Through the trials and tribulations of 2020, the Turbomachinery Laboratory upheld its promise
of providing continuing education and networking opportunities to turbomachinery and pump
engineers by hosting the first-ever virtual Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia on December 8-10
with short courses on December 7.
Despite its new virtual environment, TPS 2020 Online had an impressive turnout of 621
delegates, exhibitors, authors and presenters. Engineers stemming from the turbomachinery and
pump fields logged on from all over the world, some as far as Australia, to attend the industry’s
best continuing education symposia.
Jim Sorokes, a Principal Engineer for Siemens-Energy, said TPS, face-to-face or virtual, is “must
attend” for those in the turbomachinery and pump industries.
“I believe that the Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia is one of, if not the best, conferences for
those involved in the turbomachinery industry,” said Sorokes. “It gives attendees the opportunity
to rub elbows with end users, operators, OEMs, construction companies, consultants and a wide
variety of service providers.”
Although there was initially some trepidation around the virtual format, many delegates were
pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the show. Weir Minerals Principal Engineer Hal
McKinnon said he even believes he learned more at the virtual event this year than at past face-to-face TPS events.
“This is probably due in part to the lack of other distractions while listening to the presentations,
as well as the incentive to find the answers to the Virtual Scavenger Hunt questions,” explained
McKinnon. “For me at least, it was effective.”
One anonymous attendee noted they would enjoy to see a virtual option continue in to the future,
even when the symposia is able to resume in person.
TPS 2021 is set for a face-to-face event on December 14-16 in Houston, TX. Short courses will
be held in conjunction with the symposia on December 13.
To learn more about TPS, visit tps.tamu.edu. To reserve exhibit space for TPS 2021, please
email mbarton@tamu.edu.
