Chat NDT with ASNT

Ultrasonic testing is a rapidly evolving method in NDT. You might be familiar with phased array, but that’s only the beginning. In this episode, we spoke to Gavin Dao, director of business development for AOS/TPAC Group, about how newer ultrasonic testing techniques are making inspections faster and more accurate—and how any industry could benefit from keeping up to date with the latest developments. This episode is sponsored by The Phased Array Company (TPAC).

Most people who are familiar with NDT are familiar with radiographic testing, but we hear much less about neutron radiography. As technology continues to evolve, NDT methods must evolve to meet it, and neutron radiography is poised to play a bigger role in the industry. For this episode, I spoke to two neutron radiography experts about this method: Dr. Hassina Bilheux, a Senior Neutron Imaging Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Dr. Martin Wissink, the Imaging R&D Lead at Phoenix LLC.

We’re launching a new series on our YouTube channel called NDT Tech Talks, which will feature conversations between NDT technicians about their careers, their best NDT stories, and their thoughts about the state of the industry as well as its future. We wanted to present the pilot episode to our podcast audience, but you can also listen to the episode on our YouTube channel, @asntinfo. With that, enjoy this first conversation between Brent Moulton and Eddie Pompa.

Incoming ASNT President Clyde May discusses his career, the challenges facing the NDT industry, his advice to new NDT practitioners, and what he’s excited to work on in his time as president.

One challenge ASNT constantly hears from members is the fact that there are not enough people in the NDT industry, and we need to spread the word about the diverse career paths available. In the previous episode of this podcast, we spoke about ASNT’s advocacy initiatives, and in this episode, we spoke with two ASNT volunteer leaders, Emilie Peloquin and Eddie Pompa, about some recent experiences they’ve had advocating for the NDT industry. Emilie and Eddie are both involved in many advocacy initiatives and currently serve on ASNT's Advocacy Committee.

We know how important it is to spread the word about the NDT industry, and one of the pillars of ASNT’s Strategic Plan is to “advance the field of nondestructive testing by being an effective advocate.” ASNT has started many new initiatives to further this goal, and in this episode, I spoke with Garra Liming, who will be ASNT’s director of public relations and government affairs beginning on July 1. This episode is part one of a larger discussion about the many ways we can all advocate for the NDT industry, and in part two I’ll be talking to ASNT members and volunteers who have found effective ways to be advocates in their own communities.

Things that have been in-service for a while are starting to show their age, and in some cases, failing altogether. Those of us in the nondestructive testing industry know there’s a problem, but how can we make sure our inspectors are ready for it—and how can we make sure other industries, and the public, know how important NDT really is?In this episode, two of the directors currently serving on ASNT’s Board, Anita Gregorian and Larry Culbertson, Jr., walk us through the challenges facing in-service assets and get us thinking about the next steps. Note: the opinions and statements expressed on this podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ASNT.

Jared Watson is a quality control specialist, ASNT NDT Level III, and a three-time winner on the American televised gameshow Jeopardy! Viewers first watched Jared’s winning streak in June 2023, and he’ll be back on the show for the Tournament of Champions on 26 February 2024. ASNT had the chance to talk with Jared about his experience being a contestant, his interesting path to the NDT industry, and how preparing for his Level III might have also helped him on Jeopardy!Check your local channel and times to watch Jared on Jeopardy! at jeopardy.com/watch

January is National Mentoring Month, and in this episode, we hosted a conversation between Scott Rose and Chris Garcia about their mentoring relationship--how it got started, the things they've learned, and how it benefited both of them.As a reminder, please take our listener survey at asnt.org/podcast.