Remarkable Progress

Engineers Week 2008, Feb. 17–23, focuses on ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce as well as pre-college literacy in math and science. Bringing together more than 75 engineering, professional and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies, Engineers Week brings public attention to the excellence and innovation that engineers contribute through their work and volunteer efforts. This year, coalitions have formed to create a diversity council to strengthen commitments to underrepresented groups and to run another successful 24-hour global marathon on women in engineering.

Sam Zamrik

Many more programs continue, including Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, New Faces in Engineering, the Future City Competition now in its 16th year, a new season of PBS's Design Squad with a theme of Trash to Treasure, and a sixth season of PBS's Cyberchase, which focuses on math in building and sports. Every year the activities keep building on previous years, and the online and year-round competitions contribute greatly to meeting the broad challenges across all engineering disciplines in education and public awareness. New to this year's E-Week program will be IBM's launch of a 3-D virtual world game called PowerUp, which provides lessons in alternative energy. For more details about Engineers Week activities, visit their Web site at www.eweek.org.

What I am celebrating this year is the progress that ASME is making in several of its own goals. ASME sections have been expanding their activities beyond traditional dinner meetings, to better meet member needs. Some have been sponsoring technical short courses to meet local industry needs and some have offered other professional development courses. Since they began in 2006, ASME has more than doubled the number of technical "awareness talks" offered to sections in collaboration with the National Insulation Association. Another great example of bringing technical expertise to an engineering community was demonstrated by the Saudi Arabia Section sponsorship of the Middle East Mechanical Expo in Bahrain last November (co-sponsored with the Bahrain Society of Engineers).

From July through December 2007, the Global Community units have held 24 student or early career activities (including one Early Career Forum) - nearly as many as last year's total. Also, seven divisions held technical conferences that included sessions specifically designed for graduate students and early career engineers. The total midyear student and early career attendance at Knowledge & Community events and programs is 3,379. ASME's commitment to early career engineers also is supported by increases in volunteer activity: 22 percent of section officers are under 35 (up from 18 percent last year) and 6.25 percent of division officers are under 35 (up from 5.2 percent last year).

This month, ASME is launching a pilot program for student liaisons, one that will train early career engineers — some who have never been involved in leadership activities — to "put a face on engineering" at local schools, as former ASME governor Bill Cousins says. This is a cross-sector initiative with K&C and Centers in helping provide resources and reporting support for sections.

Since the reorganization in 2005, ASME strategic goals for global growth have shown increases in key areas of students (with a 16 percent increase), young engineers (9 percent increase) and non-U.S. membership (63 percent increase). As of December 2007, ASME membership exceeded 127,000, of which 22 percent were students and 16 percent were outside the United States. More than being statistics on a page, this means we are delivering on the potential of our mission to serve member needs, particularly in the strategic markets we've focused on.

Coming up, we'll continue to build on our successes. The Leadership Training Conference (LTC), March 6–9 in Atlanta, will ask invited volunteers from all sectors of ASME to exchange ideas, share operational strategies and best practices, and take advantage of workshops on the workings of ASME. The theme, "Moving to the Next Level of Excellence: Commitment to Purpose," is one of seven principles coming out of a four-year study by the American Society of Association Executives that resulted in a book titled "7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't," by the Center for Association Leadership. That list begins with a commitment to purpose that ensures volunteers and staff listen to the wants and needs of members and aligns products and services with the mission. It's an ongoing discussion to stay current and responsive to those needs. ASME volunteers will have an opportunity at LTC and throughout the year, especially online. And as the numbers bear the message, ASME intends to be remarkable well into our future. I thank all who make that possible throughout the world.

— Sam Zamrik
ASME President 2007–2008

back to columns