ASME Government Relations Webinar to Highlight Federal Government Fellowship Program

ASME Government Relations will offer a webinar, "ASME Federal Government Fellowships: Technology Intersecting Policy and Politics," on Thursday, Jan. 14 from noon to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This special online seminar will feature current Congressional Fellow Briana Tomboulian, Ph.D., and former Fellow Stephen Lehrman, who will share their personal perspectives on the accomplishments and challenges associated with serving as an ASME Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

Dr. Tomboulian, ASME's 2015 Congressional Engineering Fellow, has been serving in the office of U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) since January 2015, where she has been working on energy, environment and manufacturing issues. Tomboulian came to ASME's Fellowship program from a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship program, where she spent time at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center developing critical components for deep-space power systems. She received a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Smith College and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Stephen Lehrman served as ASME's 2006 Congressional Engineering Fellow for U.S. Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR). When his fellowship ended in 2006, Lehrman accepted a position as legislative assistant for Sen. Pryor. He was ultimately promoted to senior legislative assistant for policy issues related to the economy, tax, budget, banking, housing, small business, energy, environment, and science and technology policy. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, he founded an intellectual property consulting and marketing firm, LabraTek Consulting, and worked for RTI International, Fuentek LLC, Corporate Consulting and Development Co., and Stone & Webster Engineering. Lehrman, who currently works as an independent contractor for the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University.

Kalan Guiley, the chair of ASME's Committee on Government Relations, will host the webinar and provide general information about the fellowship program and current opportunities available through the program. Guiley has been a member of the ASME Committee on Government Relations since 2007, and has served as vice president/chair since 2013. He works for The Boeing Company as manager of continued airworthiness for twin-aisle airplanes.

For more information on the webinar, visit the ASME Public Policy Education Center at http://ppec.asme.org. To register, visit https://engage.vevent.com/rt/asme~asme_congressional_fellowships.

Applications are now being accepted for two ASME Fellowship opportunities: the 2016-2017 ASME Congressional Fellowship and the Second Advanced Manufacturing Fellowship at America Makes. For more information on the Congressional Fellowship, visit www.asme.org/about-asme/get-involved/advocacy-government-relations/federal-fellows-program/congressional-fellowships. To learn more about the Advanced Manufacturing Fellowship at America Makes, visit http://ppec.asme.org/washington-insider/new-asme-advanced-manufacturing-fellowship-america-makes/.