We are pleased to have “Christina F. Francis, PE, FSFPE Senior Staff Regulatory Specialist for Tesla, Andy Blum, PE, Senior Engineer at Fire & Risk Alliance & Megan O’Keeffe Senior Content Specialist OREE .” who will be speaking on “Lithium-ion batteries from basics to application – UL XplorLabs” at our September meeting.
TOPIC – Lithium-ion batteries from basics to application -UL XplorLabs
Join 2 industry professionals Christina Francis & Andy Blum as they discuss the evolution of battery testing and safety from beginning to the current realities of today. These conversations will be supplemented with content from Xplorlabs: Science of Thermal Runaway which provides basic understanding of battery structure and function that allows all in attendance to understand why and how batteries might fail as well as how they can engineer and plan for solutions. Megan O’Keeffe will then demonstrate how they are using this in the classroom through the XplorLabs program.
Speaker – Christina F. Francis, PE, FSFPE Senior Staff Regulatory Specialist for Tesla
Ms. Francis currently serves as Senior Staff Regulatory Specialist for Tesla, Inc. Her previous roles include Global Fire Protection Engineer for The Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), loss control associate with Industrial Risk Insurers and design engineer with Bechtel. With almost 30 years in the fire protection industry her experience includes design, construction management, loss prevention, risk management and code consulting on a variety of industrial projects throughout the world. Ms. Francis has a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University, is a registered professional engineer in Fire Protection and is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS). She is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Industrial Fire Protection Section (past chair) and previous Board Member of Fire Protection Research Foundation.
Speaker – Andy Blum, PE, Senior Engineer at Fire & Risk Alliance
Andrew Blum, PE, is a Senior Engineer at Fire & Risk Alliance. Mr. Blum has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland and is a principal member of the NFPA 855, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems technical committee. He has specific expertise in fire-testing lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics/products, BESS, electric drive vehicles (EVs), and in-storage configurations. In addition, Mr. Blum has extensive expertise in performing third-party reviews of BESS products and evaluating proposed BESS installations. These evaluations include analyzing the installations for code compliance, performing fire protection system design, fire hazard mitigation analyses, fire/plume modeling, fire risk analyses, working with the local fire department on appropriate emergency response procedures, AHJ education, and training.
Speaker – Megan O’Keeffe Senior Content Specialist OREE
Megan O’Keeffe has recently joined the Office of Research Experiences and Education (OREE) as a Senior Content Specialist. With over a decade of experience teaching mathematics and science, her thirst for understanding scientific concepts has driven her to create relevant and engaging lessons for middle and high school students. As a teacher leader in science and STEM education she has facilitated professional developments, presented at local and national conferences, and mentored new teachers. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Middle Grades Education, specializing in mathematics and science from Kennesaw State University; later she earned her Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology. Megan looks forward to partnering with subject matter experts to create resources that allow the next generation of scientists and engineers to engage with science in realistic and exciting scenarios.
The meeting will be held on September 11, 2023 Registration begins at 11:30am Maggiano’s Perimeter – 4400 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. Dunwoody, GA. We are excited about our program!
Please register online at www.sfpeatlanta.org BEFORE 2pm Friday, September 8 to take advantage of the $37.00 advance reservation rate. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Williams at tracy@sfpeatlanta.org.
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