'Tis the season to remember the engineering profession

Judith Kearney
ASME Foundation

The season of giving is upon us. Amid the rush of the holidays are reminders everywhere of nonprofit organizations asking for donations to help the very neediest in every community. Many have lofty goals, and throughout the world millions of people benefit from holiday charity.

The ASME Foundation also accepts contributions from generous donors, not only during the holiday season, but also throughout the year and in many different forms. ASME and the Foundation are different from most other nonprofit organizations. We do not offer immediate cures. We are not feeding people, or providing shelter, or ensuring that the sick have access to health care.

Engineering makes a difference by creating things that did not exist before, by making existing things work better, and by supporting new ideas and solutions that improve the quality of life for the greater good, in your backyard and around the globe. The contributions of engineering are indirect, yet they affect and influence everything we touch.

The ASME Foundation supports the profession of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering through the generosity of donors. Since 1997, we have awarded $1,207,500 in scholarships to deserving students. The Foundation grants program has funded 38 grant proposals for unique and valuable ASME programs and projects for a total of $1,453,600 over the past eight years. Our support of the ASME Honors and Awards program, recognizing excellence in the field, has totaled nearly $4 million.

Herbert Hoover said it well: "Engineering is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to the realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings homes to men and women. Then it elevates the standard of living and adds to the comforts of life. This is the engineer's high privilege."

It is the privilege of the ASME Foundation to support the activities of ASME and to help make our world a better place. As an advocate for the mechanical engineering profession, the Foundation offers a venue for individuals, corporations and organizations invested in technological advancement to make a difference.

During this holiday season and beyond, if you would like to join us in support of ASME and the profession of mechanical engineering, you may make a secure online gift by visiting the Foundation Web page at www.foundation.asme.org.

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