ASME and the ASME Foundation Recognized with STEM Education Leadership Award

June 3, 2016

Representing ASME at the awards event in Times Square were (left to right) Luis Rodriguez, associate executive director, Technology Services; Bill Garofalo, associate executive director, Finance, and treasurer for the ASME Foundation; Patti Jo Snyder, operations manager, Programs & Philanthropy; Noha El-Ghobashy, associate executive director, Programs & Philanthropy, and executive director of the ASME Foundation; ASME Past President Harry Armen, member of the ASME Foundation Board; and Michael Cowan, director, Public Information.

ASME and the ASME Foundation were honored last month for their commitment to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education by Nasdaq and EverFi. ASME, the Foundation and 15 other institutions were recognized with STEM Education Leadership Awards for their significant efforts to improve STEM education and career readiness for students across North America. The ceremony was hosted on May 19 at the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square in New York City.

Honorees were selected based on a set of criteria that included the scale and educational impact of their STEM education initiatives as well as unique employee volunteering activities that supplement their programs.

“Our country faces a growing shortage of employees who are skilled in STEM,” said EverFi Founder and Chief Executive Officer Tom Davidson. “The organizations we’re recognizing here today are committed to igniting student interest in these critical topics and exposing students to the jobs of the 21st century.”

Science teacher Michelle Jennings (third from right) with her seventh grade students and ASME INSPIRE Scholars from the Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, who participated on a panel at the awards program.

The ASME Foundation has collaborated with EverFi to bring ASME INSPIRE to students across the United States at no cost to schools or taxpayers. The web-based INSPIRE uses the latest in simulation and gaming technologies to build STEM skills and highlight the career possibilities that a STEM education can unlock. Now completing its second year of full implementation, the program has reached nearly 780 schools across 46 states, engaging more than 700 teachers and reaching more than 27,000 middle and high school students.

“The ASME Foundation is honored to receive the STEM Education Leadership Award,” said Noha El-Ghobashy, associate executive director, ASME Programs & Philanthropy, and executive director of the ASME Foundation. “We believe our collaboration with EverFi has ignited a spark and enthusiasm for engineering in thousands of students across the country and provided a gateway for them to see themselves in creative, vibrant STEM-related careers.”

For more information on ASME INSPIRE and ASME K-12 engineering education programs, contact Patti Jo Snyder, ASME K-12 programs manager, at snyderp@asme.org.

Patti Jo Snyder, Programs & Philanthropy