The Vibration Institute 2023 Annual Meeting took place on the final day of the Annual Training Conference on Friday, July 28th in Niagara Falls, New York. VI President, Dr. George Szasz started the meeting with background information on the Institute, an introduction of the Board of Directors, the financial health of the organization, and an overview of programs and services provided. Dr Szasz pointed out that our efforts to enhance our digital presence through online learning, the VI digital library, and smart phone app development are ongoing. As an example, the VI Digital Library now contains all of the past issues of this magazine, and all of the past proceedings for the annual training conferences. Look for the Digital Library in the member section of the VI website.
Next to present was Technical Director of Certification, Nancy Denton. She provided a review of the current status of the VI’s ANAB-accredited Vibration Analyst Certification Program, emphasizing recent changes and improvements. As of July 20, 2023, the total count of VI Certified Vibration Analysts was over 3700. Category I and II certified VA headcounts decreased somewhat when compared to VIATC 2022 values, while Category III and IV counts increased. To simplify our certification application processes, the existing CF009 certification exam application and CF024 certification renewal by points forms were revised and a new CF058 recertify by exam form was introduced. Webinars on certification and recertification were presented live in January 2023 and are posted at the VI Member365 Portal for ongoing access. Through the dedicated effort of the Certification Committee, certification exams for all categories were revised significantly. In addition, there is now a formal process in place for handling expiring Field Balancing Specialist certifications. Details on this process are provided in the Certification letter section of this issue.
Following the update on certification, Training Committee Chair Monroe Voyles provided an overview of our training courses, which now include online learning. Attendance of our training courses has been on an uptick and is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. The VI is in the process of adding more trainers to its instructor pool to keep up with demand. Our target date for introducing a new online Introduction to Machinery Vibration (Category I) course is mid-late September.
Monroe then turned the podium mover to Janine Komornick, Manager of Operations, who introduced the current office staff in the audience including Accounting Associate Jen Howser, Training and Certification Specialists Erik Anderson and Lindsey Greene and our new Operations Specialist, Eddie Ocampo. Janine also went over the list of our Technical Partners.
Janine then provided an overview of our membership numbers and current membership benefits. She described how members can get involved with one of our committees. Such involvement has benefits in terms of networking opportunities, service engagement, and can lead to future leadership opportunities on our Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining one of our committees, all are listed on our website at: https://www.vi-institute.org/about/committees/. Another way VI members can contribute to the vibration community and earn points toward recertification is by writing an article or a case study for this magazine! The electronic media committee always welcomes articles written by our community.