MATERIALS PARK, Ohio (PRWEB) July 10, 2020
ASM International is pleased to announce that it has officially launched the “IDEA Committee” – a membership-driven committee geared toward fostering an authentic culture of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness.
Although ASM’s commitment to inclusion and equity is longstanding, such commitment cannot stand still when its membership and society rightfully demands evolution and growth instead of mere maintenance. In 2013, ASM launched the Women in Materials Engineering (WiME) Committee to expand inclusion and equity for its women members. Since its inception, WiME has found great success in its initiatives to support and recognize women, including highlighting the achievements of more than 25 women engineers in a dedicated column of Advanced Materials & Processes magazine, organizing an annual networking event, producing career development webinars, and sponsoring successful nominations for multiple ASM awards, ASM Fellows, and ASM leadership positions.
Not wanting to lose momentum, the Board of Trustees, employees, and members alike are enthusiastic about spring boarding the WiME framework into opportunities for diversity, equity, inclusion, and awareness that extend to a broader group of ASM’s members. For example, the IDEA Committee can serve as a mechanism for increasing recognition opportunities for historically marginalized communities in ASM awards and leadership positions by facilitating nominations from these demographics.
A primary goal of the committee is to identify and remove barriers to successful involvement of all genders, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds represented by the ASM membership in ASM committees, events, and leadership, to ensure the entire ASM community benefits from its broad, inclusive, worldwide network of volunteers. Never has the significance of the ASM IDEA Committee been more important at a time when issues of systemic racism, injustice, and inequity are forefront in the public’s mind. We invite you to send your ideas for advancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion pillar of the 2020-2025 ASM Strategic Plan, together with impactful and meaningful actions for their implementation. Please visit ASM Connect to join the conversation.
If you would like to find out more information about joining the IDEA Committee, please contact Vicki Burt: vicki.burt@asminternational.org.
About ASM International
ASM International is the world’s largest and foremost professional technical society serving the information needs of scientists, engineers, and technicians who develop, test, select, and apply advanced materials, including metals, composites, polymers, and ceramics. As the world’s largest and most established materials information society, ASM engages and connects members to a global network of peers and provides access to trusted materials information through reference content and data, education courses, international events, and applied research.
To learn more about ASM International, visit asminternational.org or call 440.671.3800 to speak with a representative. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.