ASME student section at Iowa State breaks attendance records

Subzero temperatures had no chilling effect on the student turnout for ASME's latest presentation of "Ten Big Financial Mistakes and How to Avoid Them."

In fact, the 225 people attending the talk last month on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames broke all attendance records for the presentation given by Joseph Holm, who is the managing director of finance and administration for ASME.

"Through an extensive publicity drive to the entire College of Engineering, we were able to achieve spectacular attendance and are confident that this will lead to amplified ASME student membership and participation in the long-term," said Alan Tkaczyk, the social chair of ASME's student section at Iowa State University. "The prestige of a national-level speaker allowed us to reach out to all engineering students with M.E. interests, and we are hoping to see them at our future meetings."

The presentation is available to all ASME student sections as a method of increasing the Society's visibility among engineering students and make them more aware of the services that ASME offers. This activity usually has a beneficial side effect — it's often an incentive for new student members to join ASME.

Within a week of Holm's presentation, approximately 10 new students from Iowa State applied for membership.

"The presentation was excellent and so much fun," said Clint Rabe, president of the Iowa State student section. "It contained all sorts of great information that engineers could apply to make themselves financially successful in and out of school. This event sent a charge though the student organization here at Iowa State, and we have seen lots of interest since."

The presentation also can be offered as part of the program for Regional Student Conferences. But whether it's part of the RSC program or scheduled independently, a minimum preregistration number must be met in order for the presentation to take place.

For more information about how to schedule a presentation of "Ten Big Financial Mistakes and How to Avoid Them" and tips on how to ensure its success, visit ASME's Student Center at www. asme.org/student.

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