Engineers for Social Impact Honored in New York City
Engineers for Social Impact Honored in New York City
The Third Annual Impact.Engineered Awards Recognize the World’s ‘Pragmatic Optimists’ Improving Life in Underserved Communities
NEW YORK (October 22, 2019) – The third annual Impact.Engineered Awards has named this year’s “best of the best” winners in the following categories:
- Women Leading in Technology and Impact
- Connecting the Unconnected
- Industry Driving Social Impact
- Hardware Trailblazer
- Rising Star
This year’s Impact.Engineered Award winners are:
- For the Women Leading in Technology and Impact award:
Dr. Revi Sterling - Director of the USAID Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a new fund to support women working in emerging economies. Dr. Sterling is a socio-technical researcher and practitioner in information and communication technology (ICT) for development, with an emphasis on gender. She is leading the cutting-edge WomenConnect Challenge for USAID.
Kamakshi Rao of Ankur Capital (left) presented the award to Dr. Sterling.
- For the Connecting the Unconnected award:
EQUALS in Tech - whose vision is to empower women and girls in acquiring skills
that will help them become both ICT users and creators in the digital world as well as in broader science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields by 2030.
Aiden Slavin of ID2020 (right) presented the award to EQUALS in Tech.
- For the Industry Driving Social Impact award:
Safaricom - Kenya's largest mobile network operates a 10-year-old foundation that has assisted more than one million people through disaster response and community enrichment. Its programs include mobile medical camps, classroom construction, income generation projects, the provision of safe drinking water and large-scale tree planting.
- For the Hardware Trailblazer award:
ClearFlame Engines - whose technology offers a 10 percent reduction in fuel costs, 30 percent more torque, and 40 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions by using low-carbon fuels.
- For the Rising Star award:
Harvest Platform - whose mission is to eliminate bad debt starting with high-interest bank fees. The startup provides digital tools to identify negotiable bank fees and procure refunds.
Anand Sethupathy, ASME managing director of programs (right), presented the award to Harvest Platform.
The awards ceremony capped off a full-day program that included interactive workshops and presentations, a technology showcase, and tours of the NYU Tandon MakerSpace.
Keynote speaker Neil Yeoh, a climate consultant, investor, and Forbes columnist, inspired engineers to consider the negative impacts of their work, and to develop new systems that account for the social costs of technologies. He spoke about the future of work in the context of his own journey and search for purpose, then struck a hopeful note in closing. "No matter where we come from, we are of the same world – a world where we can make change," Yeoh said.
Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton and Astra Bonini of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reaffirmed the importance of engineering for global development in their closing remarks.
Impact.Engineered is made possible by sponsors including Futureworks NYC Incubator, IEEE, M-Corps, SecondMuse and the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, and academic partners Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and our hosts at New York University Tandon School of Engineering.
About Impact.Engineered
Impact.Engineered is a one-day forum in New York City that celebrates the engineering profession’s contributions to social and environmental innovation. Organized by ASME and Engineering for Change, this unique event convenes a global network of pragmatic optimists including engineers, designers, entrepreneurs, investors, academics and disruptors to explore their shared ambition to making a positive impact and figuring out how. For more information, visit www.impact-engineered.org.
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. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
About Engineering for Change
Engineering for Change is a global community and knowledge organization working to prepare, educate and activate the international engineering workforce to improve the quality of life of underserved communities around the world. We do this by providing resources and platforms that accelerate the development of impactful solutions and ensure public health and safety around the globe. For more information, visit www.engineeringforchange.org.
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Media Contact:
Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1.541.554.3796
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