New Era of Global Stewardship

Public service has long been a function of ASME, particularly from the perspective of individual members in their own communities who have attended career days, visited classrooms, judged competitions, or mentored students — to name but a few activities. As a Society, we collectively influence leadership and decision making in science, technology and engineering policies, agreements and partnerships on national and international levels through various channels. The intention of our founders was to give a broader voice to our profession.

Thomas M. Barlow

As president of ASME, I recently sent a letter urging U.S. Congressional leadership in the House and Senate to work with President Barack Obama in the spirit of bipartisanship to enact a comprehensive stimulus package. ASME supports the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that include funding for agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology which will have an immediate impact on creating jobs and stimulating economic activity. My letter also commended the bill’s provisions to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, enhance the nation’s energy independence, and expand educational opportunities.

This is a good example of efforts to transform personal commitment to institutional activism, and our public affairs activities have never been more important than now in this time of economic upheaval and environmental concern. The call to each of us for what Pulitzer-winning columnist Thomas L. Friedman, author of Hot, Flat, and Crowded, considers “an ethic of stewardship” is on target. He describes a need to approach these challenges as a governing philosophy, likening it to the way parents care for their children’s future, “looking over the horizon, thinking about the long term, so they can have a better future,” only for the whole world.

In his book, Friedman stresses that the times reflect not just the obligation to future generations, but also the opportunities before us. He states, “We are now discovering just how much rising energy, food and natural resource costs will force us to change. To miss the opportunity to lead this change is as reckless as to ignore these problems.” And the future generation already wonders at our delay. Future generations may not recall our words, but they will know us by our actions.

In an effort to improve ASME’s informed decision-making and planning, we have been assessing the critical trends through our Strategy & Outreach initiatives. As a result, the Board of Governors has focused ASME’s strategic focus on three critical areas — the Grand Energy Challenge, workforce issues, and globalization — all relevant areas to the ASME community, to the larger engineering community, and to the world at large. This reflects today’s global concerns for a sustainable future.

My hope for the upcoming planning cycle is that ASME communities will embrace the challenges and participate fully in the conversation and activities surrounding these strategy areas. As we move forward, we, as engineers, have a significant voice in all areas of innovative thinking. Friedman calls this attitude the “optimism of innovators who want to do what’s right.” We will need to move our knowledge beyond the traditional scope of technological skill, transcending the political and social limitations to which we’ve become accustomed. We’re looking for leadership and innovation, not just incremental change.

Let ASME do what it does best as a community builder and advocate for engineering interests so that we, as engineers, can indeed create the infrastructure needed by the world. I believe our legacy lies in the hearts and minds of future generations, and they are already watching.

— Thomas M. Barlow
ASME President, 2008–2009

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