Author: Geert Letens, ASEM President

ASEM Newsletter December 2015
The world is changing – a statement from the previous newsletter that can count. Over the last month we have seen both good and bad of this change. In less than 30 days Paris has been the centre of the world twice. First, to remind us of our vulnerability against terror, and second, to share a strong message of hope on climate change. As I am writing this message, nearly 200 countries adopted a new climate agreement, expressing their willingness to contribute to the solution of a global problem that extends their national interests.

This sets a stage for engineers and scientists to collaborate as never seen before. To develop new technology, to deliver massive projects of an unseen scale, to develop socio-technical systems that truly address global societal needs. Our society’s core knowledge centres on the integrated (technical, social, organizational) character of engineering management, and as a result, we can contribute to their success. More so, we need to contribute to their success.

As has been pointed out by our previous president repeatedly, this implies the development of an ASEM strategy that focuses on both value and growth. While various board members and committee leaders are working hard to define by the end of the year the formal plans and objectives that will help us to move forward in this direction, I want to raise your curiosity by sharing a few promising details.
• New membership options for engineering students and universities that sign up for a special partnership program.
• New training materials that will set you up for AEM and PEM certification
• A train-the-trainer program that will offer opportunities for certified knowledge providers around the world
• Certification events, organized in collaboration with global partners throughout the year
• Discounts for ASEM members and EMJ volunteers on books of the publisher of EMJ, Taylor and Francis.
• A new edition of the EM Body of Knowledge as well as the update of the EM Handbook

While I am sharing these examples of our continuous efforts towards improved value delivery, our society continues to grow around the world. ASEM has officially approved its first international section: please join me in welcoming the ASEM International Section Pakistan! As this section works towards the creation of a dedicated website to promote EM in their country, we are happy to share their enthusiasm in becoming the first global embassy of ASEM.

So, how about you? Are you excited about the way we are taking? Do you want to join us on our mission for a better world through improved engineering management? Would you like to see ASEM being represented in your country? Let us know if you can think of organizations that we should partner with. Maybe you or any of your friends would like to know more about certification and training, or perhaps you even consider becoming a certified trainer?

We really would like to hear from you - let’s get connected!

Geert Letens, PhD PEM
ASEM President 2015-2016