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Flying Through Fear: How Vulnerability Fuels Success
Presenter: Michelle "MACE" Curran
Topic(s): Leadership Career Development
Type(s): Keynotes & Panels - Stage 1
Michelle Curran led an impressive career as a Fighter Pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Michelle has been featured on several well-known media platforms, including The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS Evening News and Glamour.
Since transitioning out of the military, she has founded her company, Upside Down Dreams, and is committed to empowering men and women of all ages to overcome obstacles and face their self-doubt head-on. She has inspired thousands from the stage and become an in-demand international speaker.
Michelle’s passion for breaking barriers and setting the example of what can be accomplished through hard work inspired her to write her best-selling children’s book, also named Upside Down Dreams. The first in a three-book series, this story has empowered kids to chase their dreams despite the fear that may stand in their way.
Conflict in the Middle East & Its Impacts on OT/ICS Infrastructure
Presenter: Sachin Mohan
Topic(s): Cybersecurity ISA/IEC 62443 Implementation Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Beyond the Magic: What Industrial Automation Can Learn from AI-Powered Theme Parks
Presenter: Amulya Alva
Topic(s): Autonomous Operations
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Fireside Chat: From Incident to Response: How to Handle Yourself in Crisis Situations
Presenter: Michelle "MACE" Curran
Topic(s): Crisis Management Leadership
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Michelle Curran led an impressive career as a Fighter Pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Michelle has been featured on several well-known media platforms, including The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS Evening News and Glamour.
Since transitioning out of the military, she has founded her company, Upside Down Dreams, and is committed to empowering men and women of all ages to overcome obstacles and face their self-doubt head-on. She has inspired thousands from the stage and become an in-demand international speaker.
Michelle’s passion for breaking barriers and setting the example of what can be accomplished through hard work inspired her to write her best-selling children’s book, also named Upside Down Dreams. The first in a three-book series, this story has empowered kids to chase their dreams despite the fear that may stand in their way.
MCP in the Plant: How Model Context Protocol Could Reshape Industrial AI Integration
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is rapidly becoming the universal standard for connecting artificial intelligence (AI) systems to external data and tools. Major tech companies and open-source communities have rallied behind it. However, on the plant floor, where OPC UA, Modbus and EtherNet/IP still move the data that matters, the conversation about MCP is just getting started.
This panel brings together voices from across the industrial automation ecosystem to explore what MCP integration actually looks like in practice: what it enables, what it doesn't replace and whether the industry is ready for it. Panelists will discuss the relationship between OPC UA and MCP as complementary protocol layers, what original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), integrators and end users actually want from AI-connected equipment, and whether the path forward is vendor-specific AI platforms or open, interoperable standards that let customers build on their own terms.
This is not a product pitch. It is an engineering-level conversation about a protocol that could fundamentally change how industrial data reaches AI, and what the automation community needs to do now to be ready for it.
Presenter: Nikki Gonzales
Topic(s): Data Connectivity Industrial Data Architecture
Type(s): Keynotes & Panels - Stage 1
Nikki Gonzales has spent two decades in industrial automation, spanning sales engineering, commercial leadership, startups and industry media. She founded Automation Ladies, a media platform amplifying voices across the automation industry and co-founded OT SCADA CON, a grassroots community conference focused on operational technology and industrial automation.
Nikki has spoken at more than 40 industry events and holds a BBA in international business from UT Austin.
AI in Cybersecurity
Presenter: Dennis Hackney
Topic(s): Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cybersecurity
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Ethics and Governance in the Implementation of AI in Manufacturing Environments
As artificial intelligence transitions from experimental pilots to operationally critical systems in manufacturing environments, organizations face ethical, regulatory and governance challenges that directly impact safety, workforce trust and business continuity. Manufacturing is a uniquely high-stakes context for AI adoption, where algorithm-influenced decisions can affect physical equipment, worker safety, product quality and regulatory compliance.
This presentation explores how manufacturers can move beyond abstract ethical principles and implement practical, scalable AI governance frameworks embedded directly in their engineering and operational processes. Drawing on real-world manufacturing use cases, this session will examine how ethical considerations, such as transparency, bias, human oversight and accountability, must be addressed across the full AI lifecycle, from use case intake and data selection to deployment, monitoring and continuous improvement.
Key focus areas include:
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Translating ethical AI principles into enforceable governance controls for manufacturing workflows
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Balancing innovation speed with risk management in safety- and quality-critical environments
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Designing role-based accountability models that clarify ownership across engineering, IT, legal and operations teams
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Establishing human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop mechanisms for shop-floor and industrial AI systems
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Applying structured risk analysis to identify, assess and mitigate ethical, operational and compliance risks and using those insights to inform ethical validation and approval gates within AI product and service development lifecycles
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Aligning AI governance with emerging global regulatory frameworks while maintaining operational agility
Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how ethics and governance can act as enablers rather than inhibitors of AI adoption – supporting safer implementations, stronger workforce confidence and more sustainable scaling of AI across manufacturing organizations.
Topic(s): AI Ethics and Governance
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
From Insight to Impact: Applying Personality Assessments for Workplace Effectiveness
Topic(s): Workplace Effectiveness
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
State of the Society Address
Expo Power Hour
Lunch
Drone Cybersecurity
Topic(s): Cybersecurity
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Digital Twin Frameworks to Simulate Advanced Carbon Fiber Structure Behaviors
Advances in digital engineering are rapidly transforming how complex materials and manufacturing processes are designed, validated and automated. This presentation describes the development of a digital twin framework that models and simulates the behavior of advanced carbon-fiber structures. These simulations provide deeper insight into structural and material responses, enabling more efficient automation in production environments where speed and accuracy are essential.
Using the digital twin environment, the team designs a robotic cutting system capable of dynamically adjusting to variable carbon fiber structures and responds to in-process variations. To achieve this, the system uses machine learning algorithms trained on synthetic datasets generated by the digital twin. This approach enables optimization of cutting paths, tool interactions and process parameters in a virtual environment before deployment.
The result is an integrated, simulation-driven approach to intelligent automation that illustrates how digital twins can bridge materials science and robotic execution. This work demonstrates a scalable method for using high-fidelity simulation to inform robotic training and control, enabling more resilient and adaptive manufacturing systems. Attendees gain insight into implementation challenges, system architecture, measurable benefits and broader implications for digital transformation in advanced manufacturing.
Topic(s): Digital Twins and Simulation Digital Twins
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Your Work is Your Resume: Building Career Security Through Visibility
The industrial automation job market is more volatile than ever. Layoffs, restructuring and rapid technological shifts mean the professionals who thrive are the ones who are known before they need to be. This session explores how building a visible, authentic professional identity creates career security that no single employer can provide.
Drawing from two decades in industrial automation and her experience building Automation Ladies into an industry media platform, Nikki shares practical strategies for professionals at every stage, from posting about what you're learning at a trade show to building a reputation that attracts employers, customers and collaborators to you. No podcast required, no influencer playbook. Just a modern, practical approach to making sure the right people know who you are, what you do and what you bring to the table. The session will also address how to use AI tools to amplify your voice without losing it, and why the people who start now will have a significant advantage in the years ahead.
Presenter: Nikki Gonzales
Topic(s): Change Management Future Skills for Automation Professionals
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Nikki Gonzales has spent two decades in industrial automation, spanning sales engineering, commercial leadership, startups and industry media. She founded Automation Ladies, a media platform amplifying voices across the automation industry and co-founded OT SCADA CON, a grassroots community conference focused on operational technology and industrial automation.
Nikki has spoken at more than 40 industry events and holds a BBA in international business from UT Austin.
Session Sponsored by Control Station
Presenter: Bob Rice
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Software-defined & Connected Vehicle Security (SDVs)
Presenter: Cheri Caddy
Topic(s): Software-Defined & Connected Vehicles (SDVs) – Autonomous Vehicles Cybersecurity
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
A New Design and Model for Human-Dependent Active Barriers
An ISA task force will soon complete work on an innovative and first-of-kind design and lifecycle model addressing the most complex of all active barrier types, those that rely on a human to achieve its safety function. The model applies to human-dependent active barriers (HDAB) types that may be preventative, control/recovery or emergency response.
Core design activities are task-based and human-centered. The highly structured and comprehensive approach purposely develops barrier tasks that can reliably achieve the barrier safety function and performance. The employed lifecycle phasing mirrors the globally-adopted IEC 61511-1 standard. Added information from the model provides expanded design input to those charged with designing barrier-dependent human machine interface (HMI) displays, technical systems, control rooms, control panels, protected workspaces, utilities and external protective barriers. Activities in the operating and maintenance phase ensure the barrier continues to perform as specified while monitoring and responding to emerging issues that can degrade the barrier. Another unique attribute, the described and explained model considers and accommodates project execution practices commonly seen in process and oil and gas sector capital projects.
A key driver for this work, common findings in major accidents, e.g., Macondo Deepwater Horizon (DWH) and DuPont La Porte, identify deficient HDABs as causal contributors to the accident and outcomes. A 2023 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) study assessed the effectiveness of the DWH recommendations implemented in the US offshore deepwater O&G sector. It assessed HDABs and safety-critical tasks to be a major source of systematic risk.
The new work provides the most comprehensive methodology and approach for overcoming the persistent deficiencies in HDABs. As a ISA framework, the HDAB design and lifecycle model is informative only. However, it is purposely written in the form of an IEC standard, providing a fully developed template for progressing the work to an IEC standard. The tentative completion and publication of the framework are late 2026 or early 2027.
Presenter: Tom Shephard
Topic(s): Critical Infrastructure Protection
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Fireside Chat: Digital Literacy Skills for the Modern Automation Engineer
Presenters:
Topic(s): Future Skills for Automation Professionals Digital Literacy Career Development
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Panel: AI vs AI Across Industry Sectors
Presenters:
Topic(s): Artificial Intelligence (AI) Leadership Workforce Development
Type(s): Keynotes & Panels - Stage 1
The Cybersecurity Angle for Right to Repair
Presenter: Andrew Seely
Topic(s): Right to Repair Cybersecurity
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Moon Mission to Safe Splashdown: The Technology Behind Artemis Parachuting
Presenter: Houston Green
Topic(s): Autonomous Operations
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Leadership without Authority
Topic(s): Leadership Career Development
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Panel: The Future Ready Automation Professional
Presenter: Chad Paxson
Topic(s): Leadership Career Development Future Skills for Automation Professionals
Type(s): Keynotes & Panels - Stage 1
Cyber Informed Engineering (CIE)
Presenters:
Topic(s): Cybersecurity Cyber-Informed Engineering
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Beyond the Horizon: The Future of Remote Drone Inspection for Offshore Assets
Offshore operators are increasingly looking to drones as a practical tool for safer, faster and more cost-effective inspection of platforms, flare structures, tanks, pipelines and other hard-to-access infrastructure. Yet the real promise of drone technology offshore goes well beyond replacing rope access or reducing helicopter trips. It lies in enabling high-quality inspection data to be captured in environments where pilots may be operating remotely, well beyond visual line of sight and where inspection missions must be executed with precision in demanding weather, marine and communications conditions.
This presentation examines the technical and operational challenges of offshore drone inspection, with particular focus on remote piloting out of line of sight. It will explore the issues of communications reliability, latency, situational awareness, navigation, safety case development and operational control when the pilot is not physically close to the asset. It will also discuss how drones are becoming more than flying cameras, carrying payloads such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), thermal imaging, optical zoom, gas sensing and photogrammetry systems to produce richer inspection datasets and support digital twin development, defect analysis and better maintenance planning.
Presenter: Danny Landry
Topic(s): Industrial AI for Process Optimization
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Technical Storytelling That Drives Decisions
In today’s workplace, technical expertise alone is not enough; professionals also need to communicate complex ideas in ways that capture attention, build understanding and drive action. As more organizations prioritize storytelling as a core business skill, the ability to translate data, processes and technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives is becoming essential across industries.
Technical storytelling that drives decisions explores how techniques such as structure, audience awareness and storyboarding can help professionals make information more accessible and persuasive. Attendees will learn to shape technical content into narratives that support better alignment, stronger engagement and more confident decision-making. This session will offer practical ways to turn expertise into influence by helping others not only understand the information but also act on it.
Presenters:
Topic(s): Career Development
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Expo Power Hour
Lunch
Cybersecurity for the CISO
Presenter: Chris McLaughlin
Topic(s): Cybersecurity Leadership Career Development
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Disconnected by Design: The Hidden Data Connectivity Crisis in Modern Manufacturing
Manufacturing plants today have more and more devices than ever before. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), sensors, historians, laboratory information management system (LIMS) and manufacturing execution systems (MESs) are collecting vast volumes of operational data every second. Yet for many manufacturers, the ability to actually use that data to answer basic questions about performance, quality and reliability remains frustratingly out of reach.
Pat examines why automation data connectivity continues to be one of the most persistent and underappreciated challenges in modern manufacturing. Despite decades of investment in automation technology, most plants contain incompatible protocols, isolated data silos and fragile point-to-point integrations. The result is that critical operational insight is locked away in systems that were never designed to talk to each other.
Drawing on real-world experience in manufacturing environments, this session will explore the structural and organizational challenges that create and sustain the connectivity problem, including protocol fragmentation and operational technology (OT)/information technology (IT) cultural divides, siloed data and a lack of standard data models, as well as the cost of inaction and the organizational inertia that keeps broken integrations in place long after their sell-by date.
Attendees will leave with a clear-eyed understanding of where and why connectivity breaks down, a framework for assessing the cost of inaction in their own facilities and practical principles for building a more connected, context-rich data infrastructure without ripping out the systems they already have. This session is relevant to automation engineers, operations leaders and anyone responsible for making manufacturing data work harder for their organization.
Presenter: Patrick Corbett
Topic(s): Data Connectivity
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Interactive Forum: Navigating Career Success in a Changing Automation Landscape
As the automation and industrial technology landscape evolves, so must our understanding of what it means to build a successful career in it. This town hall invites professionals at every stage to rethink traditional definitions of success and recognize progress as a series of meaningful milestones along an individual's career journey.
This interactive session will allow attendees to ask these experienced professionals how career progress is shaped by both technical competencies and essential soft skills, including leadership, communication, adaptability in navigating transitions across roles and industries and lifelong learning.
Through shared perspectives and practical insights, participants will be encouraged to identify and value their own measures of success, build resilience in the face of change and intentionally develop a balanced skill set that supports both professional effectiveness and personal fulfillment.
Presenters:
Topic(s): Change Management Career Resilience
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Dr. Romano, currently the director of technology development at The Arthur G. Russell Co., has been in the process and automation control systems industry for more than 40 years, starting as a bench technician. After serving as president of a division for an automated machine builder, he owned a systems integration company, growing and positioning it as one with expertise in connecting the factory floor to the front office. To keep current with the ever-evolving automation industry, Brian holds an AS, BS, MS and MBA and PhD in technology and innovation. He has been designing and implementing Industry 4.0 solutions, starting initially in 2004 connecting factory floor data systems to customer business systems.
Understanding the skills gap and workforce shortage in the control systems engineering profession, Brian leverages his academic knowledge and years of experience to teach the next generation of engineers at two local universities. He also serves as an industrial advisory board member for two technology and engineering universities, as a member of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Digital Committee and as chair of the ISA Smart Manufacturing Division IIoT (SM/IIoT) committee, where he was awarded the 2022 ISA SM/IIoT Division Leader of the Year Award. Brian has been presenting at trade and professional society conferences for several years, publishes articles and has been quoted and interviewed for several automation publications.
Session Sponsored by Fortinet
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
How to Excel at Work without Sacrificing Well-Being
Topic(s): Workplace Effectiveness
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Cyber-Physical Security
Topic(s): Cyber-Physical Security
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2
Beyond Physical Hardware: Leveraging Soft Sensors for Manufacturing Intelligence and Operational Reliability
As global manufacturing transitions from reactive maintenance models to data-driven proactive strategies, traditional hardware-centric monitoring is increasingly hindered by high costs, harsh operational environments and the inherent physical limitations of sensors. This presentation explores the strategic implementation of soft sensors—software-based mathematical proxies that infer high-fidelity measurements from existing programmable logic controller (PLC) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data streams.
Industrial automation engineers will gain deep technical insight into the engineering foundations of virtual measurement, including advanced signal noise filtering, dimensionality reduction techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and the application of temporal artificial intelligence (AI) logic like bi-directional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks. We will detail the validation metrics [root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE)] essential for ensuring mission-critical reliability in high-precision fluid control and assembly throughput.
For business leaders, the session provides a data-backed case for managerial return on investment (ROI), demonstrating documented direct hardware savings of over $110,000 per plant rollout and industrial throughput gains that reduce cycle times by up to 55%. Through real-world case studies in fluid dispensing and packaging throughput, we demonstrate how the early detection of "micro-anomalies" prevents catastrophic emergency shutdowns, stabilizing revenue streams and eliminating defective product scrap.
Attendees will leave with a three-step implementation roadmap – from asset-specific piloting to facility-wide standardization – positioning soft sensors not just as a technical upgrade, but as an essential reliability standard for the future of manufacturing intelligence.
Presenter: Dr. Brian Romano
Topic(s): Soft Sensors & Advanced Process Analytics
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Dr. Romano, currently the director of technology development at The Arthur G. Russell Co., has been in the process and automation control systems industry for more than 40 years, starting as a bench technician. After serving as president of a division for an automated machine builder, he owned a systems integration company, growing and positioning it as one with expertise in connecting the factory floor to the front office. To keep current with the ever-evolving automation industry, Brian holds an AS, BS, MS and MBA and PhD in technology and innovation. He has been designing and implementing Industry 4.0 solutions, starting initially in 2004 connecting factory floor data systems to customer business systems.
Understanding the skills gap and workforce shortage in the control systems engineering profession, Brian leverages his academic knowledge and years of experience to teach the next generation of engineers at two local universities. He also serves as an industrial advisory board member for two technology and engineering universities, as a member of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) Digital Committee and as chair of the ISA Smart Manufacturing Division IIoT (SM/IIoT) committee, where he was awarded the 2022 ISA SM/IIoT Division Leader of the Year Award. Brian has been presenting at trade and professional society conferences for several years, publishes articles and has been quoted and interviewed for several automation publications.
Human-Machine Interfaces in Manufacturing: Applying ISA18 and ISA101
Type(s): Emerging Technologies & Process Control - Stage 3
Futureproofing Your Career in the Age of AI & Automation
Presenters:
Topic(s): AI Impact on Engineering Careers Career Development
Type(s): Career Skills - Stage 4
Quantum Computing
Topic(s): Cybersecurity
Type(s): Cybersecurity - Stage 2