Online Mentors Needed for ASME Students (12/15/05)

ASME members who specialize in the areas of design, fluids (any industry), manufacturing and aerospace are urged to sign up as a mentor for ASME student members.

Students have requested mentors who have those specializations, though members with any engineering specializations are welcome. We have also had requests for women engineers and engineers working outside the United States.

ASME's online mentoring program is a rewarding experience for the mentor, as well as for the students. To learn more about the program, or to sign up as a mentor, go to https://secure.asme.org/signin/ementoring.cfm.

ASME-IPTI Collegiate Council Honored for Promoting Petroleum Engineering Careers

The ASME International Petroleum Technology Institute’s Petroleum Division Collegiate Council was named “Industry Champion” at the 2nd annual Offshore Energy Achievement Awards (OEAA) ceremony, held last week in Houston.

Attending the OEAA ceremony in Houston were Dena Demboski, member of the Petroleum Division Collegiate Council and a senior at Texas A&M University, and Keith Ogdee, ITPI’s New Professional Intern and Collegiate Council alumni.

The Industry Champion award was among nine awards presented by industry leaders to recognize exceptional achievement in technical and operational categories related to offshore energy.

The ASME-IPTI Collegiate Council rose to the top of their category, outscoring entries from industry giants Halliburton (of Houston) and FMC Technologies/Texas A&M University, through their efforts to promote the petroleum industry as a career.

As stated in the award description, in light of the “graying of the industry,” champions in both academia and the industry play an increasingly important role in creating ways to recruit and train new employees. Efforts to mentor and develop the image of the petroleum industry with communities, parents, prospective employees and students where considered as criteria for the Industry Champion category.

The OEAA "Industry Champion" award was among nine awards presented at the ceremony to recognize exceptional achievement in technical and operational categories related to offshore energy.

In a summary submitted to the 11-member OEAA selection committee, the Collegiate Council indicated that the average age of the mechanical engineer in the petroleum industry is 54 years of age. That, according to the council, indicates that “the industry faces the serious issue of attracting the young engineer to whom decades of intellectual property and company know-how can be passed.”

In 2002, ASME answered the call of the industry by forming an international collegiate council for the purpose of attracting students to mechanical engineering curriculum focused on the oil and gas industry, and to determine how ASME can assist those students in their career path.

The ASME-IPTI Collegiate Council, comprised of 10-12 students from universities in the United States and Mexico, meets with students on campus to introduce them to career opportunities in the petroleum industry.

In the three years since the council was formed, the students have developed a Web site that allows individuals with no industry experience to educate themselves on the basics of the oil and gas industry. The council members and its alumni have presented petroleum industry career opportunities to over 3,700 students.

This year, 29 OEAA finalists, including ASME, were selected from a pool of more than 100 nominations. In addition to Industry Champion, other categories included Health, Safety and Environmental, Project of the Year, Emerging Innovation/Technology, Well Construction, Production/Facilities, Geoscience, and Contributions to Community. The OEAA selection committee included industry executives from Chevron, BP, the American Bureau of Shipping/Americas, Anadarko Petroleum, Shell Technology Ventures, ATP Oil and Gas and others.

For more information about the ASME-IPTI Petroleum Division Collegiate Council, visit www.asme-ipti.org/public/pagcollegiatecouncil.aspx.

Volunteer Judges Needed for the Future City Competition Finals

If you would like to serve as a model judge or as an essay judge for the Future City Competition National Finals, to be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, please contact Carol Rieg, National Director, Future City Competition, no later than Jan. 10, 2006.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency – Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.

Rieg can be contacted by e-mail at CRieg@futurecity.org, or by phone at (877) 636-9578. When contacting her, please provide the following information:

1. Your Name
2. Society and/or work affiliation
3. Mailing address
4. Phone number
5. E-mail address
6. Important: You must specify if you would like to be a MODEL or an ESSAY judge.

The National Engineers Week Future City Competition is an annual competition for seventh- and eighth-grade students that is sponsored by the National Engineers Week Committee. The 14th annual national finals will be held on Feb. 20–22, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency-Capitol Hill. More than 30,000 students from 1,000 schools designed future urban centers using SimCity software for the competition. The top team will win a trip to U.S. Space Camp.

Model and Presentation Judges:
The committee is searching for engineers and other professionals that could serve as model and presentation judges on Feb. 21, 2006. The judges will be responsible for judging the model and team verbal presentation. There are specific score sheets related to these sections of the competition in the Judge's Manual, which will be sent to you upon confirmation of your participation as a judge.

The judges will work in teams — although each judge will need to complete a scoring sheet. Judging manuals are available on our Web site at www.futurecity.org. Click on "Resources."

Essay Judges:
Additionally, essay judges are needed prior to the national competition. Each team essay is 500-700 words. The topic is "Creating an Engineering Feasibility Plan."

The essay-judging task does not require you to be on-site for the national competition. As an essay judge you should be able to judge 10 Future City Competition regional-winner essays at your convenience between Feb. 9–15, 2006. It should take about 3 hours.

The 2006 National Engineers Week Future City program is sponsored in and around these 37 cities and regions: Albany, N.Y.; Buffalo, NY; Chicago; Colorado; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Florida; Georgia; Hampton Roads, Va.; Houston; Idaho; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Milwaukee; Minnesota; New Jersey; New York City; North Carolina; Northern Nevada; Ohio; Oklahoma; Omaha, Neb.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; South Carolina; St. Louis; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Washington State.

Eldon Boes Serving as an ASME Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate

Eldon Boes, Ph.D., is currently serving as an ASME Congressional Fellow in the office of US Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.).

As a congressional fellow of ASME, Boes will provide technical input and advice on policy issues that come before Sen. Smith. Boes has worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 1991. He served most recently as the Director of the NREL's Energy Analysis Program, which focuses on improving the understanding of present and future energy technologies and systems, including their economic, environmental, and energy security impacts in different market and policy contexts.

Eldon Boes

Boes received his Ph.D. in mathematics in 1969 from Purdue University. He taught mathematics for six years at New Mexico State University before joining Sandia National Laboratories, in 1974. Boes began his career at Sandia in renewable energy working on solar resource assessment. During the next 16 years at Sandia, he worked in several solar technology program areas including photovoltaics (PV) systems and applications development, PV concentrator R&D, and solar thermal collector development. He also served as supervisor or manager of several solar programs including the PV Program at Sandia.

"I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to serve as an ASME Congressional Fellow," Boes said. "I have always considered Congress to be an intense, exciting environment, and I really look forward to helping to inform national policy formulation with my energy and technology background, as well as to contribute to Sen. Smith's broader agenda for Oregon and the nation."

"We are very excited to have Dr. Boes serve as an ASME Congressional Fellow," said Susan Ipri Brown, chair of the Federal Fellow Subcommittee of ASME's Board on Government Relations. "Dr. Boes brings a strong background in both academia and the national labs to this position. He is a demonstrated leader and advisor. We are excited to have him serve."

ASME was the first engineering society to establish a congressional fellowship program. Since 1973, ASME has sponsored the congressional fellowship to provide an opportunity for Society members to work with the US Congress. As federal legislation becomes increasingly technical, the need for engineering expertise is essential.

ASME is currently seeking applications from individuals interested in serving as a Federal Fellow with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the US Department of Homeland Security. For additional information, contact Kathryn Holmes at holmesk@asme.org.

ASME Names New Managing Director at its International Gas Turbine Institute

ASME has named Michael S. Ireland as managing director of the Society's International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI).

Ireland will be responsible for the daily operation and staff of the Atlanta-based IGTI, a technical institute of ASME dedicated to supporting the exchange and development of information to enhance the design, application, manufacture and maintenance of gas turbines and related equipment and technology. He will also oversee the efforts behind IGTI's ASME Turbo Expo — Power for Land, Sea and Air, which will be held May 8-11, 2006, in Barcelona, Spain.

Michael S. Ireland

Recognizing the need to stay closely connected to all levels of the gas turbine industry, Ireland will engage in strategic planning and market research to better increase the quality and value of IGTI's services to its customers and members, while keeping current on the latest trends and issues that influence gas turbine design and development.

Prior to joining IGTI, Ireland served as executive director for the Association of Facilities Engineering, a Cincinnati-based organization that provides resources for plant and facilities engineers and operations and maintenance professionals. Under his direction, AFE experienced revitalization in both membership and revenues, while establishing strategic partnerships and coalitions with key industry groups.

Ireland also served as executive vice president and CEO of the National Environmental Balancing Bureau in Gaithersburg, Md., senior director of education and training at the American Traffic Safety Services Association in Fredericksburg, Va., and provided management-consulting services as a senior associate at Bergstralh-Shaw-Newman in Frederick, Md.

Ireland attended Brigham Young University, where he received his B.A. in Industrial Education and Communications, in 1985.

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