ASME TechCast

The workforce shortage and war for talent continue. One area that’s being hit particularly hard is the technical workforce, which is facing headwinds such as rapidly advancing technological requirements and antiquated perceptions. Despite growing demand across industries, from energy to manufacturing and beyond, there’s a widening gap between available positions and qualified candidates. And the engineer-to-technician ratio is widening, even though the need for critical hands-on skillsets is growing as well. Parminder Jassal, CEO and co-founder of Unmudl, a skills-to-jobs marketplace that connects learners and employers via a coast-to-coast network of leading community colleges, joins ASME TechCast to discuss these challenges and how industry, the public, and educators can turn this trend around.

A mechanical engineer and VP of RMF Engineering discusses recruiting and training young professionals. They delve into generational perceptions in the workplace, recruitment strategies for young engineers, work from home benefits, and navigating the changing engineering landscape.

Mars has been a longstanding target for exploration, but for nearly 50 years, we've been sending robots to examine the Martian surface. Elizabeth Jens of Jet Propulsion Laboratory is one of the engineers working on systems used by the Perseverance rover and other missions. In this podcast, she talks about her work and the importance of encouraging young women to consider science and engineering careers.

Amy Elliott, a 3D printing and robotics engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discusses her journey in engineering, the importance of hands-on experience, empowering women in STEM through 3D printing, advancements in automation, and shares fun facts about her personal and professional life.

Identifying, training, and retaining talent continues to be a challenge for all fields of engineering. At the same time, diversifying the mix of engineering graduates to include more underrepresented groups is critical. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), minority serving institutions (MSIs), tribal colleges and universities, and others are making significant strides in growing the number of underrepresented groups entering engineering through a variety of strategies.In this episode, Craig Scott shares insights into engineering workforce challenges and some possible solutions. Scott is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He is also president of the Inclusive Engineering Consortium (IEC)—a non-profit organization comprised of historically minority serving institutions working to produce a larger and better prepared pool of African-American, Hispanic, and Native American engineering graduates.

Lauren Neal talks about her experience as a working engineer in a male-dominated field. She covers strategies for recruitment, retention, DEI, and leadership.

Artificial intelligence isn’t just for faking voices or generating images. The technology can also sift through mountains of data and extract actionable insights. Humberto Moreira, principal solutions engineer at the software development services company Gigster, explains how these insights can assist manufacturers become more flexible and be more attuned to consumers.

When it comes to research and development, engineers lead the way across a wide range of industries. But when it’s time to translate cutting-edge research and prototypes into commercial applications and technologies, the process can be quite complex. Paul Cherukuri helps shed some light on that process, from strategies to challenges to real-world examples. Cherukuri is Rice University’s vice president for innovation and he also serves as Chief Innovation Officer, Adjunct Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, and Associate Research Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Risk-adverse, technical professionals find securing new business takes understanding a new generation of buyers and how they build relationships, assess services, and ultimately purchase products.

While it may be an election year, there is plenty of opportunity for science and engineering policy to be passed and implemented in Washington. ASME's Paul Fakes previews the potential areas for bipartisan agreement.