ASME President Barlow Says Distance Learning is a Key to Advancing Technology and Business (12/17/08) At the Third World Engineers’ Convention, held earlier this month in Brasilia, ASME President Thomas M. Barlow told the gathering that training and human development are changing engineering education and are critical to expanding the engineering profession’s opportunities to collaborate globally. Thomas M. Barlow “Distance learning — online courses, webinars, and similar opportunities — is not new in itself, but it can provide a significant new capacity in workforce development, one that opens the door to individual endeavor and accomplishment,” Barlow said in his presentation titled “Global Imperatives for Local Solutions – Access Through Distance Learning.” Before an international gathering of engineers, professional associations and members of academia, Barlow stated that engineering companies and research institutes build their reputations on “specialized knowledge that must be continually updated and shared across teams and generations.” The impact is great when learning is related to sustainable development. “Engineers must adjust to an ever-increasing learning curve to stay relevant. Thus, the learning curve for the engineer is sharp and follows rapidly changing models for both technology and business.” Barlow emphasized that a strong technical knowledge base must have a greater outreach in areas of creativity, problem-solving and a multidisciplinary, systems-level understanding of problems. “Engineers must have a more in-depth knowledge of management, and they must also understand the so-called softer skills, such as communications.” To read more from Barlow’s address, visit www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/PressReleases/President_Says_ Distance.cfm. ASME Power Conference Announces Call for Papers The organizers of ASME Power 2009 have issued a call for papers for the conference, which is scheduled for July 21–23, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Jan. 15, 2009. This is the conference for technical professionals who design, build, operate, overhaul, and maintain power plants, or do power plant and equipment R&D. Papers are being sought in the following 12 areas: Fuels, Material Handling, Ash Disposal, and Emissions; Steam Generators and Combustion Technologies; Heat Exchangers and Cooling Systems; Turbines, Generators, and Auxiliaries; Plant Operations and Maintenance; Reliability, Availability and Maintainability; Plant Systems and Performance Testing; Combined Cycles; Advanced Energy Systems; Renewables; Nuclear Power; and Work Force Issues. For more information on submitting an abstract, visit www.asmeconferences.org/Power09/CallforPapers.cfm. To find out more about the ASME Power conference, visit www.asmeconferences.org/Power09/index.cfm. Free e-Library Tutorial Now Available Register now for a free ASME e-Library webinar tutorial — an online demonstration of ASME's e-Library content and unique technology. During the webinar, you will learn how to use the features that transform the ASME e-Library from a simple e-book service to a workflow and productivity tool that can save you time and effort in your research. All you need is a telephone and an Internet connection, and you’re on your way. Your ASME membership gives you free access to the e-Library, which is a collection of 75 engineering publications, including Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, the Handbook of Materials Selection, the Mechanical Engineer’s Reference Book, the Materials Selection Deskbook, Advanced Engineering Dynamics, and Introduction to Fluid Mechanics. To sign up for the free webinar tutorial, or to find out more about the e-Library, visit www.asme.org/Membership/Benefits/Professional/eLibrary.cfm.

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