OVER THE SUMMER, Mechanical Engineering’s editorial team once again partnered with Engineering for Change (E4C) on its Editorial Fellowship program, which bridges scientific journalism and engineering for global development. This annual fellowship, which began in 2021, brings one individual from anywhere in the world onto our team for five months to participate in a learning program centered around engineering for sustainable development.
We welcomed Mercy C. Wanjiku Nduati as our 2025 editorial fellow in May. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Nduati has brought new stories and perspectives to both E4C and Mechanical Engineering over the last six months, such as “A Smart Solution for a Silent Crisis,” exploring a wearable device that monitors newborns’ vital signs in low-resource hospital settings, and “Kenyan Electronics Manufacturing Surges Ahead,” which profiled two companies producing critical electronics components in Nairobi.
This month’s cover story, “Harnessing the Heat Beneath,” represents the culmination of her time here. In the piece, Nduati explores how Kenya has fostered its geothermal industry and taken full advantage of its location along the East African Rift, which provides ideal access to high-heat geothermal resources.
As Nduati writes, geothermal exploration began in the 1950s and today, more than half the nation’s electricity needs are met with this renewable resource. And new developments are set to grow Kenya’s geothermal capacity heading toward the end of the decade.
Here in the United States, the national electrical grid is seeing changes as well. As the authors of our second feature, “Torque of the Town,” point out, electric motors of all shapes and sizes currently account for about half of all power produced. Most of these motors draw energy directly from the grid, note Harry R. Kennard and Michael E. Webber, professors at the University of Texas at Austin.
But as power demands grow and shift, particularly with the influx of massive data centers and the expanding EV fleet, Kennard and Webber examine whether motors will continue their electricity consumption dominance in the decades ahead.
Other gems in this month’s issue explore how an intelligent demand response algorithm could save consumers money on water heating, how biohybrid robotic jellyfish could reveal climate change secrets, and how one company has repurposed NASA technology to make operating in places without GPS possible.
We also have a profile about Georgena Terry, who has been leveling the bicycle design playing field for women since the 1980s. And ASME’s Video Production Team recently visited with the team at Wazer, a company that produces waterjet cutters for shops large and small.
Plus, in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve prepared a quiz on some classic toys (although, do the 1970s and 1980s qualify as vintage yet?).
As we close out 2025, I’m reminded that we’re just a few short months away from our third-annual Mechanical Engineering Watch List. There’s still some time left to nominate an engineer who’s making a difference in the engineering space. Be sure to check out our 2024 and 2025 winners, if you missed them.
In the meantime, from all of us at ASME, we wish you a safe and joyous end to 2025. Here’s bringing you more about all the ways in which engineering is changing the world in 2026.
—Louise Poirier, managing editor
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