Elisah Vandenbussche, Ph.D., Named 2021-2022 ASME Congressional Fellow
Elisah Vandenbussche, Ph.D., Named 2021-2022 ASME Congressional Fellow
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 14, 2021) – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has named Elisah VandenBussche, Ph.D., as a 2021-2022 ASME Congressional Fellow – Energy. She officially began her fellowship on Sept. 1, serving in the office of the Honorable Paul Tonko (D-NY), who is now in his sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, chairs the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, and continues his service on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. VandenBussche will support energy and climate issues. She is jointly sponsored by the ASME Foundation, the ASME Petroleum Division, and ASME Government Relations.
VandenBussche recently completed her Ph.D. in chemical engineering and materials science (CEMS) at the University of Minnesota. Her graduate work focused on using novel techniques to better understand heat and electron transport at the nanoscale in photovoltaic materials. She also helped to pioneer the use of pulsed electron beams to minimize and study degradation mechanisms of radiation-sensitive materials.
“ASME is pleased to welcome Elisah VandenBussche to the distinguished roster of engineers who have provided valuable service to our nation through the Federal Government Fellowship Program,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “Through these prestigious year-long engagements, our fellows have a unique opportunity to participate directly in the policy-making process and gain an insider’s perspective on government decision-making – and, in turn, they can apply that learning to their professional roles and better contribute to the mission and vision of their own organizations.”
Beyond her research, VandenBussche has served in several leadership positions at the University of Minnesota, including co-founding the CEMS department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee and working for the UMN Institute of the Environment and the Women in Science and Engineering Initiative. In these roles, her efforts have focused on building diverse coalitions within the department, college, and university to address injustice and inequity in STEM education and in environmental and energy development spaces. She has also worked as a volunteer researcher for the Minnesota House Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Committee and helped found the Twin Cities Science Policy Network.
“I’m honored to have been selected as an ASME Congressional fellow alongside my incredible co-fellows,” says VandenBussche. “This fellowship is a great opportunity to gain insight into the policymaking process and to leverage what I’ve learned through my engineering education to serve the U.S. government. I’m especially thrilled to be working with Representative Tonko, a fellow engineer and a leader in clean energy policy, along with his staff and the people of New York’s 20th congressional district. I’m looking forward to a very exciting year!”
VandenBussche earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in violin performance from Case Western Reserve University.
About the ASME Congressional Fellowship Program
ASME Congressional Fellowships are sponsored by ASME Government Relations, the ASME Foundation, the ASME Petroleum Division, and the ASME Bioengineering Division. Applications for 2022-23 ASME Congressional Fellowships in Energy, Bioengineering and Advanced Manufacturing are being accepted through Dec.15, 2021. For more information, including more about current fellows and 2022-23 fellowship opportunities, visit https://www.asme.org/government-relations/federal-fellows-program.
Those interested in making a contribution to the program can do so and learn more by visiting the ASME Foundation’s website at https://www.asmefoundation.org/.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. In 2021, ASME launched a second for-profit subsidiary, Metrix Connect LLC, an industry events and content platform to accelerate digital transformation in the engineering community and the exclusive agent for the Mechanical Engineering® brand of media products. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
Media contact:
Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1 541.554.3796
“ASME is pleased to welcome Elisah VandenBussche to the distinguished roster of engineers who have provided valuable service to our nation through the Federal Government Fellowship Program,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “Through these prestigious year-long engagements, our fellows have a unique opportunity to participate directly in the policy-making process and gain an insider’s perspective on government decision-making – and, in turn, they can apply that learning to their professional roles and better contribute to the mission and vision of their own organizations.”
Beyond her research, VandenBussche has served in several leadership positions at the University of Minnesota, including co-founding the CEMS department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee and working for the UMN Institute of the Environment and the Women in Science and Engineering Initiative. In these roles, her efforts have focused on building diverse coalitions within the department, college, and university to address injustice and inequity in STEM education and in environmental and energy development spaces. She has also worked as a volunteer researcher for the Minnesota House Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Committee and helped found the Twin Cities Science Policy Network.
“I’m honored to have been selected as an ASME Congressional fellow alongside my incredible co-fellows,” says VandenBussche. “This fellowship is a great opportunity to gain insight into the policymaking process and to leverage what I’ve learned through my engineering education to serve the U.S. government. I’m especially thrilled to be working with Representative Tonko, a fellow engineer and a leader in clean energy policy, along with his staff and the people of New York’s 20th congressional district. I’m looking forward to a very exciting year!”
VandenBussche earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in violin performance from Case Western Reserve University.
About the ASME Congressional Fellowship Program
ASME Congressional Fellowships are sponsored by ASME Government Relations, the ASME Foundation, the ASME Petroleum Division, and the ASME Bioengineering Division. Applications for 2022-23 ASME Congressional Fellowships in Energy, Bioengineering and Advanced Manufacturing are being accepted through Dec.15, 2021. For more information, including more about current fellows and 2022-23 fellowship opportunities, visit https://www.asme.org/government-relations/federal-fellows-program.
Those interested in making a contribution to the program can do so and learn more by visiting the ASME Foundation’s website at https://www.asmefoundation.org/.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. In 2021, ASME launched a second for-profit subsidiary, Metrix Connect LLC, an industry events and content platform to accelerate digital transformation in the engineering community and the exclusive agent for the Mechanical Engineering® brand of media products. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
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Media contact:
Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1 541.554.3796
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