+ White House Mobilizes STEM Outreach
President Barack Obama last month vowed to make the advancement of engineering and science education during the next decade a priority, as he announced the “Educate to Innovate” initiative. Attending the press conference in support were ASME Executive Director Thomas G. Loughlin, and other leaders of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) community.

 “Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century,” Obama said. “That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority.”

The president discussed his plans for convening a series of high-powered partnerships involving leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies dedicated to motivating and inspiring young people across America to excel in STEM. [Read more]

+ State of the Society Video Now Online
A video on ASME’s State of the Society is now available online. The 8-minute video was presented at a special meeting during last month’s ASME International Congress & Exposition in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The video, focusing on the Society’s activities during fiscal year 2009, is posted on a Web page focused ASME’s Strategic Initiatives in the areas of energy, engineering workforce development, and global impact and outreach. http://strategy.asme.org/State_Society_Fiscal_Year.cfm.

+ ASME Turbo Expo 2010 Set for Scotland
The ASME Turbo Expo — Gas Turbine Technical Congress and Exposition, scheduled for late spring in Scotland, will bring together more than 3,000 engineers, research scientists, educators and other professionals involved in the design, operation, and maintenance of gas turbines from around the globe.

The conference, which is presented by the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute, will take place June 14-18, 2010, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center in Glasgow.

The conference features strong technical content focusing on the latest research and applications in the field. Turbo Expo 2010 will cover engine design, materials, cogeneration, combustion diagnostics, and micro-turbines, among other topics. The technical program will also include presentations on steam and wind turbines, reflecting the increasing interest on these topics by the global gas turbine industry.
[Read more]

+ UDRI Awarded $49.5 Million to Develop Advanced Fuels and Technologies
The University of Dayton Research Institute has been awarded a $49.5 million Air Force research grant to develop advanced jet fuels and combustion technologies.

The six-year cooperative grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate will address key areas in the development of synthetic, alternative and blended fuels, as well as technologies that address emissions, thermal management and fuel efficiency.

According to ASME Fellow Dilip Ballal, who will be supervising the project, advances in fuels and combustion technologies are critical to advances in aerospace propulsion systems for 21st-century military and commercial aircraft. “Our focus will be to design new and improve existing technologies that will not only meet the demands of evolving aircraft systems, but will do so with minimal environmental impact,” said Ballal, who is head of UDRI’s Energy and Environmental Division and director of the university's von Ohain Fuels and Combustion Center.
[Read more]

+ IGTI and IPTI Hold Engineering Ethics Webinar
The ASME International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI), in collaboration with ASME’s International Petroleum Technology Institute (IPTI), hosted its second interactive webinar on engineering ethics.

Engineers from 21 companies and universities located across North and South America logged on to participate in a one-hour series of scenarios and thought-provoking exercises related to the theme of engineering ethics and professional conduct.

“The webinar software allows us to emulate the classroom setting to a high degree,” explained ASME member Andrew Taylor, who led the webinar. “Participants were asked to vote on a choice of responses linked to each scenario. A comparison of the responses from across the country was displayed on the screen, and we asked for additional feedback based on these results.”

A member and past chairman of the ASME Committee on Ethical Standards & Review, Taylor has dealt with ethical dilemmas in the U.S. military and the commercial nuclear power industry for over 25 years. A senior lead engineer for Entergy Nuclear Inc., he also serves on the Executive Board of the National Institute for Engineering Ethics.
[Read more]

Congress Celebrates Space Exploration and State of the Society
Approximately 3,000 engineers, authors and ASME members congregated at the 2009 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition last month in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., where they were treated to a wide range of special events including a special three-part space-themed Congress keynote event, a State of the Society & Town Hall Meeting, and the annual ASME Honors Assembly.

The Congress also featured a General Session where Maurizio Reggiani and Paolo Feraboli from Lamborghini introduced the carmaker’s new Murciélago LP 670-4, as well as a VOLT Academy training event, the Inspire Innovation Workshop for K-12 educators, and an ice cream and champagne social for early career engineers.

[Read more]

+ Texas Tech Rocks the Competition
Texas Tech's Adam Doyle and his radio-controlled vehicle Red Raider Rover collected the top prize at the ASME Student Design Competition finals at Congress last month. Texas Tech was one of 16 universities that took part in the contest, which brought together student teams from North America, as well as India and Lebanon. Texas Tech was followed by student teams from Minnesota State at Mankato and the University of Toronto, in second and third place respectively.
[Read more]

+ Loughlin Becomes an ASME Fellow
ASME Executive Director Thomas G. Loughlin recently was named an ASME Fellow. The Fellow grade recognizes significant engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession. Loughlin, who joined ASME in 1993 as director of member services, is a recognized leader in association management with a strong track record in strategic planning and organizational assessment.
[Read more]

+ Gift to the Foundation Can Become a Holiday Tradition
With the December holiday season upon us, many of us are following a tradition of making lists of family and friends to honor with a card or gift. Around the globe, many organizations and individuals benefit from the traditional seasonal generosity. The ASME Foundation has traditions, as well. It has long been a tradition of the Foundation to help assure the growth and longevity of the mechanical engineering community through the generosity of ASME members and like-minded individuals who contribute to the future of engineering.
[Read more]

+ ECLIPSE Applications Due Dec. 18
The closing date for submitting applications is approaching for the Early Career Leadership Intern Program to Serve Engineering (ECLIPSE). The program, established in 2006, aims to engage, identify and begin to develop potential leaders for ASME by placing early career engineers in highly visible and productive roles within the ASME organization.
[Read more]

+ Membership Benefits: Pride in the Profession and the Society
Recently, ASME Membership Development Director Michael Kreisberg posed this question to ASME's membership: "Why are you proud to be an ASME member?" In his column this month, he shares a few of the many responses he received to his query.
[Read more]

December 2009 ASME Auxiliary Column
This month I want to share with you that the Auxiliary’s financial situation has improved considerably since June 2009. Although it is not yet back to what it was in June 2008, it is most encouraging. As a result, the Auxiliary Board at its last meeting passed a motion to authorize two Lucy and Charles W.E. Clarke Scholarships to departments of mechanical engineering ($6,000 each), and two Clarke FIRST Scholarships ($5,000 each) for the academic year beginning in the fall of 2010. These two scholarships, as you probably all know, go to entering freshman, as per the will of Lucille Clarke. [Read more]

Spotlight On: ASME Journal of Nanotechnology in Engineering and Medicine
The recently launched ASME Journal of Nanotechnology in Engineering and Medicine is soliciting submissions from all ASME members for its second issue. The scope of new journal covers nanomaterials and nanotechnology-based new functional structures, designs, devices, and systems that directly tackle longstanding problems in biomedical science and engineering. [Read more]

+ From the Executive Director
"Amidst the holiday season, we enter the second half of the Society’s fiscal year with a lot to be thankful for, as the state of the Society remains sound. Considering that the economy stays mired in uncertainty, volunteer and staff leaders have worked hard to ensure the fiscal stability of our organization as we continue to pursue the noble goals of ASME — its mission and vision, and the strategic initiatives in the areas of energy, engineering workforce development, and global impact and outreach." [Read more]

Spotlight On: Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology
ASME will hold its First Global Congress on Nano-Engineering for Medicine and Biology (NEMB 2010) from Feb. 7-10, 2010, in Houston. The event — the first of its kind dedicated to the multidisciplinary field of nanoengineering with a focus on health and medicine — will bring together experts from the diverse fields involved in nanoengineering to collaborate on the issues facing today’s medical community. [Read more]

+ From the President
In his column this month, ASME President Amos Holt encourages volunteers to participate in creating an engineering culture that is open to breakthrough technologies and new business models. [Read more]