ASME Federal Government Fellowships Begin Terms in Washington D.C.

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2011 – Three members of ASME have begun serving as congressional fellows in Washington, D.C., where they will contribute expertise and perspective on technical initiatives under consideration in public policy discourse.

David M. McStravick, Ph.D., P.E., Kenneth W. Miller, Ph.D., P.E., and Benjamin I. Cohen, Ph.D., will each serve a one-year term.

McStravick is a professor in the practice of mechanical engineering at Rice University, Houston, and president of an engineering consulting firm he founded in 1993, Lynes Inc.  At Lynes, McStravick is involved in equipment design, software development and thermal analysis for pipelines, wellheads, and other offshore petroleum systems.  He has worked in industry for Exxon Co., Baker Hughes International, and Radoil Inc.

The recipient of a Ph.D. from Rice, McStravick is published and has been issued 15 patents.  Among other honors, he is the recipient of the Distinguished Baker College Associate Award and HP Technology Teaching Grant Award.  McStravick will serve in the office of Senator Mark Begich (D-AK)

Kenneth Miller, who will assist the office of Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) is a professor of engineering at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn.  Among his academic contributions at St. Cloud State, Miller was instrumental in establishing the Thermal Sciences Teaching Laboratory.  Previously, Miller was on the faculty of the University of South Carolina, where for six years he taught courses in a variety of engineering subjects and also created a laboratory for the dynamic testing of materials.

He has 32 years of experience in engineering disciplines ranging from energy systems to materials processing, and has worked in industry at General Motors and Michelin Tire.

Miller received his education and training at Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of South Carolina, earning a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from South Carolina in 2000. 

Benjamin Cohen is the recent recipient of a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., where he was involved in biomechanics and published an article on the research and experimentation of control volume for analyzing cerebrospinal fluid dynamics.

Having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University (N.J.), Cohen has served as a research assistant at Rutgers and also as a GK-12 fellow at the National Science Foundation.  As an NSF fellow, Cohen collaborated with a high school on the development of STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classroom activities.  Among other honors, Cohen is the recipient of the Founders Award of Excellence (2010) from RPI.  He will serve in the office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

ASME was the first engineering society to establish a Federal Government Fellowship Program, which began in 1973. The program enables selected ASME members to devote a year of working in government, providing technical advice to policy makers in the Congress and other federal agencies.

Federal government fellows provide a valuable public service to the nation, while providing engineers with a unique opportunity to participate directly in the policy making process. Fellows have distinguished themselves as key advisors to the government in areas such as aerospace, critical infrastructure, risk analysis, energy, manufacturing, and engineering education.

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.