Setting the Standard: ASME’s Susan Ipri-Brown Discusses the Mechanical Engineering Skill Set

Machine Design regularly connects with industry associations to stay updated on career gaps and opportunities in engineering. This time, we reached out to Susan Ipri-Brown, president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), to discuss how ASME aligns its strategic plans with industry needs.

Our one-on-one with Ipri-Brown came at a perfect time. As we were in the throes of conducting Machine Design’s annual Salary & Career Survey, the conversation with Ipri-Brown touched on similar themes, allowing us to compare Machine Design’s survey findings with the insights that ASME gathers from its mechanical engineering members.

“ASME’s mission is to advance engineering for the benefit of humanity, and our vision is really to be a premier resource for the engineering community globally,” said Ipri-Brown, who stepped into the role of the society’s 143rd president in June. “And to me, what that means achieving a set of programs that empower engineers personally and professionally to create innovative solutions to today’s challenges.”

ASME started out by developing standards for the industry. “There were issues with boilers in manufacturing facilities, and they started by sitting down and writing the first boiler code,” said Ipri-Brown.

From those humble beginnings in creating safety and standards in 1880, ASME has grown to be a veritable professional convening space. The not-for-profit organization has more than 500 standards under its belt and more than 3,500 volunteers who are actively engaged in code operations and committee structures. The society has 85,000 members across the country and the world.

“That inclusivity of so many engineers across the world allows us to have much more matured conferences, networking opportunities, a publishing operation, learning and development arm, and the ability to even have some government relations and foundation programming,” she said.

There was a strong synergy between Ipri-Brown's responses about ASME’s members and Machine Design’s survey findings, showing a consistent alignment. Additionally—and gratefully—Ipri-Brown's perspective added much-needed context for some of the pressing issues that keep engineers up at night.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Machine Design: Can you talk more specifically about what ASME is doing to foster career development?

Susan Ipri-Brown: Career development is vital. For engineers starting out, when we are in our engineering programs, we are taught to be problem-solvers and given that range of tools that hopefully will last us through the rest of our career. And as many of us are seeing now, jobs are continually changing. Students that are in school now are going to have job titles and areas that are not necessarily known at this point.

So, when we’re talking career development, are we putting together learning and development programs? Are we convening our mechanical engineering department chairs to talk about what those skills are to give engineers, so that they are prepared for whatever their 30-, 40-, 50-year career is going to bring them?

One of our functions is convening. Part of the convening that the Society can do is to stay on that pulse of what’s needed. What are the critical technology areas that we can then foster further collaboration or educational programs to?

The other thing that’s happening in career development is looking at the range of skills needed. A lot of folks think of these societies, and they think of four-year degree folks, and that is certainly a strong area. But there’s career development that’s needed for technicians and engineers who are entering fields with a range of skills-development needs.

So we, too, are looking at community college programs and other training programs for reskilling engineers, so that there is a way to support this industry from a whole range of skills that are needed for industry to be successful in these critical technology areas.

MD: Susan, I am recalling a stat from Machine Design’s salary survey. We asked engineers whether or not there is a shortage of engineers, and the majority said, absolutely. Talk a little bit about that from ASME’s perspective.

SI-B: Yes, we’re hearing similar things, and I think it goes back to the fact that careers are changing when new technologies come in. You see that a lot in the sustainability fields as we’re leaning towards new, renewable energies. Not everyone, when we went through school, learned how to put together and work with solar panels or other types of services.

So, how are we putting together reskilling opportunities, learning and development opportunities so that engineers can say, “I want to move into a different field, but maybe I need to get myself up to speed on some skills.” Additionally, there’s a range of skills that are needed in industry right now, from technicians all the way through operators and engineers.

We are looking at our range of programs to make sure we’re serving, starting in K-12, and making an awareness of these careers so that more people are interested in moving into the technical fields. We’re working within community colleges; are they resourced and understanding what industry needs are? As well as through four-year programs and graduate programs. We have to look at the entire pipeline and see what the training and reskilling needs are. And we need to be there at the forefront of those programs.

MD: What is ASME’s pulse on the skill sets that are needed for the future? One other observation from Machine Design’s survey was that respondents expressed that their organizations were having difficulty finding qualified candidates. You mentioned that skill sets are changing. How are the roles of mechanical engineers, for example, changing? What new skills does industry need to pull in, or do universities and colleges need to seek out to fulfill that multidisciplinary approach that will allow engineers to be versatile and able to get into vacant and emerging roles?

SI-B: I think you’re exactly right in bringing up multidisciplinary because innovation is needed where there’s a challenge for society. And it’s not necessarily in that stovepipe of mechanical or electrical; things are interconnected. So, at a foundational level, yes, our engineering education needs to stay focused on: How do you problem solve? How do you understand these solutions? But what’s really transforming it is digital transformation. It’s data. Two of the key things that we’re seeing are AI and the need to understand data analysis.

Right now, there’s not necessarily a problem with getting enough data. The problem is too much data. There’s data collected everywhere. And do engineers understand how to collect the right data? How do you analyze that to move forward to solve [specific] problems?

We’re seeing more programs add different data analysis. I actually have a personal point on this. My son just graduated with an engineering degree. And as I talked about his courses, he was focused on taking more data, analytical type of classes, machine-learning classes. Because he said, “No matter where I end up going, I’m going to need these skills.” So, the schools are offering those programs.

And with AI coming in, that is just going to be an amazing tool for engineers. It’s going to transform the way that we do our jobs. And to understand what that tool can do is going to be important. I know there’s a lot of social talk about what AI is bringing. But in a technical arena, we’re talking about tools that can help us sort through that data and help us understand our decisions a lot more strongly. So how do engineers look at AI and say, “That’s going to move my business forward. That’s going to allow me to do my job in a more complete or creative way and be parallel with those AI systems.”

I think all these pieces about digital and data are where we need to make sure our engineers are ready to go in and use those tools, because that’s going to be universal across so many different industries.

MD: I’ve been traveling to various trade shows and conferences. One message that bubbles up is: The future will be software-driven. What do mechanical engineers make of this? How does a mechanical engineer define digital transformation? What impact does digitalization have on the fundamentals of component design?

SI-B: I think the fundamental needs for an engineer to look at a challenge and need to come up with a product or a process to solve that challenge is still there. Innovation comes into how you are going to do that, how you are going to create something new that’s going to solve that problem or create that new process. And when we look at what digital transformation means to do that? It is, how are we going to come up with that innovative solution? And how do we understand how AI can boost our productivity?

That again comes down to data. Do you know how to collect the data that you really need, and then use that data to improve your processes? Are you able to look at AI as a collaborative tool? Do you understand what it means to use AI? What is the data you want to put into that AI model? What is the data that you then want to get out?

And how do you work with the engineers on your team to say, what do I want that result to be? And in some cases, it may be, for example, on an industrial floor. Well, AI is going to let me find patterns in my repair schedule or help me find patterns in our testing, and jump you forward with an understanding of changes that you might need for your line to be more productive. Or to help jump forward in the levels of prototyping.

So, I think AI for engineers needs to be about where the points are in my design process and where I really could use a deeper understanding. Or in our manufacturing process, where are the points that we can better understand what’s really happening, and use that to transform how we do our business. We’re going to see digital twins and other models like that that are going to allow these systems to be back and forth with our designs and our processes and being able to react more on real-time data, make changes that we need to improve our production.

And engineers are not going to get replaced by that. They are going to be supported by that. I think the more that an engineer embraces that and sees how it’s going to boost their productivity, the more integrated these tools are going to be able to bring success for us.

MD: Referencing another question in Machine Design’s salary survey, we asked respondents which engineering specialties they were having difficulty in finding qualified candidates for. Mechanical design, systems engineering and software made up the majority. So, how can, and will, ASME help facilitate these needs for the industry? How are you involved in encouraging the next generation of mechanical engineers?

SI-B: It’s a strong question, because we do have to look across the pipeline of development from K-12 all the way through their employment. Looking across those pipelines in the K-12 area, we start there with several programs out of our ASME foundation. We are going into schools with our DiscoverE programs and DropMEIn! And it’s a chance for engineers to be involved and putting a real face on what mechanical engineering is and what the tools are that you’re going to need to have to move forward.

Then we work a lot with our engineering students. And we have programs such as our Efx events [forums for students and early career engineers to share career and professional development content and networking activities] and our iShows, which is a chance for early career, and students who have actual product ideas to come and pitch their idea and receive funding and initial help for getting the prototypes and getting that into production. So, the iShow is really exciting in the early career space.

We have just received an award from the Department of Labor to help develop a mechanical engineering technology registered apprenticeship program. This is very much in the community college space and in the space for the technical workforce, where you may not necessarily need a full four-year degree, but you need to get in there and understand what the technology is. Apprenticeships are wonderful ways to get folks in.

They are also scheduled and put together to solve the logistics of folks who are trying to get into the workforce because apprenticeships allow you to get paid while you’re getting that education and moving into technology. Programs like that are on the ground working with different educational institutions and working with students who need just that little bit more of a boost to get into those training programs and off the ground.

Additionally, I mentioned the convening factor of a Society. For practicing engineers, we have the conferences in a range of different ways. For all the things that are already in place, we welcome early career engineers.

MD: ASME has made some DEI gains, specifically with your Board of Governors. Tell me about that.

SI-B: ASME is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive society for all engineers. Diversity, equity, inclusion, access and belonging are to us not just visions. But they’re imperatives. And we are developing programs around that for this fiscal year. Yes, we figured that has to start at the top. So, this is the first year that, on our Board of Governors, we have equity in men and women serving on the board. That’s an exciting milestone to reach.

But for me, that is just the beginning. That is just the model of what’s possible. Throughout the year we’re doing a campaign on celebrating gender diversity but also looking at what are the pieces that we can do all the way through the society to bring that gender equity, as well as inclusivity, in any different measures across all our conferences. There are several conferences that have a “women in engineering” session, so that when they’re there you can start to have some mentoring and convening going on there.

Our DEI Strategy Committee has created a toolkit that we send out to all of the different units within the Society, so that they have some practical pieces. We want to assume that everyone who’s volunteering with society have what they need. They may say, “Yeah, great. I want to help out in DEI. What does that mean? What do I do next?” So, we’re providing tools to our committees and volunteers, as well as sharing them with other engineering societies, to support the profession.

We have a five-year $50 million-dollar fundraising campaign called the Campaign for Next Generation Engineers that is looking to double the number of women and minorities in engineering by 2030. Also, we are looking at mobilizing a global set of engineers to innovate in sustainability.

So many of the different pieces within engineering are designing for sustainability, then putting into place sustainable solutions as well as then recycling and other reuse type of efforts within the profession. For us, DEI is something that we are looking across everything that we’re doing. And at the Board level, we’re there to kick things off. But it doesn’t end with just having the Board having gender equity at this point.

MD: One last question What is your best advice for the ambitious mechanical engineer, regardless of what phase of their career they’re in?

SI-B: Oh, I love encouraging other engineers. I love getting out and working with students. I think my couple messages are: network. Do not be afraid to meet folks to tell people what you’re interested in, because it’s amazing where you find mentors. I was just on an airplane a few months ago and sat next to an engineering graduate student who recognized me from something at ASME. We got talking. She has amazing ambitions and was willing to turn around and say, “Hi!” And say, “Hey, I recognize you.” So, network. Get out there.

Let people know who you are and what you’re interested in, and that is related to the second thing: engage. Find some place to jump into. There are so many ways that you can engage. I know some folks who are waiting for the right opportunity, or they’re waiting for a perfect match with something that may not happen until later.

So, if you're interested and you’re ambitious out there, engage in something. It could be with a local group; it could be through your professional society; it could be volunteering for something else at work. But engage and have your voice be part of the profession. And at the same time, be willing to listen to what’s going on. Listening and educating is about empowering yourself.

It’s been very dynamic for me. It’s been very dynamic for a lot of people that I know, and I wish the best for all who want to jump into the profession. So, get out there, jump in, network and engage.

MD: Network. Engage. Listen! All great advice, Susan. It’s been such a pleasure to catch up with you and to get to know you a little bit. Thank you for your insights.

Another Word About Susan Ipri-Brown

Susan Ipri-Brown has held numerous positions of leadership, including serving on the ASME Board of Governors and the Executive Committee, and as a member of the Public Affairs and Outreach Council. She served as vice president of the Committee on Government Relations and was named an ASME Federal Fellow and served at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she fostered strategic partnerships to support technology-based economic development initiatives. She also held the position of vice president of ASME’s Global Outreach and was a member of the Society’s Council on Education.

That’s not counting her role as a strategic partnership specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM), which also serves as the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office for Manufacturing USA.

Before joining OAM, she served as the associate dean for educational outreach, as founding director of the ExploreHope Academic Outreach Office, and as an associate professor of engineering instruction at Hope College in Holland, Mich. As associate director of the STEM Education Partnerships at Northwestern University, Ipri-Brown directed teacher professional development programs, grant writing and new program development.

Ipri-Brown earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. She is a recipient of the ASME Dedicated Service Award.

Editor’s Note: Machine Design’s WISE (Workers in Science and Engineering) hub compiles our coverage of workplace issues affecting the engineering field, in addition to contributions from equity seeking groups and subject matter experts within various subdisciplines.