"A Summit of Global Proportions," M.E. Online Exclusive, October 2008

October 2008

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ME Online Exclusives,
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A Summit of Global Proportions

by Thomas M. Barlow,
ASME President

Future views of mechanical engineering have set a high priority for the advancement of technology and sustainable solutions that address issues of energy, environment, health, and water. Mechanical engineers will provide engineering solutions designed to improve the quality of life for the technical have-nots who constitute the majority of the world’s population. These findings have been published in a report from the “Global Summit on the Future of Mechanical Engineering,” which was held last April to discuss a vision of the mechanical engineering profession and of ASME over the next 20 years.

The Summit drew together engineers, government officials, and other industry leaders from 19 countries and six continents, as well as ASME governors, past presidents and members of its Industry Advisory Board, all of whom set aside their geographic boundaries and political concerns to openly discuss our profession and its future role. The challenges are great — among them are worldwide shortages of energy, food and water; the infrastructure needs of developing nations; and the mitigation of the effects of major disasters and tragedies — in that they impact the entire global community and will require global cooperation to resolve them. I sensed wide agreement that collaboration among nations would be essential in making the needed progress.

ASME’s task now is to find ways to approach what we learned, to streamline our priorities to understandable and workable forums. The measure of this Summit is in broadening our scope of challenges to encompass the broader vision of developing engineering solutions that “foster a cleaner, healthier, safer and sustainable world.”

There are many possibilities we can discuss and expand, especially when looking at the grand challenges, such as energy and water management. And, as we engage in dialogue, the world takes another turn and the immediacy for action both presses us and presents continuing new challenges. Many uncertainties will also complicate our approaches to these challenges. Our investments, our assessment of lessons learned, our approaches to engineering education, and our responses to future conflicts and natural disasters will be part of the dynamic mix of technological choices. This is but the tip of the iceberg of uncertainties.

ASME has partnered with the Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) to help identify major influences, or drivers, that are seen as likely to shape the course of engineering practice over the next two decades. Among the notable are:

• Engineering at the extremes of large- and small-scale systems, requiring greater knowledge and multidisciplinary coordination across greater distances and time frames, and

• The competitive edge of knowledge, which will see demands for greater technical knowledge and more depth in management, creativity, and problem-solving.

ASME, as a convener of meetings and a home base for networking, can anticipate how to fulfill many of the needs for critical knowledge and competencies required in meeting these challenges. International cooperation and the building of partnerships are keys to adapting and learning. In a world that is too complex and interdependent for any one nation, institution, or profession to address or control, our choices reach beyond technical disciplines to leadership in all dimensions of business and public life, with significant ties to personal choices as well. The Summit report poses many globally significant questions for discussion and action.

As Summit participants discussed the next important steps — such as increasing public awareness, taking leadership seriously, and leading in systems-oriented engineering approaches — I began to fully appreciate how this process of strategic management truly helps ASME to turn talk into practical application. Informed decision-making paired with broad visionary thinking throughout the ASME leadership will infuse vitality into the planning process. Whether the discussions take place at a Board of Governors meeting or retreat, at local Section or Technical Division and Institute meetings, or online in the ASME PeerLink forums, this shared vision is a powerful process that guides both our immediate dialogue and how we approach learning for the next generation of engineers. I hope all members make use of this report and join in its application.

By hosting this Summit, ASME confirms its voice once again as a responsive and responsible engineering organization and a willing partner for others with similar objectives.

Editor’s note: The text of the report, “2008 Vision for Mechanical Engineering,” is available online at http://www.asmeconferences.org/asmeglobalsummit/
FinalGlobalSummitReport.pdf. Additional reporting from the Global Summit in an article, “Taking Engineering’s Pulse,” in the June 2008 issue is online at http://www.memagazine.org/june08/features/
takingeng/takingeng.html.