Photo By Dustin Q. Diaz | Representatives from the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) meet with...... read more read more
Representatives from four professional societies came to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Maryland, for panel discussions and networking with their counterparts May 3.
Dr. Tim Arcano, Carderock’s technical director, began Professional Societies Day at Carderock by welcoming these visiting engineers and scientists, comprising members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), the American Society of Naval Engineers and the Marine Technology Society (MTS).
“We’re here today to give you some insight into what professional society membership can do for you,” Arcano said. “I joined a society myself when I was at the Naval Academy and I have stayed involved with these groups because I really believe in them. This is an investment you can make to continue to develop throughout your career.”
Arcano talked about the different professional societies that cover the range of Carderock employees’ professional endeavors and hosted panel discussions with members of these societies, asking each about their own career paths, what professional societies they belong to and how they’ve helped in their careers, from maintenance of technical knowledge to personal mentorship. During the first panel, Erik Seither, executive director for SNAME, said they are an excellent way to maintain personal connections and stay informed in the era of new media.
“We spend a lot more time in the office on the computer, and a lot more time away from it on our phones, but when you meet with members of your society in person, you’re putting the phones away, you’re talking about important things, and you’re establishing that personal interplay and gaining more knowledge from each other,” Seither said. “I encourage you to join a society and be active in it. And if you’re not interested, maybe your children would be.”
Calvin Foster is a member of ASNE and the director of a private company which provides services to the Department of Defense, including Naval Sea Systems Command and its warfare centers like Carderock. His own reasons for participating in these organizations include a sense of duty.
“The organizations that I’m a part of really contribute to that ship or that aircraft or that submarine that’s going in harm’s way, to ensuring the Sailors and officers know what the capabilities and limitations of their platform is and that they’ll be able to navigate that operational environment and defend our country,” said Foster, who is a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve and has deployed overseas multiple times. “That’s what gets me up every morning, and I know I work with a lot of folks who share that passion in these organizations.”
The second panel was focused on young professionals and hosted by Jonathan Hopkins, a mechanical engineer with Carderock’s Additive Manufacturing Project Office (Code 6103). During this panel, Nathan Hagan, a naval architect with the Criteria and Assessment Branch (Code 654), talked about the camaraderie he shares with current and past fellow members of these societies, like Arcano. He said he turned to these societies for help in becoming a naval architect in the first place and they continue to enrich his personal and professional life.
“I knew I wanted to be a naval architect early on growing up, but any adult I would tell this to would look at me like I was crazy, so I needed to find help elsewhere,” Hagan said. “A critical role of a professional society is awareness of the profession. I joined SNAME in college, as well as MTS and ASME. There was and is a value in it. It really came down to technical content and relationships. Your mentors become like your peers and you form lasting relationships you can build on over a career.”
After the panels, members of all four societies, as well as the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineers, were available for networking and information in the command’s Maritime Technical Information Center.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2017 14:46 |
| Story ID: | 233044 |
| Location: | WEST BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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