ASME Board of Governors approves energy policy paper

ASME's Board of Governors approved an energy policy paper, "Securing America's Energy Future," at the Society's Summer Annual Meeting in Toronto last month.

The paper, which was initiated by the Knowledge and Communities Sector's Energy Committee, describes the best uses for current and future technologies, as well as policies that can help ensure a balanced energy portfolio to meet economic and environmental challenges.

"Securing America's Energy Future," will be the first Society-wide energy policy statement released since 2001. Ken Kok, of the Energy Committee, led the creation of the paper. Others in the group of Energy Committee members included Carl Atkinson, Joe Falcon, Conrad Ladd, and Connie Lausten.

The paper will be available soon on the Government Relations position statements Web site, www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/
PositionStatements.

 

SWE organizes Diversity and Innovation Caucus inaugural event

Through its partnership with ASME, the Society of Women Engineers has been asked to serve on the Steering Committee of the new Congressional Diversity and Innovation Caucus. Six members of Congress, led by Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, recently launched the Caucus, which now boasts a membership of more than 60 representatives.

The purpose of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus is to:

• Generate policy ideas for increasing the participation of groups that are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM);

• Articulate the importance of pro-STEM and pro-innovation policies for groups underrepresented in STEM;

• Communicate the importance of promoting diversity in STEM for the achievement of America's innovation and competitiveness goals; and

• Work with congressional leadership and relevant committees to ensure that innovation and competitiveness policy is shaped in such a way that it takes advantage of the potential offered by minority communities and by women, groups that are both underrepresented in the STEM fields.

The Caucus believes "the increased education and participation of groups currently underrepresented in STEM is essential to supplying the American economy with the expertise the country needs to innovate and remain competitive."

An inaugural Caucus event, titled, "The Importance of the Diversity Issue to the Innovation and Competitiveness Debate," was held late last month. Rep. Reyes and two other Caucus co-chairs, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, and Michael Honda, D-Calif., spoke at the event and outlined the priorities of this new Caucus.

At the briefing, Orlando Taylor, of Howard University, discussed the changing environment of the STEM workforce and what the United States must do stay competitive. Mike Acosta, president of the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, spoke about the challenges and opportunities offered by increasing the pipeline of technical talent among non-traditional population sectors of the United States.

Semahat Demir, director of External Affairs for the Society of Women Engineers, served as moderator. On behalf of the STEM Education Coalition, SWE was the lead organizer, and the ASME Center for Leadership and Diversity was one of nine co-sponsors.

 

2007 Wise Program is under way

Monday, June 4, marked the start of this year's Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) Program. The WISE Program's goal is "to groom future leaders of the engineering profession who are aware of and can contribute to the important intersections of technology and public policy."

Eleven interns from across the country, representing seven technical societies, are participating in the program this summer. This is the WISE program's 27th year.

The organizations participating in this year's WISE program are: ASME, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Nuclear Society, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

ASME is sponsoring two interns this summer, Chris Deal of Iowa State University, and Emily Pfautsch of the University of Missouri.

Deal is a senior who is completing his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. His interests include alternative fuels and sustainable development. Following his recent graduation, Deal was selected as a Rotary International Scholar.

Pfautsch is pursuing a Master's of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Missouri, from which she also holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering. She is interested in nanotechnology and has already conducted some undergraduate research on this topic.

For more information about the WISE program, please visit www.wise-intern.org/index.html.

 

NAE seeks comments on effective communication of engineering to the public

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is seeking comments on a recently released market research study to identify more effective ways to communicate with the public about the topic of engineering and engineers. The 46-page report was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and conducted from August 2006 through January 2007.

The report, "Because Dreams Need Doing: New Messages for Enhancing Public Understanding of Engineering," recommends reframing the way engineering and engineers themselves are described. The recommendation suggests moving away from a lexicon focused on math and science skills to one of solving problems to make the world a better place.

The study proposes the following new positioning statement for engineering: "No profession unleashes the spirit of innovation like engineering. From research to real-world applications, engineers constantly discover how to improve our lives by creating bold new solutions that connect science to life in unexpected, forward-thinking ways. Few professions turn so many ideas into so many realities. Few have such a direct and positive effect on people's everyday lives. We are counting on engineers and their imaginations to help us meet the needs of the 21st century."

NAE invites members of the engineering community to visit www.nae.edu/nae/pubundcom.nsf/weblinks/MKEZ-6WFSKJ?
OpenDocument, and to answer the following questions regarding the market research study:

• Does this messaging research make a convincing case for repositioning engineering? If yes, which aspects of the report do you find most convincing? If not, why not?

• How can the results of this research best be used by the engineering community?

• What should a broader public awareness campaign consist of?

• What specific steps are you or your organization willing to take to support such a campaign?

Comments may be submitted to the National Academy of Engineering at engineeringmessages@nae.edu.

 

President announces 2007 National Science Medal recipients

In May, President George W. Bush announced this year's recipients of the National Medal of Science: Jan D. Achenbach, Northwestern University; Ralph A. Alpher, the Dudley Observatory; Gordon H. Bower, Stanford University; Bradley Efron, Stanford University; Anthony S. Fauci, National Institutes of Health; Tobin J. Marks, Northwestern University; Lonnie G. Thompson, Ohio State University; and Torsten N. Wiesel, the Rockefeller University.

Achenbach, an engineering professor at Northwestern University, is an ASME Fellow and a past winner of ASME's Timoshenko Medal for contributions to applied mechanics.

The award, established by Congress in 1959 and administered by the NSF, is given to those individuals who are "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." In 1980, Congress expanded this recognition to include the social and behavioral sciences. A 12-member presidential-appointed committee selected this year's eight recipients.

More information about the medal can be found at www.nsf.gov/od/nms/medal.jsp.

— Joshua Craft
ASME Government Relations

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