ASME NEWS
ME Takes National Honors, WFEO Discusses Engineering’s Role in Resilient Infrastructure
A roundup of recent Society events.
Mechanical Engineering Earns Three National Azbee Awards
ASME’s Mechanical Engineering magazine won three national awards at the 48th ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, with judges praising its digital edition for its exceptional innovation and impact.
Judges said they are always looking for something fresh and compelling—a publication that “audiences actually want and need to read.” This year, they said, the Mechanical Engineering team delivered exactly that as they presented the award to Louise Poirier, managing editor of the 146-year-old publication.
Poirier said the redesign began with readers in mind and one guiding question: “How do you take the very best of print and put it in a format that somebody is going to want to read?” The team approached that question with engineers in mind. “Because our readers are mechanical engineers who are pushing technology in their own spaces,” she said.
Admitting that the Digital Magazine of the Year Award is difficult to judge, those deciding on the winner praised the ME team’s use of “their platform to fully mix the curated reading experience of print with the interactive multimedia opportunities of digital to create the new frontier for high-quality journalism, storytelling, and graphic design.”
They called the result “powerful, effective, beautiful” and added, “It creates an experience so new, so exciting, that we struggle to even describe it in our notes. It’s exactly what digital magazines should be, and a whole lot more.”
ME also earned a National Gold Award for its transition to a fully digital magazine in 2025. Its Career Center articles also earned a National Bronze Award for giving engineers practical guidance at every career stage.
The Azbees honor outstanding work in business, trade, association, and professional publications. The nationwide competition recognizes excellence across print, online, and design categories and is considered one of the most competitive awards programs in the industry. This year’s contest received more than 740 entries from publications across the United States.
Speakers (left to right) Cameron Martin, executive, Westinghouse Electric Company; Seng Chuan Tan, president, WFEO; Lok Bahadur Thapa, president ECOSOC; K.N. Gunalan, WFEO president-elect, co-chair of the UN Scientific and Technological Community MG; Vanessa McBride, senior director, ISC; and Selvaraju Ramasamy, senior officer, Office of Innovation FAO.
Engineering Makes Resilient Infrastructure Possible at Scale
At the 2026 United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, a World Federation of Engineering Organizations side event highlighted a critical challenge: infrastructure systems are struggling to keep pace with rapid technological change and growing global demands. The session emphasized that while science and technology often dominate policy discussions, engineering is the discipline that turns innovation into practical, large-scale implementation.
Moderated by WFEO President-elect K. N. Gunalan, the discussion focused on how resilient, sustainable, and inclusive infrastructure can be developed during a period of technological disruption. Speakers stressed that engineering must play a more visible role in global policy because it is essential to designing, building, and maintaining the systems that support modern society.
Cameron Martin of Westinghouse Electric Company, an ASME Industry Advisory Board member, underscored the importance of codes and standards as the foundation for safe, reliable, and scalable infrastructure worldwide. He noted that major projects depend on globally recognized engineering standards, including ASME pressure vessel codes, regardless of where they are built.
ASME Podcast Features 2025 Watch List Honoree Ilayda Samilgil
Ilayda Samilgil, who was named to ASME’s 2025 Watch List, is featured in the 24th episode of ASME’s Unconventional Engineering. The podcast explores how engineers and others in the STEM community are using their skills to solve real-world problems and advance engineering for society.
In the episode, ASME Executive Director and CEO Thomas Costabile and STEM Ambassador Jay Flores speak with Samilgil, co-founder and CEO of LLume, a company developing wearable sensors called “Light Lace.” A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Samilgil discusses her path from research to entrepreneurship, the technology behind LLume’s sensors, and the challenges of building a startup. LLume has worked on research projects with the U.S. Department of Defense and Major League Baseball.
Listen to the full episode of Unconventional Engineering on RSS, Apple, and Spotify.
Ilayda Samilgil, co-founder and CEO of LLume, is featured in the 24th episode of ASME’s Unconventional Engineering.
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