Making Connections a Priority

At its planning session in July, the Board of Governors (BOG) reviewed a strategic initiative to enhance the Society's relevance to engineers in industry, discussed issues and trends expected to impact engineering over the coming decade, and updated the Society's strategic plan. These priorities cut across all ASME interests. For example, ASME's global future revolves about six major issues: global harmonization of standards; attracting and educating tomorrow's engineers; collaborative learning communities; innovation networks; systems thinking; and bio-convergence, or biology meets engineering. At the retreat, consultants from the Institute for Alternative Futures briefed the BOG on a study on "Strategic Issues Shaping the Global Future of Mechanical Engineering," which focused on these areas. A story about this study appears in this issue, at www.asmenews.org/features/805scan.html.

Gene Feigel

Young engineers, industry and globalization continue a focus on three strategic priorities. The Board also discussed how to begin implementing new initiatives throughout the entire society.

In ASME's new organization, ASME Solutions (part of the Strategic Management Sector) has prime responsibility for ASME's new strategic initiative on industry, aimed at providing products and services that can increase company innovation and productivity. The initiative is focusing on six industry clusters: pressure technology, energy, bio/pharmaceuticals, homeland security, water, and computers. Project teams are developing integrated, industry-focused products and services that serve the industry clusters as "one ASME." In addition, relationship managers will be assigned to major industry customers.

In support of ASME Solutions, the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) has identified several recurring themes on what is needed by industry, including tools to support innovation, systems engineering, papers and conferences on pre-competitive new technology applications, helping engineers understand how to work in a global environment, and encouragement of more young people to pursue careers in engineering.

ASME has more than 800 organizational units, within its knowledge communities (sections and divisions), institutes, centers, and other affinity communities (self-forming groups such as those found in Communities of Practice online). This year our efforts are dedicated to exploring how members can participate and expand their networks as well as finding new and more self-sufficient means for launching and continuing their projects, programs, events and activities. Groundwork has been laid. The ASME Connections website (www.asme.org/connections) will be launched to help members familiarize themselves with the new organizational structure and learn about new ways of finding people, funding for projects, career-growth practices, and other incentives for programs and activities.

Join with me in supporting these new efforts to make ASME the professional home for the best in technical excellence.

— Gene Feigel
ASME President, 2005–2006

back to columns