ASME President to Receive the 2005 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award (9/15/05)

Richard E. "Gene" Feigel, Ph.D., president of ASME, has been named the recipient of the 2005 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award. The award, named in honor of the late U.S. Secretary of Commence, recognizes those who exhibit leadership in promoting the important role of standardization in eliminating global barriers to trade.

The award will be presented to Dr. Feigel during the observance of World Standards Day, Oct. 6, in Washington, D.C.

Richard E. "Gene" Feigel

As recipient of the 2005 award, Feigel will also serve as honorary chairman of this year's US celebration of World Standards Day. The US standardization and conformity assessment community celebrate World Standards Day to raise awareness of the importance of global standardization to the world economy and to promote its role in helping meet the needs of businesses, industry, government and consumers worldwide.

Feigel, who is serving his term as the 124th president of ASME, is vice president of engineering at Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. in Hartford, Conn. He is responsible for risk analysis and consults with clients worldwide on strategies for risk mitigation, inspection, and maintenance of boilers and related pressure systems. He has worked at Hartford Steam Boiler since 1977. At ASME, Feigel has been involved in technical standards development for more than 25 years.

The 2005 US theme of World Standards Day is "Improving Safety and Security Through Standards." Standards and conformity assessment programs for products, services or processes that have safety and security as their foundation can foster a better society by defending against threats, protecting critical infrastructure and even saving lives.

The celebration of World Standards Week 2005, Oct. 3–7, will feature a series of forums, networking events and ceremonies in Washington, DC The annual week of activities grew out of the US observance of World Standards Day, which began as a celebration of the birth of the International Organization for Standards (ISO) on Oct. 14, 1946. Today, World Standards Day is sponsored by ISO, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International telecommunications Union (ITU).

The annual US World Standards Day celebration is organized by a planning committee co-chaired by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This year, ASME is serving as the administrating organization.

---

ASME to Assist Society of Women Engineers in Developing a Public Policy Program

ASME recently signed an agreement to assist the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in advancing its public policy initiatives and in strengthening its relationships with agencies and policymakers in Washington, DC

Under the terms of the agreement between the two engineering organizations, ASME will provide direct assistance to support SWE in the development and implementation of a public policy program in areas such as K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education. ASME will also provide a Washington representative for SWE, beginning Sept. 1.

"We are excited by the opportunity to build a closer relationship with ASME," said Betty Shanahan, SWE executive director. "We believe that such arrangements offer a unique opportunity to advance SWE's mission as well as the potential for increased cooperative efforts in the future."

According to the agreement, ASME will provide public policy updates and reports to SWE, as well as support the development of a congressional briefing, arrange meetings between SWE members and government leaders on Capitol Hill, and draft correspondence and advisories, among other activities.

ASME has maintained an active public affairs and government relations program for more than 20 years and was successful in spearheading a K-12 STEM coalition comprised of diverse organizations advocating for federal funding for pre-college STEM education. Operated from the Society's Washington Center, the program works closely with the ASME membership to issue position statements, present congressional testimony, convene conferences and briefings, provide testimonials, and present recognition awards to government leaders demonstrating a record of support for engineers and the scientific community.

"The agreement with SWE is an opportunity for ASME to increase the engineering community's involvement in public policy, while assisting a fellow engineering society in establishing its presence in Washington, DC," said Virgil Carter, ASME executive director.

SWE, founded in 1950, is headquartered in Chicago, and is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.

---

ASME Partners with ThomasNet

ASME has partnered with ThomasNet.com to bring their industrial search engine to ASME.ORG.

Thomas has been connecting industrial buyers and suppliers for more than 100 years through Thomas Register and Thomas Regional. ThomasNet, powered by those well-respected directories, brings together industrial buyers and suppliers on a national, regional, and local level.

ThomasNet is an industrial search engine that provides one source for finding the exact product, service, or supplier they need — at the exact time they need it. It also gives buyers direct access to the detailed information they need to make a purchasing or specifying decision, including line-item product details, CAD drawings, and more.

To use the search, enter the product or service you need in the Product Search box — located on the left side of each of ASME.ORG's main pages — and click the "go" button. This will take you to a page with a list of vendor that has the resources you have been searching for.

---

ASME Honors Richard E. Gimple for Contributions to Nuclear Codes and Standards

Richard E. Gimple, a principal engineer at Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. in Burlington, Kan., has been recognized by ASME for dedication and leadership in strengthening the position of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, and for contributing to the development and promotion of ASME Nuclear Codes and Standards. He has been honored with the Society's Bernard F. Langer Nuclear Codes and Standards Award for his work in these areas.

The award, established in 1977, is presented to an individual who has contributed to the nuclear power plant industry through the development and promotion of ASME Nuclear Codes and Standards or the ASME Nuclear Certification Program. It was presented to Gimple at the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Subcommittee XI Meeting, held in Los Angeles, Aug. 8–12.

Gimple, who lives in Emporia, Kan., has provided companywide consulting services over the last 23 years for the implementation of ASME codes and standards. His efforts have primarily focused on design, construction, operation, modification and performance of repair/replacement activities utilizing ASME's Boiler and Pressure Vessel (BPV) Codes.

Gimple has been a member of ASME since 1974 and has been actively involved with the Society's nuclear codes and standard since 1984. He is a member of the ASME BPV Standards Committee and the Section XI Subcommittee on Nuclear Inservice Inspection, which provides requirements for the examination, evaluation and repair/replacement of nuclear power plant components.

For the last 12 years, he has held leadership positions on BPV Code Section XI committees including, most recently, chair (2000-04) of the ASME Section XI Subcommittee. In this position, Gimple promoted coordination among ASME, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and various nuclear industry groups to address nuclear operating plant issues and encourage the use of ASME codes and standards. He also promoted the expansion and the development of new technical provisions to support the implementation of safety-focused (risk-informed) federal regulations now contained in 10 CFR 50.69. Additionally, Gimple worked with the NRC and the industry to develop provisions for addressing degradation in Alloy 600 and its associated Alloy 82/182 weld filler materials and incorporating improved inspections and repair/replacement activities.

Gimple was a member of the ASME Board on Nuclear Codes and Standards (1999-2005), which manages all of the Society's codes and standards for the nuclear industry. The Board presented him with a Letter of Appreciation in 2004.

Among his publications are Chapter 27, "Repair/Replacement Activities for Nuclear Power Plant Items," in the Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Press, 2002) and various articles in ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping Conference Proceedings.

Gimple earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Kansas State University, Manhattan, in 1974. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas.

go to the Late-Breaking News archive