CALL FOR PAPERS AND
PRESENTATIONS: MFPT
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The Society for Machinery Failure and
Prevention Technology (MFPT) is seeking
papers and presentations for its annual
conference, to be held 20–22 May
2025 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. MFPT
works to educate conference attendees
in techniques that play a role in the
holistic approach to machinery failure
prevention.
Categories of interest include:
Ñ Data management and artificial
intelligence
Ñ Human performance monitoring
Ñ Sensor technology
Ñ Lubrication sensing and analysis
Ñ Diagnostics and prognostics
Ñ Failure analysis
Ñ Sensor signal analysis
Ñ Systems engineering
Submitting Your Abstract
Abstracts should be up to one page
in length, in Word or PDF format, and
include as much detail as possible
regarding what you intend to present in
your final paper. Include:
Ñ Submitters’ names and emails
Ñ All authors’ name(s), including
company name, address, phone,
and email addresses
Ñ Authors’ biographies
Ñ Presenters’ name(s), including
contact information if different from
author(s)
Ñ Category of interest from the above
list
Ñ Title of paper or presentation
Ñ Abstract
Papers and presentations must be free of
commercialism. References to commer-
cial products, trade names, and manufac-
turing companies should be minimized.
Be mindful of who your audience is: the
end-user.
Visit https://asnt.eventsair.com/mfpt-
2025-annual-meeting/present to submit.
The proposal deadline is 28 February
2025.
CALL FOR
PRESENTATIONS:
ADVANCED IMAGING
FOR NDT CONFERENCE
In a world driven by technological evolu-
tion, the NDT industry is soaring to
new heights, unlocking unprecedented
insights into materials and structures with
the fusion of advanced imaging, artificial
intelligence (AI), and machine learning
(ML). Over the years, Digital Imaging for
NDT, now Advanced Imaging for NDT,
has been a key link between users and
suppliers. ASNT is seeking presenta-
tions and speakers for the Advanced
Imaging for NDT 2025 Conference to be
held 20–22 May 2025 in Virginia Beach,
Virginia.
Submitting Your Presentation
To submit your presentation, include:
Ñ Submitters’ names and emails
Ñ All authors’ name(s), including
company name, address, phone,
and email addresses
Ñ Authors’ biographies
Ñ Presenters’ name(s), including
contact information if different from
author(s)
Ñ Title of presentation
All fields/sections must be filled out
for submission. Presentations must be
free of commercialism. References to
commercial products, trade names, and
manufacturing companies should be
minimized. Be mindful of your audience:
the end-user.
Visit https://asnt.eventsair.com/
advanced-imaging-for-ndt-2025/present
to submit. The submission deadline is
28 February 2025.
TECHNICAL FOCUS
ISSUE: NDT/E FOR
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
The rapid disruptive shift from internal
combustion engine to battery elec-
tric vehicles (EVs) necessitates new
nondestructive testing and evaluation
(NDT/E) inspection techniques to ensure
first-time quality. This special issue of
Materials Evaluation, to be published
in January 2026, aims to consolidate
research activities related to EV and EV
component inspection. Many EV compo-
nents necessitate quality inspection
techniques that must operate under a
demanding set of constraints, including
extremely fast cycle times, noncontact,
materials with small geometric scales,
and conductive materials. We invite
submissions that explore advancements
in NDT/E technology and methodologies
for EVs and EV components, including
battery cells/packs/modules, electric
motors, and electric motor components.
Papers focusing on inline manufacturing
techniques are particularly welcome.
Process monitoring techniques are
also welcome. The goal is to showcase
cutting-edge research that pushes the
boundaries of NDT/E, ensuring first-time
quality of EVs.
Each paper accepted will be assigned
a DOI number. Technical Focus Issues
of Materials Evaluation are open access,
ensuring high visibility for your paper.
Accepted papers are also exempt from
publication fees.
Deadline: 15 June 2025
Publication Date: January 2026
Submission Process: Submitted
papers should not be under consider-
ation for publication elsewhere. Before
submission, send a short abstract or
tentative title to Technical Editor Megan
McGovern, PhD, PE, Staff Researcher
for General Motors Research and
Development, megan.mcgovern@
gm.com.
OPENCALLS
|
SCOPE
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 65
2502 ME Feb.indd 65 1/23/25 1:21 PM

JOSHUA SPYCHALLA
Advanced NDT Specialist, HSI Group Inc.
SANTA ANA, CA
HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INVOLVED IN NDT?
I was coming out of the US Army,
and one of the counselors in a
transition program connected
me to the founder of American
Aerospace Technical Academy
(AATA) in Los Angeles. He recog-
nized I enjoyed working with my
hands and had a scientific mindset.
I packed my guitar and a suitcase,
flew to LA, and met with AATA,
which started my journey.
The job I got as I was
completing my
classroom
instruction
tossed me
into the
deep end
with phased
array,
working for a small company that
does almost exclusively that. That
was the technology I thought
was the most exciting. I scanned
plates nonstop, eight hours a day,
and assisted on jobs for a few
months. Later, I moved to another
company, continuing in UT (ultra-
sonic testing) and phased array,
earning my Level IIs in UT, phased
array, and PT (liquid penetrant
testing). I also got my Industry
Sector Qualification – Oil &Gas in
UT thickness.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A
TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB?
I don’t have a normal day—it’s
either very boring or very exciting.
Between phased array and UT, I
do a lot of automated ultrasound
inspections using crawlers and
scanners, calibrating and analyzing
the data.
I do rope access work as well
I’m a Level I in that. I had very inter-
esting experiences in the Army,
and in the matter of a few years,
NDT has already come close to
matching them. I’ve traveled to
Alaska, West Virginia, and Ohio.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
THE NDT INDUSTRY?
It sounds like a broken record,
but the fact that most people
don’t know what NDT is. I’m
campaigning for 2028 to
be the year we no longer
joke about that and it’s
just something taught in
schools, and everybody’s
at least as familiar with it
as they are with other construction
or mechanical fields like welding.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE
AN INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERING
A CAREER IN NDT?
When you’re at work, be turned on
and focus on what you’re doing.
Especially when you’re just starting
out as an assistant but aren’t the
one responsible for anything—it’s
really easy to take a back seat
and stop focusing. But both assis-
tants and technicians must take
the relationship seriously. In this
industry, especially in oil and gas,
most companies are happy to let
you continue being an assistant
for as long as you’re willing or until
somebody else hires you. And
as the technician, everybody’s
pushing you to produce results
and get to the next job. So, it takes
a concerted effort. You have to
think, “How is what I’m doing today
building my career and my skills?”
or “How am I building the techni-
cian of tomorrow who’s going to
take my place?”
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE
OR WORDS THAT YOU LIVE BY?
There is a quote I came
across recently, from Sun Tzu:
“Opportunities multiply as they are
seized.” I’m blessed to have had
some opportunities presented
to me I took a chance and took
some risks. And from the small
choices I made, the number of
other amazing opportunities that
have presented themselves is
countless.
SCOPE
|
ATWORK
66
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5
2502 ME Feb.indd 66 1/23/25 1:21 PM