The EC&M editorial canon: Don't operate in a vacuum
Keeping its finger on the industry’s pulse is an ongoing task for our editorial staff. In fact, it’s a must.
So how do we find out what’s hot and what’s not? Certainly, active participation in industry associations and standards-making groups helps. Take our National Electrical Code coverage, for example. Our Senior Editor Fred Hartwell is Principal Member and Secretary of NFPA Code Making Panel 9. Because of Fred’s “behind the scenes” activities, we’re able to take you into the code-making process—passing on the thinking behind NEC rules and their revisions.
Senior Editor Bob Morgan is a member of IEEE Working Group P1346, which is writing a new standard, Recommended Practice for Evaluating Electric Power System Compatibility with Electronic Process Equipment. It will be known as the Yellow Book. Bob sits on the judging panel for the American Consulting Engineers Council and is a member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers.
Technical Editor Mark Lamendola is a board member of the Midwest Chapter of the Uninterruptible Uptime Users Group (UUUG) and was past keynote speaker at its conference. He’s also webmaster and newsletter editor for the Kansas City’s IEEE section.
Senior Editorial Consultant Joe Knisley is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society, regularly attending the organization’s meetings and conferences. He keeps abreast of trends, such as indirect lighting, and problem areas, such as VDT glare. He’s also actively involved with BICSI and its activities in the voice/data and telecommunications industry.
Senior Editorial Consultant Bob Lawrie is a member of the NFPA 70B committee that worked on the pending new edition of this standard on electrical maintenance. He closely follows EASA (Electrical Apparatus Service Association) and its activities in motor repair and maintenance.
A new tool, and one that I’m very excited about, is the EC&M Editorial Advisory Board. It’s made up of two readers from each of our major reader categories (electrical engineers, electrical plant/facility maintenance people, and electrical contractors). Their job is to critique each article and department per issue. We’re not looking for “pats on the back.” Constructive criticism are the key words here. Important points are viability of topic, extent of coverage, technical accuracy, and overall interest. Also included are readability and ease of comprehension.
So who’s on the Advisory Board? People with hands-on experience in their respective field, that’s who. Representing the consulting engineering category are:
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Paul E. Pritzker, P.E., Chairman of George Slack & Pritzker, Forensic Consulting Engineers, Canton, Mass., and joint founder and second president of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers.
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Drew D. Daniels, P.E., Associate Partner and Chief Electrical Engineer for the Central Utilities Group, Syska & Hennessy, New York, N.Y. Representing the electrical plant/facility maintenance category are:
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John Weber, Director of Building Facilities, LEGO Systems, Enfield, Conn.
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Joseph A. Cannatelli, P.E., formerly Senior Advisor and Electrical Engineer, ARCO Chemical Co., Newtown Square, Pa. Representing the electrical contracting category are:
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Donald A. Mountjoy, President and CEO, NEWCO Electric Co., Inc., Erie, Pa.
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John R. Cleveland, Vice President, Cleveland Electric, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Each board member’s input (along with the information gathered from our other sources) will ensure our coverage of the electrical construction industry is current, accurate, and most importantly, useful to you.
Incidentally, if you have specific comments about the magazine, feel free to contact us. We’re extremely interested in what you have to say. For contact information, see the box at the end of Letters to the Editor or e-mail me at [email protected].
