ASME to Commence Yearlong Celebration of its 125th Anniversary (12/15/04)

In 2005, ASME will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a series of events and activities aimed at commemorating the professional organization's rich engineering heritage and world-renowned reputation, leadership and contributions to the mechanical engineering profession.

"For 125 years, ASME has been celebrating its members, their achievements and their contributions to science and engineering. Now in 2005, it's time for its members to celebrate ASME and the Society's 125 years of setting the standards of excellence for engineering throughout the world, " said Harry Armen, ASME president.

ASME and its members will kick off a number of anniversary celebration events beginning with the observance of the Society's Founder's Day, Feb. 16, 2005. On that day in 1880, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers was founded amid rising industrialization and heightened demand for mechanical engineering skills. It was on that date, 125 years ago, that 30 of the most prominent industrialists and engineers in America attended a preliminary meeting of ASME founders at the New York editorial offices of American Machinist magazine, then located at 96 Fulton Street.

ASME expanded in size and prominence through the ensuing decades marked by sweeping economic and technological changes, growing a repository of technical standards, educational programs, engineering publications, and conferences offered worldwide.

"ASME founders established the core values that guide the industrial and academic research we conduct today. Core values that encourage us to share technical information and achievements that foster the development of standards that ensure the reliability and safety of products we use everyday, in addition to the core values that promote educational efforts for lifelong learning," added Armen.

The yearlong celebration will continue with ASME members hosting grassroots events in local communities in observance of the Society's contributions as a knowledge-based, professional organization, focused on the technical, educational and research issues of the engineering and technology community.

In addition to Founder's Day, ASME has marked several milestone events that will commemorate its anniversary year. They include Engineers Week (Feb. 20-26), in which ASME is serving as the lead engineering society for 2005 E-Week activities, along with corporate co-sponsor BP; Boiler Code Day (March 12); and Heritage Day activities at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J., the site of ASME's first formal organizational meeting (April 7). Inaugural U.S. performances by the Bucharest Orchestra of Engineers will be held at Stevens and the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, N.J. (April 8 and 10, respectively). In addition, ASME will designate William Seller's presentation of the screw thread standards as a mechanical engineering heritage site at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. (June 12). Along with other activities throughout the year, the Society will observe World Standards Day in October and then culminate the year with an anniversary finale at the 2005 ASME Congress and Exposition to be held in Orlando, Fla., in November.

"Everywhere and anywhere ASME meets we'll celebrate the contributions that ASME and mechanical engineering have made to the quality of life we all enjoy today," said Armen.

For addition information on ASME's anniversary celebration, visit the Web site at www.asme.org/anniversary.




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