On October 1, 2011, Mike assumed the role of Executive Committee Chair for ASCE's Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (TCFE), and he will hold that post until September 30, 2012. Mike recently rerturned from Council meetings in San Francisco, where TCFE members engaged in several activities, including planning for the 6th Congress on Forensic Engineering (6th Congress) October 31 - November 3, 2012, in San Francisco.  Council memebers also worked on the following upcoming publications: the 2nd Edition of Guidelines for Forensic Engineering Practice, the 2nd Edition of Guidelines for Failure Investigation, and Failure Case Studies in Civil Engineering. TCFE's next gathering will take place in Boston in April 2012.

Rob attended the 2011 Fire Investigative Approaches Seminar coordinated by the North Carolina and South Carolina Chapters of the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) for 3 days which included a day focused on advanced concepts in fire debris analysis and laboratory capabilities/limitations pertaining to identification of materials. Other topics of discussion during the balance of the sessions attended included legal issues for fire investigators, interviews and interrogation, fire death investigations, and using building electrical systems in fire origin determination.

Mike attended the 2011 Structures Congress in Las Vegas in April where he moderated the session: Performance Issues in Buildings and Structures.  While in Las Vegas, Mike attended executive and technical committee meetings for ASCE's Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (TCFE), which is active in producing documents relating to foresnic engineering practice, foresnic engineering investigation, and reduction of engineering failures.  Mike is curently the vice chair of TCFE's executive committee and will take the chair in November 2011.  TCFE is actively planning the 6th Forensic Engineering Congress, slated for San Francisco in November 2012.

Element Analytical welcomes its newest family member, Luke McGraw, born April 26, 2011.  Contragulations to Rob and his family!!

Rob successfully completed the Residential Electricity for Fire Investigators seminar at Fire Findings Laboratories in Benton Harbor Michigan on April 113, and 14, 2011. The hands-on and lecture based program covered topics including power distribution systems, service equipment (drops and laterals), load centers, overcurrent protection devices, and hands-on wiring activities of typical residential electrical devices. Additional subject matter covered electrical shorts, arc mapping, floating neutral conditions, 120-volt and 240-volt devices, receptacles, switches, instrument measurements, industry accepted calculations, circuit tracing, electrical code requirements, and tools available to the investigator. Hands-on examination of post-fire artifacts representing failures caused by arcing, high resistance connections, overcurrent, arc tracking, improper installation, high voltage, and device misuse provided insight into potential evidence and distinguishable post fire indicators of each. Case studies representing recent investigative activities demonstrated insight into how the evidence can fit together to complete a successful origin and cause investigation.