WELCOME TO THE AUGUST 2025 ISSUE of Mechanical Engineering, which is full of articles near and dear to my heart, and which is also something of a landmark. Keep reading to the end to see what I mean.
But first, this month’s cover story is a terrific feature article on the present and near future of fusion energy. When I first read “Fusion Time” by friend of the magazine (and of mine) Michael Abrams, I was struck by both the tangible progress being made by two of the companies featured, but also by how slowly that progress is moving.
You know the old saw about how fusion is the power source of the future and always will be, but fusion power is closer to reality than ever before. The people working in the field will tell you that a demonstration of a break-even fusion power plant is close. But what “close” means in the world of fusion is a bit different than how most people measure it. When David Gates, the chief technology officer at Thea Energy, one of the companies with the best line of achieving a workable fusion system, told Abrams that working out a complicated physics challenge “took a minute,” what he means is 10 to 15 years.
Don’t get me wrong: I believe in the potential for fusion power to transform the world energy system and completely remove energy scarcity from the global economy. And the work Abrams reports on is exciting. (There was so much to write about that he has another article in the works in the coming months.) But I’ll wait a bit before putting the proverbial champagne on ice.
Elsewhere in this issue, Kayt Sukel talks to early career engineers, recruiters, and engineers who graduated during times of high unemployment to find out what lessons they might have for today’s engineering students. To be sure, the class of 2025 is enjoying a robust job market, but the economy has been buffeted by uncertainty over tariffs, inflation, and government budget cuts, so the class of 2026 might not have such good luck.
We also have articles on a thermal shield for space capsules that removes excess heat through sweating, a shape-shifting robot collective that can mimic various materials, and a report on researchers who are working out how to thermochemically convert horse manure to fuel. Mercy C. Wanjiku Nduati, a Nairobi-based editorial fellow working with Engineering for Change, reports on two companies that are bringing circuit board manufacturing capabilities to Kenya. And the ASME Video team put together a nice profile of ASME’s Chris Cantrell, our senior managing director of Standards and Engineering Services.
I also had the opportunity to spend an hour with Lester K. Su, the 144ᵗʰ President of ASME. Su is a world-class researcher and star intellect, but I was struck by his deep and genuine humility. “To be honest, engineers understand that the way we think is unique, but it’s not necessarily pure intellectual horsepower. And I think we’re open to admitting that physicists are smarter than we are,” he told me. For those ASME members who have not met Su, we’ve published an edited—and greatly condensed—transcript of our conversation.
Su is the fifth ASME President I’ve had the pleasure to interview since I was elevated to editor in chief in 2020. In my time at Mechanical Engineering, which started in October 2002, we have seen a lot of changes together, in the magazine, within ASME, and in the industries and fields that engineers shape. In my first editor’s letter, I wrote that I believed this century would have a happy ending, and that engineers would be the heroes of that story, and I think that’s just as true today.
But with all stories, there’s a final page. And this is the last page I’ll write as editor in chief of Mechanical Engineering. I am retiring this month and handing over the reins to the phenomenally talented Louise Poirier. She has the vision and energy to raise the magazine and the Mechanical Engineering brand to a whole new level, and I’m excited to see what she and the rest of the staff come up with in the coming months and years.
I concluded my first letter to the members with “I believe the best is yet to come.” Now, I think I can fairly say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
—Jeffrey Winters, editor in chief
There’s more to ASME than the magazine. Be sure to check out these features.
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Brown University doctoral student in fluid and thermal sciences, Eva Erickson, brought her engineering mindset to Survivor Season 48. Her efforts won her recognition on our Watch List 2025.
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ASME UNCONVENTIONAL ENGINEERING
Join ASME CEO Thomas Costabile and STEM educator Jay Flores as they talk with some of the most exciting names in engineering. Recent episodes include an interview with Diana Iracheta, founder of “Latina Engineer,” who shares her career journey with the hope of inspiring the next generation of engineers. Check out the podcast landing page to hear them all.
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