NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2009 – ASME will pay tribute to the engineering and scientific achievements of some of today’s leading engineers, educators, and inventors.  The 2009 ASME Honors Assembly, a gala event of the Society’s annual International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, will be held Nov. 16 at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Honors Assembly event will include such engineering notables as former NASA astronaut Bonnie J. Dunbar; the president of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Charles M. Vest, and Professor Nam Pyo Suh of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. In all, ten individuals will be recognized for their technical accomplishments, innovation and dedication to the goals and programs of ASME and to the betterment of humanity.   

This 90-minute multi-media program will begin at 5:30 p.m. and feature the following distinguished award recipients:   

Louis E. Hayden, Jr.
Louis E. Hayden Associates
Bethlehem, Pa.
Award: Melvin R. Green Codes and Standards Medal

Robert H. Socolow
Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.
Award: Frank Kreith Energy Award

Mary T. Drouin
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, D.C.
Award: Bernard F. Langer Nuclear Codes and Standards Medal

Lambert Ben Freund
Brown University
Providence, R.I.
Award: Nadai Medal

Bonnie J. Dunbar
Seattle Museum of Flight
Seattle, Wash.
Award: The Ralph Coats Roe Medal

Winfred M. Phillips
University of Florida
Gainesville, Fla.
Award: ASME Honorary Membership

William A. Weiblen
Pratt & Whitney (Retired)
Award: ASME Honorary Membership

Charles M. Vest
U.S. National Academy of Engineering
Washington, D.C.
Award: ASME Honorary Membership

David L. Belden
United Engineering Foundation               
Mount Vernon, Va.                             
Award: ASME Honorary Membership

Nam Pyo Suh
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Award: ASME Medal

The ASME honors and awards program is funded through The ASME Foundation by individual awards and endowment funds.  This year’s Honors Assembly will be hosted by ASME President Amos E. Holt and John W. Cipolla, chair of the ASME Committee on Honors.

In addition to the Honors Assembly, the 2009 ASME Congress will include technical session and presentations on the latest advances in engineering. Experts will speak on topics including aerospace technology, transportation, bioengineering, energy and the environment, and fluid mechanics, among others.  Also, this year’s keynote event on Nov. 17 is titled “Space Exploration: Commemorating the Past, Envisioning the Future,” and will feature keynote speaker, former Apollo astronaut Ken Mattingly.  The conference will continue through Nov. 19.

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.

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ASME Contact: John Varrasi
varrasij@asme.org or 212.591.8158

Media contact: Regina Nisita
rnisita@affectstrategies.com or 212.398.9680 ext 145