Institute Staff Member Morose Named Six Sigma Black Belt
LOWELL, Massachusetts, November 16, 2005 – Gregory J. Morose, program manager at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), recently received an ASQ-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the American Society for Quality.
A Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is a professional who applies Six Sigma philosophies and principles to drive improvements throughout an organization.
“I am very proud of Greg for working so hard to earn the Six Sigma Black Belt in a very short time period. It’s a very well-respected certification within the many industries we work with here in Massachusetts,” says TURI Director Michael J. Ellenbecker.
The Six Sigma methodology ties in well with TURI’s mission. It addresses the elimination of wastes and the reduction of materials and energy, with a focus on preventing problems rather than dealing with the consequences. Morose prepared for the examination by studying independently, taking several courses at UML, and learning from UML Six Sigma expert, Dr. Sammy Shina, professor of mechanical engineering, who has written many books on the subject.
Morose used the Six Sigma methodology as a tool in his role as TURI project manager for the New England Lead Free Consortium, an organization of about 15 New England electronics organizations which are currently testing and evaluating safer alternatives to lead.
According to the on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia, “To achieve Six Sigma quality, a process must produce no more than 3.4 defects (defect=failing to deliver what the customer wants) per million opportunities. An "opportunity" is defined as a chance for nonconformance, or not meeting the required specifications. Six Sigma focuses first on reducing process variation and then on improving the process capability (process capability=what your process can deliver).
Details about the American Society for Quality and the Six Sigma Black Belt certification are available at www.asq.org.
This page updated Monday March 20 2006