ASME Foundation Newsletter

02.2020

A New Day for ASME Philanthropy

ASME's Philanthropic Impact event at IMECE in Salt Lake City this past November marked the kickoff of our Campaign For Next Generation Engineers, a multiyear fundraising effort to bolster programs that change the lives of students and rising engineers who aspire to advance engineering for the benefit of humanity.

The event featured many of the beneficiaries of ASME’s philanthropic programs, including scholarship recipients, Fellowship participants, ECLIPSE program interns, and social entrepreneurs. We also shared videos documenting the impact ASME philanthropy has on the lives of future and early-career engineers, as well as the people around the world who benefit from their inspiring innovations. (Find links to ASME’s philanthropic impact videos here.)

We are so grateful for the support we receive from our generous donors and wonderful volunteers who make these programs possible. A special thank you to all of those who participated in our year-end fundraising appeal. With your support, the ASME Foundation more than doubled its initial goal of $25,000 for the final month of the year, raising more than fifty thousand dollars in December.

We anticipate a momentous year ahead for ASME’s philanthropic efforts as we expand our existing successful programs and work to raise the funds to launch new ones. You’ll be hearing a lot more about the Campaign For Next Generation Engineers—starting with the brief introduction below—our ambitious initiative to nurture and empower the engineers of tomorrow. A new year full of promise, and a new day for ASME philanthropy.

Warmly,

Kathleen Lobb
Executive Director, ASME Foundation
Managing Director, ASME Philanthropy

Introducing the Campaign for Next Generation Engineers

ASME philanthropy supports an arc of programs that inspire and nurture engineers at every stage of their journey, from early inspiration and learning to career engagement and first life-changing innovations.

To ensure that these programs continue to thrive and expand, the ASME Foundation is launching the Campaign For Next Generation Engineers, a multiyear capital campaign that seeks to broaden our philanthropic support well beyond the ASME family, and even beyond the engineering community.

The campaign focuses on providing sustainable funding for each of ASME’s core philanthropic initiatives:

EDUCATION THAT INSPIRES

Igniting a lifelong passion for engineering in K-12 through college and graduate school

CAREERS THAT MATTER

Propelling early-career engineers toward a lifetime of meaningful work and engagement

IDEAS THAT INNOVATE

Nurturing breakthrough ideas to improve quality of life in underserved communities

The programs that reside within each of these three pillars aim to develop tomorrow’s diverse, multidisciplinary, and motivated engineering workforce that the world needs to meet its most pressing quality-of-life challenges.

You’ll be hearing more about the Campaign For Next Generation Engineers over the coming months. To learn more about how you can join our efforts to inspire and advance the next generation of engineers who will transform the world, please contact our philanthropy team at info@asmefoundation.org and visit us at www.asmefoundation.org.

New Foundation Website Debuts

The ASME Foundation is proud to launch our new website at www.asmefoundation.org. Though the site is still evolving, it already contains a wealth of information about our leadership, programs, and giving opportunities.

While visiting the website, be sure to click on the Our Impact tab to access several vivid and moving videos about the impact ASME’s philanthropic programs have on aspiring and rising engineers.

140 Years and Still Going Strong!

When a small group of industrialists, educators, technical journalists, designers, shipbuilders, military engineers, and inventors met on February 16, 1880, it’s unlikely that they could have conceived where that gathering would eventually lead.

Their intent was to create a forum for the free exchange of ideas, an opportunity to share information, pool their knowledge, and address some of society’s most pressing technological challenges.

Among their concerns was the alarming frequency of steam boiler failure in an era of rapid industrialization. Setting standards for the safe manufacture and operation of steam boilers was among ASME’s first contributions to the greater good. Countless more have followed, in areas as diverse as robotics, bioengineering, clean energy, and manufacturing, among others.

Founders Day is ASME’s annual celebration of the Society’s formal launch on April 7, 1880, and an ideal time to appreciate the immeasurable contributions this organization has made to the betterment of humanity. One meaningful way to commemorate this 140th anniversary is with a financial contribution to the ASME Foundation. Click here to make your Founders Day donation, and thank you for sustaining their good works today and into the future.

Early Career Engineers at Work

Meet Dr. Columbia Mishra, a senior thermal engineer at Intel Corporation and an ASME Early Career Leadership (ECLIPSE) Intern. Columbia was a recipient of an ASME Foundation scholarship, enabling her to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Later, she received another ASME grant to participate in Engineers Without Borders, applying her engineering skills to improve quality of life for residents of a small town in Mexico.

See how ASME supports early career engineers on their path to becoming tomorrow’s engineering leaders. Click here to watch the video.

Focus on Innovation: Engineers Serving The Greater Good

More than two billion people in developing countries and underserved communities around the world miss opportunities for education, work, and to improve their quality of life due to poor, uncorrected eyesight.

QuickSee™ solves this global development challenge by performing highly accurate refraction measurements in just ten seconds to enable faster eyeglass prescriptions anywhere—a service that was simply inaccessible to many poor and rural people. Today, in regions as diverse as rural India and Lubbock, Texas, QuickSee™ is putting quick, affordable, and accurate vision correction in the hands of people who can improve the lives of billions.

See how ASME ISHOW helped QuickSee-maker PlenOptika turn a working prototype into a market-ready product and is now bringing the world into clearer focus for so many. Click here to watch the video.

Engineers Build the Future. Help Us Build Theirs.

There are many ways to support the Foundation and its powerful programs. To make a quick and easy one-time donation, simply visit the donate page of our website. There you can select an amount and even designate the kind of programs you want to support.

For other ways to give, including multi-year donations, legacy gifts, or contributions of securities, contact Gretchen Crutchfield, who will explain your options and help you structure a gift that meets your specific needs.

Thank you in advance for your generous support.

Get Involved

Donate: to support ASME Philanthropy and the Campaign For Next Generation Engineers

Attend: Throughout the year, ASME offers an array of events for members and others to experience firsthand how today’s engineers are building a better future for all of us. Below are some upcoming events you may find of interest; for a complete list, visit the ASME Calendar page.

ASME E-FEST^® NORTH
April 3rd - 5th, 2020
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
efestnorth.asme.org

At an ASME E-Fest^®, students engage in a jam-packed, interdisciplinary experience where teams compete in categories like Human-Powered Vehicles, Robotics, and 3D Printing over three days.

ASME EFx^® Boston
March 14th, 2020
Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC)
Northeastern University
efxboston.asme.org

ASME EFx^® is a one-day event where students participate in Impromptu Engineering Competitions and Interactive Workshops/Training Sessions designed to help navigate the early stages of starting a career.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers ^®
( ASME^® )