Trine hires new Fieldbus instructor

Lancaster brings 42 years experience to job

David Lancaster, a recently retired chief engineer for control systems for Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemical Inc. in Houston, Texas, is the new Fieldbus Foundation instructor for Trine University North and its Technology Center.

The registered Texas professional engineer has 42 years experience in the engineering and contractor businesses. He will teach those in large bulk-type processes like oil refineries, pharmaceutical manufacturers, power generation, steel and paper mills and food processors in the use of Foundation Fieldbus’s digital technology. Process technicians and system design engineers who will help upgrade facilities to use Fieldbus technology will particularly benefit from the classes.

Lancaster will teach one-, three-, or five-day classes every other month at Trine North, a regional training center for a Fieldbus technology. He will also train on site by appointment.

Lancaster has been involved in Foundation Fieldbus technology since 1999, and taught the technology internally at Bechtel. He is a senior member of the International Society of Automation (ISA), and has presented at the Texas A&M Instrumentation Symposium, the Fieldbus Foundation including the 2008 General Assembly in Antwerp, Belgium, has served on the board of directors for Emerson Global Users’ Exchange for four years, and on the exchange’s advisory board and Papers Committee.

“This technology has been my passion for the past 10 years,” Lancaster said. He teaches during retirement for one reason—it’s fun. “I like teaching. I was chief engineer at Bechtel for years, and now I get to do the fun stuff without all the responsibility,” he joked.

For more information on Foundation Fieldbus training, contact Trine Technology Center Director of Program Development Wayne Mortorff at 260.624.2420, Ext. 101 or mortorffw@trine.edu.