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Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen (A P J) Abdul Kalam, the 11th president of India (2002-2007), a noted scientist and engineer who rose from modest beginnings to play a key leading role in his India's space and national defense programs, was recently presented with the 2008 Hoover Medal at Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Kalam was recognized for his efforts to make available quality healthcare available to the common citizen and rural areas, by using 'spin-offs' of defense technology to create cutting edge medical equipment, and launching projects that connect rural hospitals to specialty hospitals.
Established in 1929, the Hoover Medal recognizes engineers whose outstanding, non-technical services enhance the well-being of humanity. It is presented to its awardees by ASME, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Outlook 20090 (IEO2009) predicts that world marketed energy consumption is projected to increase by 44 percent from 2006 to 2030. Total energy demand in the non-OECD countries is predicted to increase by 73 percent, compared with a predicted increase of 15 percent in the OECD countries.
The report expects liquid fuels to remain the world's dominant energy source, given their importance in the transportation and industrial end-use sectors. Total supply in 2030 is projected to be 22.0 million barrels per day higher than the 2006 level of 84.6 million barrels per day. Unconventional resources (including oil sands, extra-heavy oil, biofuels, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) from both OPEC and non-OPEC sources are predicted to become increasingly competitive. World production of unconventional resources, which totaled only 3.1 million barrels per day in 2006, is anticipated to 13.4 million barrels per day, accounting for 13 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030.
IEO2009 also predicts that biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, will be an increasingly important source of unconventional liquids supply, reaching 5.9 million barrels per day in 2030. Particularly strong growth in biofuels consumption is projected for the United States, where production of biofuels increases from 0.3 million barrels per day in 2006 to 1.9 million barrels per day in 2030.
A summary document may be viewed at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/highlights.html
ASME has announced that its Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standard, ASME Y14.5 - 2009, has been revised and is now available for purchase.
The ASME Y14.5 - 2009 standard, an essential communications tool for top engineers worldwide, has undergone its first revision in more than 15 years. It includes important changes that better suit the needs of the 21st century engineer. Changes that address the concept of feature design, surface boundaries and axis methods of interpretation are included among others.
The revised standard is now available for purchase on ASME's online catalog. The site also offers discounts on related GD&T standards, personnel certification, handbooks and training courses to aid engineers in understanding the language of GD&T.
For more information on ASME Y14.5, visit: http://go.asme.org/gdt.
This collaboration also will lead to the development of innovations in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and large-scale systems. According to the document, nanotechnology and biotechnology will dominate technological development in the next 20 years and will be incorporated into all aspects of technology that affect lives on a daily basis.
“Mechanical engineers can be at the forefront of developing new technology for environmental remediation, farming and food production, housing, transportation, safety, security, healthcare and water resources,” says the report, which is based on the proceedings of the Global Summit on the Future of Mechanical Engineering, which was held April 16–18 in Washington, D.C.
The summit, hosted by ASME at the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, brought together more than 120 engineering and science leaders from 19 countries to define the elements of a shared vision that will keep the profession at the forefront of grand challenges and great contributions over the next 20 years.
Among the challenges, sustainable development, says the ASME report, will be a shared vision in the worldwide technical community, involving collaboration tools that allow “mechanical engineers to tap into the collective wisdom of an organization or network of stakeholders.”
According to the paper, nanotechnology and biotechnology will dominate technological development in the next 20 years and will be incorporated into all aspects of technology that affect lives on a daily basis. “Nano-bio will provide the building blocks that future engineers will use to solve pressing problems in diverse fields including medicine, energy, water management, aeronautics, agriculture and environmental management.”
Other topics examined at the summit and discussed in the report include intellectual property, engineering education and lifelong learning, diversity, virtual design environments, and home-based fabrication.
“Engineers will be able to act as independent operators interacting with colleagues around the world,” the report says. “Engineers can design at home with advanced CAD systems or in collaboration with their global colleagues in virtual worlds. They will be able to use home-based fabrication technology to test many of their designs.
“As mechanical engineering looks to 2028, leaders will value people with diverse expertise and experience,” the document continues. “They will bring this global profession together to keep the promise of technology serving people. They will inspire men and women everywhere to believe that grand challenges are a rally cry for a profession that is ready for the adventure of making the difficult doable.”
To read ASME’s “2028 Vision for Mechanical Engineering” report, visit www.asmeconferences.org/asmeglobalsummit/FinalGlobalSummitReport.pdf.
"We are at the stage where emergency situations are becoming more frequent," said Rick Sergel, president and CEO of NERC. "Though some improvements have been made, we are requiring our aging grid to bear more and more strain, and are operating the system at or near its limits more often than ever before."
The report details specific reliability findings, including:
"The new auto translator on the ASME Web site supports the Society's outreach and commitment to the international engineering community, which is a key to expanding our initiatives aimed at global markets," said Sam Y. Zamrik, president of ASME. "We will be adding other language translations including French, Russian, Japanese and Arabic as ASME develops the Web site to better serve its global members and customers."
ASME.ORG provides portals to an array of engineering knowledge, including information on technical publications, conferences, codes and standards, continuing education opportunities and other programs of value to the engineering and technology community.
The PPC consists of 42 modules on topics ranging from product development and writing cost proposals to team building and negotiation. The PPC also provides information on alternative engineering career paths such as patent law, marketing and sales, and entrepreneurship.
Currently, the 5 modules in the Career Transition Series are free of charge. ASME members additionally have access to the following 4 modules through the Members Only website:
To get started, please visit http://professionalpractice.asme.org.
Globalization affects everyone. Production lines are shipped overseas. Many business activities are located off-shored or outsourced. Products are marketed to hundred of countries and regions. Many engineers have to interact, collaborate, coordinate, or lead teams or work forces thousands of miles away, across cultures, and many time zones. Luckily, Globalization also renders engineers unprecedented opportunities. Now you can help your company break into many new markets, but you need the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfill it.
To help engineers and companies cope with these issues, ASME launched a new global training program - Global Management of Engineering and Technology (GMET), which covers the knowledge and skills you need to take products and services from design or drawing boards to the placement of goods on the shelves of department stores and super markets worldwide. Each GMET course has eight online modules with lecture notes, case studies, reading materials, online quizzes, a course library, and a class forum where trainees can interact with classmates and the trainer, followed by three-day live in-class training by the chief instructor. It suits a wide spectrum of learning habits, styles, and career paths. ASME has formed GMET global training partners in China, India, Malaysia, The Middle East, and North America. You can access the course materials through the website of ASME and its partners at anytime, and from anywhere throughout the world.
For more information, please visit: http://www.asme.org/Education/Courses/GMET/Global_Management_Technology.cfm
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.
The library includes general technical volumes, such as Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers and books on specific topics.
To view the complete list of books, and to sign up for this free member benefit, visit http://www.asme.org/Membership/Benefits/Professional/eLibrary.cfm.