From the President
March 2006:

Working Together (3/15/06)

Partnerships, project management, networking and re-energizing the engineering spirit are among the benefits that engineers and many organizations can experience through ASME activities. Sometimes it’s coming together for a student design competition, sometimes it’s a task force, and sometimes it evolves through training.

The Leadership Training Conference (LTC), held in Houston in early March, offered such an opportunity for engineers from sections, divisions, institutes and centers representing many industries and ASME districts. Delegates represented some 100 sections (all but one district were there) and 31 of 37 divisions, plus the Codes & Standards and Strategic Management sectors. About 40 of the 240 attendees were early-career engineers, including nearly 10 from the Young Engineers Correspondents program.

Richard E. (Gene) Feigel

In addition to building an understanding of ASME objectives and strategies, the aim of the conference was to identify action plans and gather ideas for working together more closely as joint conferences, short courses, and other events are planned and promoted throughout the year. Team-based, cross-sector exercises based on real operational scenarios produced a variety of solutions and enabled the delegates to share their own experiences in planning events. For example, sections learned to consider resources available by working with divisions, and the same was true for divisions as they planned activities with local and regional units.

Cross-sector interaction also took place during poster sessions and through other activities. Following through on actual action plans will be facilitated by conference evaluations and future training opportunities. This conference was the first in a series of training opportunities for unit leaders. Online training modules and face-to-face activities will be introduced in upcoming months.

The LTC attendees’ most common message was the need for greater communication among members, similar to what the delegates were experiencing during poster sessions and team interchanges. No single communication means will be the sole answer, but greater use of existing communication tools that ASME offers, such as the Communities of Practice, ASME News, Inter-Comm, and K&C Communiqué, are all important.

ASME Connections is an online feature created this year to help members adapt to the new structure, find out about new programs, and see familiar faces working behind the scenes in new projects and activities. In addition, there is the Board of Governors Communication Site, which has minutes, reports and strategy maps. This electronic side of communications helps to keep us informed about each other on a continual basis.

Another lesson from the LTC is that unless we break out of our routine, we’ll never see others who can help us create better events and identify new sources of support for ASME activities. Partnering across the boundaries of sections, districts, divisions, institutes, and centers can produce alternatives not thought of previously. In Houston, we could tag all the delegates so that they knew how to cross over organization boundaries (by walking across the room), but we now need to expand that ease of communication throughout the membership. Join a Community of Practice and talk with someone new.

The real test is in the follow-through. I encourage every member to stay informed through regular channels, in publications, especially online, and then to use that information to connect with others regarding activities that are underway. Let’s work together and build on the strength of our members’ resources.

Building bridges for international collaboration is as important as building them within the sectors of ASME. New learning tools, establishing processes conducive to creativity, and responding to real-world challenges to ensure robust economies and healthy environments drive today’s leadership in education as well as industry.

Coming up in early April is the 2006 International Mechanical Engineering Education Conference, to be held in Beijing. More than 350 people are expected to attend this important conference, which is co-sponsored by ASME and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. Discussions will focus on strategic issues that impact academia, industry, and professional societies worldwide in addressing how to educate and challenge an innovative and flexible workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future.

This spring, as ASME moves forward in planning, we will build on the connections we have and the tremendous resources found within our membership. To ensure that our programs reflect the needs of the future, we must continue to investigate emerging challenges. Seeing the potential opportunities is rewarding for me. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

— Gene Feigel
ASME President 2005–2006

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ASME sponsors technical sessions and education program during National Manufacturing Week

ASME will sponsor 29 sessions, including two sessions exploring the future of manufacturing in the United States, at the 16th National Manufacturing Week this month in Rosemont, Ill.

The Society also will hold two training workshops covering sections of Engineering Management Certification International (EMCI), a new continuing education program of ASME, and sponsor a pavilion complete with materials and information on the varied technical offerings of the organization.

National Manufacturing Week, which includes four shows and an exhibit of products and services, will run March 20-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The ASME activities will be in conjunction with the Design Engineering Show.

The sessions, "Manufacturing: The Future" and "Fast Forward: A Look at the Future of Technology and Engineering," will be held March 21. Speakers in the two sessions will provide expert analysis and commentary on the future of engineering in the United States, and present strategies for innovation and growth in the global marketplace.

Other ASME sessions in the Design Engineering Show will cover lean manufacturing, micro-electro-mechanical systems, nanotechnology, computer tools, and composites in manufacturing, among other topics.

The training workshops will take place March 20-21 and cover the core components of EMCI, including performance-based management, coaching, and cross-functional teamwork. A new ASME continuing education program, EMCI features public and online courses as well as a professional credential recognized worldwide.

Engineering societies to sponsor workshop for K-12 teachers

ASME, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are sponsoring "You Can Do It, Too! Taking Engineering to Kids," a free program for K-12 teachers.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, March 25 from 9 a.m. until noon at Maryland Science Center Harbor Terrace; Room 601 on Light Street in Baltimore. This event is free of charge, but advance registration is required by contacting sgipson@asce.org or calling (800) 548-6418. Act quickly though: Registration ends Thursday, March 23.

"You Can Do It, Too! Taking Engineering to Kids" will show you how to enhance your efforts to deliver excitement with engineering education to students in grades K-12. Participants will use fun, kid-tested engineering activities from ASME, ASCE and IEEE.

This session will introduce inquiry-based learning, incorporate national mathematics and science standards and address issues of gender and diversity in engineering education. Participants will have the opportunity to explore complimentary resources, gain insight into outreach programs that will help you organize public outreach events and train
other volunteer engineers.

Complimentary resources will include instructional booklets, videos, CDs and DVDs, a self-tutorial PowerPoint training presentation, and much more. Participants will also learn to identify and work with educational partners including PBS stations, museums and youth groups. In addition, a light breakfast will be served.