Consider how you use your phone, tablet, laptop, and computer on a regular basis to do your tasks. Think about your regular commute. Take into account the food you eat, the water you drink, the clothes you wear, and the appliances and machines you use to store, cook, and clean it. Take a look at how much time you spend watching TV, playing video games, or listening to music. Take a look at the structures you can see. Consider any current convenience or demand. Nearly everything you can imagine is the result of complex processes. If talented humans had not developed, built, improved, and maintained these processes, these technical improvements would not have occurred, and future developments would be impossible. Without automation professionals, our world and society would be very different.
Automation engineers are in charge of handling complex problems in a wide range of businesses and processes. The work of automation professionals is critical to the public’s health, safety, and welfare, as well as the long-term viability and enhancement of our quality of life.
Many organizations, including the US government, appreciate automation professionals. The Senate Appropriations Committee recognizes the role of automation in the industry. On June 30, 2009, the committee filed report language to accompany the bill: H.R. 2847 (Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010), which emphasizes the importance of automation to industry:
“In order to keep America imaginative in a global economy, it is critical to encourage the country’s manufacturers, particularly small businesses… MEP, NIST, and its partners are emphasizing the importance of automation in accelerating and integrating industrial processes. Automation, rather than being a stand-alone technology, influences the disciplines of control systems cyber security, industrial wireless sensors, systems interoperability, and other vital automation technologies for the success of industrial companies. NIST should engage and communicate with independent experts in the field of automation to enhance the agency’s efforts to collaborate with industry to promote innovation, trade, security, and jobs.”
Professionals involved in automation ensure our electric power systems, transportation systems, manufacturing operations, and industry as a whole are reliable, efficient, safe, continuous improvement, and competitive. These individuals are vital to our continued progress.
