Citius, Altius, Fortius

The Olympic Games will be held in London, England this summer and have the motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius or “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” At Apogee, we strive to design sensors that perform well in rugged environments and would like to sponsor a friendly competition by surveying where individuals have used our sensors.

Prizes will be awarded for the following categories:

• highest (altitude)
• deepest (underwater)
• hottest
• coldest
• farthest north (latitude)
• farthest south (latitude)

The prize for each category is $100 towards equipment or services offered by Apogee Instruments and a write-up on our website highlighting the research being done.

To qualify, the Apogee Instruments sensor must be deployed in a natural environment (no artificial chambers) and record a measurement. To submit your information (or if you have any questions), send an email to devin.overly@apogeeinstruments.com with the value measured, latitude and longitude of the location, day and time the measurement was taken, any environmental data relevant to the contest, and, if possible, pictures of the sensor in action. We will accept submissions through the last day of the Olympics, 12 August 2012. If a winning entry is submitted after that date, we will highlight it on our website but no other prize will be given.

 

 

Devin Overly

General Manager

Energy Benefits of Highly Reflective Rooftops

Ten years ago I began building my own home in Nibley, Utah. When it came time to pick the color for the asphalt shingles I talked my wife into a light gray color, compromising aesthetics in lieu of performance. Although I didn’t have any data to back it up, I knew that a lighter roof would heat up less from solar radiation, reducing the need to cool the house in the summer. I rationalized that in Cache Valley, the roof is covered with snow most of the winter and so the benefit of a dark roof helping to heat the house would be minimized in that regard. I never measured the temperature of my roof, but I knew the light color made a difference because our house stayed cool while running our swamp cooler less often than our neighbors. Now that I am at Apogee, my understanding of albedo far surpasses what I knew then, and I could measure roof temperature with an infrared sensor to confirm the benefit of a light-colored roof.

My interest in the subject of high-albedo roofs was piqued when one of our customers forwarded me a copy of a paper (Gaffin et al., 2012 – see full citation below) they recently published. To partially mitigate the urban heat island effect, roofs with a high albedo membrane, such as EPDM (ethylene—propylene—diene monomer) and TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin), are used in new construction. Much of the study compared the difference in surface temperatures between black and white surfaces composed of the various roofing materials previously mentioned. The customer used an Apogee infrared radiometer to measure rooftop membrane temperature in New York City. For the TPO test case, a black geotextile cloth sample was used to compare against the white membrane. Peak temperature differences reached as high as 23.7 oC with average daily temperature differences equaling 6.6 oC. All surfaces had comparable initial albedos, with the white acrylic paint experiencing a considerable decline in albedo over time. Location is another significant factor. The acrylic paint site was possibly affected by a large traffic artery adjacent to the test site building, as well as an above ground subway line. Another site was affected by leaf litter and vegetation debris from surrounding trees.

When our current building for Apogee Instruments was constructed, a 60 mil TPO membrane was used. Historically, urban roofs have been asphaltic to allow for varying roof geometries, as well as the need for numerous roof structures such as heating and cooling units, ducts and vents. These asphaltic membrane roofs are typically topped with sand, gravel or rock and have low albedos. Gaffin et al. (2012) also looked at a white elastomeric acrylic paint that has been developed to apply to asphaltic membranes and is being used by New York City’s government for an albedo enhancement program. The white acrylic paint does significantly increase the albedo of the existing roof materials but the decrease over time indicates that all new construction should use EPDM or TPO membranes. Additionally, low emissivity may be a benefit in colder climates and this parameter should be considered in future performance standards.

I found the article very interesting and was surprised at the peak temperature differences demonstrated with different colors of the same material. It was validation for me of the choice to use a light gray shingle color when building my house. I was also pleased to see that when Apogee built our building, the materials selected help minimize heat gain, and in turn make the building more environmentally friendly. I appreciate working for a company that has a commitment to environmental responsibility and that builds sensors to promote research into renewable energy and green building practices.

Gaffin, S.R., M. Imhoff, C. Rosenzweig, R. Khanbilvardi, A. Pasqualini, A.Y.Y. Kong, D. Grillo, A. Freed, D. Hillel, and E. Hartung, 2012. Bright is the new black – multi-year performance of high-albedo roofs in an urban climate. Environmental Research Letters 7:014029 doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/7/1/014029.

 

Devin Overly
General Manager

Business Ethics

More than ten years ago I worked as a lab manager for a biotech company. My job responsibilities were diverse and part of it included acting as an intermediary between the CEO and CFO of the company with the employees. As it happens in many companies, a situation arose where an employee was not a good fit for the company. Opportunities to change had been repeatedly extended without result and it became apparent that the company and this employee needed to part ways. I was asked by the CEO to inform the employee that the CEO and CFO wanted to speak with him. Once that message was relayed I was asked point blank “Am I being fired?” Due to my position I was privy to information that I could not share and in fact I had been directed to tell this employee that I did not know the nature of the meeting, only to relay that his presence was needed. The end result of this experience is that the employee, after being let go, continues to bear great animosity towards me for lying to him. And so I pose the question, rhetorically and to myself, “Did I act with integrity?”

I have been with Apogee for seven years and in that time many occasions have arisen to test my integrity. I have always striven to deal with our customers in a manner that is above reproach. Several years back it became apparent that an adhesive we were using failed in certain circumstances, which could lead to disk separation. We had years of data from Logan, UT where the sensors are built and had not found any evidence of this issue. However, as reports began to trickle in, we discovered that in hot and humid environments, our sensors were not performing as designed. As we gathered data and focused our efforts on a solution, the question arose of informing our current customers of the defect. In the end, we resolved to notify all of our customers to the best of our ability of the situation. We explained the environmental conditions where the issue was most likely to arise and developed a tool, the Clear Sky Calculator, to allow researchers and users of all pyranometers a method to check the accuracy of their sensors in the field. I feel comfortable that Apogee acted with integrity throughout the process.

Another example on a smaller scale is being upfront regarding the performance of our products. Our quantum sensor does not have a perfect spectral response. It is our position that if the application conditions match those of the calibration, our sensor will perform as well as those market leaders that cost three and four times as much. However, if you need to use our sensor under different light sources, spectral differences in the light source can lead to errors when using our sensor. We publish these differences on the web and educate our customers on what they can expect. I have communicated with many customers, on the phone, via email and in person and they are frequently surprised when I inform them that for their application, a competitor’s product would better suit their needs. Again, this is what I feel it means to act with integrity.

It is our company motto that we strive to help you “make better measurements.” We feel that by acting with integrity we will develop a relationship of trust with our customers. In being honest about the shortcomings of our products we may lose a sale of a hundred dollars but gain the respect and appreciation of a customer that will return to us for other sensor needs. As customers use our products and get the results they expect, they will share their experience with colleagues. A strong endorsement from a respected scientist benefits us much more that a host of advertisements on the web and in print media. This is why we strive to act with integrity as we help you make better measurements.

 

Devin Overly
Business Manager

Weather Mapping

Last Wednesday the USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map. There were several significant changes in this update from the previous map that was released in 1990. The change that has garnered the most media attention is a general shift in many areas of about five degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the previous map (for this blog post all temperatures will be listed as Fahrenheit). The map divides the geography into 10 degree bands labeled with a number, which is then subdivided into A and B bands of 5 degrees. The current map as well as the previous version is available for download at their website. Does this shift indicate a climate change? The USDA points out on their website that climate change is based on temperatures readings from a period of 50 to 100 years. This map is based on 30 years of data (1976 – 2005) and would thus not be a reliable indicator of climate change. Additionally, the data displayed on this map is the average of the lowest winter temperatures for a given area or essentially how cold you can expect it to get each winter in a given zone.

Another change with this new map is the finer scale. Through the Geographic Information System technology used by the USDA ARS and Oregon State University’s PRISM Climate Group, an amazing level of detail and accuracy has been obtained. This is due in part to the implementation of a sophisticated algorithm used to interpolate data between reporting stations. Another significant component in the finer scale is the increase in observation stations. While the number of stations is not available, the USDA website does state “the new map used temperature data from many more stations than did the 1990 map.” In the past seven years I have seen weather stations become more affordable while the quality improves. This has made it possible for more people to measure the environment around them.

As part of our work developing sensors for measuring climate change, sustainable food production, and renewable energy Apogee has had great opportunities to work with research and educational institutions to make weather and climate data available to the general public. Utah State University erected a solar powered environmental observatory in 2011 (http://weather.usu.edu). We have also worked with the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN), Oklahoma Mesonet, and the AgWeatherNet from Washington State University as well as others. Recently we were notified of a paper published in Plant Methods that used our infrared sensors in researching global warming scenarios in rice paddies. The impact we have on our environment will continue to be studied and as we measure our world, Apogee Instruments will continue to design and manufacture sensors to help make better measurements.

 

Devin Overly
General Manager

Governor's Award

Teryl Roper and Bruce Bugbee

Last night (10 Jan 2012) Dr. Bruce Bugbee was awarded the Governor’s Science and Technology Medal for 2011 at an awards banquet held in the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum. When the medal was presented to Bruce by Governor Herbert, a few accomplishments from Bruce’s work at Utah State University and at Apogee Instruments were briefly mentioned. Before the banquet several of Bruce’s guests were conversing and the question came up of regarding the nomination process and what Bruce had done to merit such consideration. Bruce replied that he had done “nothing in the past year” that was deserving of the award, but that rather it was something of an acknowledgment of lifetime achievement. My disagreement with this statement is that in the seven years I have personally known Bruce he has not slowed down one bit and has many years of achievement ahead of him.

While the awards ceremony was necessarily brief, I would like to take this opportunity to share a personal view of Bruce Bugbee, garnered from my work experience at Apogee Instruments. Bruce is a brilliant scientist, whose curriculum vitae can be seen at the crop physiology web site, http://www.usu.edu/cpl/general_info_bruce_cv.htm. Please indulge me while I share a personal insight of Bruce Bugbee.

Mary Heers, Bruce Bugbee, Kookie Tanner, Diana West

 Two of Bruce’s guests to the awards ceremony were long time friends Kookie Tanner and Mary Heers. We were discussing Bruce and how much he accomplishes at both USU and Apogee. The comment was made “I don’t know how he does it,” to which I replied that I had some idea. Bruce is the hardest working individual I know. I receive emails from him at 10 p.m. and they start up again at 6 or 7 a.m. He barely stops for sleep and rarely stops to eat. In December of 2011 Bruce and I were in San Francisco for the American Geophysics Union annual meeting. We were going out to dinner at a Thai restaurant with several colleagues from Campbell Scientific, including Larry Jacobsen and Sasha Ivans. While we were waiting for our table to be ready the conversation turned to how inefficient eating is and if there wasn’t a better way to consume calories. Bruce was interested in the question of “How many calories are there in gasoline?” In other words, is there a way I can spend less time eating so I can devote more time to what I love?

Another annual meeting that Bruce attends is for the Agronomy Society of America. Bruce likes to share the story that many years ago the show was held in Las Vegas but afterwards the Society was invited to not return to Las Vegas for their annual meeting. Apparently there was a noticeable dip in the earnings at the poker tables and other offerings when the crop and soil scientists were in town. In reference to that Las Vegas meeting Dr. Gaylon Campbell, founder of Decagon Devices and professor at Washington State University, said they “showed up with a twenty dollar bill and a copy of the ten commandments and didn’t break either one.” Bruce is fiscally responsible and yet at the same time, very generous to his employees at Apogee. When he was designing our current building, he wanted to have a building where employees would be proud to work. Bruce and Apogee have also started a policy of donating a percentage of the annual profit to non-profit organizations in our area to help the community.

Bruce’s generosity is based on his deep, caring concern for other people (and animals). If you call his home phone and get the answering machine, you will be greeted by Bruce, welcoming you to the home of “Bruce, Anna and Coconut.” Anna is Bruce’s daughter, whose school science fair posters have adorned the halls of the research greenhouse at the USU campus. Coconut is their cat, who has his own graph in Bruce’s home, charting his weight over several years. When the father of an employee at Apogee passed away, Bruce wanted to do something other than send the expected flowers. Instead Apogee planted a Magnolia tree with a plaque in honor of her father.

The keynote speaker at the awards ceremony talked about the convergence of science and math while doing a sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo was described as a Renaissance man, someone with broad intellectual interests spanning both science and math. In discussing scientists, he said that the highest praise you can give a scientist is to describe his work as elegant, that it is precise, simple and yet profound. Years ago at an Apogee Christmas Party, our graphic designer described Bruce as a Renaissance man. Bruce is a brilliant scientist and more. It is a privilege to work with Bruce, whose life and work are truly elegant.

 

Devin Overly
General Manager


Press Releases:

Utah Pulse

Utah State University

Salt Lake Tribune

Specifications

Several years ago when our specification sheets did not include the same information they do now, a customer looked at a close-up photo of our pyranometer (with a diameter of 23.50 mm) and concluded that the sensor was the size of a dinner plate! Initially we were shocked at how someone could imagine something so preposterous. Upon closer introspection and self-examination we realized that the fault was ours in not effectively communicating information about our product.

What information should be on our specification sheets? This issue has come up repeatedly through the years at Apogee. In considering this it is helpful to keep in mind the purpose of a specification sheet. Foremost is that they are a means of communication to potential users what the product is, what it does and how it performs. Three concerns are preeminent in developing an effective specification, 1) what information should be included, 2) who is the intended audience and 3) how should the information be structured.

What information should be included? Many companies are concerned that if they are giving away too much information it could allow a competitor to reverse engineer their product. If the geometry of the product plays a role in performance, how much information should be included to communicate the dimensions of the product for a customer without releasing critical information? Additionally, what are the key parameters that are critical to potential users? We have addressed this by focusing on a detailed breakdown of how our products perform while we strive to produce the best quality products possible. While some of our products have been knocked-off, a quick examination demonstrates the difference in quality between the original and the imitation.

Who is the audience? For scientific instruments, your audience frequently ranges from Ph.D. level scientists to elementary teachers looking for tools to get students excited about science. How do you communicate the detailed information a researcher seeks without losing the interest of a more casual customer? Our specification sheets have evolved to include a photograph of the product with several brief paragraphs that describe what the product is and how it is used. This is then followed by a table, which contains detailed information on the product’s performance. Following the table is generally an illustration that shows the dimensions. This format allows someone unfamiliar with the product to first learn about the sensor. Those more concerned with detail performance can easily find that information in the table.

How should the information be presented? In 2006 Apogee advertised for a Calibration Technician/Technical Writer. We decided upon a recent psychology graduate that was looking to work while his wife finished her degree before he pursued a graduate degree in law. Ray was with Apogee for a little over a year but in that time had far reaching impacts on how Apogee communicated complex scientific ideas. Unknown to us at the time of hiring, Ray had an eye for solid design layout and composition, accompanied with detailed familiarity using Adobe Illustrator, as well as a strong work ethic. When not occupied with calibrating sensors, Ray would look over our documentation and then propose ways to communicate complex ideas with an illustration. These became integrated into specification sheets, owner’s manuals and general product information on our website and are still in use today.

Specification sheets are one more tool in effective communication between manufacturers and customers. I am excited about the direction of future communication options as advances in technology facilitate two-way communication between parties. Apogee has always sought feedback from customers and as Apogee expands marketing efforts to include social media avenues such as this blog, Facebook, and online surveys, it is our hope that our customers feel their voice is heard. Making better measurements is dependent on common understanding of what researchers are trying to measure and how Apogee can help address those needs. Effective communication, whatever the medium, can only help that process.

 

Devin Overly

General Manager

American Society of Agronomy

{Photo from https://www.acsmeetings.org}

The annual meeting for the American Society of Agronomy (ASA)* is right around the corner (October 16 – 19) in San Antonio. Six years ago I attended my first ASA meeting in Salt Lake City, UT. Going to professional meetings is a great opportunity for us to engage with our customers and gain valuable feedback. It allows us to put a face to a name and learn more about their research. Some customers will share unique and innovative applications of our products. Others will share ideas for new sensor development. Another valuable tool is to resolve customers’ concerns about sensor performance and quality. Many of the incremental improvements continuously made to our core products can be connected to information received from customers.

This year Apogee is sponsoring two workshops prior to the meetings with Decagon Devices. The workshops are “Soil Moisture and Hydraulic Properties Measurement Instrumentation Theory, Application, and Hands-on Training” and “Plant Measurements from Leaf to Canopy: Light and Temperature Interaction.” Apogee has sponsored workshops in the past with Decagon and these have proven to be great experiences to work with researchers using a variety of instruments from several companies.

One of the things I like best about tradeshows and annual meetings is the interaction with customers. Many times marketing consists of putting out information unidirectionally. Print ads, websites and many other marketing avenues do not allow us to engage with our customers and discover if the intended concept was received correctly. Tradeshows allow us to do this, which in turn leads to improvements in how we communicate through our website and other medium.

At this year’s meeting we will be introducing an aspirated radiation shield, a hand-held meter for our infrared sensor and a new field-of-view option for our infrared sensor. We have also developed a 4 – 20 milliAmp output for our solar radiation sensors. We look forward meeting you at this year’s meeting. Please stop by booth 606 and say hello.

* ASA combines each year with the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) for their annual meetings. We used the letters ASA to make the post more concise. We are excited to join with the Canadian Society of Soil Science for this years meeting.

Devin Overly
General Manager

Understanding Uncertainty in Measurement

{Photo from Lumq.com}

One of my university professors went to considerable lengths to communicate the concept that there is no perfect test, driving home the idea that you will always have to live with uncertainty. While this didn’t prohibit him from having numerous exams, it did help me understand that we can never build the perfect instrument. Some researchers believe that acquiring new equipment will give them better results and make them a better scientist. This thinking can be dangerous. Science is not automatically advanced by purchasing new instrumentation. Science is most rapidly advanced by knowing the limitations of your equipment, being aware of the uncertainties and where they arise, understanding the model you are using, and anticipating sources of error and recognizing them when they appear.

For a company, uncertainty is part of business. As we work to improve our products, massive amounts of data are accumulated. How do we communicate the accuracy of our products to our customers? When an improvement is made, does it justify a revision of the published specifications? Several of our board meetings have included discussions on terminology used in writing specifications. The word “typical”  appears in specifications from numerous companies. Is “typically” a synonym for “usually”? What percentage of sensors is within the typical accuracy range?

At Apogee, our solar radiation sensors have a specification for accuracy (5%), uniformity (3%) and repeatability (1%). The accuracy compares each sensor’s output to an absolute reference standard. Uniformity is how consistent our sensors are compared to each other. Repeatability refers to how a sensor performs against itself. Does the same sensor perform consistently under the same conditions?

The numbers in our specifications are based on statistical analysis. Large populations of our sensors are compared to a reference, ISO or NIST traceable where available, and the error is measured. We then calculate the mean and standard deviation of the sample from the reference standard. The specifications listed for accuracy, uniformity and repeatability represent plus or minus two standard deviations from the mean (95% of the population).

So, as my professor taught me, there may be no perfect test, but the more we learn and understand the abilities and limitations of the equipment we use, the better our results will be.

Devin Overly
General Manager