Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times Columnist, To Keynote The 2012 ASME Congress In Houston

Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times Columnist, To Keynote The 2012 American Society Of Mechanical Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Congress In Houston

Additional speakers include Michael Coats, Director of the Johnson Space Center; Nathan Wiedenman, Program Manager, DARPA,Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
and Rustom Mody, VP of Technology at Baker Hughes Inc.

 

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2012 – Thomas L. Friedman, Pulitzer Prize winning author and foreign affairs columnist at The New York Times, will deliver the keynote speech on the topic of energy diversity at the ASME 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition.  More than 3,000 delegates are expected to attend the global conference, which will be held Nov. 9-15, at Hilton Americas in Houston, Texas.

Friedman, the author of six bestselling books on topics ranging from terrorism to climate change, will address the Congress on Nov. 12 at 8:15 a.m.

The presentations by three other thought leaders in engineering are:

• Nov. 13: Nathan Wiedenman, program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will report on the DARPA FANG (Fast, Adaptable, Next-Generation Ground Vehicle) Challenges.  The FANG Challenges are a series of three increasingly complex collaborative design competitions that will ultimately result in the design of a heavy, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle for the U.S. Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle program.
• Nov. 14: Rustom K. Mody, vice president of technology at Baker Hughes Inc., will explain how continuous investments in fundamental research contribute to new technologies in the energy sector.  He will discuss the connection between research funding and technology innovations that have significantly impacted commercial energy development, from nano-based drill bits to durable water swelling elastomers.  
• Nov. 15: Michael Coats, director of the Johnson Space Center, will discuss the state of the facility, which has managed the nation's human space flight program for the last 50 years.

The ASME 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress will include more than 1,700 technical papers on topics ranging from aerospace technology and manufacturing to biotechnology and dynamic systems.  Multidisciplinary in format, the conference also will explore microsystems, nanotechnology, mechatronics and other subjects that are at the forefront of engineering.  For complete information, visit www.asmeconferences.org/Congress2012/.

ASME Foundation is sponsoring and funding many programs and activities at the Congress, including the keynote session.

About ASME Foundation
ASME Foundation provides support for ASME programs, scholarships, awards and honors.  ASME Foundation champions ASME's mission to serve diverse global communities by advancing, disseminating and applying engineering knowledge for improving the quality of life, and communicating the excitement of engineering. Visit the ASME Foundation.  

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. Additional information is available at www.asme.org