September 2014
Inside This Issue1 / Arch Reactors Presentation and Tour
2 / Article on Maker Movement
3 / ASME Undergraduate Scholarship
3 / Engineer’s Club Capital Campaign
3 / Volunteers Needed
3 / St. Louis Section Online
4 / 2013-2014 Section Board
4 / Next Board Meeting
4 / ASME Membership Drive
Educators Use Maker Movement to Spark Student Interest in STEM Careers
From Missouri Business Alert website
Excerpts from the Article:
For the past two years the Science Center has partnered with Arch Reactor, a community-run workshop for hobbyists and “makers,” also known as a hackerspace. The partnership is part of the Active Creativity Initiative, a Science Center program that brings together hackers, makers, crafters, tinkerers and formal artists, a group often referred to collectively as the “maker movement.”
The high-tech movement was nurtured by MAKE Magazine, founded in 2005. As interest in the do-it-yourself, or DIY, community grew, so did the magazine. The magazine held the first Maker Faire, a festival celebrating the movement, in the Bay Area in 2006. The faires have grown to include numerous locations worldwide, and hackerspaces like Arch Reactor have popped up in metropolitan areas across the country.
Now the trend is catching on in schools, libraries and other public education spaces as a way to interest students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, careers. The timing coincides with a profound shortage of STEM workers — Missouri will need to fill 143,000 STEM jobs by 2018, according to a report from STEMconnector, an online network that connects STEM educators.
This gap in STEM workers is being felt by employers throughout the state. Less than 2 percent of the four million students who enter kindergarten each year will earn a four-year degree in engineering, Matt Daniels, regional manager of university relations for Boeing, said via email.
“In a global economy where the rate of job growth in science, technology, engineering and math is outpacing other sectors, we have a limited number of students graduating in STEM fields and more competition than ever for talent,” Daniels said. “These challenges are felt by high-tech employers like Boeing.”
With this shortage in mind, the company has made efforts to promote technology engagement. Boeing introduced a 3-D printing course for its employees and actively supports and mentors students participating in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competitions and other engineering competitions.
“Maker culture is thriving right now, and it’s wonderful that our school has jumped on board,” teacher Andrew Goodin said. “There’s so much learning that happens when students are in control of their own projects.”
Goodin said students use 3-D printers, Arduinos, iPads and other tools to create projects. Some students even created their own in-school businesses and sold what they made to other students.
http://missouribusinessalert.com/industry/45489/2014/06/24/educators-use-maker-movement-to-spark-student-interest-in-stem-careers/
ASME Undergraduate Scholarship
The St. Louis section is currently accepting nominations for a $500 undergraduate scholarship. In order to be considered, the student must submit the following by January 31st:
· Unofficial transcripts showing the student is an undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
· ASME student membership – include ASME membership number in submittal
· Submit an essay describing outstanding accomplishments including volunteer roles in ASME (member of design team, officer positions held, etc.)
All materials should be emailed to with “Scholarship” in the subject line.
Selection will be based primarily on ASME volunteerism. Open to students attending a university in the St. Louis Section: St. Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Missouri University of Science Technology, Washington University, and University of Missouri in St. Louis.
Engineer’s Club Capital Campaign: vision2015
The Engineer’s Club of St. Louis is conducting a capital campaign to raise $3 million in funds for improvements and remodeling of the Engineer’s Club building. The current club building is 54 years old and is in need of several building improvements. Funds will be directed to replace the HVAC system and remodel the auditorium. The club will be holding events to raise funds though December 2014. See the St. Louis Engineer’s Club website at http://www.engineersclub.net/vision2015/ to read more about the planned renovation and review the many options for donating to the campaign.
Volunteers Needed
The St. Louis Section is continuously looking for new events and activities to offer members. This includes tours and presentations. If you have any ideas or would be interested in being an event captain please contact any of the officers on the next page.
The St. Louis Section is seeking volunteers to assist the board with preparing our monthly newsletter. Please consider getting involved in this opportunity by contacting any of the officers listed on the next page.
St. Louis Section Online
The St. Louis Section’s main webpage is available at www.asmestlouis.org. There you can find past newsletters, a group discussion board, RSVP event links, a list of officers and links to the area’s ASME student sections.
We are also active under the ASME.org site. Please be sure to log in to the ASME Online Community to access the page. https://community.asme.org/st_louis_section/default.aspx
You can also find us on LinkedIn (search “ASME St. Louis” or click the link below). https://www.linkedin.com/groups?goback=%2Egmp_4115637&gid=4115637
ASME 2014-2015 St. Louis Section Board
ASME Section News 4
Chair / Vice Chair / Treasurer/WebmasterRyan Neil
Tetra Tech, Inc.
(618) 799-3071 / Jerry Brooks
CareFusion Corp. / Brad Tissi
HTE Technologies, Inc.
Secretary / Past Chair / Historian
Mesrou Mehmed
Weissman’s Theatrical Supplies, Inc.
/ Steve Kuskowski
Mallinckrodt, Inc. / John Saufnauer
Retired
ASME Section News 4
ASME Membership Drive
For those of you who have not received an e-mail or letter in the mail, ASME is holding its annual membership drive. This is your opportunity to renew your membership and encourage others to join ASME as well. In addition to membership benefits such as a subscription to ME magazine, discounts on ASME training, conferences, and publications, your membership helps support funding of the St. Louis Section. Refer a friend or colleague by September 30th and you will be eligible to receive a gift. See the ASME website and select “About ASME”, “Membership” for more details.
Student Section Website Offer
From this point on, the St. Louis Section will be offering any regional student section their own page on our site complete with Google Calendar, Blogger, and section information in an effort to help the student sections keep organized even when they may lack the resources. If you know of a student member that would be interested, please have them contact us at .
ASME Section News 4