ASME Announces Keynote Speakers for Impact.Engineered

Also Announces Award Nominees

NEW YORK, NY, Nov 18, 2020 – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)’s Engineering for Change (E4C) has announced keynote speakers and award nominees for its fourth annual Impact.Engineered forum, a virtual event and networking experience, 9 a.m. to 2p.m. EST, Thursday and Friday, Dec 3-4, 2020.

Keynote speakers Asha Varghese, president of The Caterpillar Foundation, and Jenny Frankel-Reed, climate adaptation strategy lead for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will open and close the event with their remarks. Varghese, a thought leader in workforce readiness, international business development, and sustainable infrastructure, and Frankel-Reed, an advocate of technology enabling climate resilience, will share their unique perspectives on engineering pathways to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The only event that recognizes and amplifies the role of engineers in solving global challenges, Impact.Engineered offers participants the opportunity to meet and learn from engineers, social entrepreneurs, multilateral agencies, impact investors, industry leaders, and rising stars who are shaping the future of business and engineering. The two-day program includes a full roster of global thought-leading speakers – more than 60% of whom are women – in interactive workshops and presentations, a technology showcase, and awards reception.

The program focuses on “partnerships advancing the decade of action,” in recognition of the 2030 agenda for achieving the U.N. SDGs and acknowledging that global challenges from climate change to COVID-19 and economic downturn require technical solutions, workforce development, resilient infrastructure and public leadership to drive implementation. The virtual format creates new opportunities to connect with E4C’s global audience of more than one million innovators. Visit the event agenda for more details.

Impact.Engineered Awards will recognize “the best of the best” across several categories. The 2020 nominees are:

Winners will be announced based on the selection of an esteemed panel of experts, including: Phyllis Westerman, senior manager of Red Hat’s global services knowledge management organization; Shaun Stewart, CEO of New Lab; Joe Speicher, executive director of Autodesk Foundation; Heather Fleming, co-founder and executive director of Change Labs; and Jackie O’Brien, CEO of Engineers Without Borders (EWB)-USA.

Impact.Engineered will also honor the important contributions of the ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) 2020 cohort of innovators and two Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge winners, who will exhibit their social impact hardware in the Tech Gallery.

“The change agents and thought leaders who participate in Impact.Engineering are truly inspiring in their commitment to improve the quality of life for people around the world,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile, who will deliver opening remarks at the event. “ASME shares their belief that engineering and technological innovation can help solve many challenges for humankind and our planet.”

For more information, visit impact-engineered.org.

About Engineering for Change (E4C)

Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, Engineering for Change (E4C) is a knowledge organization dedicated to preparing, educating, and activating the international engineering workforce to improve the quality of life of underserved communities worldwide. E4C provides access to resources, talent and platforms that accelerate the development of impactful solutions and infuse engineering rigor into global development. Our diverse, global community of more than one million people comprises engineers, technologists, social entrepreneurs, and development practitioners.

Jointly founded by ASME and other leading engineering societies, E4C has attracted the support of a variety of partners and sponsors ranging from industry, academia, non-profits and multilateral organizations, and corporations including Siemens.

About ASME

ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges.  Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society.  ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. ASME recently formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community.

For more information, visit www.asme.org.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *