Tribology takes center stage

摘要

STLE media campaign smooths the way. Communications and advocacy have been the focus of STLE's media campaign during the past 30 months. As a result, more than 50 feature-length articles have appeared in publications that reach millions of readers involved with engineering and technology for transportation, manufacturing, energy and metalworking. The goal of the campaign is to communicate the value of tribology and lubrication engineering innovations to a global audience outside the field. STLE believes that strong communications and advocacy efforts help ensure our future relevance as a profession, an industry and a professional society. This campaign to put tribology in the spotlight entered a new phase recently when the venerable Popular Mechanics magazine devoted 1,500 words to "How the Obscure Science of Rubbing Built the Past and Will Shape the Future." Freelance author Adrienne Bernhard wrote the piece in collaboration with STLE media advisor Patti Bianchi (LimeLight Resources). Key STLE spokespersons for the article were Tribology Transactions editor Chris DellaCorte (NASA Glenn Research Center) and TLT editor Evan Zabawski (TestOil). Popular Mechanics' editorial mission is to help enhance the average person's understanding of science and technology. The tribology article was a great fit for the national publication and a huge boost for STLE's efforts to make tribology more recognized for its contributions to advancing everyday products and processes. "While tribologists - specialists who work in the field - have traditionally focused on fatigue, waste or failure in mechanical elements like these, recent developments in the field have pushed this little-known branch of science into the spotlight," the article states. "In fact, tribology's influence on global energy consumption, emissions, healthcare and sustainability has never been more immediate."