Section Members Honored at North Texas Section Awards Event

Section Members Honored at North Texas Section Awards Event Section Members Honored at North Texas Section Awards Event Section Members Honored at North Texas Section Awards EventSept. 9, 2016 ASME Past President Sam Zamrik (center) with the winners of the North Texas Sections Outstanding Graduate and Undergraduate Student Awards. The winners, who were honored during the sections Annual Awards Banquet in May, were Mohammad Kashki from Southern Methodist University, Cassidi Mercereau from the University of North Texas, Tyler Pharris from Baylor University, Elise Lebiga of Southern Methodist University, Adam Girard from the University of Texas at Dallas, Sarah Stair of Baylor University, Leslie McKown of UT Dallas, and Hyeonu Heo from the University of North Texas. ASME sections depend upon the hard work and dedication of their members to ensure the continued success and growth of section programs and activities. That invaluable support from diligent section members is recognized at special awards ceremonies that are held by the Societys various sections throughout the year. The ASME North Texas Section recently honored the contributions of its members at such an event, the Annual Awards Banquet, which was held in Plano, Texas, on May 6.ASME member Xu Nie, Ph.D., was one of the section members who was recognized at this years banquet. Dr. Nie was the recipient of the North Texas Sections Young Engineer of the Year Award, which is bestowed upon ASME North Texas Section members aged 36 or younger with five to 12 years of work experience. Honorees are selected based on their significant accomplishments in the broad field of mechanical engineering, including engineering management. Dani Fadda, Ph.D., P.E., was named as recipient of the North Texas Section Engineer of the Year Award, which is given to section members with at least 12 years of work experience. (Dr. Faddas selection was announced in the Aug. 19 Newsmakers section of ASME News. To read more, visit https//www.asme.org/about-asme/news/asme-news/newsmakersfadda.) Past President Sam Zamrik discussed his thoughts about the future of the engineering profession during his presentation, Engineering - A New Dimension, at the banquet.Also during the event, ASME Fellow Elliott Short, Ph.D., was presented with the ASME Dedicated Service Award for his continuous tafelgeschirr and leadership at the local and national level. Currently a member of the ME Today Committee, Dr. Short has served in a number of Society positions, including chair and vice chair of the North Texas Section, chair of ASME District E, and leader of the Global Communities Operating Board. In addition, a local company, Kenney Industries, and a North Texas Section member, Chris Cook, were each recognized for their contributions to the section. Kenney Industries received the Industry Plaque for its support of the section, while Cook received the Scott Kalmus Award for continuous and outstanding serv ice to the section.A number of undergraduate and graduate students were also honored during the banquet, which was attended by numerous young engineers and students from North Texas. Several graduate students received Outstanding Graduate Student Awards, including Mohammad Kashki of Southern Methodist University, Adam Girard from the University of Texas at Dallas, Sarah Stair of Baylor University, and Hyeonu Heo from the University of North Texas. In addition, five engineering undergrads were presented with Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards Cassidi Mercereau of the University of North Texas, Tyler Pharris from Baylor University, Elise Lebiga of Southern Methodist University and Leslie McKown from the University of Texas at Dallas. The section also recognized the service of a number of its 25-year, 50-year and life members at the dinner. ASME Fellow Elliott Short (right) was honored with the ASME Dedicated Service Award at the North Texas Section Annual Awards Ba nquet in May. The awards sponsor, ASME Past President Sam Zamrik (left), also presented the Dedicated Service Award to Dr. Short at the banquet.Prior to the conferral of the awards, ASME Past President Sam Y. Zamrik, Ph.D., delivered a presentation titled Engineering - A New Dimension, during which he discussed the current state of the engineering profession and what young engineers should expect in the future. Engineers face tremendous challenges, said Dr. Zamrik, Professor Emeritus of Engineering Mechanics at Pennsylvania State University. These challenges include increased competition for engineering talent worldwide and the need for soft skills, such as language skills and an understanding of different cultures, he said. The next generation of engineers must be equipped with knowledge to do business in global markets, regardless where their desktops reside, Zamrik said. Our profession mandates that we learn, innovate, adopt faster than ever before.In coming years, he continued, most future design solutions will incorporate nano- and biotechnologies, and technology will be driven by the need to improve the standard of living for people around the world. In addition, he said that international collaborations and systems thinking were expected to result in dramatic changes in the practice of engineering. As he brought his presentation to a close, Zamrik noted that the key to producing first-rate engineers is the quality of the education they receive. He went on to say that changes in engineering education were necessary, and that a number of universities in the United States were attempting to address the issue by adding curriculum options such as minor programs in such areas as biomedical or biomechanical, pharmaceutical, smart structures, management engineering, and electronics nanostructures.