ASME's Unconventional Engineering

Yamilee Toussaint is harnessing the power of dance to introduce young girls to STEM. By combining a love of dance, her Mechanical Engineering training and a passion for education, Yamilee hopes to help light the creative spark for those who typically lack representation in science.

As a Spacecraft Systems Engineer and science influencer, Joan Melendez-Misner is on a “mission” to not only help NASA return to the Moon, but also use her passion and expertise to encourage and empower minorities to pursue careers in STEM.

Climate action is a long-term proposition that requires persistence and the ability to pivot where necessary. The ASME Committee on Sustainability, led by Chair Sean Bradshaw and Vice-Chair Timo Marquez, is charged with ensuring ASME remains committed to doing its part in contributing to the larger prospect of realizing actionable progress in addressing climate change.

The ability to be intentional with our own career path requires a certain amount of objectivity that’s not always easily attainable. Jeff Perry works with engineers to find ways to sustain their career development using a unique toolkit of training and coaching techniques. His ultimate goal is to help engineers unlock their unique potential, today and well into the future.

One crucial element to charting how technology will continue to evolve is the ability to remain objective. With decades of experience in manufacturing, automotive and the tech sector, Shauna McIntyre provides a unique perspective on the topic, in particular how engineers can play a pivotal role in bringing about innovation.

Creating a startup isn’t for the faint of heart. Armed with her engineering background and a determination to help women, Ana Kraft founded Xena Workwear, which seeks to outfit women with PPE designed just for them. With no experience in the footwear industry, Ana faced an uphill climb to say the least. She recently sat down with Tom and Katlyn to share her unique success story.

Instilling a passion for STEM in the youth is essential to ensuring a constant pipeline of talent that will help solve the world’s problems. In this episode, Tom and co-host Karen Russo caught up with STEM Ambassador Jay Flores about his engineering journey and the exciting things he’s involved in. Jay has taken up the mantle of helping to inspire young minds to keep doing cool things in STEM.

The ability to establish goals can be a critical component to driving successful career journeys. In this episode, Tom and Katlyn speak with Sylvia Acevedo, former CEO of the Girl Scouts of America, Systems Engineer at IBM, and Rocket Scientist at NASA(!), about her introduction to engineering and the professional development and interesting turns she experienced along the way.

In the ongoing discussion about alternative energy, hydrogen has emerged as a viable solution. Tom and ASME’s Managing Director of Strategy & Innovation Christine Reilley had the chance to speak with Matthew Blieske, CEO of LIFTE H2, a hydrogen supply chain integrator, to shed some light on how hydrogen can play a role in the global net zero emissions conversation.

Cyber security and data protection are two hot button topics in an ever-changing technological society. In this installment, Tom and his co-host Katlyn Coolbaugh, speak with Caitlin Sarian, who goes by the name “CyberSecurityGirl” on social media. Caitlin shares her career story and the trio delve into the finer points of how businesses and individuals can adopt best practices to keep their information safe and secure.