| American Society of Mechanical Engineers | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ASME |
| Formation | 1880 |
| Type | not-for-profit membership organization |
| Headquarters | New York, NY |
| Location | Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990 |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Membership | +120,000 in over 150 countries |
| Official languages | English |
| President | Victoria Rockwell |
| President-elect (June 2012) | Marc W. Goldsmith, P.E. |
| Affiliations | AIChE |
| Website | www.asme.org |
ASME, founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, is a professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe." It accomplishes this promotion via "continuing education, training and professional development, codes and standards, research, conferences and publications, government relations, and other forms of outreach."[1] ASME is thus an engineering society, a standards organization, a research and development organization, a lobbying organization, a provider of training and education, and a nonprofit organization. Founded as an engineering society focused on mechanical engineering in North America, ASME is today multidisciplinary and global.
The organization's stated vision is to be the premier organization for promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences to the diverse communities throughout the world. Its stated mission is to promote and enhance the technical competency and professional well-being of its members, and through quality programs and activities in mechanical engineering, better enable its practitioners to contribute to the well-being of humankind.[2] ASME has over 120,000 members in more than 150 countries worldwide.[3]
ASME was founded in 1880 by Alexander Lyman Holley, Henry Rossiter Worthington, John Edison Sweet and Matthias N. Forney in response to numerous steam boiler pressure vessel failures.[4] The organization is known for setting codes and standards for mechanical devices. The ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations through its ASME Press,[5] holds numerous technical conferences and hundreds of professional development courses each year, and sponsors numerous outreach and educational programs.
Core values include:[2]
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ASME is one of the oldest standards-developing organizations in the world. It produces approximately 600 codes and standards, covering many technical areas, such as boiler components, elevators, measurement of fluid flow in closed conduits, cranes, hand tools, fasteners, and machine tools. Some ASME standards have been translated into other languages other than English, such Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.[6]
Note that according to ASME:[7]
The largest ASME standard, both in size and in the number of volunteers involved in its preparation, is the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). BPVC is a standard that provides rules for the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels. It is reviewed every three years. The BPVC consists of twelve volumes. Stamps for defining and certification of a boiler and a pressure vessel according to the ASME code include some of the more common S, U, U2 and U3 of many.[8]
The following people are, or were, notable members of ASME:
ASME runs the Student Professional Development Conference (SPDC), which allows students and working engineers to network, hosts contests, and promotes ASME's benefits to professionals. Conferences are held in ten different districts. Districts A-F are held in North America, District G is in Asia and Australia, District H includes most of Europe, District I is in Central and South America, and District J covers the Middle East and parts of Africa. The location for each district changes every year.[14]
There are five competitions held at each conference and they are:
Best paper submitted to the Fluid Engineering Department Young Engineer Paper Contest Committee. Several hundred papers are submitted annually to the FED department of ASME and 5 finalists are selected to present their research at the Annual ASME Conference and the #1 spot is given during the Fluid Engineering Award Ceremony at the conference. All the finalists papers are published in the conference proceedings and also receive finalists plaques.[15]
Each competition has its own set of rules and prizes. The Student Design Competition allows engineering students to showcase their abilities, engineering knowledge, and creativity. Every year a problem statement is put up on the ASME SDC website which states the problem that must be solved and the various constraints that go along with it. The first-place team at each district is then invited to compete in an international competition held at ASME's International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE).[16]
In addition to the events held at the annual SPDCs, ASME also hosts the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) in three locations: US-East, US-West and Latin America. The events are held on different college campuses each year. Rules and requirements for the HPVC can be found on the program website.[17]
Following the reorganization of the ASME during the Continuity and Change process, volunteer activity was organized into five sectors. Each sector is led by a volunteer Senior Vice President who reports directly to the Board of Governors.
Senior Vice President: Clark G. McCarrell
Mission: Support the growth, vitality and diversity of mechanical and multi-disciplinary engineering, to cultivate future leaders, and to celebrate the contribution of engineers to the well-being of humankind.
Groups (Centers) within Centers are led by Vice Presidents:
Mission: The Council on Standards and Certification under the direction of the Board of Governors, will supervise the activities of the Society relating to Standards and Certification.
Groups (Boards) within Standards and Certification are as follows:
Senior Vice President: David Wisler
Mission: Providing a focused arena for business activities relevant to identified technical, educational or technological endeavors is the underlying purpose of ASME’s Institutes area.
Groups (Institutes) within Institutes are led by Vice Presidents:
Senior Vice President: Richard Laudenat
Mission: The K&C Sector is designed to provide an organizational and management structure for over 800 member units. The entire K & C structure serves as a resource and platform for enabling the member units
Groups (Communities) within Knowledge & Community are led by Vice Presidents:
Senior Vice President: Robert Pangborn
Mission: The Strategic Management Sector Board of Directors (SMBOD) under the direction of the Board of Governors, is responsible for the activities of the Society relating to identification, capture and transfer of knowledge that will support ASME’s strategies for the technical innovation and advocacy of public policies that are important to advancement of industry and the profession. The units of the Sector include the Board on Government Relations, the Industry Advisory Board, the Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Committee and the Strategic Issues Committee. The operation guide defines the voting members, election of sector leadership, committee duties, meetings and records.
Groups (Boards) within Knowledge & Community are led by a Vice President, Members-at-Large, and Committee Chairs:
ASME became the first non-profit organization to be guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1982. The Supreme Court found he organization liable for more than $6 million in American Society of Mechanical Engineers v. Hydrolevel Corp.
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