ASEM Blog

By Alice Squires, PhD, CSEP-Acq, PMP, PEM and Tricia Simo Kush, CSM, PEM

Interview of the ASEM 2016 Engineering Manager of the Year

"I never said I cannot do something."

One thing is clear when you get a chance to meet Major-General (Belgian Air Force) Albert Husniaux, ASEM’s 2016 Engineering Manager of the Year (EMOY) - he is a passionate man. His passions include his family, his colleagues, and the field of engineering management. When nominated for the EMOY award, he reported that he expressed disbelief. He visited ASEM's website to learn more about the society and to look over the list of past award recipients. Then, he shared, he realized the commitment that the award represented, that this was an important honor, and he knew that he needed to be in attendance to receive this honor. "It is an obligation to use your talents," he told Alice Squires, ASEM’s Functional Director for Product Development, and me, Tricia Simo Kush, ASEM’s Director for Communications.as we interviewed him. Over the next hour, it became clear how his sense of entrepreneurship, ingenuity, innovation and collaboration has guided his work and shaped his talents.

The following is a transcript from our conversation:

Trish: Do you sometimes have difficulty getting folks to share knowledge?

Major-general Albert Husniaux: I try to evolve, I shift based on what I hear. Knowledge and governance are the keys – start with governance and then shift to knowledge. The DNA of our organization is to share our knowledge. If you are not willing to share your knowledge, you are not part of the game. (click to Tweet) People see the benefit of contributing. In a cooperative setting, it’s no good if you are not having fun. I’ve been having fun for 41 years now.

T: What went through your mind when you received the Engineering Manager of the Year award?

AH: I thought why me, there are many engineering managers in the United States? This is the cherry on the cake at the end of my career. I took the time to come here. If you get the award, you need to show up. Most of the time, if there is a will there is a way. I made the necessary arrangements to take care of my family and I am here. I wish my wife could be here, as my partner in crime.

T: Who else or what else do you draw your motivation from?

AH: I come from a very modest family but I’ve always been lucky. I have met a lot of beautiful inspiring people who believed in me, challenged me, inspired me, and pushed my boundaries. I was born in 1957 – the year Sputnik I orbited the Earth before falling back into the Earth’s atmosphere. In 1969, there was the man on the moon. My childhood was dominated by space. When I saw Neil Armstrong putting his foot on the moon, I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. We could not afford school so I joined the military and became a Master of Science in Engineering and from there I got a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things.

My country has 50 nationalities. In northern Belgium, they speak Flemish. Since my father was French speaking, I went into the 1B group. My teacher in my first class gave me extra work – I spent time with their family, as my mother was ill. Next year I moved to the 1A group. At 14, I wrote letters to two members of parliament and one of the members agreed, and I received a grant to go to high school. I have many stories, I should write a book; many hurdles to overcome. The results of my work marketed myself. I would just do the work and move onto the next thing. You should be results-oriented and the career will come. (Click to Tweet)

T: Like one of my favorite quotes from Stephen Covey: “Begin with the end in mind.”

AH: I had a dream, I wanted to become an aerospace engineer and I surpassed my wildest imagination. It’s will, it’s work, it’s many things, but not selfishness, you will not get there. In the end, you work with people, they notice it.

T: If you could talk to your younger self as you were entering a leadership and management role in engineering, what would you say? What advice would you give?

AH: What I would tell to young people is that you need to have dreams, and you need to work how to get there. And believe in yourself. That would be my second message. You have will, you have talents, use them to the best extent and people will discover them. But it takes dedication, it takes a lot of work.

T: Sometimes you have to choose. It can be overwhelming.

AH: I agree, it’s like a falling star that appears and soon it’s gone over the horizon, so you have to see it when it’s there. Do what you believe in. You make a decision with the elements you have in mind at that time. Why bother to look back at that decision? You took the decision with what you knew at the time, so make the decision and move on. You need to look backward to learn because we make mistakes but it’s in order to move forward.

T: Some folks spend a lot of time looking back.

AH: I suppose that when you are younger that is true but when you are older, you know you cannot control that and you do your best. I never said I cannot do something. Professionally, when it comes to work, I have accepted all of the challenges that have been given to me. It’s crazy, I know. I like challenges.

T: If you cannot see how to accomplish something, it can be a challenge.

AH: As you go through your career, you are good at one area but as you extend your comfort zone, you become good at broader areas. So you have to go out of your comfort zone to go beyond. Some folks are not comfortable with that. It attracts me. I am a scientist, I am curious so the unknown attracts me like a magnet. I think that we need to be curious people.

T: What significant changes have you seen in the field of engineering management over your career?

It’s a difficult question. First is the time element. As a junior engineer, I was young, but now I run an organization. So it’s a time thing but also the role that I have. I think what has changed is it’s all become global. Also accessible to a lot of people. A single individual can now make a difference in science. Second thing is it has also become interconnected way more than it was in the past. Speed of change is augmented. I have a way more of a systems approach now than when I was younger. Rather than a components view.

In engineering as well, there is a lot of software, all over the place. Your thinking cannot be focused on hardware; it has to be on software too. Software is delicate, sometimes unstable. My son was a computer network professional. He was struggling. Last year we decided to go into the program together. I can make a network going down, to go up. The important thing is did he succeed? Yes, he did. I passed as well. This tells you about me. It was a motivation to do this.

But still you need to understand the hardware quite well. If you stay at the system level, you will not be able to resolve a problem. I always like to have a dissonant voice – by intent – on my team; like in music, the dissonance.

Now you have provoked me. Two bicycle makers from Dayton Ohio were the first to success in first flight, do you know why? Because everyone before them thought of the plane like a ship, in two dimensions – an air ship. The two bike makers knew they needed the three axes to control the plane, like the bicycle, and they succeeded. Innovation provides resources with a new capacity to generate added value.

T: Who or what has served as your inspiration?

AH: I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with so many beautiful, inspiring people. The Belgian Air Force, scientists, engineers; beautiful, dedicated people.

All of us in leadership positions need to do the best we can to inspire our young people. My career is over. We need to help people see the opportunities that are there so that they can make their path in life. This is not a question of payback or pay forward; it is a moral obligation. Life has given us a lot; we need to give it back; to help someone else find his or her way in life. Sometimes it is about helping answers, pitfalls, sometimes giving a ‘yes’ when a ‘yes’ is expected. Just ‘go for it’. They should outsmart us.

Alice: Given what you know about ASEM, what is the most important next step you would recommend we take to realize our vision to serve, advance, and promote the profession of engineering management around the world?

AH: In general terms, these societies need to provide networking opportunities. Second, they need to provide the necessary components for lifelong learning. I want to learn more about my profession and how can I get it. The third is to identify through the network what the profession is facing and what the consensus is about addressing these challenges.

The next probably is what are the next opportunities for this profession, how can we progress to make the profession more relevant. We need the teaching community to be aware of the needs out there and to change the curriculum to stay tuned to the needs. That’s my best guess.

T: Before we wrap up, I have one question that I really want to know more about. This question is from our esteemed colleague, Donald Kennedy: “In your opinion, how soon will computers be able to take over many of the jobs currently seen as requiring critical thinking and knowledge gained through experience?”

AH: Instinct: Never. In my view, humans will always interact with humans to take a decision. What will change is the evidence base – there will be a lot more data to comfort you in the decision to be made. But if you and I want to work, it will be between us. Will we be increasingly held by machines to make decisions? I think we will. We think it will make it more affordable to make the decision. But if you are out in the field and you need to make a split decision, you make it based on experience. If you have time, you will use the technology but you need to be able to use your brain to make the decision.

Right now we are in automated mode, the machines do not have latitude to make a decision. The next step is man and machine working together. Think of airplane and wingman and you want to complete a mission together. You need to talk, you need to interact. There is no autonomy in there. They will respond and execute but a human will supervise. Even Amazon gives the rules to take a route and deliver to a location, is that autonomy? No, it is automated. The decision is outside. I have a pretty automated car, but I drive the car. It will never decide if I will go to Brussels, but it may keep me in my lanes.

Computers will provide us with better decision aids but it will never take away critical thinking. There is the interaction of humans and there is an ethical dimension in there as well. I am not in favor of that. I still use a slide rule and logarithmic tables. The computer, the raw calculation power we have to assist us in anything we do.   But I don’t need all the decimals. [smiles]. Was that the reply you were expecting?

T: It gives me a lot of thought. There isn’t a right or wrong.

AH: Technologically it is probably feasible. Let’s say you are the boss of the company and you want to hire someone. And you are the recruiting company. You come up with the ranking and recommend number 1. I go back to my office and say, can I work with this person? If I feel more comfortable with number 2 then I hire number 2 rather than number 1. Technology / computer will aid me in making the decision but there are other factors in there that are human related.

I learned something late in my career and that is to be myself, whether it is good or bad, because that is who we are.

T: The challenge is if we are good enough.

AH: We are never good enough, so that is not there. It is hard because it is fun and you are testing your limits. You know the feeling; you worked hard on something and you think this is okay. And then you get one question and you think, “Garbage can.” You know that feeling? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s part of normal things in life.

The place I don’t want to be is in front of arrogant people who are incompetent, that is what I dislike the most, and they do exist. If they have their ears open, they are okay. The only way I have found to address this is bilateral – face-to-face – because you cannot challenge them in front of their peers. Get them out, have a face-to-face talk.

T: So, the message or takeaway for our readers?

AH: Globally what I would like to give is you have one of the most beautiful professions you can find, because there is something for everyone. It is so broad, and there is something you can do. Don’t stand still, get connected with lifelong learning. It is not static. For everyone, if you look at the body of work, there is something out there for everybody.

In closing, Alice and I had a great visit with the General and this was easily the highlight of our ASEM conference experience!

By Dr Arnesh Telukdarie, PrTech Eng

Background

South Africa (SA) is considered the powerhouse of the African continent.  SA is home to some of the largest engineering companies in Africa with the best engineering skills and infrastructure. Key considerations for engineering management in SA include both historic and current demands. The engineering courses on offer include: chemical, mechanical, civil, aeronautical, metallurgical, agricultural, industrial, and mining engineering.  There isn’t a core undergraduate Engineering Management course although industrial engineering is considered a close match.

Historically, SA has delivered engineering through universities and universities of technology.  All institutions are State funded with very little private institutions in engineering. All programs are reviewed every four to five years by the Engineering Council of SA (ECSA). Graduates of these institutions follow a rigid development programme to be registered at ECSA once their undergraduate degree is completed. Engineering schools have been at the forefront of research with significant government funding and company funded projects. Research is diverse and researchers are globally recognized.

With the transitioning out of Apartheid, the student demographics and requirements have shifted significantly. The universities have diversified and grown into recruiting students from the rest of Africa. Engineering Management is considered a specialized form of management providing core expertise and concepts. Solutions are offered at postgraduate level across different institutions in SA.

Engineering in South Africa

In SA Engineering Management is not a core engineering qualification requirement but serves as an alternative to business leadership programs. The South African core engineering employment industries include: petrochemical, rail, energy, engineering consulting, IT, construction, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical, mining, and agriculture. The Engineering Council of SA is the only registration body with over 26,000 Professionals registered (link: 2014/15 Annual Report).  The delivery of engineering qualifications is through 16 universities and universities of technology with 97% of South African engineers graduating in SA.  Indeed the ECSA survey from 2014 also indicates that 42% of all undergraduates further their studies to a masters or PhD level. Most engineers (37%) choose an MBA as their post-graduate degree with engineering management clustered as a second option (25%) under other post-graduate options.  The majority of engineers are employed at the economic hub of SA Gauteng.  Gauteng also hosts 6 campuses of the major universities.

Engineering Management Education in South Africa

A synopsis of universities offering several qualifications in Engineering Management specific to South Africa inclusive of portfolios, research areas, and contact persons is provided below.

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ)

The university of Johannesburg has a postgraduate school of Engineering Management under the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. The Engineering Management programme at UJ has existed since 1996 and presents two masters and two doctoral programs. The master’s programme makes provision for course work and full research programs. The programs are offered on a full-time and part-time modular basis over a minimum of 12months.

Degree portfolios

MPhil, MEng, DPhil, and DEng degree portfolios are offered respectively in UJ, all undertaken in English as a medium of communication. The delivery of the MEng and MPhil programme is split into two different models either full research or course work (50% coursework abd 50% minor dissertation).  

Research domains

Research domains offered include product development, manufacturing, construction, design engineering, industrial engineering, technology, electrical engineering, systems, production or any other field that employs personnel who perform an engineering function.

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA (UP)

The University of Pretoria offers Engineering Management under the Graduate School of Technology Management.

Degree portfolios

The programme is offered on a part-time modular basis over two years. Qualifications awarded include MEng and MSc depending on the undergraduate qualification of the student and all are offered in English as a medium of communication. Programme structure, content, and duration are nominally the same in both cases.

Research domains

Research domains include asset and maintenance management, sustainable development, engineering services management, and systems engineering.

STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY (SUN)

Stellenbosch University offers Engineering Management under the Department of Industrial Engineering. The department hosts two post graduate study domains: Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management.

Degree portfolios

In each study domain, there are three different programmes, i.e. the Post Graduate Diploma in Engineering (PGDip), the Masters in Engineering (MEng) and Philosophy Doctorate (Ph.D.).

The delivery of the MEng programme is split into two different models, namely structured and research. These options add up to eight different possible post graduate qualifications for students in a variety of research areas.

Research domains

Research domains include asset management, engineering and sustainable systems, enterprise engineering, health systems engineering and innovation, manufacturing, resource efficient production engineering, supply chain management, systems modelling, operations research and decision support, and value capture systems.

NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY (NWU)

Northwest University offers development and management under the Faculty of Engineering, Centre for Research and Continued Engineering Development (CRCED). CRCED is located on the Potchefstroom main campus located in NWU (Vaal) and a satellite campus at Pretoria. 

Degree portfolios

CRCED hosts two post graduate study domains: MEng. Development and Management, and Philosophy Doctorate (Ph.D.) Development and Management. The MEng programme comprises 50% coursework and 50% research-based dissertation.

Research domains

Energy management:  Research at NWU includes domains of Industrial energy simulation, optimization, and systems development, control systems and energy systems.

Bio-engineering:   Research domains include metabolic and energy-related conditions.

UNIVERSITY OF CAPETOWN (UCT)

The University of Cape Town offers Engineering management under the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.

Degree portfolios

Qualifications awarded include post-graduate diploma (PG. dip) in Engineering Management which runs for a minimum duration of 18 months, comprising 120 credits course work.

MPhil Engineering Management with a minimum duration of 12 months comprising either 60 credits course work and 120 credits research dissertation or 180 credits research dissertation is also offered.  .

Finally, DPhil Engineering Management with a minimum duration of 24 months comprising 360 credits.

Research domains

Research interest undertaken at UCT engineering management include energy research, manufacturing, bio-engineering, and absorption, industrial aerodynamics, design and aerodynamics.

Conclusions

As can be seen there is a significant need for engineers and engineering managers in South Africa and this is accompanied by an established university provision for engineering management teaching and research.  In conclusion, there is much scope for ASEM to make a positive impact in South Africa.

Dr Arnesh Telukdarie, PrTech Eng

Post Graduate School of Engineering Management
Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment 
University of Johannesburg 
Tel: +27 11 559 1736 
Mobile: 061 450 5948
E-mail: arnesht@uj.ac.za

It has been an honor and a pleasure to moderate this year’s International Annual Conference (IAC) Industry Roundtable. This opportunity gave me the chance to interact with and learn from several of the most knowledgeable engineering management professionals from a myriad of industries. I left the Roundtable with a much better understanding of where ASEM has gone and where we can go in the future evolving ASEM towards the future needs of its members. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the panelists for their energy, involvement, and patience they provided to me to ensure that we had a successful Roundtable.

Each of the panelists have been gracious enough to provide some final comments related to their discussion at the Industry Roundtable. I hope that these statements provide our organization and its members the same insights that I had when I read them:

John D. Chaffee, MA Economic Geography (President & CEO, NCEast Alliance). Engaged Engineers: Cultivating the Next Generation

There is a dearth of engineering talent looming on the horizon with the retirement of baby boomers. The current structure of most educational systems is not producing a sufficient number of qualified individuals to enter engineering schools to replenish the profession. Companies, and their engineers, need to become more directly involved in supporting schools, teachers and students. NCEast Alliance has developed a model that produces better results and can be replicated in other regions of the country. STEM East, as a component of NCEast, a regional economic development organization, has succeeded in 'growing talent' locally through vibrant and robust partnerships with companies, public schools, community colleges and universities. 

Danielle Gabinetti (Engineering Section Manager, Raytheon Information, Intelligence and Services). Utilizing AMP Solutions in a Defense Industry Environment

Within the Defense Industry, there is a growing trend of major knowledge holders nearing retirement age and a loss of how to retain young technical employees.  This knowledge gap could be bridged by applying Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose (AMP) Management Principles.  In particular, motivating young technical employees via Purpose can be realized when they work in the field with end products and end users.   When employees see how meaningful their efforts are to the customers, war fighters, allies and our communities they inevitability gain a sense of purpose.  

ASEM should reach out to engineering companies, such as Raytheon, to offer a venue to recruit both recent college graduates and Subject Matter Experts.

Chris Holder (Research and Engineering Lead (AIR-4.0), Commander Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC) Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)): Leadership: The Key to Change Management

Most people dislike change, both personally and professionally. With that being said, engineers are the most averse to change based on their leanings towards order, set rules governing the physical world, and the need to understand. To create a successful environment for change within the engineering world, strong leadership is the key. The ability to translate a vision into reality and then execute that vision with tenacity and consistency is paramount.

A strong leader who wants to create change in an engineering environment must motivate, have a vision, develop support, manage the transition, and maintain momentum. If a leader can successfully embrace and apply these tenants, meaningful change can happen, even with engineers.

George Strodtbeck (Vice President, SBTI), Change Maturity and Kano

Change happens over time.  Beginning with a defined future state, a system change can be defined using S-Curves which describe a system's maturity.  Combining S-Curves with the Kano Model helps leadership to plan for the growth of new processes, methods and skills maintained by the functions.  Using this approach supports a planned change that will take time to deploy across an organization.

Dale Wahlstrom (CEO, ACT 3 LLC Consulting): Engineering in Medical Technology: What is happening?

In the world of medical technology, the clinical environment is undergoing dramatic change globally.  ASEM is uniquely positioned at the crossroads of academic and private sector “entanglement” and could play a much needed role in defining programming and educational opportunities for students and those professionals needing re-training.  Development of experiential immersion opportunities in health care environments for students is an example of where ASEM could provide leadership.

Report on the International Panel Session at IAC 2016 in Charlotte:

• Dr. Simon Philbin, Imperial College London, UK and ASEM International Director (contact information is at the end of this article)
• Dr. Fernando Deschamps, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana & Federal University of Parana, Brazil and President ASEM Brazil Section
• Mr. Azam Ishaque, Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering, National University of Science & Technology and E Care Vision, Pakistan and President ASEM Pakistan Section
• Dr. Alberto Sols, Norwegian Institute of Systems Engineering, Norway and ASEM International Committee Member
• Dr. Steve Wang, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA and ASEM International Committee Member

(1).       Introduction

At the 2016 IAC held in Charlotte and for a second year in a row, an international panel session was held as one of the concurrent sessions.  The panel session included contributions from several panelists who are all involved in the international development of ASEM, including those involved in new international sections and other activities.  The session also included an initial presentation by ASEM’s International Director who provided a summary of a survey carried out in 2015 of ASEM’s international members as well as an overview of the Society’s strategy to improve international engagement. 

The other panelists then provided their own insights on the steps being taken to increase the international reach of the Society.  The panel considered the current challenges as well as opportunities for ASEM in regard to international development and expansion.  Plus, session attendees had the opportunity to contribute their own views on how the Society can pursue a global agenda.  This report provides a summary of the material that was presented during the panel session along with some brief conclusions.

(2).       International Membership Survey

Dr. Philbin discussed a recent survey of international members that was carried out in 2015 and the results of the survey are summarized in Figure 1.  The survey was sent out to 65 international members (this was the international membership level back in March 2015), with 12 completed surveys being returned (a response rate of 18%).  The survey included the following open ended questions:

• 1.       As an international member, can you please tell us why you originally joined ASEM?
• 2.       Which ASEM services and products do you find the most useful?
• 3.       Are there any new services or products that you would like ASEM to offer?
• 4.       Do you have any suggestions on how ASEM can increase its profile and number of members in your country?
• 5.       How do you feel ASEM should develop in the future, including its international development?

Figure 1: Summary of results from international membership survey held in 2015.

(3).       ASEM International Strategy

Dr. Philbin then spoke about ASEM’s current international strategy and the focus of the work of the ASEM international committee.  Figure 2 provides a summary of the current ASEM international strategy and the supporting activities.

Figure 2: ASEM international strategy and supporting activities.

The strategy is based on pursuing an integrated set of activities designed to increase the international reach of ASEM and also promote engineering management as a discipline internationally.  This includes developing activities, services and products in regard to international development according to outreach, membership, education/certification, publications and conference attendance.  These activities are supported by setting up new international sections, international certification activities and are also underpinned by the work of the international committee, which meets monthly and includes representatives from USA, UK, Belgium, Brazil, UAE and Norway.  Dr Philbin went on to describe the status of current international activities across a number of areas, which are summarized as follows:

• ·         Current number of international members: 123 (in October 2016)
• ·         Number of international attendees of the IAC: 28 (in 2016); 27 (in 2015); 16 (in 2014)
• ·         International ASEM Sections: 2, Pakistan (set up 2015) and Brazil (set up in 2016)
• ·         International webinars: 2 in 2016 (from UK and China)
• ·         International partnerships: Strategic collaboration between ASEM and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and other partnerships are also under consideration
• ·         Participation in international conferences: CAE International Engineering Management Forum in Guangzhou, China (2015) and CAE International Engineering Management Forum in Xi'an, China (2016)
• ·         International translation of EMBoK: ASEM Board has approved translation of EMBoK into Chinese and Portuguese (Brazil)

 Dr. Philbin concluded his presentation by outlining recommended areas of international development for ASEM, which are as follows:

 International promotion of Society and IAC: Continued international promotion of society membership and the IAC.

1. Organisational development: Continue to develop new international sections to follow on from initial sections in Pakistan and Brazil.  New sections to help drive forward growth in membership.
2. International collaboration and partnerships: Further development of collaboration with Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).  Pursue other partnerships, where possible.
3. EM Education and professional development: Support international CKP activities and work towards new business models for international certification (AEM/PEM).

 (4).       International Perspectives

 Brazil Perspective

Dr. Deschamps gave a summary on engineering management in Brazil.  In alignment with ASEM’s strategy for a more significant international presence, Brazil’s ASEM Section was established in January of 2016. Since the beginning, the major concern has been for developing a strong foundation from where to grow and spreading out the word about ASEM. Some actions that were undertaken for addressing these concerns are described next.

• ·         ASEM was presented to professional engineering institutions (like the Brazilian Association for Production Engineering – ABEPRO) and universities that have engineering programs (undergraduate and graduate). The partnership with ABEPRO is key, because ASEM will benefit from a large number of academics and professionals that work with engineering management in Brazil who are associated with ABEPRO, and ABEPRO will benefit by partnering with an international society that is focused on one of its topic areas.
• ·         Partnerships with consulting and training companies were also prospected, and will likely result, in the upcoming months, in the offering of training programs more directed to engineering management topics according to ASEM’s view.
• ·         For enhancing the awareness of ASEM in Brazil, a Web portal was released together with the establishment of social media presence in outlets such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. News and announcements are being routed through these channels and interest has started to grow.
• ·         Through the help of its members, the Section has started translating the EMBoK into Portuguese. This is considered a key activity for growing the Society, as having a reference in the native language of its audience is a critical element for growing the membership base. Over 30 people are involved in the translation and plans are to release the translation in the first semester of 2017.

For the year of 2017, the ASEM Brazil Section Executive Committee is preparing actions that will further enhance ASEM’s visibility in Brazil. Such actions encompass the realization of two Webinars (one in each semester), the release of a quarterly newsletter with content focused on the Brazilian reality and a certification event for its current and also prospective members.

See the following hyperlink for the ASEM Brazil Section website: http://asembrasil.org/.

Pakistan Perspective

Mr. Ishaque gave a summary on engineering management in Pakistan.  Engineering management is a relatively new field in the world when compared to other engineering and management disciplines.  In Pakistan this field was formally introduced around the year 2000.  A discipline that originally started in one of the universities of Pakistan has now grown to 13 universities all over the country, including 5 universities that are in the top 10 ranking list of Pakistan universities.  Indeed when the first EM program was delivered in Pakistan, the session was run with only 14 students but it has now expanded to more than 20,000 students all across Pakistan.

One of the major causes of this huge growth in the discipline is the fact that the students, who have qualified through taking EM degrees, have performed exceptionally well in industry. Pakistan has a vast and rapidly growing manufacturing and services industry and this industry has been impacted by growth in the neighboring industries of China and India. This growing industry has now developed a continuing and growing need for engineers and engineering management professionals. Due to this need and a lack of supply of graduate engineering managers in the market, Engineering Management and Industrial Management are increasing in prominence and importance in Pakistan. More and more universities are offering these courses and industry is making provision for new jobs for these EM professionals.  Another major reason for growth of the EM discipline is the fact that in the Middle East, there are a large number of mega-projects that have commenced and the main requirement for many jobs on these projects is often for engineers to have an EM degree. Consequently, Pakistan has built on its foundations in regard to the quality of education through developing EM programs that have now become an essential discipline for every major engineering university in Pakistan.

See the following hyperlink for the ASEM Pakistan Section website:

http://www.asempakistan.org/.

Norway Perspective

Dr. Sols gave a summary on engineering management in Norway.  Norway is a large country with a very low population. Despite the low number of inhabitants (circa 5 million), Norway has a very technological and competitive industry. Indeed the Norwegian government has provided support to clusters of companies that meet certain requirements.  Consequently, a large number of the so-called Norwegian Centers of Excellence (NCE) were created, together with a few of the more demanding Global Centers of Excellence (GCE). Centers of particular relevance from an engineering management perspective are NCE Systems Engineering, NCE Micro and Nanotechnology, GCE Subsea, GCE NODE (Energy and Maritime Industries) and GCE Blue Maritime. Moreover, the Norwegian industry is in general very keen on continuous improvement, with a strong focus on technology and innovation. At the same time, ASEM’s footprint in Norway is currently very small.

On the educational front, there are a few world-class programs on engineering management, like those run at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and USN (University College of Southeast Norway). Thus, there is a good opportunity to increase ASEM’s presence in Norway.  Although it is unlikely that Norway would ever be representative in ASEM in quantitative terms, a higher cooperation would be good, qualitatively speaking. For ASEM to be better known in Norway it would be necessary to plan and conduct some selected marketing activities.

China Perspective

Dr. Wang gave a summary on engineering management in China.  With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, China has a diversity of engineering disciplines that follow both the Russian and United States systems. Future growth of China’s economy will depend highly on the quality and leadership of its engineering management. China’s development of training and education in engineering management has been an important issue and has been led by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) for the last decade. During the past ten years, China has developed many international engineering companies. Its international engineering management has been influenced by China’s own culture; the country looks forward to being recognized by other global societies.

In order to link with these global societies in the engineering management area, CAE has signed a memorandum of understanding with ASEM.  There are currently plans to establish an ASEM Section in China, with its headquarters at Chongqing University. China’s educational system is one of those that graduate the largest group of engineers in the world. In the future, China will require many well-educated engineering managers and a close relationship with global societies such as ASEM. China is endeavoring to explore the domain knowledge in the interdisciplinary areas of engineering management in order to enhance China's unique status and to build up its competitive advantages in the global arena.

(5).       Conclusions

After the panelists had given their individual contributions, there was a lively discussion and Q&A session with the audience.  Various additional points were made and all agreed that there is significant potential for ASEM to continue to develop internationally.  Moreover, the development of ASEM on a global basis supports the goal of increasing the adoption of engineering management as a discipline and international expansion provides scope for increasing the level of Society membership thereby supporting the sustainability of ASEM. 

Dr. Simon P. Philbin PhD MBA FRSC PEM, Conference Panel Chairperson
Director of Programme Management, Imperial College London
International Director, American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM)
Visiting Fellow, Birkbeck, University of London
Associate Editor, Engineering Management Journal
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.philbin

Happy New Year from ASEM!  I hope you were able to find time to relax and ring in 2017 with friends and family.  I certainly hope that you will continue your membership and participation in ASEM as we move into this new year.   I always find the new year motivating and look forward to sharing ASEM successes and program with you throughout the year.

I am happy to report that ASEM ended 2016 in good financial standing.  This is indication of our strong membership base and evidence that the Society is bringing value-adding products and services to our EM constituents.  Please feel free to share ideas on how ASEM can bring increasing value to the EM community at our ASEM Networking and General Forums https://www.asem.org/Introductions-and-Networking-Forums.

We are excited to start 2017 announcing two new ASEM Student Chapters at University of Colorado Boulder and Michigan Technological University. The Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program at the University of Colorado Boulder was established in 1987, and offers a Masters of Engineering (ME) degree in Engineering Management, undergraduate Engineering Management minor, and a variety of graduate and undergraduate certificates (http://www.colorado.edu/emp/).  Dr. Christy Bozic, ASEM’s Southwest Regional Director, will serve as their new faculty advisor, and Mr. Diego Gomes will serve as the new chapter president.  The chapter already has 15 student members!  Our new student chapter at Michigan Technological University also has 15 student members including Kalli Hooper who will serve as the new chapter president.  Dr. Dana Johnson will serve as their faculty advisor.  The School of Business and Economics offers a BS degree in Engineering Management, which is the fastest growing program in their school (http://www.mtu.edu/business/undergraduate/engineering-management/).  New ASEM student chapters are always welcome.  Inquires can be sent to Bill Schell at StudentMembership@asem.org.

I am also pleased to announce two new ASEM academic partnerships with London Southbank University in the United Kingdom and Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Being an academic partner allows departments and programs to simplify larger volumes of student membership registrations and related funds management.  To learn more about ASEM Academic Partnership Program, access https://www.asem.org/AcademicPartnership.

Please consider submitting an abstract for paper/presentation at our 2017 ASEM International Annual Conference to be held in Huntsville, Alabama from October 18-21, 2017.  Abstracts are due February 27, 2017.  Please visit https://www.asem.org/2017_IAC for more information.  Proposals for Tutorials, Workshops, Panels, Roundtables and Special Sessions are also due on February 27^th.  Huntsville is a hub of engineering management excellence which reinforces our conference theme, Reimagining Systems Engineering and Management. 

We were very saddened to learn about the passing of one of our esteemed EM members, Dr. Ronald Cox.  Ron was a pillar in the EM community, and his sound wisdom and expertise will be missed by ASEM.

Heather Nachtmann, Ph.D.

2016-2017 ASEM President

Hello Friends of ASEM!

As you know, ASEM holds an International Annual Conference (IAC) where your research and projects are presented to peers and colleagues alike. The deadline for your abstracts is less than a month away. Abstracts are an important first step in the process to have your work included in the conference proceedings.

Visit https://www.asem.org/2017_IAC to learn more about the process, the Knowledge Domains and Suggested Topic Areas, as well as other important dates that all authors and presenters need to know.

I am looking forward to see what everyone is working on!

Tricia Simo Kush is a Certified Scrum Master and certified Professional Engineering Manager with a background in Information Technology. She graduated from the MEM program at St. Cloud State University in 2010. To her, Engineering Management is a fascinating mix of technology and business, people and process. She is constantly seeing the ways that Engineering Management spans many industries and helps everyone to become effective leaders. Follow her on Twitter (@TSimoKush) or check out her profile on LinkedIn.

Hello! In case you missed it, there were a number of awards presented at the 2016 IAC, held in Concord, North Carolina from 27OCT-29OCT2016. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Congratulations to the ASEM 2016 Award Recipients

ASEM Fellow Toni Doolen Craig Downing Neal Lewis Bernard R. Sarchet Award Ronald Cox Frank Woodbury Special Service Award Simon Philbin Founder's Award – Undergraduate United States Military Academy Founder's Award – Graduate Missouri University of Science and Technology Founder's Award – Student Chapter Missouri University of Science and Technology Merl Baker Award – Best International Annual Conference Student Paper Balance Scorecard Approach in Assessing Social Impact Performance Measures  Paola Grijalva, Oregon State University Bhuvanamalini Karaikudi Ramesh, Oregon State University Lucia Darrow, Oregon State University Waleed Mirdad, Oregon State University Student Case Study Competition Missouri University of Science and Technology William Daughton World Headquarters Service Award William Sabados, UAH SMAP Center Past Presidents of the Society Award Geert Letens

Engineering Manager of the Year Award Major General Albert Husniaux Meritorious Service Award - New Member Recruiting Roque Senga Meritorious Service Award - Outstanding Non-Board Member  John Farr Jimmy Gandhi Ertunga Ozelkan  Mike Ogle Ken Sexe Meritorious Service Award - Outstanding Local Section President Azam Ishaque Eschenbach Award for the Best EMJ Paper Multiple-Technique Approach for Improving a Performance Measurement and Management System: Action Research in a Mining Company Han-Hsin Chou, Hsing-Wu University Merritt Williamson Award – Best International Annual Conference Paper Improving Army Aviation Maintenance One Part at a Time: A Lean Six Sigma Application  CPT Michael Smith, USMA LTC James Enos, USMA Best Dissertation Award Modeling New Product Success from Component Measures of Product Advantage: A Model Utilizing Automated Text Classification and Sentiment Analysis Author: Nolen Akerman, Western Michigan University Advisor: Larry Mallak, Western Michigan University

President's Note

It is an honor to serve as your 2016-2017 ASEM President. In this capacity, it is my goal to increase the value of ASEM membership for all of our members. We are in the process of developing our ASEM 2020 strategic plan with value driving initiatives as the key to future success and growth of the Society. At the conclusion of our annual conference, the ASEM Board of Directors welcomed Suzanna Long as our new ASEM Secretary, Charles Daniels as Southeast Regional Director, Larry Mallak as North Central Regional Director, and Brian Galli as Northeast Regional Director. Our new Functional Directors include Trish Simo Kush over Communications, Patrick Kush leading Professional Membership and James Schreiner leading Professional Development. In addition, the Board approved three Ad Hoc directors; Hiral Shah as Publications Lead, Paul Componation representing the Engineering Management Honor Society, and John Richards representing CEMAL, the Council of Engineering Management Academic Leaders. Thank you to all of our new and continuing directors for investing their time into ASEM’s success. You can find the full list of ASEM leadership at https://www.asem.org/Leadership. Please feel free to reach out to any members of our Board with ideas or suggestions. We are here to serve you.

A little background about me: I have been a member of ASEM since 1999 when I joined as a student member as a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, and I was elected as an ASEM Fellow in 2011. In addition to recently serving as Society Secretary and President-Elect, I co-hosted the 2010 ASEM International Annual Conference and have served as an Associate Editor for the Engineering Management Journal since 2012. Professionally, I serve as Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Industrial Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas and direct the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center and MarTREC, the Maritime Transportation Education and Research Center, which focus on multimodal transportation research advances and development of our next generation transportation workforce. I live in Fayetteville, Arkansas with my husband and have four children (ages 22, 11, 9, 6). Being a mother has honed my people management and negotiation skills!

As an undergraduate engineering student, I recall many of my professors describing engineering management as the intersection between engineering science and people. I believe ASEM embodies that intersection through its production of the Engineering Management Journal, Engineering Management Body of Knowledge, and Engineering Management Handbook as the premiere publications in our field and professional development opportunities through our International Annual Conference, professional and program certification opportunities, webinars, and communication forums. As a fellow ASEM member, I hope you will take full advantage of your membership benefits this year.

ASEM held an outstanding conference in Charlotte last month. It was a pleasure to visit with many of you there. My congratulations and gratitude to our hosts and logistics committee chairs, Ertunga Ozelkan and Mike Ogle from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who provided us with the wonderful venue and excellent keynote speakers and tours. Through the efforts of our technical program committee; Suzie Long, Ean Ng, Bimal Nepal, and Craig Downing, we enjoyed a wide variety of academic and practitioner talks and workshops focused on current advances in engineering management. Please make plans to join us in Huntsville, Alabama from October 18-21, 2017 for our 2017 International Annual Conference. Abstracts are due February 27, 2017.  Visit  https://www.asem.org/2017_IAC for more details.

Heather Nachtmann, Ph.D.

2016-2017 ASEM President

Hello! I have a short post to share with you in anticipation of the upcoming International Annual Conference, held in Concord, North Carolina from 27OCT-29OCT2016. I have the links for this event right here and ready for you to visit!

IAC 2016 Conference Information

IAC 2016 Conference Schedule of Activities

There is a lot to see, say, hear and do in a compressed time frame. This makes for both a fun and exhausting event, trust me!

If you review the schedule, you will see that Major General (M Sc Eng) Albert Husniaux, the Engineering Manager of the Year, will be attending the conference as well. One activity that I am performing at the IAC is interviewing our winner. Along with Alice Squires, PhD, CSEP-Acq, PMP, PEM, we have the privilege of sitting down and learning more about his background, goals and vision for Engineering Management.

If there is a question that you would like to have asked, post it here or reach out to me via social media (LinkedIn, Twitter). As time permits, I will be happy to include your inquiry in the interview.

Also, please post if you are planning to attend the conference. I would love to catch up, introduce myself and wish you an awesome conference in person; travel safely!

Tricia Simo Kush is a certified Professional Engineering Manager with a background in Information Technology and a goal to take her career to a higher level through Engineering Management. She graduated from the MEM program at St. Cloud State University in 2010. To her, Engineering Management is a fascinating mix of technology and business, people and process. She is constantly seeing the ways that Engineering Management spans many industries and helps everyone to become effective leaders. Follow her on Twitter (@TSimoKush) or check out her profile on LinkedIn.

 

We are exactly one month away from our International Annual Conference (IAC) when I am writing this president’s message for the September newsletter, and I can assure you that everyone involved in the organization of our major annual event is starting to feel the vibes. Good vibes, as once more this year’s conference is promising to be the ASEM highlight of the year.

Our hosts Ertunga Ozelkan and Mike Ogle from the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management (SEEM) Department of the UNC-Charlotte have selected a great venue, less than a quarter mile away from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Could there be a better place to inspire engineering managers to reflect on how to achieve top performance of organization, man and machine around the world? Ertunga and Mike have lined up inspiring keynote speakers from industry and academia (checkout their bio here). They have organized interesting industry tours to Daimler’s Truck Manufacturing Plant and Siemens Turbine Manufacturing Plant, and have planned a social event that will allow you to get a taste of Uptown Charlotte as well.

Thanks to your massive participation, our experienced technical program committee (thank you Suzie Long, Ean Ng, Craig Downing, and Bimal Nepal!) has been able to create an impressive program of close to 200 presentations, eight workshops, and three panel discussions. I particularly want to thank Alice Squires and Ken Sexe for bringing an elite group of industry leaders together for our second industry roundtable that aims to uncover the most challenging issues in engineering management. I see this roundtable as an important instrument to keep us grounded in reality. Discussions on overcoming obstacles, implementing best practices, and sharing lessons learned, are vital to keeping our EM Body of Knowledge current and to orient future products and services of ASEM. Further, our many international participants will find value in attending the international panel, organized by our International Director, Simon Philbin, in collaboration with speakers from around the world, who will share their experience as international ambassadors of ASEM in their countries.

Last but not least, the IAC allows us to recognize volunteers who have provided exceptional service to the society, as well as individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of engineering management in general. You will be impressed by the winners of our various awards. They all have been elected through a new awards election process that over the last months has been optimized under the professional guidance of our president-elect Heather Nachtmann.

It is a pleasure to announce that through this new award process, the ASEM Board has elected Major General Albert Husniaux, the First Chief Scientist of NATO’s Science and Technology Organization, as the winner of this year’s Engineering Manager of the Year Award. I cordially invite you to the Awards Banquet on Friday evening, October 28, to welcome our winner and to learn from his experiences in engineering management throughout his career.

In short, if you didn’t sign up for the conference yet, then please do so right away. You don’t want to miss any of this!

Geert Letens, PhD, PEM(TM)

ASEM President 2015-2016

Please send your thoughts and comments directly to Geert at: President@asem.org