Town hall meeting melds aerospace issues with the need for involvement

Mary Legatski
ASME Government Relations

Promoting the involvement of mechanical engineers in the public policy debate was the goal of a town hall meeting in Florida that took place during Engineers Week 2001 in February.

During the town hall meeting in the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex Auditorium on the Florida Institute of Technology campus, Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., told the audience of approximately 60 ASME members and Florida Tech engineering faculty and students, "You should be celebrating engineering. We don't have enough engineers in America, and that's a problem that is not likely to go away for many years to come."

As a member of the House Science Committee who serves on the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee, Weldon said that part of the solution is encouraging more students to study engineering, mathematics and science. To accomplish that goal, he said, he plans to reintroduce the National Science Education Act. Although the bill was passed by the House of Representatives last year, it must be reintroduced in order to make it to the Senate floor.

Dave Weldon, a Florida lawmaker, spoke to engineering faculty members and students at the Florida Institute of Technology.

The town hall meeting was jointly sponsored by ASME's Canaveral Section, Region XI and the Board on Government Relations' State Action Program. The meeting was organized to promote the active involvement of mechanical engineers in the public policy debate.

The event was covered by several newspapers, including Florida Today, which accorded it front-page attention.

Although the meeting was held in observance of Engineers Week, ASME sections and regions don't have to wait for that occasion to organize a similar town hall meeting.

In his opening remarks, ASME Region XI Vice President K.R. Rao noted that "the overriding goal of ASME emphasizes the engineer's responsibility to the public interest." He went on to say that "engineers contribute to the policymaking process by providing government decision-makers with technical information needed to make the most informed decisions on technical and related issues."

J. Ronald Bailey, dean of the College of Engineering and F.W. Olin Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Florida Tech, hailed the town hall meeting as a means of accomplishing that overriding ASME goal. He expressed his pride in ASME for providing this opportunity to members and students to engage in public policy debate on issues of importance to the engineering community.

Since science and engineering are of particular importance to Weldon's Space Coast constituents, continued funding for NASA's space and aerospace programs are major priorities in the annual budget process.

Weldon said the current Shuttle Program is critically related to the Space Station. Calling the Shuttle "a phenomenal space vehicle," Weldon cautioned that continued upgrades to the existing Shuttle Program are required to assure its continued safety, reliability and performance.

But because "the Shuttle can't fly forever," Weldon said he supports research to identify future Shuttle replacements that could "lead to new opportunities for the folks who live on the Space Coast."

However, Weldon expressed concern over the future of "the tremendously competitive arena" of commercial space. If the United States is to stay competitive in this business, he said, it must invest in new technologies.

When Ronald Reagan was president, 20 percent of federal research and development dollars were targeted for aerospace; during George Bush's presidency, 15 percent was allocated, and during Bill Clinton's presidency, the amount fell to seven percent.

Noting that "you get what you pay for," Weldon expressed concern that the "U.S. may be at risk of seeing aerospace leadership go overseas" unless additional federal R&D dollars are dedicated to this area.

Weldon's concerns about the future of the U.S. aerospace industry are similar to those outlined in an ASME position statement. See "The Crisis in U.S. Aviation Research and Technology," located at www.asme.org/gric; click on Position Statements.

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