Summer program provides intern with insight into Society

As a Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Fellow this past summer, I interned with ASME at its Washington, D.C., office. As a mechanical engineer by undergraduate degree, I have been an active volunteer in the Society for 11 years, since my freshman year at Penn State University. Working full-time for the society that has given me so much was an incredible experience, and one that has made a strong impression on me as I consider my future career.

My summer internship took place in the ASME Strategic Initiatives (formerly Strategic Ventures) department, which has resources that reach out to government agencies, industry, federal laboratories, Congress, and allied trade and professional associations. As a business development associate, I began implementation of the Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, fulfilling the presidential challenge of collaboratively building the 21st-century economy through the development of engineering talent, innovations, and entrepreneurship.

Howard Berkof, 2006 Social Enterprise Summer Fellow

From day one at ASME, I jumped right into a variety of projects and initiatives. I tackled a series of research and analysis projects such as exploring the viability of a U.S.-based Manufacturing Excellence Award, the applicability of an anti-counterfeiting technology and how ASME can support it, and the development of a proposal to the Department of Labor for a $3.5 million grant.

The two major undertakings I spearheaded were the redesign and expansion of ASME's Industry Advisory Board and the development and launch of the Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative (EEII).

In addition, I was responsible for a number of significant components of the EEII. First, I created and managed the Engineering Business Management Track at ASME's annual Congress last November. I organized 15 total sessions, nine of which focused solely on engineering entrepreneurship and innovation.

The second major component of the EEII is developing a Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The center will start off as a Web site, or portal, which will serve as the resource center for U.S. engineering entrepreneurship and innovation. Resources, tools, networks, events, competitions, training seminars, workshops, links, discussion forums, and much more will be created on this Web site, and serve as the hub of engineering entrepreneurship.

The third exciting branch of the EEII is the creation of the Innovation Showcase in collaboration with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and Idea to Product Competitions. The vision of the Innovation Showcase is to be the premier nationwide technology entrepreneurship showcase event to inspire engineers and future engineers to be product and corporate innovators. The showcase's mission is to collaborate with existing entrepreneurship and corporate innovation organizations and provide the services so engineers can move their ideas into world-class products and ventures.

The first showcase will be piloted at the 2007 ASME Congress in Seattle and will feature a Pacific Northwest regional competition at the collegiate level. Based on the results of the pilot program, the showcase will then be expanded regionally and throughout the United States in future years, also targeting precollege students and professional working engineers. I completed a full 30-page business plan, including detailed marketing plan, timeline, financial plan, and competition details. I continue to serve as the lead staff project manager on the development of this event.

Many other initiatives make up the EEII, including engineering workforce training and development in the U.S. Department of Labor's defined 13 WIRED regions, actively promoting and facilitating STEM (science, technology, math, and science) education, encouraging diversity in the engineering workforce, and addressing the president's grand challenges, including energy and alternative fuels, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and materials, water, and biotechnology.

I found the entire experience to be exciting and educational, giving me extremely valuable experience in business development, combined with entrepreneurship, marketing, and education. I cannot possibly imagine a better summer experience elsewhere. One of the biggest benefits was the opportunity to immerse myself in the government world. I attended multiple government briefings, caucuses, and presentations each week, including Congress, Senate, foreign, and industry councils. I participated in a number of interesting global conferences on such topics as India and innovation, the Pakistan power sector, China and innovation, Japanese science and technology policy, the Council on Competitiveness, and the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Technology Caucus.

There are many opportunities in Washington, D.C., in the nonprofit and government sectors. I look forward to exploring the many options as the year progresses. I am grateful for the opportunity and experience I was afforded this summer. Thank you to the HBS Social Enterprise program and to Reese Meisinger and the ASME family for creating the position and turning it into a reality.

(To find out more about the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Fellowship program, visit www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/mbastudents.html. For more information on internship and fellowship opportunities through ASME Government Relations and ASME Strategic Initiatives, visit www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/
Programs or www.asme.org/Governance/StrategicManagement/
Initiatives/Strategic_Initiatives_New.cfm.)

— Howard Berkof
2006 Social Enterprise Summer Fellow

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