-
stration complained to me of a lack of students and explained that they had instituted the program in re-
sponse to “Orders from the Governor’s Office”, and that directive was reinforced by two letters they had
received. These letters (they showed me copies), one was from a major electronics equipment manufac-
turer promising to send 20 students each year; the other was from a most prominent Metrology oriented
association guaranteeing their responsibility for sending 100 students per year! (To date neither organi-
zation has sent even a single student to Hutchinson.) Promises! Promises! It seems that organizations are
no more reliable or meaningful in their intent than are individuals when it comes to “Putting their money
where their mouth is” especially when Metrology Education is the subject of interest.

This all occurred at least a year before Mr. O’Neal (now Professor O’Neal) came to the Hutchinson
Technical Training Institute and who, among other things, was a factor in its conversion to Ridgewater
College, a fully accredited two year Community College within the State of Minnesota Educational Sys-
tem. Herb was able to describe to me in considerable detail the many changes that have occurred within
(Continued on page 11)

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 11

(Continued from page 10)

the institution; policy changes, facility changes, student evaluation changes, etc. In his opinion his cur-
rent problem of the greatest magnitude is the recruitment of students. Community Colleges traditionally
draw their students from a local area. The Hutchinson area is predominately agricultural—thus there
exists an environment not psychologically ideal for the development of scientific inclinations among its
adolescents. Young scientific potentials from other areas are not inclined to travel far out into the hinter-
land for education at a two year institution. However, he has been able to over the twenty years, graduate
approximately 250 students. Currently he is graduating an average of five a year.

Herb O’Neal’s efforts over the past two decades and the resultant changes in the institution and in the
Metrology Program, in my opinion constitute a quantum leap forward. They have not as yet achieved the
target goal—that of academically educating Metrologists, but they are well on their way. They need our
help; help of all sorts; help from all of us. They need students; they need equipment donations; they need
scholarships; they need guest instructors; and like any of the rest of us, they need money, I’ll kick that
one off by donating the honorarium that I recently received with the MAX JAY UNIS AWARD. In
other words I am “putting my money where my mouth is”. What are you going to do?

For those of you that have been reading (and often objecting to) my rantings (and ravings, maybe?) on
the necessity of academic education versus vocational training in Metrology over the past fifteen years, a
bombshell has just been dropped. I recently downloaded from the Internet a twenty-four page report
from NIST on the findings of a study of the education and training needs of operational calibration labo-
ratories. I could not determine how many laboratories were involved, but from the volume of data it
must have been a considerable number. What caught my attention was not so much the statistics of the
reduced data, but rather the conclusions that the NIST analysts drew from those statistics. I shall quote
some of these findings:

On Page 17: —“The absolute #1 problem in laboratories is the lack of staff with an academic under-
standing of the measurements performed. This is the root cause of all other significant problems, e.g.
uncertainty estimation, training of technicians and understanding of what is important to reliably
make various measurements.

On Page 19:— “Specific disciplines study guides [are needed] because most commercial cal labs will
not spend money for formal training their technicians.”
“Metrology concepts do better at conferences but time limitations govern. This area needs
classes on the basics of making measurements, general lab or measurement practices. The cement
that holds the measurement processes together. This is what the old timers are taking with them and
the young tech does not get in their OJT.”
“Many technical problems are related to inadequate internally written calibration procedures
(lacking important details or poorly written). Training on the basics of Method Validation, including
why it is important, would be very helpful.”
“Any GOOD consultant who can provide onsite training and assistance at the lab as opposed
to off site where half of what’s learned is later disregarded or forgotten.”

And on Page 21: — “We can define training needs all day long but the lab can not afford to send
techs to school for the time needed. Getting a lab to set up this type of training is almost impossible. It
boils down to managers that have been trained as technicians in another field thinking that they know
what is required in the field of metrology.”

And the first statement is repeated again on this page: “The absolute #1 problem in laboratories is the
(Continued on page 12)

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 12

(Continued from page 11)

lack of staff with an academic understanding of the measurements performed. This is the root cause
of all other significant problem, e.g. uncertainty estimation, training of technicians and understand-
ing of what is important to reliably make various measurements.”

And on Page 23 is a collection of several direct quotations by some of the auditors that collected the data
and from some of the laboratories audited:
—“Since most accredited labs are small commercial organizations and they are not actively
participating in technical conferences (e.g., NCSLI, MSC) it would be very beneficial to them and the
Metrology community as a whole, if some new approach could be developed to bring resources di-
rectly to them.”
—“I have felt education and training or lack thereof, or monies therefore is used as an ex-
cuse or a dodge by some labs. If they were so motivated they would browse the web, take a class, or,
heavens forbid, read something to get the information they need. Other than that is simply an issue of
somebody’s preferred modality and media. But if you do not have the drive to do so, nothing works.
‘You can lead a whore to culture … but you can’t make her listen to the opera’.”
—“At small commercial cal lab the most critical need in my opinion is to change the attitude
of the owners who are totally bottom line driven. They feel marginal training for their “calibrators” is
enough for them to be productive and hence them profitable.”
—“The only thing worse that off site training is training provided over the Internet such as
self tutorials or canned system development software. Examples of the ineffectiveness of these items
are vast in my experience.”
—“Place a business savvy and technically sound consultant in a lab that really wants to apply
ISO 17025 properly and the potential outcome could be limitless.”

While the above statements cover both the necessity for academic education for Metrologists they also
emphasize the necessity for both preliminary and continuing training for technicians and calibrators.
These NIST findings not only justify but forcibly illustrate what we have been maintaining in this col-
umn for the past fifteen years—Metrologists must be Professionals who have been academically edu-
cated and that it takes an educated Professional Metrologist to manage any Metrology related function
(e.g. a calibration laboratory) We must somehow provided for the academic education of a new gen-
eration of Professional Metrologists!

Boss you should recall that in my last column, #48, I offered a cash prize of $100 to whomever could
come up with a satisfactory answer to a question that I had propounded in an earlier column. For the
possibility of a hundred bucks of US cash, I though that I would be deluged with folks trying to “make a
buck”. How many responded? Zero!! It is almost incomprehensible to me that some people would not
have given it a try. What is the problem? Is no one reading this column? If anybody bothered to procure
and read a book that I strongly recommended that everyone in Metrology have at his fingertips, they
would have the answer. (The book? “THE SCIENCE OF MEASUREMENT: A Historical Survey”,
by Herbert Arthur Klein. ISBN 0-486-25839-4, Dover Publications, INC., $18.50.) Incidentally that
same ‘C note’ is still in my wallet.

Meanwhile I am at the same old stand:

PHIL PAINCHAUD e-mail: painchaud4@cs.com

1110 West Dorothy Drive e-mail: olepappy@juno.com
Brea, CA 92821-2017
Phone: 714-529-6604
FAX: 714-529-1109

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 13

MQD & NCSLI METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION

INITIATIVE UPDATE
By Christopher L. Grachanen

The 163.1 NCSLI sub-committee, Working Group on Standard Occupa-

tional Classifications (comprised of MQD & NCSLI constituents), over-
saw the planning and execution of the Metrology Job Description Initia-
tive. Since submitting formalized job description to the U.S. Dept. of La-
bor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for inclusion into the 2010 Standard Occu-
pational Classification (SOC) System, there has been several discussions
as to how to best utilize the information gathered and leverage the in-
depth analysis performed. These discussions led to the following 2007
projects for the 163.1 sub-committee.

Publish Job Descriptions

Many job descriptions were submitted as a part of the ASQ-MQD & NCSLI project to update the
Standard Occupational Classification and the Occupational Outlook Handbook which are main-
tained by the U.S. Department of Labor. A sample job description for each of the 3 new job titles
should be developed and published as samples to include: Calibration Technician, Calibration Engi-
neer, and Metrologist. These job descriptions should be published in the NCSLI Newsletter, on the
NCSLI website and should be a part of a “standard HR package.” The project’s previous job de-
scriptions survey results (as compiled and administered by Professional Examination Services from
submitted job descriptions) will be used as the basis for disseminating commonality in terms of edu-
cation, skills and experience for each job description.

Prepare/submit a Proposal to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

A number of metrologists have suggested that the standard titles and descriptions used by the U.S.
Department of Labor are not used by OPM. This proposal would take the materials submitted to the
Department of Labor and repackage them for OPM to update Federal job classifications.

Benchmark Salary Surveys

Quality Progress recently published their latest salary survey. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
also publishes salary data based on the Department of Labor classifications. Because the titles/
descriptions for this professional field are so new, BLS data don’t accurately reflect salary for me-
trology and calibration positions. This information would be useful as a part of a “standard HR
package.”

Create a Standard Package for HR Offices

A “standard HR package” would be very useful for a number of industries and for government agen-
cies. There are very “few” metrologists compared to other technical fields and requirements are of-
ten compared to technicians and laborers rather than technical professionals that often have science,
engineering, or mathematical degree requirements. As a result, metrology and calibration positions
are often much lower than appropriate. A package that includes titles, job descriptions, and salary
(Continued on page 14)

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 14

(Continued from page 13)

benchmarks, along with level of responsibility descriptors similar to the categories used by the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics would be useful. The proposed “standard HR package” would use informa-
tion obtained in Items # 1 & 3.

The original 163.1 sub-committee members are:

Jay Bucher – Promega Corporation

Christopher L. Grachanen (chair) - Hewlett-Packard Company
Shawn B Mason – Boston Scientific
Gloria J Neely – US Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center
Graeme C. Payne - GK Systems, Inc.
Don Ruth - US Army TMDE
Howard Zion – Transcat

It is anticipated that 163.1 sub-committee members will work closely with other Metrology Education &
Training committees and sub-committees to accomplish the aforementioned projects. My sincere thanks
go out to 163.1 sub-committee members for volunteering to make a difference!

CHAIR-ELECT’S COLUMN
By Rick Roberson

Change. It is inevitable. There are courses, classes, and seminars on how to manage
change. I have seen many changes in Air Force PMEL, but how much change is neces-
sary? Many of you are familiar with the concept of value-added. Before changes are
implemented, that is something that should be considered. Unneeded changes have
wasted more of my time at work than everything else combined. Sometimes we have
to change. The new equipment that has come out in the last 20 years is so far advanced
that it saves hundreds of man hours a month in a large lab. Some older technicians still
want to use 40 year old equipment because that was the “new” item when they were an
Airman. We need to change when it will save time and/or money, but otherwise it is a
waste of time. If you decide to rearrange the lab, what will it accomplish? Will people be able to work
more efficiently? Will it create more space for work? Or is it just because you don’t like the way the
benches are arranged? I remember as an Airman wondering why we are working overtime but wasting a
day moving things around that had no impact on production, but the boss wanted us to do it, so we did.
It is amazing how people will resist change even when evidence is presented that it will provide a tangi-
ble benefit, but are more than happy to spend time changing things that have no impact on the bottom
line. The people in your lab will embrace the change much more readily if the reason behind it is ex-
plained. “Because I said so” is an answer for a parent-not a supervisor. The people in this career field are
not stupid. They may point out a better way, or why it is a bad idea. If your lab is to remain competitive
(yes, even the military labs need to watch the bottom line) you must change, but only when it will create
a positive impact. Anyone with examples of good or bad changes that you think would work at another
lab-or to keep us from making the same mistake, e-mail me at richardroberson@sbcglobal.net.

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 15

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 16

MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Chair Joe Simmons Scholarship
Graeme C. Payne Norm Belecki
GK Systems, Inc. 7413 Mill Run Dr
4440 Weston Drive SW, Suite B Derwood, MD 20855-1156
Lilburn, GA 30047 USA Voice (301) 869-4520
Voice: (770) 931-4004 / Fax (866) 887-9344 E-mail: n.belecki@ieee.org
E-mail: Graeme@gksystems.biz

Standards Committee Representative

Chair-Elect Robert M. Graham
Richard D. Roberson Primary AC Standards Lab
10301 Clinkenbeard Rd NE Sandia National Laboratories
Norman, OK 73026 P.O. Box 5800, M.S. 0665
Voice (405) 321-8580 Albuquerque, NM 87185-0665
E-mail: richardroberson@sbcglobal.net Phone: (505) 845-0434
Fax: (505) 844-6096
E-mail: rmgraha@sandia.gov
Secretary, Certification Chair, Website
Manager, NCSL International Representative
Christopher L. Grachanen Examining Chair
Manager, Houston Metrology Group Hewlett- Duane Allen
Packard U. S. Navy
P. O. Box 692000 MS070110 P.O. Box 5000, Code MS11
Houston, TX 77269-2000 Corona, CA 92878-5000
Voice (281) 518-8486 / Fax (281) 518-7275 Voice (909) 273-4783 / Fax (909) 273-4599
E-mail: Chris.Grachanen@hp.com E-mail: duane.allen@navy.mil

Treasurer, Publication Chair, Newsletter Historian

Editor/Publisher, Share Point Administrator Keela Sniadach
Jay L. Bucher Promega Corp.
Bucherview Metrology Services 5445 East Cheryl Parkway
6700 Royal View Dr. Madison, WI 53711
De Forest, WI 53532-2775 Voice (608) 298-4681 / Fax (608) 277-2516
Voice (608) 277-2522 / Fax (608) 846-4269 E-mail: keela.sniadach@promega.com
E-mail: yokota-69@charter.net
jay.bucher@promega.com
ASQ Division Administrator
Ms. Jennifer Admussen, CQIA
Immediate Past Chair, Nominating Chair Voice (800) 248-1946, x7736
Program Chair E-mail: jadmussen@asq.org
Dilip A. Shah
E = mc3 Solutions
197 Great Oaks Trail #130
Wadsworth, Ohio 44281-8215
Voice (330) 328-4400 / Fax (330) 336-3974
E-mail: emc3solu@aol.com, dashah@aol.com

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 17

ASQ MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION REGIONAL COUNCILORS

Regional Councilors represent the Division to members and Sections in their

geographic areas. Regional Councilors are appointed for renewable two-year
terms, and are advisory members of the Division leadership team.
Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) Region 9 (IN, KY, OH)
Mr. Jun Bautista Mr. Ryan Fischer, ASQ CCT
Genzyme Laboratory Accreditation Bureau
Cambridge, MA 02142 New Haven, IN 46774
E-mail: Jun.Bautista@genzyme.com E-mail: rfischer@l-a-b.com

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PA) Region 10 (OH, MI)

Volunteer Opportunity! Volunteer Opportunity!

Region 3 (CT, NJ, NY) Region 11 (NC, SC, TN, VA)

Mr. Eduardo M. Heidelberg Volunteer Opportunity!
Pfizer
Parlin, NJ 08859 Region 12 (IL, MN, ND, SD, WI)
E-mail: eheidelb@yahoo.com
Dr. Donald S. Ermer
Region 4 (Canada) ASQ Fellow; Eugene L. Grant Medal (2001)
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Mr. Alexander T. C. Lau Madison, WI 53706
ExxonMobil E-mail: Ermer@engr.wisc.edu
Whitby, ON L1R 1R1
E-mail: alex.t.lau@exxonmobil.com
Region 13 (CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, SD, WY)
Region 5 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA) Volunteer Opportunity!
Mr. Richard A. Litts
Litts Quality Technologies Region 14 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX, part of
Downington, PA 19335 Mexico)
E-mail: info@littsquality.com Mr. R. Keith Bennett
TRANSCAT
Region 6 (AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, Kingwood, TX 77339
WY) E-mail: kbennett@transcat.com
Volunteer Opportunity!
Region 15 (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, Puerto Rico)
Region 7 (AZ, CA, NV, part of Mexico)
Mr. E. Bryan Miller
Mr. Randy D. Farmer ASQ Fellow
Metrology Solutions Bryan Miller Consulting
Chula Vista, CA 91913 Florence, AL 35633
E-mail: farmerrd2@cox.net E-mail: milleb@mindspring.com
Region 25 (all other countries)
Region 8 (OH, PA) Volunteer Opportunity!
Dilip A. Shah
E = mc3 Solutions
Wadsworth, Ohio 44281-8215E-mail: em-
c3solu@aol.com, dashah@aol.com

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
MQD Page 18

Vol. 21, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2007
The
JOE D. SIMMONS
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Founded in the memory of Joe Simmons*

to support the study of metrology and
metrology-related quality topics.

Outstanding students
are encouraged to apply for
the $3000 scholarship.

Completed applications
are due March 1.

For application forms or more information contact

your advisor, student aid office, or the Scholarship itself at

Simmons_Scholar@comcast.net

www.simmons-scholarship.com
*NIST (NBS) (1963-1994). NCLSI, William A. Wildhack
award winner, 1992. MSC, Andrew J. Woodington
or write to: Simmons Scholarship award winner, 1995. Co-founder and Chair of ASQ
7413 Mill Run Drive, Derwood, MD 20855-1156 Measurement Quality Division.

PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN METROLOGY

ASQ Measurement Quality Division • NCSL International • Measurement Science Conference

NCSL INTERNATIONAL
SERVING THE WORLD OF MEASUREMENT
2007 Measurement Science Conference Report
By Dilip Shah

This year’s MSC attracted over 1200 attendees and the usual group of exhibitors. ASQ’s
Measurement Quality Division was one of the co-sponsors of the 2007 MSC and we
participated by exhibiting and sponsoring a session. The exhibit booth was manned by the
west coast based crew of Phil Painchaud and Duane Allen and by Dilip Shah. The exhibit
booth opened a day early this year and attendee traffic was brisk. We had many queries
for the CCT exam and the other ASQ certification exams. In addition, we have formed
many good relationships with MSC and NCSLI by our participation in both their
conferences to advance the field of metrology

During the Friday, January 26, 2007 MSC luncheon program, I had the privilege of
formally presenting the MQD’s 2006 Max J. Unis award to Phil Painchaud in front of a
record crowd of luncheon attendees. The MQD thanks the Measurement Science
Conference and specially, 2007 MSC President Bob Fritzsche for making this possible.

The introductory text of my speech follows below:

“In 1996 the ASQ Measurement Quality Division Proposed, and the ASQ Board
of Directors approved, a Division award – the Max Jay Unis Award.

This award was created to honor the memory of Max Unis. He was an ASQ
Fellow, a founding member of the Metrology Technical committee (which later
became the MQD), a member of the Inspection Division and a Regional Director
of NCSL. He was very active in promoting the importance of metrology and the
development of relevant standards. He developed the vision of the Metrology
Technical Committee becoming a full Division, and because of that he was asked
to be first to sign the petition to create it. Unfortunately Max never saw that vision
realized – he died the year before the Division was created in 1991.

The Max Jay Unis Award is to be given annually at the Division's technical
conference, to the person or people who have made a significant contribution
toward addressing the mission and goals of the Division. The presentation of the
2006 award was delayed this time specifically so it could be presented here, in
front of this audience of the recipient's friends and peers.

This year's award goes to a person who has certainly been tireless in promoting
metrology in general, with particular emphasis on the education and training of
metrologists. In addition –

 He has been a member of ASQ for nearly 30 years, and is a founding member
of the Measurement Quality Division.
 He has been professionally active in the measurement sciences for well over
60 years.
 He is a past President of the Measurement Science Conference, and has
 attended every one of them so far.
 He actively promotes appropriate education for professional metrology
practitioners. His writing on that topic has made him easily the most prolific
columnist over the history of MQD's newsletter, The Standard.
 He is always ready and willing to share insights from his experience – or just
war stories – with we who are younger in the field.

So with great pleasure I would like to present this award to Phillip A. Painchaud.”

In his acceptance speech, Phil said:

—“Our luncheon speaker yesterday stressed ‘PASSION’—passion for whatever

endeavor we are engaged in, as the driving force for success in whatever we do.
For nearly seventy years some aspect of METROLOGY has been my passion. I
am appreciative of that recognition in the presentation of this Award.
The renowned English philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon is reputed to have
once said, ‘“GREATNESS IS LIKE A TWO SIDED COIN—THE REVERSE SIDE
IS HUMILITY” ’; I prefer to keep it that way. Thank you for this recognition.”

Phil Painchaud making his acceptance speech, Dilip Shah in the background
Phil was very generous to donate the honorarium that went with the Max J. Unis Award
to the betterment of metrology education as noted by the following letter:
This year was a first for MSC where the Woodington award was presented to three very
worthy individuals for their contribution to analytical metrology instead of just one
individual. Congratulations to Howard Castrup of Integrated Sciences Group (MQD
member), David Deaver of Fluke Corporation (MQD member) and Dennis Jackson of
NSWC Corona!

L-R Howard Castrup, David Deaver and Dennis Jackson

 Phil Painchaud at the MQD booth

Duane Allen at the MQD booth

Miguel Decos – Another MQD member and past MQD paper presenter at 2006 NCSLI
MSC was very gracious to pay tribute to both DeWayne Sharp (The Standard’s first
editor) and to Dr. Eugene Watson, who sadly passed away last year.
MSC also presented the first student achievement award this year to Shay Edwards, a
high school sophomore for his work on infrared photography which he presented at the
MSC.

Bob Fritzsche, presenting the student award to Shay Edwards.

MQD’s sponsored session at the MSC featured a panel discussion on the newly formed
NCSLI Sub-committee 164.1 titled Metrology Education & Training Outreach. The
session was hosted by Dilip Shah and the presenter included Phil Smith (MQD Member)
of A2LA, Elizabeth Gentry of NIST, Mark Lapinskes of Sypris and Michelle Foncannon
of CalSource.

In addition, Dilip Shah also presented a paper in Georgia Harris’s Education & Training
session on the CCT Body Of Knowledge development. Both session were well attended
including members of the international metrology community.

All picture in this report courtesy of Mr. Phil Painchaud.

 CALL FOR PAPERS YEAR 2008
Measurement Science Conference
“ Metrology and Metrics: Measuring Today's Products and
Tomorrow's Technologies”
March 10-14, 2008
Disneyland Hotel Convention Center
Anaheim, CA

Authors
You are invited to participate in the 2008 MSC Conference by presenting a paper on any topic of interest to those involved in the
application of measurement disciplines. Please submit a 500 word abstract to the Program Chairman as soon as possible. Early
submissions will receive the maximum exposure in mailed brochures and on the MSC website. To present at MSC, you must
submit a paper.
Session Chairs
If you are interested in chairing a technical session, please contact the Program Chairman. Send your name, address, telephone
number, and a short description of your session. Preference will be given to the developers with a full slate of papers.

Suggested Topics
Measurements
Electrical Pressure Resistance
Capacitance Temperature Vibration
Time Frequency Mass
Gas, Liquid Flow Humidity RF & Microwave
Air Quality Optical Short Wave Light
Transducers Verification Chemical-Biological Coordinate Measuring Machines
Pharmaceutical Advanced Technologies (NANO, etc.) Medical
Dimensional CMM in the factory FDA Regulated Environments
Torque IR/UV Optics

Processes

Traceability Laboratory Accreditation Laws & Regulations

Interval Adjustment Procedures Development Automation
Technician Training Error & Data Analysis Pharmaceutical Environments
Legacy Equipment Support Audits & Quality Control Equipment Development
On-Site Calibration Data Mining ISO and Other Written Standards
Hazardous Materials Handling Quality Standards Equipment Management
Lab Management Business Practices Outsourcing Services

Tutorial Workshops
MSC has an extensive tutorial workshop program on the day prior to the conference. The Tutorial Workshops are half-day
or full day instructional seminars. You are invited to submit a tutorial workshop proposal in addition to or instead of a conference
paper. Please contact the tutorial chairman as soon as possible as space is limited.

Program Chairman Tutorial Chairman

Please submit before 23 May Contact: Arman Hovakemian
Contact: Mark Kaufman Phone: (866) 672-6327
Phone (866) 672-6327 tutorials@msc-conf.com
programs@msc-conf.com

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