Workshop on Signal Processing for Nondestructive Methods

Workshop Summary

The World Federation of Nondestructive Evaluation Centers (WFNDEC) is pleased to announce a four-day workshop on signal processing for NDE to be held from July 19-22, 2004, at the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Ames, Iowa, USA. The workshop is the third in a series of workshops sponsored by the WFNDEC as a means of developing globally acceptable engineering NDE curricula. This workshop series is specifically designed for NDE professionals, educators, and trainers of NDE practitioners worldwide who wish to help develop new educational opportunities in the NDE field for students at the undergraduate/graduate level. If you are involved in the education of students at the BS level and above and want assistance in developing and delivering coursework on modern signal processing for NDE methods, this workshop is for you. Similar workshops on other NDE methods and topics will also be offered in the future.

Background

In response to a growing trend of industrial globalization and the resulting challenges associated with the world-wide maintenance of quality, safety and reliability, the WFNDEC was founded at an international meeting in Snowbird, Utah, in July 1998. Current members include leading NDE research centers in Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China, England, Germany, India, Korea, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States, with the office of the permanent secretariat at Iowa State University (details of the organization can be found on this site. Select 'home' above.).

WFNDEC members are committed to pursuing cooperative NDE research and to developing a unified, world-wide curricula for NDE education focused on new engineering approaches for NDE.

A unified curriculum will allow students in conventional engineering disciplines to take special courses in NDE and other related subjects that will prepare them to work in industry or to pursue more advanced studies. In the view of the WFNDEC members, the learning objectives of such a unified curriculum should emphasize familiarity with new model-based analysis techniques for quantitatively assessing the use of NDE techniques for product design, manufacturing and condition monitoring. The approach also should couple NDE engineering with the emerging practice of unified life cycle engineering.

To aid in the development of a world-wide unified curriculum, the WFNDEC has organized this workshop series. Each workshop is designed to “teach the teacher”, i.e., the workshop will provide methods and resources that will allow the participant to effectively develop/present elements of an NDE curriculum in his/her home organization. The workshop is open to engineering faculty members intending to teach broadly in the NDE field and to those practicing NDE professionals who have responsibility for educating personnel in NDE techniques. The workshop will also be of interest to those engineers not familiar with NDE signal processing topics who wish to have a review of the state-of-the-art in this important area.

Workshop Outline

The four-day workshop will cover the engineering fundamentals that form the basis of the latest signal processing techniques for NDE applications. The workshop will involve discussions of signal processing fundamentals, signal pre-processing, information extraction (feature determination), and pattern recognition/decision making tools such as statistical methods, neural networks, etc. Advanced topics and specific NDE applications will also be considered. The workshop will be an interactive mix of lectures, case studies and computer-based simulations. The general outline for the workshop will be:

Monday, July 19, 2004

Signal processing in the NDE field – a history and motivating case studies

Signal preprocessing and interactive demos

Signal enhancement - denoising

Fixed and adaptive filtering algorithms

Signal restoration - deconvolution

Weiner filtering, blind deconvolution

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Signal processing for information extraction

Image processing and analysis

Signal processing for decision-making I

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Signal processing for decision-making II

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Case studies of signal processing for NDE applications

Workshop wrap-up

Workshop Materials

Participants will receive a copy of all course materials and handouts on the first day of the workshop.

Faculty

The workshop will be designed and taught by members of the WFNDEC in cooperation with faculty/staff at the Center for NDE, Iowa State University and other invited lecturers. The workshop Director is Professor Lalita Udpa udpal@egr.msu.edu.

Qualifications for Attendance

Participants should have a B.S. degree in engineering or in the physical sciences and be conversant with basic physics and vector calculus. Participants should also be computer-literate as part of the course will involve the use of computer-based techniques.

Admission

Admission will be limited to a total of 24 participants. The Federation reserves the right to reject applications that fail to meet the qualifications and admission criteria.

Application Form

To apply for the course, complete this form.

Accommodations

Participants can make arrangements to stay at a number of nearby hotels. Details regarding lodging will be made available to all applicants prior to the workshop.

Fees

The workshop fee is $1,998. This fee covers all course materials, coffees and lunches during the workshop and a banquet. Contact Linda Poore at lpoore@cnde.iastate.edu regarding payment of fees.

For further information, you may contact Permanent Secretary Les Schmerr.

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