Participation is the key to inclusion

To the Editor: I can understand Edwin Lee's frustration with academe domination in ASME [as indicated] in his letter in the September issue of ASME NEWS. This struggle has been ongoing since I can remember. However, I do not put the entire blame on the academic membership alone. ASME has always been open to all engineers — whether from industry or universities. If the industrial membership does not actively participate in the ASME activities, the academics should not be blamed for this shortcoming.

— Zahid Ayub, Ph.D., P.E.
ASME Fellow
Arlington, Texas

Right on both counts

To the Editor: First, regarding "New Name for ASME" (Letters, September 2004), Mr. Lee hit the nail on the head. I say this as a member of the working class, a "real world" engineer, and, in particular, one of the small business owners and entrepreneurs who actually practice engineering every day for the love of the profession and for the livelihood of ourselves and our families.

The professional societies in general, and ASME in particular, seem to always laud and honor those in academia, big business, and other non-practicing engineers, while leaving those of us who put our knowledge, survival, ethics, and integrity on the line every single day of our careers often alone or with little outside support or contributions. We even get subjected to exorbitant professional insurance while putting ourselves individually and personally on the line with every task we undertake — totally unlike those under the protective umbrella of an academic institution or big business.

Second, regarding "Revive the Clover Logo" (Letters, September 2004), once again I say yes, revive the logo. However, it's understandable that the clover is no longer used — such use has now become inappropriate and hypocritical. Safety is not priority one, and in fact is not even a priority. This is evidenced by the lip service to safety and poor design practices that seems to permeate big business and industry today, and is compounded by the low esteem that some governments place on engineering in general and safety in particular. For example, Texas State Legislature recently made it acceptable for anyone who deems themselves such may be called an engineer — even if they never set foot in an engineering classroom, cracked an engineering text book for that matter, or adhere to any of the ethics and tenets of sound engineering and safety practices. So if the logo is revived, let's ensure the profession walks the walk.

— Durward E. Rutledge, P.E.
Richardson, Texas

back to columns