ASME North Alabama Section News, December 2008
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MEETINGS
The North Alabama ASME Section does not meet in the summer months of June, July and August. Our next meeting will be in December 3, 2008.
***CLICK HERE*** or read below for the December 2008 Online Meeting Notice.
December Meeting Features New Huntsville Mayor
Our December 3rd meeting will have as guest speaker the new Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle. The meeting will be at the Bevil Center on the UAH campus beginning at 11:30. As is traditional, our December meeting will be held jointly with the local ASCE, ASPE and SAME groups. This year ASME is in charge of the program.
For reservations contact James Denson at jjdenson@reiszeng.com, or phone (256) 883-2531. The cost of the luncheon is $20. The meeting is open to the public. One professional development hour will be awarded attendees.
Paulin Research Group conducts weekly, free webinars on ASME PPV topics. They provide each attendee a 1-hour PDH certificate after webinar completion. www.paulin.com
Contact Info:
Casey Barlow
Marketing and Sales Representative
Paulin Research Group
Phone: 281-920-9775
Fax: 281-920-9739
Local Section News
The North Alabama Section of ASME usually meets on the first Wednesday of the month September through May, except for February when we commemorate Engineer's Week by meeting with the other engineering societies in Huntsville. Most monthly meetings are held at the von Braun Hall room M-50 on the UAH campus. The luncheon starts at 11:30 and adjourns by 1 P.M. We have a luncheon speaker address a topic of interest to engineers. One professional development hour credit is awarded to attendees who have professional licenses requiring annual PDHs. The meeting is open to the public.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Local Section News
ASME Grants Program
Nominate an ASME Member!
Engineers Without Borders
Diversity Action Grants Now Available!
Program and Activities Training Committee
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Local Section News
New 2006-7 Section Officers
Chair
Tom Hargrove (256) 679-1913
tom@hargrove-engineering.com
Vice Chair
Al Reisz (256) 883-2531
areisz@reiszeng.com
Treasurer
Nick Giordano (256) 876-6414
nicholas.r.giordano@us.army.mil
Secretary
John Massey (256) 876-9547
John.massey@msl.army.mil
Director
Al Reisz (256) 883-2531
areisz@reiszeng.com
Director
Richard Bartholomew (256) 536-7273
bartr@peoplepc.com
Director
Rex McLaury
rex.a.mclaury@usace.army.mil
Future Events and Project Suggestions
If any member knows of a mechanical engineering related event or project, or of an ASME member being receiving notice, send the item in to be considered for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter.
Professional of the Year Nicholas Giordano

Al Reisz, Vice Chair of the North Ala. Section (left) presents Nicholas Giordano with the “Professional of the Year Award”
Nicholas Giordano of Decatur was recognized by the North Ala. Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as the “Professional of the Year” Tuesday night, September 9th at the Huntsville Area Technical Societies annual recognition dinner. Giordano, a Senior Engineer with the US Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, was recognized for his outstanding engineering achievements, having been cited by the US Army with the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and with the Commanders Award. He has been published extensively in professional and technical journals. Giordano was also recognized for his long community service. He is a 23-year member of ASME and currently serves as Treasure of the North Alabama Section.
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ASME Section News 1
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Tomorrow’s Leaders …
Are YOU ready for the Challenge?
Do you feel strongly about the direction of ASME? Are you passionate about new ideas and initiatives? Are you ready to step up and lead? Become an ASME Leader TODAY!
Consider running in June 2009 for the following offices:
President – one year term
Board of Governor – 3 year term
Vice President (Centers Sector) – 3 year term
Vice President of Professional Development,
Practice & Ethics
Vice President of Public Awareness
Codes and Standards Sector
Vice President of Standardization and Testing
Knowledge and Community Sector
Vice President of Affinity Communities
Vice President of Financial Operations
Visit the Nominating Committee Website at http://www.asme.org/Governance/Nominating/ Nominating_Committee.cfm or email RuthAnn Bigley at bigleyr@asme.org for details.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! ENGINEER YOUR LIFE
Help Inspire the Next Generation of Young Women to Become Engineering Leaders!
ASME (as part of its Engineers Week collaboration) actively supports Engineer Your Life (EYL), the national campaign
to encourage college-bound girls to consider engineering enrollment.
A key element of EYL outreach is collaboration with the college counseling community through the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).
We are asking for volunteers – engineering and engineering students – for high school fairs throughout the U.S. this fall.
Cities, dates and locations of fall fairs can be found at http://www.eweek.org/site/pdfs/college_fair.pdf. For more information or to sign up, contact Marina Stenos at 212 591 8614 or stenosm@asme.org. For more information about Engineer Your Life, visit www.EngineerYourLife.org.
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The ASME Foundation Grants Program funds programs that support students and early career engineers and activities that help shape their careers. Planned gifts to the Foundation are the groundwork on which funding for scholarships and grants is based, helping in many ways to inform the future of engineering.
A capital campaign, “World Class by Design,” was launched in 1996 to endow the Grants Program. The focus of the Foundation Grants Program is three-pronged: technical literacy, specifically early (K-12) math and science literacy and tuition and scholarships at the college level; career planning and skills development to nurture early career engineers; and technologically sound public policy stewardship.
For calendar year 2008, the Foundation Grants Program awarded support to six programs. Five of those specifically benefit students and early career engineers. Those projects are: Increasing ASME Impact at the Graduate Level, World-Class Engineering Student/Engineer Design, Students Engineering a Sustainable Planet, Heroes of Engineering Comic Education Series and ASME Faculty Development Workshops – Understanding Student Diversity; Increasing Learning.
The ASME Grants Program is trying to streamline the application and reporting processes moving forward. Currently, there is $264,300 available in funding for approved ASME programming in calendar year 2009. Proposals selected for funding will be announced following the meeting of the Foundation Board of Directors at Congress in November in Boston, MA.
ASME Salary Survey
Participate in ASME’s Salary Survey get a FREE salary report based on your experience level and geographic area. Visit https://asme.enetrix.com and
see how you compare!
ASME Member Exclusive! Purchase comprehensive, custom reports at a discount price.
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ASME Section News 2
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Great Opportunities, Great Work, Great People
Engineers without Borders – USA
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Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.
ASME and EWB-USA have been collaborating for several years on a variety of projects. You can get involved too! EWB-USA offers several opportunities to become involved in building a better world one community at a time, whether you are an engineering student (undergraduate or graduate; a student in some other field of study; a professional engineer or university faculty member; or, not an engineer at all!
There are several EWB-USA workshops taking place this fall around the country. More details on these workshops are available at http://www.ewb-usa.org/Fallworkshops.php. To find out how your Student Section can get involved in EWB-USA, contact Marina Stenos at stenosm@asme.org or 212 591 8614.
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2008-09 Diversity Action Grants now Available
Sponsored by ASME’s Center for Leadership and Diversity, the Diversity Action Grants program provides awards ranging from $500 to $1500 to ASME Student Sections to sponsor events which:
- Promote the inclusion of women and under-represented minorities in ASME Student Sections and in mechanical engineering;
- Inspire K-12 students to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education;
- Engage international participation in ASME Student Sections;
- Assist minority- and/or women-owned businesses solve engineering design problems
Projects that emphasize collaborative partnerships with other engineering societies on campus, as well as international in scope are strongly encouraged to apply. To be considered for the 2008-09 academic year, all applications should be submitted by November 10. For more information on the DAG program and an online application, contact Marina Stenos at stenosm@asme.org, or visit http://www.asme.org/Communities/Diversity/ Diversity_Action_Grant.cfm.
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Call for Mentors! EMentoring Opportunities for Early Career Engineers.
Mentors are a great way to gain knowledge and learn from the experiences of experts in your field. ASME offers an e-mentoring service right at your fingers!
To learn more and sign up for mentors, or to register to become a mentor, log onto
http://www.asme.org/jobs/mentoring/Ementoring _Early_Career.cfm or contact Noel Netel at neteln@asme.org.
Volunteer with ASME Using the Volunteer Opportunities Bulletin Board
Have you thought about volunteering at ASME, but don’t know where to start? Try the Volunteer Opportunities Bulletin Board (VOBB). Whether you are an experienced ASME volunteer or new member looking to make a difference, the VOBB is the place for you to start. As a tool designed to help volunteer leaders promote local Section and Society-wide positions, it opens the door to new opportunities. The opportunities for involvement include pre-college and educational activities, standards development, government relations, honors and awards selection, the development of new programs and more.
To learn more about the VOBB and the volunteer positions available, go to http://volunteer.asme.org/vobb/.
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ASME Section News 3
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Big Announcement
The ASME Foundation promised something big at Congress this month. Did we deliver? Were you front and center at the Keynote Address? If not, stay tuned for a recap in the December Section Newsletter!
ASME E-Library
The ASME E-Library is a members-only benefit that allows you to access online collections of engineering reference books to help you answer questions and find practical solutions to daily on-the-job problems.
As an added bonus, the ASME E-Library is powered by Knovel, whose interactive and user-friendly technology gives you the ability to manipulate and search for content across the entire collection quickly and easily.
To learn more, go to http://www.asme.org/Membership/Benefits/ Professional/eLibrary.cfm
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Programs and Activities Training Committee
Seasoned members: Looking for a way to pass on your expertise to new members? New members: Looking for a way to increase your participation in ASME at your own pace?
The Knowledge and Community (K&C) Sector recently formed a Training Committee to work on the following:
- Review and update existing skills and knowledge material. Volunteers use this material, called the body of knowledge (BOK), at each K&C leadership level.
- Develop and implement an annual training
plan for leaders in the K&C Sector. The training plan will include face-to-face conferences, webinars, online self-study material, and information that can be downloaded for local use.
- Work closely with other ASME members to provide world-class leadership training and orientation for volunteer leaders, which will contribute to the quality of leadership at all levels.
- Develop the knowledge and skills needed to lead ASME units in forming collaborative efforts, sharing best practices, providing forums for outreach, focusing programs on critical issues (students, early career engineers, industry, new technologies, etc.), encouraging more active volunteer participation, and developing new business opportunities.
Choose topics that most interest you. Contribute your special talents (speaking, teaching, editing, etc.) to enable learning at training events in your local, district or society events. We’d love to have you.
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ASME Section News 4
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