Two Top International Engineering Societies Collaborate to Support Climate Research

 
NEW YORK (August 11, 2022) — Two of the world’s premier engineering professional societies today announce a collaborative sustainability research effort focused on applying new technologies to combat climate change in a project called “Decarbonization through Digitalization.”
 
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI), the German Association of Engineers, together will investigate approaches engineers can take to mitigate climate change in both the German/European and U.S. contexts. The research will center on fossil fuel dependency, both in terms of the various geopolitical drivers that affect the issue, and the role major corporations play in actively addressing the problem.
 
Launching in August, the six-month project will involve four graduate-level or early-career professionals—two American and two German—to serve as Fellows. Over six months, the Fellows will conduct collaborative research, work with mentors from the ASME and VDI networks, and join a global network of more than 200 past and current ASME Engineering for Change (E4C) Fellows, learning cross-cultural skills and interdisciplinary approaches while building their professional networks.
 
At the conclusion of the Fellowship in early 2023, Decarbonization through Digitalization research results will be published on the Engineering for Change platform and disseminated jointly by ASME and VDI. In addition, progress reports will be published in real time.
 
The ASME-VDI collaboration is an extension of ASME’s existing E4C Fellowship program. Since launching in 2014, ASME has awarded more than 200 E4C Fellowships to early-career engineers from more than 40 countries. Half of all E4C Fellows are women, who are significantly underrepresented in the engineering community. The annual E4C Fellowship cohort includes more than 50 graduate-level engineering students and early-career engineers who pursue a wide array of impact projects, all of which address one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The E4C Fellowship commences in November 2022 and concludes in April 2023 with publication of their research findings.
 
“Harnessing next generation engineering talent to address critical climate change challenges is one of the ways ASME fulfills its mission to advance engineering for the benefit of humanity,” said Tom Costabile, P.E., executive director/CEO of ASME. “Working together with VDI reflects the international nature of the challenge and unites leading engineering professional societies in a concerted effort to help decarbonize the atmosphere through digital technologies.”
 
VDI Managing Director Ralph Appel said: “The global challenges we are facing require international cooperation. Collaborating with ASME gives VDI the opportunity to especially support our students and young professionals in their competence development as well as their intercultural and networking capabilities.  The skills honed through these Fellowships will also better equip them to help successfully implement decarbonization efforts in the future.” 
 
The E4C Fellowship is one of more than a dozen philanthropic programs supported by the ASME Foundation, which funds initiatives aimed at empowering next generation engineers by increasing equitable access to the engineering profession and helping to build a more sustainable future.
 
About VDI
Verein Deutscher Ingenieure is an organization of over 135,000 engineers and natural scientists. More than 12,000 honorary experts process the latest technical findings each year to promote the technology location. Established in 1856, it is the largest engineering association in Western Europe. For more information, visit https://www.vdi.de/.
 
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. In 2020, ASME 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, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. In 2021, ASME launched a second for-profit subsidiary, Metrix Connect LLC, an industry events and content platform to accelerate digital transformation in the engineering community and an agent for the Mechanical Engineering® brand of media products. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
 
About Engineering for Change (E4C)
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.

About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs organized into three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow's more diverse technical workforce to build a more sustainable future, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.
   
Media contacts:

Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
+1-541-554-3796
monica@mcshovlin.com
 
Sarah Janczura
VDI Press Officer
+49 211 6214 641
sarah.janczura@vdi.de