Message from the Chairman of the JSME-FED
Yutaka Tsuji |
Enjoy yourself in JSME-FED activities !
I am currently serving as the Chairman of the Fluids Engineering Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME-FED). I look forward to your cooperation in fulfilling this duty. Up to now, the chairman's greeting has been published in the division's newsletter. However, we ceased to produce a printed newsletter last year, and the newsletter is now available only on our web site. I must admit that I'm very concerned about the number of members that will actually take a look at the newsletter. On one hand, since our web site is publicly accessible, we can expect that our newsletter and other content will be read by a broader variety of people. If anyone comes across this article happens to click over to some of our other pages and then develops an interest in our division, well, that would be great. I recognize that with printed material, long articles can be read at a leisurely pace, whereas reading long articles on a computer screen can be rather less convenient and less comfortable. Nonetheless, since this is our first online greeting, please bear with me.
Firstly, let me say that it is not my style to go on pretentiously about my position as chairman of the division. Rather, I want to make an appeal to encourage you to make use of JSME-FED to get more enjoyment out of your activities. That's why I gave this article the title above. As I see it, there are two basic types of member involvement-"participation," and its opposite, which we might call "observation." If participation is active in character, then it's opposite could be called passive. It seems that the majority of our members are involved with FED as observers, or in the passive sense. I imagine that there are various reasons for this, e.g. you are too busy, or you feel that there are too many academic societies even in Japan. Consequently, members tend to participate in the events of the society only when there are events that they can benefit from. This is fine of course. However, we should remember that JSME is uniquely valuable, for the simple reason that JSME has many specialists in any fields within it as members. Furthermore, JSME can have a significant influence on society. So, why not take advantage of these features and broaden your horizons by getting actively involved in JSME ? Now, before you throw yourself into the activities of JSME-FED, I want to give you an outline of how we are organized and how we operate. This will make it easier for you to get involved. The following is an explanation from this perspective.
JSME-FED is administered by an executive committee, consisting of members selected according to geographical area and field of specialization, as well as by various committees within the division. Although the Executive Committee has ultimate decision-making authority, detailed planning of the division's activities is handled by the various committees. These committees and their main responsibilities are described below.
Technical Committee : planning of events such as academic meetings and seminars, and activities related to awards, etc.
Publicity Committee : web site maintenance and administration, newsletter publication, flow "dream contests"
Editorial Committee : publications, journal planning
General Affairs Committee : financial affairs of the division, planning of research groups belonging to the division, various other duties
Membership Committee : membership augmentation and activities related to member services
The names of the heads of the above committees, as well as the names of the executive secretary and working group managers are posted on our web site. While for most members, interaction with the division might be limited to attendance at the division's meeting or JSME annual conference, a look at the above committees and their responsibilities makes it clear that a significant part of the division's activities is to prepare and provide for these events. (This year, due to the fact that the JSME-KSME Fluids Engineering Conference will be held in Nagoya in autumn (2002), our annual FED meeting has been cancelled [KSME = Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers]. In fact, we are working to provide a place for more diverse activities. I humbly urge all members to make use of this place and to freely offer your ideas and proposals concerning the division's activities, as well as to take the initiative to kick-start new activities.
If you are interested in forming a research group by inviting together people with similar interests, the division offers a platform that makes it easier to get your message heard. If you are thinking of starting up a research group, obtain an application form (be sure to include details concerning the purpose, the representative's name, and main members) and e-mail the form to us. The application will be considered by the General Affairs Committee. The General Affairs Committee can also help you to get your research group started. Once the decision to start the group is confirmed, the committee will even provide a grant to cover expenses.
Planning of seminars is the responsibility of the Seminar Planning Group within the Technical Committee. However, any member can propose an idea for a seminar. Just contact us. Don't feel shy about nominating yourself to be a lecturer. Really! We'll be happy to hear your ideas. All proposals will be considered by the Technical Committee, and support for the project can be provided if necessary. Although we expect to make a profit on seminars, seminars are held in order to fulfill a part JSME's mission of organizing educational activities-that is, seminars are not planned purely for the purpose of making money. Of course, we're pleased if a seminar happens to turn a profit. Naturally, we would like to avoid losses. However, seminars that produce a deficit are not unusual.
Member participation can extend even to academic meetings and symposiums. Remember, there's no need to limit your ideas and proposals to the types of meetings previously held by JSME-FED. If you have any interesting ideas about symposiums, please feel free to go ahead and present them. We are ready to support all of the activities of the division. It is not necessary to think in terms of a large-scale international symposium-small symposiums are fine too. The same applies to publications.
Summarizing what is described above, members can get involved in the activities of most of the above-mentioned committees.
The Journal of JSME serves as a medium for keeping all the members of the JSME connected. Now that we are no longer issuing a printed newsletter, members must rely on our web site for news and information on the activities of the division. Finally, I have a request to put to the silent majority of members. If you find, at any time, that the committees responsible for running the division are not making a sufficient effort, please point this out. Feel free to offer any criticism you deem appropriate. Your opinions and comments are always welcome at ttaka@vos.nagaokaut.ac.jp (Fluids Engineering Division Net Admin.) or tsuji@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp (FED Chairman).