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April 2011

In April James Powell will hold a career development course on FEA and Casey Krawiec will conduct a Mentor Night event at USD. In addition, on May 6th we will hold our annual awards banquet which will offer a complimentary dinner for all ASME members who attend. Full details are in this newsletter and on our section website. Please note that we have mailed officer ballots for the next term and amendments to our section by-laws. The committee spent a significant amount of time and effort researching the section by-laws modifications and we request your participation. Special thanks to Steve Zawadzki and York Lew for their work on the section by-laws and the ballot mailings.

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March 2011

For March we have a tour of the Sherline Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, organized by Helen Anderson. In addition, Helen has also set up a Happy Hour event at Islands Restaurant in Mission Valley, so please come out and toast Helen for all her hard work. We are again judging at the science and engineering fair. In our March committee meeting we voted on proposed changes to our section by-laws and next year’s officers. Please keep a look out for the officer ballots and section by-law changes which will be mailed to you. Email us with any suggestions or questions you may have.

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February 2011

 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Casey Krawiec for organizing and holding a successful mentor night event at SDSU. Through the local ASME membership, Casey was able to retain a group of volunteers who met with the students to answer their questions. This was a rewarding event for both the students and the volunteers. Unfortunately Achates Power has to cancel the tour scheduled for February due to a late conflict. Bob Raber will re-schedule Achates Power for another time. We are still working to organize a tour/inspection of a V-22 Osprey, which has been a challenge but we hope to have the details worked out soon. Email us with any suggestions or questions you may have.

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January 2011

 

Events this month include a tour of JD Machine Tech organized by Bob Raber and a Happy Hour organized by Helen Anderson. Next month we have a Mentor Night at SDSU organized by Casey Krawiec and the SDSU ASME Student Section and the National Engineers Week Banquet. Please see the details in the newsletter and our website. There are more interesting programs and events in the works for the coming months. Email us with any suggestions or questions you may have. On behalf of all of us on the ASME San Diego committee I’d like to wish everyone a prosperous and happy new year.

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November 2010

 

Tom Frankie has arranged for a tour of the V22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft. The details are given in the newsletter.

We are planning to hold Mentor Nights at the local engineering schools. We need volunteers to provide real world information to the student engineers. Several speakers from a variety of fields are needed to give brief presentations describing their jobs and entertain informal questions. This is an opportunity for you to help them select a career that allows them to reach their full potential. It is also a chance to meet eager students getting ready to take on the world. Perhaps you will meet someone that would do well at your company. If you are interested in talking to the university students, please contact Casey Krawiec, at 619-723-6765 or krawiec33@sbcglobal.net, with your name, phone number, and career/title.

 

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October 2010

 

Bob Raber and Luis Meraz have organized a presentation, “Global Warming - Myths and Misinformation,” on October 27th at4:30 PM.  The details can be found in the October newsletter as well as on the website.  We will be putting together more programs and events in the coming months.  Email us with any suggestions or questions you may have.

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September 2010

 

On September 30th at 5:30 pm we will hold our second happy hour at Pizza Port in Solana Beach. The event was organized by Helen Anderson, our Vice Chair. Come out and meet your fellow engineers and enjoy a beer or two. There are plans in the works for various events which we will be publicizing in the coming months. If you’re interested in getting involved with ASME and have questions please contact me.

 

Mark Shin, Chair

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July 2010

 

From Mark Shin, New Chair

 

In the coming 2010 – 2011 term we at ASME San Diego will be working to create/continue programs that are relevant to you.

 

Nip Shah, our immediate past chair, created the Get Connected series which endeavored to help engineers network and find work, is one example of a new program designed to have direct relevance for our members. Helen Anderson, our new Vice Chair, organized our first happy hour last March and is reviewing new ideas for other interesting events. Robert Raber, our newest committee volunteer, is working to create a new program for a series of lectures. Casey Krawiec, another new volunteer, is working on a series of mentoring events for the college students.

 

Do you have an idea for an event that you think ASME San Diego should organize? Do you have suggestions for what we can do better? Let us know by sending us feedback (shinster1@yahoo.com ).

 

Mark Shin, Chair

 

From Nip Shah, Immediate Past Chair

 

Wow the year has gone by really past. Thank you for your support by both your attendance at our events and by your assistance. We thank the industry sponsors for our Get Connected series.

It was my privilege to serve you. Please continue to support your section for the coming years.

Nip Shah

 

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June 2010

 

Greetings from the Executive Committee.

 

Wow the year is really going past. With all the international financial uncertainties, health care changes, the volcanoes, real estate woes, the local government financial crisis, the BP oil disaster, etc., the Afghanistan war that one time would have been headline news everyday, has become just another world event. The tough part is that these are all unchartered waters for everyone. There is no textbook single answer or an expert that can answer any of these problems. Yet it affects each and every one of us.

We had a great “Get Connected 3” meeting on April 16. A lot of us present learned a lot on how to apply and talk during an interview. If you are looking for a job, I hope you can make it to the next one (Get Connected 4). If you are offering jobs or are in a position to advise those looking for jobs, please contact me. I am looking for 3-4 speakers. This time it will be on Wednesday, June 16. 2010. More details inside.

The San Diego Section Awards Banquet was also a great success. We had the most people we have had for years. The UCSD presentations were very interesting. We recognized all their work. We also recoginized the winners of the Science Fair and awarded them small gift prizes. We also had long term members. 

 

We are also planning a Water Bottle Rocket picnic on Saturday, June 5, 2010. More details are in this issue. We encourage you to join in this fun event for both the young and those who still have a love for basic engineering principles.

Please contact me if you can get involved.

 

For more information, check out:  http://sections.asme.org/sandiego/.

 

Nip Shah, Chair, ASME Fellow, nip.shah@hs.utc.com

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April 2010

 

Greetings from the Executive Committee.

 

We had a lower than expected turn out for the last “Get Connected” meeting. We have planned another one. If you are looking for a job, I hope you can make it. If you are offering jobs or are in a position to advise those looking for jobs, please contact me. I am looking for 3-4 speakers. This time it will be on Friday April 16. More details inside.

 

We are also going to have an ASME Awards Banquet on May 7. This is an event where we recognize people who have been members for a long time (25 yrs & 50 yrs). We also recognize students who have won ASME prizes at either the Science Fair or their local schools. I highly encourage you support these exceptional achievers by attending this event.

 

We are also planning a Water Bottle Rocket Launch and Picnic on Saturday June 5. More details to be announced. This is especially for families with young children who would like to encourage them into appreciating the engineering side of things.

 

Last meeting we had a good turnout of volunteers for ASME. We need two more people. Hey how about a little time per month to encourage Mechanical Engineering?  Please contact me if you can get involved.

 

For more information, check out:  http://sections.asme.org/sandiego/.

 

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Feb 2010

 

Greetings from the Executive committee.
 

Looking for a job? We had a meeting to connect Mechanical engineers looking for jobs with those offering jobs. It was held at Digital Dimensions Inc. (DDI) on Murphy Canyon Rd. All the people there are very helpful especially Dave Stanton.They are reselling agents for SolidWorks. They offered us a room at free of charge. During the meeting they have offered free use of their computer facilities for Engineers looking for employment and need to keep their skill level. They also offered a student package free for 90 days and a free exam to qualify as a SolidWorks user. This was very generous of them and would encourage members to take advantage of it. Please check with Dave before making your booking. The meeting itself was a little disappointing. There were not many people actually there looking for work. We in fact had a couple of jobs that no one took up. We had tried our best to publish the event. Does that mean that there are not many mechanical engineers looking for work? Let us know if you have any suggestions.

 

Don’t forget the National Engineers Week Banquet on Friday, Feb 19, 2010. For tickets and more information, contact Phil Young, youngp@asme.org.

 

We have planned a Happy Hour social event on Thursday, March 4, 2010, at McGregor’s near Qualcomm Stadium.  See the newsletter or the website for more details.

 

We need new helpers and new ideas for our little section. Again, please contact me if you can get involved.

 

For more information, check out:  http://sections.asme.org/sandiego/. York Lew is putting in a lot of effort to keep it current.

 

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Jan 2010

 

The Executive committee wishes you a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

 

Here we are, 2010 already. Our focus for this year is to help engineers find Jobs. Our first meeting was in October. It was well attended. The next one is this Thursday, January 14th. More details are in the January newsletter. Please let your friends know if they are looking for jobs or know people who might be hiring.

 

ASME, San Diego has been a leader in hosting the Human Powered Submarine Contest on the West Coast. Unfortunately, the facility we used to use is not available anymore. We had 10 teams ready to come to San Diego. If anyone is aware of any alternative facility, please contact me. For now we were very sad to cancel the contest.

The Off Shore Model Basin is a casualty of the economic times. It is one of a kind on the whole of west coast. It has a 300’ by 50’ and 15’ deep tank. It also has a portion that is 20’ deep. It can generate almost any shape of wave form. In the past is has been used for a lot of simulation studies for the oil platform rigs, ships and submarines. Yes, CFD is very useful, but there is still a lot to learn from actual test studies.  We’ll be very sad to let this facility be destroyed. If you know anyone in your field that may be looking for such a facility, please contact me.

 

The Engineering dinner is one of a kind event held every year in San Diego. It brings in engineers in all fields together. It is also an opportunity to recognize the people who do great things in our city. Please support it by attending this Banquet Dinner. More details in the January newsletter or contact Phil Young.

 

We are continuing our efforts to contact as many members in San Diego as possible. Don’t be surprised if you get a call. We are making sure that we have your current email. Now that we are sending the newsletter by email, we would like to make sure you are getting full advantage of your membership.

 

We need new helpers and new ideas for our little section. Again, please contact me if you can get involved.

 

For more information, check out:  http://sections.asme.org/sandiego/. York Lew is putting in a lot of effort to keep it current.

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Dec 2009

 

As the new year approaches, I wish all of you a Happy Holiday season and I wish that 2010 will be a better year for all. 

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Nov 2009

A newsletter is the only active instrument that the local section communicates its activities to its members. ASME San Diego Section switched to electronic newsletters a couple of years back. I support this change. However there is a fundamental assumption that the email addresses we use in our data base are current. People change their email addresses more often than their residence addresses.We have more than 850 registered members in San Diego Section. Recently I sent a personal email to everyone asking them if they get our emails. The result was as follows:

 

1)    238 people replied that they get the newsletter (28%)

2)    25 emails were rejected by the system (3%)

3)    13 people responded that they got my email, but do not get the section email (1.6%)

4)    Almost 67% either did not bother to reply or did not get my email

 

I think this is a huge chunk of people that the local section needs to make an effort to connect with. In the next few weeks, we are going to phone some of our membership who did not respond and see if we can correct our database.

Ultimately it is the member’s responsibility to update their email address if they change. We request that you update it at least once a year when you renew your membership. ASME San Diego Section wants to make sure that you are getting the most out of your membership. Please update your email address.

We had our first “Get Connected” meeting to help people looking for work. Look for the report in the Newsletter. Our next one will be held soon. For more information, check out:  http://sections.asme.org/sandiego/

 

In the Newsletter is also the report on the tour of the Encina Power Plant.

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Oct 2009

Well we have just started our new term.  Many of you know me because I’ve been actively involved with ASME--San Diego Section since 1990.

This year is particularly tough for Mechanical Engineers in San Diego.  I was the Chair back in 1994 when General Dynamics left town.  I would like to focus this year strongly on connecting people.  I know this is very important for people looking for jobs.  It is equally important for potential employer looking for the right candidate.

Here is a short list of how ASME--San Diego Section can get involved for the membership:

   1.  We realize that searching for jobs on the web can be very time consuming and frustrating.  On the other hand, the employers get too many lengthy résumés and have very little time to study each one of them.  So as a first step we have set up a special page on our web site.  Starting on the home page http://sections.asme.org/sandiego and click on Jobs and Training on the left.  It is an easy to use platform for both people looking for jobs and people looking for help.  We welcome any suggestions of how we can improve it for the membership.

   2.  We would like to help new entrepreneurs.  If you are trying to set up a company and looking for customers, ASME—San Deigo can help you put your services/products out to 900 memberships within San Diego.  We are planning to send out a newsletter.  We encourage you to contact any of the Executive Committee members.  The cost may be just the mailing cost of the newsletter, shared among people who are interested.  The newsletter will also be posted on the web.

   3.  We are planning a series of face-to-face meetings.  Mechanical Engineering is a vast field of disciplines.  These meetings would be specific for each discipline so that we can connect people with similar interests.  The first one is planned for Thursday, October 22, 2009.  Please see the newsletter or the web site for more details.

We would like to do a lot more.  Any new ideas are welcome.  Let us support our fellow Mechanical Engineers get through these tough times.

Our Section always welcome any volunteer who would like to help.  If you can devote a few hours each month or even a few hours each year, please contact me ( nip.shah@hs.utc.com or 858-627-6251).