We can't see the future, but we can improve the probability of our survival and success with a little foresight, preparation, and willingness to explore new solutions. One way to do this is to attend ISA Expo 2003, Oct. 21-23, at the Reliant Center in Houston, TX. Expected to feature more than 500 exhibitors and attract approximately 15,000 visitors, this year's three-day event is organized by the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (ISA).

The show will also include numerous new symposia, keynotes addresses, special forums and several conferences. Highlights of ISA Expo 2003 will include:

• This year's Technical Conference includes 116 sessions grouped into nine topics: automation IT, control, instrumentation, measurement, networking and communications, productivity and management, safety, security, and standards and compliance.
• The debut of the Industrial Network Security Symposium, which will address critical industrial security challenges, including manufacturing information assurance, physical and cyber-security integration, wireless network security and industrial risk assessment.
  The eight-session symposium is organized into an Introductory Track, in which users and experts explain industrial network security problems and review solutions provided by ISA and SP99, and an Advanced Track, which covers lab program and controlled security, impact of security on controlled system performance, what's happening on the international scene, and live tutorials demonstrating cyber-security attacks and defenses.
• Highlighting recent advances in automation and control, the Emerging Technologies Conference (ETCON) focuses on applied and basic research from laboratories and development centers worldwide, and will showcase original technical papers and innovative ideas in emerging technologies that can be implemented in the manufacturing environment.
  ETCON's 19 sessions are organized into five tracks, including sensors and measurement and four advanced topics—biomedical technology, communications, control technologies and manufacturing and design.
  This conference will also highlight new sensor technology developments in a Sensors for Measurement and Control Symposium that will cover advances in microwave sensing, wireless sensing, intrinsically safe fiber-optic sensing, environmental sensing, and more.
• Besides its technical sessions, ISA Expo 2003 will offer four Special Forums that are open to all attendees.
  The show's Rimbach Lecturer, Dr. Janusz Bryzek, Transparent Networks' CEO, will serve as the opening plenary speaker for the sensors symposium at 10 a.m. on Oct. 21. Bryzek is one of the world's experts in MEMS & silicon sensor technologies.
  This year's edition of "Dick's Last Retort" will continue the debate on the future of industrial automation in a panel discussion moderated by: Richard (Dick) Morley, founder of R. Morley Inc., at 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 21.
  The third panel, "Real-time Performance Management Executive Forum," will be moderated by William Moore, ARC Advisory Group's VP, at 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 22.
  Finally, "Fieldbus Wars—Encore?" will be moderated by Dick Caro, CMC Associates' CEO, at 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 23.
• A special series of four R&D Updates sessions will be presented by R. Russell Rhinehart, Bartlett Chair and head of the School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University (OSU). These sessions arise from the school's Measurement and Control Engineering Center (MCEC), which is a collaborative effort among industry, the university, and government.
• The show floor's 500-plus exhibitors will be joined by four Specialty Technology and Product Pavilions, including Automation IT, Bluetooth, Industrial Communications, and Sensors.

More than 500 exhibitors will fill ISA Expo 2003's hall from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on each of the show's three days. Some of the most innovative are featured here. For more information, www.controleng.com/freeinfo.

With a sensing element combining precision thermal mass flow and gas composition sensors, the new GF03 Flowmeter from Fluid Components International (FCI) delivers a low-cost solution that achieves the accuracy, range and resolution required to meet the stringent air pollution regulations at total installed costs up to 50% less than alternative technologies. www.fci.com

Booth 2504

Booth 2465

Booth 2923

To enhance its point-to-point one-way wireless device, MCR-RAD for analog and digital signals, Phoenix Contact Inc. offers its MCR-RT-I/O-Plus, an integrated radio and I/O module with expandable I/O options. The devices are designed to eliminate cable and conduit for analog and digital signals in harsh industrial environments. www.phoenixcon.com

Booth 2217

Booth 1949

BlueLynx wireless sensor links from Wilcoxon Research Inc. feature 100-meter range and Class 1 Bluetooth technology for operating in -40 °C to 85 °C applications. BlueLynx includes BLT, BLG, BLS, and the previously released BLM wireless sensor links, as well as the C1B radio module. www.wilcoxon.com

Booth 1137