First ASME Decision Point Dialogues Discussion Examines the Engineer as Problem

First ASME Decision Point Dialogues Discussion Examines the Engineer as Problem First ASME Decision Point Dialogues Discussion Examines the Engineer as Problem Next week, the Society will launch the first installment in its new ASME Decision Point Dialogues Series. The panel discussion- Will Engineers Be True Global Problem Solvers?- will be held in New York and feature a dozen thought leaders from the engineering profession and the global development community. In a unique format, the panel will address the engineers role in finding solutions to global problems.This inaugural Decision Point Dialogue will begin at 430 p.m. on April 17 at the State University of New Yorks Global Center, located at 116 E. 55th St. in Manhattan. The program was conceived and organized by the Workforce Strategy Execution team in partnership with the Engineering for Global Development group and with participation from ASMEs various departments.The ASME Decision Point Dialogues are structured as Socratic dialogues, a format by which a small group of experts led by a facilitator endeavor to find clear-cut answers to questions that dont have simple solutions. Next weeks mock scenario will explore the lives of two young people from opposite sides of the globe- a student from the United States who joins a robotics team and a child from Zambia who wants to repair his villages water pump- and their efforts to solve the problems that confront them as they develop.Moderated by Robert Jackson, associate professor and co-director of the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School, Will Engineers Be True Global Problem Solvers? will examine the impact of standardized testing on STEM K-12 education what remains essential in the traditional engineering curriculum and where it may evolve how artisans and engineers from developed and emerging economies can expand each others capacities and whether efforts to grow the STEM graduate pool are matched with increased career opportunities upon graduation.Panelists scheduled to participate in next weeks discussion include ASME President Marc Goldsmith Bernard Amadei, founder of Engineers Without Borders-USA Richard Benson, dean of engineering at Virginia Tech and ASME mainboard of Governors member engineering student and consultant Liza Billings Daniel Ignacio Garcia, founder of Emergent Engineers Ron Hira, associate professor of public policy at Rochester Institute of Technology IBM corporate strategy executive Florence Hudson Emeka Okafor, Maker Faire Africa Curator Javaris Powell, teacher, administrator and robotics coach at the Friendship Public Charter School and one of the winners of last years inaugural DiscoverE Educator Awards Andrew Reynolds, senior advisor at the Office of Space and Advanced Technologies Joseph Sussman, managing director for Accreditation and Chief Information Officer at ABET and Jessica Townsend, associate dean for curricul um and academic programs at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.Attendance is free but seats are limited. To register, please visit http//asmedecisionpointseries.eventbrite.com/.