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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5
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FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Theobald Retires from ASM
At the end of May, Stanley C.
Theobald officially retired from
ASM International. He spent more
than 30 years with ASM and served
as managing director for just over
10. Many great things were ac-
complished under his leadership.
In the past few years, Theobald
made major strides in developing
ASM’s government relations and
secured several grants for future business development. He
will now spend the majority of his time in Hilton Head, S.C.,
with his wife Kate. ASM extends sincere thanks to Theobald
for his tireless contributions and we wish him good luck,
health, and happiness for the future.
FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S DESK
On Diversity
and Inclusion
In April, I had the privilege
of representing ASM Interna-
tional at the 2015 Convocation
of the Professional Engineer-
ing Societies at the National
Academy of Engineering, held
in Washington. Nearly 100 rep-
resentatives of 44 engineering
societies gathered for presenta-
tions and discussions on Big Data insights into complex
socioeconomic systems, and supporting reentry and al-
ternative career paths into the engineering workforce.
On the second day, we visited Capitol Hill for a review of
the engineering policy priorities for the Administration
and Congress, which include Big Data, energy policy, and
manufacturing policy.
One of my key takeaways from the meeting was that
the cohort of engineering societies are facing the same
challenges—an aging membership base, recruitment and
retention of newmembers, and a general concern that en-
gineering is perceived as too old, too male, and too white.
On the other hand, opportunities on the horizon are truly
compelling. Some of these include solving problems of
energy capture, storage, and delivery, reenergizing man-
ufacturing and developing a technical workforce, and
wisely using the power of Big Data to identify and solve
societal issues. These are all arenas where ASM members
play significant roles and contribute to the future. Further,
these opportunities will set the context for many reward-
ing careers, which should be open and available to any-
one willing to develop themselves and contribute.
In its 2012 report, the President’s Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology identified a need for up to one
million additional STEM professionals over the next de-
cade than are projected to graduate at current rates. Pre-
sentations from some of the other engineering societies
and the Office of Science and Technology Policy focused
on efforts around diversity and inclusion to broaden par-
ticipation in STEM education and strengthen the STEM
workforce. Attraction and retention are keys to bridging
this gap. By identifying and addressing barriers to entry
and reentry, as well as enabling nontraditional paths to
STEM careers, we can shape the future with a more di-
verse and inclusive workforce. ASM has always been open
to anyone with an interest in materials, and our volunteer
leadership is committed to strengthening our long tradi-
tion of diversity and inclusion for the benefit of society.
Sunniva R. Collins
Collins
Han Named National
Merit Scholar
The ASM Materials Education
Foundation selected Nicholas Han
as the 2015 ASM Materials Educa-
tion Foundation National Merit
Scholar. Han will graduate from
Westview High School, Portland,
Ore., this year. He was selected
based on his outstanding aca-
demic achievements, diversity of activities, and interest in
pursuing a career in materials engineering. The ASM Mate-
rials Education Foundation has been participating in the
National Merit Scholarship Program for over 50 years. The
National Merit Scholarship Corp. is a not-for-profit organiza-
tion with a portion of its scholarship activities underwritten
by corporate, college, and foundation sponsors like the ASM
Foundation. For more information, contact Jeane Deather-
age at 440.338.5151 ext. 5533 or
.