Make Your Voice Heard Nov 11, 2007

ASME is holding a focus group discussion on November 11, 2007 in Seattle, WA. The discussion will center on the opportunities and challenges over the next 20 years in the mechanical engineering profession. The information gathered at this event will be used as part of the informational gathering activities that will shape the Future of Mechanical Engineering Summit planned for April 2008. The focus group is open to anyone who RSVP’s.

Topics for discussion will include:

• What grand challenges will mechanical engineering answer and what great contributions will the profession make to our global society?

• What will mechanical engineers know and how will they work in 2028?

• What conceptual changes are possible in the way mechanical engineers will think and work?

• What will be the most challenging transition you expect to make in your work in the next 10-20 years?

These focus groups are part of the informational gathering activities that will shape the Future of Mechanical Engineering Summit planned for April 2008.

Three appointment times are available, all on Sunday, Nov 11: 8:00 am to 9:00 am; 9:15 am to 10:15 am; or 10:30 am to 11:30 am. RSVP to pratta@asme.org. For information on the location of IMECE click here.

Participants will be entered in a prize drawing where they will have the chance to win a $500 gift card.

ASME Officially Declares Professional Networking a Big Issue

Even an old organization like ASME can look to the future. The ASME Strategic Issues, Opportunities, and Knowledge Committee has turned its sites to Professional Networking. The following article was posted in the September issue of Strategic Issues and Trends.

I have been posted it here with permission from Allian Pratt.

Professional Social Networking

Social networking may have started with friends gossiping in high
school and college on MySpace, but users are now turning to a more
personal type of business networking. Facebook and other general-purpose
social networking sites are creating business offshoots that enable

Social Web Articles

I just discovered a great blog called Internet Duct Tape. Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is because of two great posts about social web application recently posted.

The first “The Problem With Social Web Applications” highlights two fundamental problems, both related to the fact that there are so many social web applications out there. The second article is “9 Techniques to Promoting Your Social Web Application.” This one has so much great stuff in it I can’t believe its free. I wish ASME would have considered many of the techniques and gotchas when the created the COP site. Oh well. We’ll try to get it right when COP 2.0 comes out later this year.

I Joined Facebook Today

I was reading an ASME briefing today that pointed out that there is a large group of ASME members using Facebook. Yeah, that Facebook. That social networking darling of the college crowd and latest straight from the garage Internet success story. Just in case you have no idea what I am talking about, check out the Facebook Wikipedia entry.

OK, so signing up was easy. Once I validated my email address and logged in an applet

Early Career Events at ASME’s 2007 Congress

Several big Early Career focused events are happening at ASME’s Congress this year in Seattle, WA.

The first one is the Innovation Showcase (I-Show) on Friday, November 10th.  At this event 10 collegiate teams will present their innovative ideas to a panel of industry experts, venture capitalists, and intellectual property specialists.  The prize is venture capital to bring their inventions to market.  The Entrepreneurs Network Affinity Group is also participating.

The Invention to Venture Workshop, I2V, being held Saturday November 10th is a partnership between the ASME Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).  This

ENTREPRENEUR’S NETWORK AFFINITY GROUP APPROVED

The petition to form the Entrepreneur’s Network Affinity Group of ASME was approved on July 18, 2007. The group’s purpose is to be the community for ASME members with entrepreneurial interests to network, exchange ideas and initiatives, and provide feedback to the Center for additional programs and education regarding entrepreneurship & innovation.

Charter Members: Howard Berkof, Dan Hanna, Ramin Sadeghian, Elizabeth (Liz) Kisenwether, Chetan Paydenkar, Larry Dickinson, Jim Orrico.

The E-Network is being sponsored by ASME’s Strategic Initiatives, who has recently launched the Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship & Innovation to fulfill the needs and desires of ASME members for information, education, and programming around the subject of entrepreneurship.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND YOUNG ENGINEERS AFFINITY GROUP APPROVED

It is with great pleasure that I announce the approval of the International Students and Young Engineers Affinity Group of ASME. The groups purpose is to provide a sense of community for young engineers worldwide, link isolated sections to the core organization, and collaborate on activities to magnify our impact on society.

Charter Members: Ramin Wilson Sadeghian, Eduardo Barrientos, Fawad Kiramat, Usman Bin Younos, Joy Adjorlolo, Israel Botello, Yoeh Chee Tak, Dan Nathan-Roberts.

This petition was approved on April 4, 2007.
Good luck to them all!

AFFINITY COMMUNITIES TELECON SCHEDULED

The Affinity Communities Board will be holding a teleconference on Wednesday, July 18 from 11:30 – 12:30 PDT. If you are interested in attending, please email youngj921@asme.org.

The Agenda:

11:30 Call To Order

• Introductions
• Approval of Minutes, SAM 2007
• Review Current Action Items

ASME COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Have you checked out the ASME Communities of Practice website? We call it COP for short. Goto: cop.asme.org. You will find communities and discussion threads in topics ranging from ethanol and the internal combustion engine to entrepreneurship…from the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge to the Latin American and Caribbean Student Operating Board. Or what about the International System of Units, or Product Testing and Reliability. And don’t forget several of our Affinity Groups include Women in Engineering, International Students and Young Engineers, the Student Section Committee, and the Young Engineer Correspondents. If you checked it out once a few years ago you might be surprised by what you find. Today there are 173 Public COP’s and a bunch more private ones. Have an area of practice not covered in the current list. Well you can start one too.

I heard a rumor the other day that an upgrade referred to as COP 2.0 is coming. Don’t tell anyone I told you.

ARE YOU NEW TO ASME?

Whether or not you are new to ASME or an old hat, you need to check out the tons of information on the Volunteer Orientation Leadeship Training (VOLT) Academy Leadership Resources. If you are interested in broadening your technical and leadership horizons and enjoy meeting new people you can get a vect