2017 marks significant changes for PICMG. As your new president, I am excited to work with incoming VP of Marketing, Justin Moll, returning officers Doug Sandy and Michael Munroe, and our 150+ members. Our key organizational initiatives for this year include modernizing and updating our specifications distribution, creating user groups for standards and families, encouraging collaboration with complementary standards organizations, and starting a university outreach program.

Active standards work will lead to substantial enhancements of COM Express, MicroTCA, CompactPCI Serial Space and AdvancedTCA. PICMG-based product shipments are positioned for a strong year due to the continued growth of COM Express, the adoption of CompactPCI Serial, and the steady deployments of other standards. Over one third of PICMG members will exhibit at Embedded World in March, and we officers will there to support and meet with you.

If you are interested in any of the initiatives and activities mentioned, please contact me at [email protected] or all of the officers at [email protected]. Participation and member driven innovation are the keys to our future success and we thank you for your support.

WAKEFIELD, Mass., September, 2016 – With great sadness we learned of Joseph Pavlat’s passing on Wednesday August 31, 2016 at his home in Grass Valley, California. Joe was born on Feb 4, 1953 in Madison Wisconsin. He was a man of many passions and interests. From flying planes, driving sports cars, hiking, writing, and traveling, Joe rarely took the easy or simple route. Everyone who knew him or had the opportunity to work with him knew he was straightforward, a bit opinionated, extraordinarily caring, and loyal. Raised in Wisconsin, he and his brother made the move to California together in the mid-seventies to help lead the burgeoning computer revolution. After settling in California, he met and married Denise Pavlat (nee Gouffe).

Joe started down the path of becoming a physicist while studying at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. While he was there he realized he was drawn to designing computers and instrumentation. He stayed actively connected to physics throughout his adult life by participating in experiments in Antarctica and on top of the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii. Joe also volunteered his time flying for the Monterey Sheriff’s department Aero Squadron.

A pioneer of Embedded Computing, Joe spent over 36 years building and evangelizing the value of open architectures. His career included leadership positions at Prolog, Motorola and Parker Hannifin. From 1995 until his passing he was the president and chairman of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG). He was directly involved in the development of both the CompactPCI® and AdvancedTCA® standards. He was the heart of our organization and largest proponent of our structure that gives every member a voice, and the IP policies that enable safe collaboration.
Joe’s passion for writing and all things PICMG made for a perfect partnership with Open Systems Media where he served as Editorial Director for several PICMG publications.
Joe’s brother Russell predeceased him and he is survived by his wife Denise Pavlat. Per his wishes, no services are being held.

This week, the Mars rover Opportunity celebrated its 12th anniversary on the red planet, having  landed there on Jan. 24, 2004. The rover is still functioning, and has an exploratory mission over the winter in “Marathon Valley” in the Endeavour crater.

Opportunity is controlled by two CompactPCI computers, designed and built by BAE Systems.

When Opportunity first landed, the NASA team thought the harsh Martian environment would render it useless in a matter of months. But the golf cart-sized rover, powered by solar energy, is still collecting data today.

CompactPCI remains a vital and important technology for a wide range of applications, and is widely used in satellites and other space applications. It’s rugged and it works.

Congratulations to the NASA engineers and support teams, and BAE.

Joe Pavlat

PICMG