ASME President’s Awards Presented to Two Distinguished Members of Congress Leading the Charge for American Manufacturing

Former ASME President, Said Jahanmir, Ph.D., recently  presented the ASME President’s Award to the Honorable Tim Ryan and the  Honorable Tom Reed (R-NY). Prior to his tenure as President of ASME, Jahanmir  served as a 2016-2017 ASME Congressional Fellow for Representative Ryan, where  he played a concerted role in crafting legislation focused on the state of  engineering and manufacturing in the U.S.

As Co-Chairs of the House Manufacturing Caucus, Congressmen  Ryan and Reed have been a driving force behind many pieces of legislation that  have helped moved the needle on American manufacturing and ensured the U.S.  remains a top global manufacturing leader. Since assuming their roles as Caucus  Co-Chairs, Congressmen Ryan and Reed have not only championed legislation  focused on improving the state of American manufacturing, but they have also  led the charge in educating their fellow Members of Congress on the challenges  currently standing in the way of hegemonic leadership. ASME worked closely with  the Caucus to sponsor several congressional briefings on topics such as:   3D printing in Additive Manufacturing; Organs on Demand in Regenerative  Medicine; Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing; and the Critical Role of Water  for Manufacturing. Congressmen Reed and Ryan have  worked hard to ensure their colleagues are aware of what is happening in the  constantly evolving manufacturing industry.  Videos of ASME Congressional  Briefings from the 114th-116th Congress are available on the House Manufacturing Caucus website.

Congressmen Ryan and Reed have served as tireless advocates for American  Manufacturing. Since assuming their roles as co-chairs, Congressmen Reed and  Ryan, along with Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) jointly introduced the  Developing Tomorrow’s Engineering and Technical Workforce Act. Moreover, they  have jointly cosponsored a significant number bipartisan bills geared towards  strengthening American manufacturing, including the American Manufacturing  Leadership Act, which seeks to reauthorize and improve the Revitalize American  Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act, along with the Make it in American  Manufacturing Communities Act, which seeks to bolster the competitiveness of  American manufacturing through supporting manufacturing communities.  Congressman  Ryan also recently introduced the Chief Manufacturing Officer Act, which seeks  to establish a United States Chief Manufacturing Officer in the Executive  Office of the President, who will oversee the development and implementation of  a National Manufacturing Strategy. 

Congressman Ryan was unable to accept the  Award due to travel related to his 2020 Presidential Campaign.  Ron  Grimes, his Chief of Staff, accepted the award on his behalf.

Established in 1998, the ASME President's Award is presented to individuals and  companies who have demonstrated significant contributions to the engineering  profession. Congressman Ryan and Congressman Reed both join a distinguished  group of past recipients, which including former NASA administrator Daniel S.  Goldin; Dean Kamen, the executive director of the Advanced Regenerative  Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) and founder of For the Inspiration and  Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST); Senator Lamar Alexander,  co-writer of the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully  Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science) Act of 2007, and the  Apollo 11 astronauts, among others.