Sustainable Product Design & Innovation is a degree program developed early in the 21st century at Keene State College. Keene State College is part of the University System of New Hampshire. Here is a link to the schools website https://www.keene.edu/academics/programs/spdi/
It took me a couple years to figure out the acronym SPDI. At first I had assumed it was a STEM or STEAM program (I can be oblivious). Then I noticed that the letters didn’t match. I had to ask what they ment.
My first introduction to SPDI was a tour with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers were we saw their first 3D printers and a machine shop. A few years later we were invited student presentation on their Manufacturing Enterprise course to the . I was quite impressed. I had spent most of my life in manufacturing and the students did a good job of representing the manufacturing structure.
A few years later I was asked to join academia and become a member of SPDI staff. It has been a privilege. Somewhat surprisingly this has been my third longest job. I have only spent more time making automobile headlights and medical devices. Having worked with many engineers in the past, I hope to train the students how to be better engineers.
Let me break down what SPDI means to me.
Let’s start with the word sustainable. The UN defined sustainability in 1987 as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Written by international politicians that statment can mean whatever you want it to be. I am sure someplace that would be, I have slaves, so my children should have slaves. Myself, I would say, make good things so you do not go out of business. Yes, sustainable is considered a political word. Politicians do choose what is sustainable, that is the way things work. Most politicians support manufacturing. They know we need things.
The next word is product. This is a word I can understand. A product is a thing. Our world is made of things. We depend on things. There is no society without things. Things keep us alive and let us live longer. The vast majority of things in our lives are manufactured. Musical instruments, books, paint brushes, and your phone are all manufactured. Manufacturing is an art.
Design, how do we define our things. How big are they, what are things made of? How are going make these things. We learn computer aided design, how to digitally render things. That is just the start. When we have a thing, how does it relate to other things. How do things work together. Are there unexpected consequences? Form fit and function is what we said in the factory. How does the product do the job? I could go on and on, however I will take a break and go on to what may be the most important word.
Innovation, for me it means collaboration to make better things. How can we make better things? Can we improve the result of two interacting things? Can an assembly of things work better together? That is what learning is.
SPDI is something I can belive in. Recently I have been trying to promote SPDI by giving away SPDI jackets that the students designed. As usual, some people do not agree. We are a Liberal Arts school, not a technical college. My view is manufacturing is the one art all the other arts are dependent on. Just my opinion.
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander was going to stop by the shop where I work at Keene State College. She had stopped by previously when she was running for Congress. During her llast visit she introduced herself to me. I then wished her luck with the election. She seemed like a nice lady, and she was younger than I expected. She wasn’t the only politician to stop by, however she was the only one that spoke to me. Of course I voted for her, as did my wife. As Tip O’Reilly said, all politics is local.
Political intrigue is for my boss, and he said he was nervous about the forthcoming visit. I really do not know how all these things are arranged, still I know that everything is choreographed. A little bit of time here, some more time there. Talk with this on then talk with that one. It is what the do. I told my boss not to worry, these people are professional talkers, that is what they do. I also said that is not a bad thing.
The reason for all this political interest is the federal government recently funded a new Ultra-Precision Diamond Turning Lab, and two diamond lathes were now in my shop. Big doings. Although I did not directly benefit from the funding, I had played a small part in it’s implementation. Also, the new machines were fun to play with and added interest to my job. I like technology and the political intrigue is above my pay grade.
I do not have a problem talking with people, I treat everyone as a person. Politician or student, I will treat them the same. I may modify my responses as a reaction to the way I am treated, but that is probably normal. As far as I am concerned everyone starts on equal ground.
When it comes to technological things it is easy for me to talk and cause the listeners eyes to glaze over. So I just try and keep to the relevant things. The last time Maggie visited I explained that the reason that diamonds are used as cutting tools is not only are the hard, they are thermally stable in dimensionality. That is what you need to have molecular level accuracy.
In our previous Ultra-Precision class we had set up the machines to teach centrality. Centrality is the ability to make things concetric. To do that we use probes with ruby tips. Knowing that Maggie was coming by the next day I made sure that the cameras in the machines showed both the diamonds and rubies. The cameras showed the images on big TV screens outside the machines.
I had my talking point. If the conversation went quiet I could mention rubies. It is about the kids, so I would let them talk. Typically I am surprised at how well they do. The future is in good hands. Still people become intimidated and do not know what to say, me I just want to move the conversation forward. I felt prepared, rubies are also dimensionally stable and wear resistant. Very important to teaching the art of measurement.
When driving the next day I had a thought. Why not give her a SPDI Jacket. A professor had recently retired and I thought it would be nice to give her a jacket with an embroidered logo as a retirement gift. Of course I wanted one also. I shared this thought of a gift with a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He was very important in the starting of the SPDI program and liked the idea. He said SME would pay for the jackets. So we thought we should expand the recipient list to include all SPDI teachers and student teachers. I ordered two dozen. My goal became brand awareness. Nobody knew, except a very few people what SPDI is. FYI it is Sustainable Product Design & Innovation.
There were also two students chosen to meet with Maggie at the same time. Whoever did the choosing did right. Couple of smart, bright kids. We waited in my shop until the appointed time engaging in small talk. We were given no agenda.
At the appointed time Maggie came in with her entourage. The mayor of Keene, the school Dean, someone from the Keene paper, more people from the school administration, a couple of photographers. I forgot to count how many people there were.
When Maggie came by to speak to the three of us, I asked if she would like a jacket like the one I was wearing. She said she would love one. So I ran off to get her a jacket while leaving her to talk with the students. When I returned I explained the symbolism and meaning of SPDI. I also stressed that the embroidered logo was student designed. Additionally I mentioned that SME had originally paid for the jacket, it was not school funded, in case that ment anything. I knew she is a lawyer, sometimes such things matter. Finally I said, I just wanted a picture of her in the jacket. She quickly put it on and smiled. Then she moved on.
There was a lot of talking, and I quietly snapped a photo of her talking to the mayor and the Dean. I was happy. We all ended up standing around looking at the two diamond turning machines. They they were, the two machines that had been subject of so much conversation. Unsurprisingly it got a little quiet. I happened to be standing next to Maggie and I asked her, did anyone tell you about the rubies? No she replied. I then explained that we use rubies like they use in fine watches. We use them because they are geometricaly stable in a very precise size. For example, during our previous class we were teaching centrality, and had the students index their parts to center using a ruby tipped probe. I mentioned that rubies are used in many types of measuring devices like CMM’s. Finally I mentioned that I used to do laser optical alignment. When you get the centrality just right laser power goes up exponentially! Maggie thanked me and mentioned to everyone that we had all learned about rubies and centrality.
On her way out I gave the Congresswoman an eye loupe designed and made by the students. It had KSC and SPDI lettering on it. Like I said earlier most people do not know what SPDI is. Anything to promote the brand. I thanked her and said that she had made my week. Her reply was “You made mine”. Then I mentioned that I had gotten a photo of her in the jacket. Then she said, “Oh we forgot to take photos”. That is when they took the above photo. She is holding the eye loupe we gave her. She then invited the students to be in the photograph. That photo is one of the pictures she put on her website that day. Smart lady.
Only 3279 days earlier and exactly 227 meters away I had encountered another hi profile political figure, we also took photos, one of which is in one of my previous blogs. The man, who I am sure you know, is from the other side of the political isle. During the the photo he put his arm around me and hugged me. During our conversations I relised that the man who would be president knew, and would know, of my existence and what I had done. So this being a political photo op, and thinking of the past, I asked Maggie if I could put my arm around her. She agreed so I put my arm around her. For me it was symbolic of equality.
Then she was off. They went to see the new room being prepared for the diamond lathes. I chatted with the kids, we thought the visit went well. Then I went back to work. Typically I make myself a couple of coffee and carry it around till I find something too do. That is exactly what I did. After a bit someone came in and said Maggie was leaving the building.
Our new Provost, Kristi Sandy wrote a book in what I would call the observational style. Like this blog. One thing I noticed was Kristi paid attention to what people drive. I do the same thing in real life. So when I heard Maggie was leaving, I carried my coffee out into the hall and wandered towards the exit. I wondered what she would be riding in. I saw a Prius parked outside. Then I saw Maggie head for the exit with her entourage. She waved and smiled. I don’t think she went in the Prius. I think she and her entourage walked to a different building. Who knows what she drives. Busy lady.
I want to go three ways with this blog. On third being observational politics, one third the motering life and one third education. I have neglected education, so I will do a few stories. I find this interesting as I was never formally trained as an educator. However, I have trained many people and attended five colleges. I will admit that I did not do well in school, and part of that was my own fault.
For example there was a course that was about building housing developments. I think it was some sort of civil engineering course, but I am not really sure. The premise was to find a nice field near a town, build a road that would maximize half acre house lots, then build a series of identical houses. This process would be the most efficient and effective way to provide homes for people to buy.
At a previous college I attended a course about building housing. That course was titled “The Handbuilt Homes of Woodstock NY”. Every week in that course we would visit a different house In Woodstock NY. The homes were all different. They varied from a geodesic dome made of old LP records to a massive three story home that resembled an art gallery. No homes were remotely similar, however they all had character.
I understood the logic each course presented. I will call neither right or wrong, however I would do something that would get me into trouble. In the housing development course I suggested that the housing should be built in the hills. My reasoning was our ancestors worked to clear the fields and we should use the fields for agriculture, not housing. Now this violated the premise of the efficient building of homes for people. For I had suggested that we add complexity. For whatever reason I held firm in my view.
I was sincere in my view, many civilizations build nice communities on hillside. There are pretty hillside places in Santorini, Nepal, Peru, and even San Francisco. I understood the logic of a development, however life should be aspirational. We should be able to look out the window and see the world. We should utilize what we have to benefit society. For me it was personal.
To my surprise my belief precipitated a field trip. Unlike my previous homebuilding class, this class just stayed in the classroom where we drew pictures of housing developments. One day the instructor announced he had signed out a van and he was going to drive the class to a housing development. To my surprise the development was on a bit of a hillside. The instructor then pulled into the driveway of a newly completed house and instructed us to get out of the van and go behind the house. He then pointed to a big one inch crack in the foundation and said “This is why you don’t build houses in the hills”. I mumbled something about we should learn how to build better foundations. The instructor had won, I then kept my mouth shut and said no more.
Why is it that Democrats walk on carpet and Republicans walk on concrete? My first thought is of a engineer who insisted on having crepe sole shoes, as his brain was delicate and should not be jostled. Carpet is easier to walk upon, so it should not jostle the brain as much as concrete. This being the case, Democrats should be smarter than Republicans.
These are just my observations. I found no studies proving my observations. I have noticed truck drivers are Trumpers, college professors are Team Biden. The guys in the boiler room, Trumpers. The guys in the law office Team Biden again. So where do they stand, Trumpers are on concrete, Team Biden is on carpet. Am I wrong? My evidence is anecdotal. I would welcome your personal observations. I realize there are most likely exceptions, but me thinks the odds are good I may be right.
For example Elon Musk started out as a carpet nerd. Then he decided to build factories with concrete floors. Then he started spending lots of time on his concrete floors, and look what happened!
Of course there is a danger of spending to much time on the carpet. Take Joe Biden, he rarely steps on concrete. His poor brain was never jostled, and it has turned to mush.
Seriously, I started this out with Carpets & Concrete not Carpets vs Concrete. Both sides need each other. The is no reason to hate. I am tired of the hate. I am sorry to say hate is a large part of both sides. The nice politicians, there are hard to find.
I kept this story short, hope you don’t mind. Simply trying to avoid a kerfuffle.
Listen to your people. Know your goals and listen to your people. Find them, talk to them and listen.
Being a good boss can be that simple. Sometimes it is called management by walking around. But it is also being aware of your surroundings. People talk about different things. Some people just like to complain, don’t just filter them out, listen and see if there is a way to make things better. Some talk about their families, look around see if there is anythingthat can be improved. See if you can make their life better. Sometimes people will actually say how to make things better, that is a really good time to listen, and do something. Try. If you can’t figure out how to make things better, figure out why, then explain why it couldn’t happen. Maybe an alternative solution may be found. Try to make things better.
Unfortunately most bosses are not good bosses. It is just human nature. They may unjustifiably belive they are smarter, or have a better idea. Things like ego and narcissism commonly get in the way. I am old enough to have had many bosses. Occasionally I myself have been boss. I find it a bit frightening because of the responsibility. That actually may help me be a better boss because I want my people to be happy. That is why I talk to them, to see what makes them happy. I may remind them why we are here in the job. It is very productive to be able to explain your job simply. It is how we do things. The vast majority of people want to do things right. Some do not, they will need to find something that they will be happy at.
Sometimes people will ask me how I put up with a bad boss. I will say I have had worse. Let me tell a few stories of bad bosses I have had. These are sad, but true.
Some time ago a neighboring department had a new electrical engineer that was fresh out of the Navy. She was smart, and pretty. I will call her Cherry. Cherry quickly moved up into management. She went from engineer to supervisor, to foreman of the department next to where I worked. She also liked her boy toys. She would provide her toys with promotions. Really. She liked to party also. She had a nice chromed Harley and a big jacked up Jeep. They then put Cherry in charge the entire floor of 500 people. That included me. She put one of her boy toys in charge of me. I will him Jerry. Jerry was an alcoholic and on the shift before mine. I did not have a problem with him. I would go up and ask what he wanted me to do, then I would do it. Sometimes he would get mad about silly things. I would try to diffuse the situation. However this story is not about me. It is about Benn. Benn was a good natured mechanic, in a way I was his supervisor for a time because I would assign machines and teach him how to do his job. Before he worked for me I had noticed a couple times I had some unexplained accidents. When Benn worked for me, I would explain what he needed to do, and he would happily do it. Very nice guy and fun to be with was what I thought. He had no accidents when he worked for me. We shared good times.
This not a story about me. I was fortunate enough to get an early retirement so I could leave and find a different job. This is a story about Cherry, Jerry and Benn. I had a couple of go around with Cherry before I left, but that is a different story. When things did not go Jerry’s way, he would yell at the problem. This is a pretty common, but non productive way to deal with stress. The he would call people names. This is a bit less common, and even less productive way to deal with stress. At this point Cherry was on top. She was the plant manager. She allowed the behavior.
One thing I did was defend my people from abuse from above. Sadly I was not there to defend Benn. I was told Jerry was particularly abusive to Benn one day. Benn went home and hanged himself. A year or so later Jerry retired and tried to start his own business. He was unsuccessful and ended up shooting himself dead. When Cherry retired I stopped by and congratulated her as the longest serving plant manager. Cherry was unhappy because she never moved up in the corporate world, in her eyes she was stuck in the hinterlands.
I knew these people and their families. I knew the cars they drove. But I only remember one license plate, it belonged to Cherry. It was “Meaner”
Before that I had another boss in a welding shop I worked at. Well it really wasn’t a shop, we worked on the road a lot. One time I was working in the bottom of a hydroelectric power plant cleaning a turbine. There was safety tape around the top of the hole I was in. It was tied in part to a cast iron table. My boss was up there talking with someone when he leaned on the table and pushed it into the hole I was in. It almost missed me. It put a nice gash in my arm that took years to heal.
Later on the same boss had me build a three story scaffold in a chemical refinery to remove a six inch valve that was painted orange. When I removed the valve it had a terrible smelling orange fluid in it. It was like chlorine and ammonia. I had to carry the valve down the scaffolding. Later he wanted me to remove a long pipe painted the same color. I made him promise three time the pipe was empty. It wasn’t. I felt like I was going to die. For three days all I would say is “I Quit”. After three days they brought me home. I was not going to give that guy another chance to get me. A few years later I was told he had fell off a bridge and broke nearly every bone in his body. People felt pretty bad about it. I said that it could not have happened to a nicer person. I was very glad that it wasn’t me.
I have fought back with my bosses. They can be bullies. I had one that would get mad and randomly fire people every month. It was like clockwork. I could see it coming. I would try to warn people when I saw him in his mood. Most people understood and listened. Some did not. One time he was going to fire me. We went outside and yelled in each other’s faces. After that he did not bother me.
I have a few other stories, but I will end with this one. Not long ago I had a boss we called the whistler. Every time he came into the shop whistling, he would fire someone. Everytime he fired someone he would whistle. He never whistled unless he fired someone. Really. This went on for many years. He finally retired.
Be a good boss, don’t be mean. Don’t allow people to be mean to each other. Finally, give people proper instruction. Set them up for success.
bubbatrump 