Early career session at Congress looks at technology, innovation and competitiveness

CHICAGO — A panel session discussing "Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness: A Global Challenge" was held here last month as part of the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Chicago.

The forum was co-sponsored by the ASME Committee on Early Career Development, the Board on Government Relations, and the Center for Public Awareness.

Mark Regets, senior science and engineering workforce analyst at the National Science Foundation, and Richard Bissell, executive director of the National Academies' Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, were the panel's two featured speakers.

Regets provided attendees with the landscape of the current global science and engineering workforce trends, while Bissell focused on his committee's highly touted report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future." Bissell also discussed the recently held National Academies' Convocation, which brought together more than 800 government, industry, research and education leaders from all 50 states to discuss ways in which to advance U.S. competitiveness at the state and local level.

John Ahlen, a former member of the ASME Board on Government Relations, and Loretta McHugh, chair of the ASME Committee on Early Career Development Committee, moderated the panel session. For more information about future Early Career events, please visit www.asme.org/Communities/EarlyCareer/Forum.

ASME has played a key role in recent innovation efforts by the National Academy of Sciences surrounding the "Gathering Storm" report, including ASME sponsoring the aforementioned convocation. More information about this convocation is at www.nationalacademies.org/gatheringstorm.

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