Minutes of the ION Washington Section
December 3, 2007 – Evening Meeting

15 members of the Institute of Navigaton's (ION) District of Columbia (DC) Section met at the Al Crostino restaurant in the heart of Washington DC on the 3rd of December 2007. The meeting took place between 6pm and 9pm. A good time was had by all. The food was excellent and before the night was through Dr. Mikel Miller had filled our heads with the exciting prospect never having to mow our lawn again. Before Dr. Miller spellbound us with his presentation about the ION Autonomous Lawnmower Competition, Mr. Jim Simpson (the Section President) made a few business announcements. The meeting had the followed agenda:

AGENDA:

6:00 - 6:30 Happy Hour
6:30 - 7:30 Dinner
7:30 - 7:45 Section Business Meeting (Nominations for upcoming elections)
7:45 - 9:00 Speaker

HAPPY HOUR:

Happy Hour with Treasurer Chuck Schue

BUSINESS MEETING:

Chuck Schue gave a Treasurer's Report and stated that the Section has no debts and the ION Headquarters can be asked to help with funding for
special projects such as the purchase Global Positioning System receiver's for school groups. Our section supports primary schools through our Student Activities Committee (SAC). Anyone wishing to get involved with SAC should contact Dave Winfield or the Section Secretary.

Jim Simpson informed us that the officer nominations are being accepted for the upcoming elections in February. The Section has 4 officer positions: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. Persons interested need to provide their nomination to the Section Secretary or one of the other officers.

AUTONOMOUS LAWNMOWER COMPETITION LECTURE:

Dr. Mikel Miller presented a synopsis of what happened at this year's Autonomous Lawn Mower competition. The Fourth Annual ION Autonomous
Lawnmower Competition was held from May 31 to June 2, 2007 on the grounds of Wright-State University in Dayton, Ohio. ION and Dr. Miller
have been a long-time supporters of this creative student competition. In the last few years, the competition has grown in scope and in the amount of prize money available. This year, $17,000 in prize money was offered and consisted of two major competition categories: static and dynamic mowing courses. The static competition involved having the autonomous mower mow an area of approximately 10 x 15 meters while avoiding two statically mounted obstacles. The dynamic competition was similar to the static competition with the exception that a "dynamic obstacle" (another remote controlled lawn mower) was used and had to be avoided. The presentation was an interesting discussion about how students can turn the otherwise mundane task of mowing grass into a hi-tech, future career.

Meeting Speaker: Dr. Mikel Miller