From the Editor's Desk

A lively panel discussion on energy policy and technology amused and informed an audience of about 500 last night and highlighted the keynote event at ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition.

A variety of perspectives were on display on stage, as speakers came from a spectrum of the energy area. Moderator Llewellyn King, executive producer and host of “White House Chronicle,” provided much of the entertainment with his wry wit and sharp comments.

The panelists were Donald McConnell, corporate senior vice president of Battelle and president of Battelle Energy Technology; Kip Morison, chief technology officer for BC Hydro, Canada; John Reilly, co-director of the MIT Joint Program Sloan School of Management; and Karen Thole, head of the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering department at Penn State.

To view my live tweets from the keynote event, see my Twitter posts feed on the bottom right of this blog.

The team from Oregon State University took first place in the 2010 ASME Student Design Competition held here in Vancouver yesterday.

First place came with a cash prize of $3,000. In second place was the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and third place went to Canada’s McGill University (see my related post from yesterday below).

For more information on this year’s ASME Student Design Competition, click here.

In his keynote address at the President’s Luncheon yesterday, ASME President Robert T. Simmons said the Society is poised for growth.

 “Because of the work of our Board of Governors, numerous volunteer leaders around the world, and a very dedicated staff, we (ASME) are poised for future greatness,” Simmons said. “Women and early career engineers will play an important part in this growth.”

Simmons also predicted that half of ASME’s membership will reside outside the United States in 10 years, and said ASME would double the number of its student members. He also said ASME will increase activities in every energy sector, including renewables and other emerging technologies. 

At the luncheon, nine Society awards were presented, including the Frank Kreith Energy Award, the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award, and the Performance Test Codes Medal.  The luncheon included a presentation by Karen Malesky, president of the ASME Auxiliary, who spoke of the activities and accomplishments of the Auxiliary over the past year.

For more information on the President’s Luncheon, click here.