January 22, 2003

Student Chapter Wins First Place in ASME Interregional Student Section Contest

The North Carolina State University student chapter of ASME took first place in the 2001-02 Interregional Student Section Contest.  Pictured are (left to right) Dr. Richard R. Johnson, faculty advisor; Aryn Bergman, chapter chair; Elizabeth Baldwin, vice chair; Nicole Kaufman, treasurer; Nathan Block, secretary; and Dr. Mohammad N. Noori, professor and head of mechanical and aerospace engineering. (Photo: Kathi McBlief)

The North Carolina State University student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) took first place in the 2001-02 ASME Interregional Student Section Contest, cosponsored by ASME and Ingersoll-Rand Corporation.  This annual event, involving student sections from across the country, is a two-part, point-driven contest.  In the intraregional part of the contest, which has a cap of 1,000 points, sections earn points based on year-long activities, including technical events and service projects.  The NC State chapter was one of six sections to receive a perfect score of 1,000.

For the interregional part, with no point cap, sections compete against all other sections for first place.  With a grand total of 4,535 points, NC State took first place, overwhelming the 3,775-point score of runner-up Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the previous year’s first place winner.

Elizabeth Baldwin, chapter chair in 2001-02 and current vice chair, said, “One reason our section has done so well is because of our unique technical sessions.”  The NC State chapter was the first section to provide multiple-day workshops on industry software to students.  Dr. Richard R. Johnson, associate professor and associate head of mechanical and aerospace engineering and faculty advisor to the chapter for 21 years, believes their success is also due to their long tradition of sending large numbers of delegates to the ASME Regional Leadership Conference and the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exposition. 

Dr. Mohammad N. Noori, professor and head of mechanical and aerospace engineering, said of the chapter, “They keep me on my toes.  They are a wonderful group.  I am very proud of them.”

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