Minority Leadership Program sparks interest and involvement of Society's younger members

The comments of John C. Chen, a Minority Leadership Intern in 1999 who worked with the Committee on Accreditation, were incorrectly attributed to Frank J. Garcia in last month's issue of ASME NEWS.

The Minority Leadership Program was created in 1995 as a way to get younger members interested and involved in ASME.

Roughly 50 percent of program graduates have remained active in ASME and are currently working with such groups as the Young Engineers Committee, Board on Minorities and Women, Board on Pre-College Education and Committee on Membership.

The deadline for the 2001-2002 internships is July 15. Applications will be available in mid-May; interested members can also apply online at www.asme.org/bmw. (You also can go there for more information.)

A review and selection of interns will be done in August by a BMW committee. Interns will be informed shortly thereafter.

Frank J. Garcia, Minority Leadership Intern in 1999-2000, worked with the Board on Safety Codes and Standards.

ASME NEWS: How have you benefited from the program?

Garcia: Because of my interest in codes and standards, I was allowed to select and serve as the MLP Intern on the Board of Safety Codes and Standards (BSCS). By participating in BSCS meetings, I was able to learn how ASME conducts its business related to codes and standards. I was also able to witness the professionalism, dedication and hard work that ASME members and staff contribute when working on the codes and standards.

As an MLP intern, I have had a great opportunity to see leadership in action within ASME and it has motivated me to continue to participate in the Society.

ASME NEWS: Has the program furthered your activities within ASME? Your career?

Frank J. Garcia

Garcia: Yes. I am currently serving as a member of the Below The Hook (BTH) committee tasked to develop a new design standard "Design of Below-The-Hook Lifting Devices." I was also appointed by Don Frikken as the Council on Codes and Standards representative to the Board on Minorities and Women (BMW) following SAM 2001. I am very excited to be working on these committees and look forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

ASME NEWS: Would you recommend that fellow engineers and ASME members apply for this program?

Garcia: Yes. The Minority Leadership Program provides a great opportunity to participate within ASME on an international level, and it is up to every intern to strive to ensure that his or her internship is a success.

ASME NEWS: Any other comments about the program?

Garcia: You have heard the phrase "actions speak louder than words." Well, ASME has proven to me its true commitment to ensuring that the Society is a welcome place for all to participate and assume leadership roles in activities.

Ivana M. Milanovic, Minority Leadership Intern in 2001, is working with the Board on Engineering Education and the Committee on Accreditation.

ASME NEWS: How have you benefited from the program?

Milanovic: I started my tenure as a BMW intern with the ASME Board on Engineering Education during IMECE 2000. As per my wish, I was assigned to work as a Non-Voting Member on the ASME Committee on Accreditation, and my mentor is Professor William N. Sharpe of the Johns Hopkins University Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Besides working on the aforementioned committee during the Orlando conference, I took part in the BMW activities, participated in the ASME/ABET/EC2000 Preparedness Workshop, attended numerous technical presentations of interest and, of course, in the process, got to know people from my area of work. BMW interns started their tenure last November. Subsequently we participated in just one conference with our mentors, and the bulk of the work is ahead of us. It is important to note that we were also invited to the Technology Executives Conference in March of this year. This is an annual training conference, and I was able to participate in numerous technical and concurrent workshops, and got to know interns from the LD Program.

ASME NEWS: Do you think you will be more involved with ASME activities because of this program?

Milanovic: I hope that the BMW internship would help me become involved in future activities. My short-term objective is to continue work started within ASME, and it complements a long-term interest in contributing and giving back to the organization that helped me to develop both professionally and personally.

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