Ten ASME IShow Finalists Selected

Ten ASME IShow Finalists Selected Ten ASME IShow Finalists Selected Ten collegiate teams will be competing for top prizes this June at the 2013 ASME Innovation Showcase (ASME IShow). The IShow is an annual competition that spotlights the engineering designs, presentations and entrepreneurial skills of undergraduate and graduate students who represent tomorrows business leaders and innovators. The seventh ASME IShow will be held on June 22, in conjunction with the ASME Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, Ind. The event is supported by the ASME Foundation and Mechanical Engineering magazine, the flagship publication of ASME. The winning teams must prove to a judging panel of successful innovators, industry experts and intellectual property specialists that they have a sustainable business model for an innovation that is truly feasible and unique within the context and environment in which it is applied. Inspiring students to be product innovators and entrepreneurs , the ASME IShow gives top collegiate teams an opportunity to compete for access to more than $20,000 in seed funds to further develop their products along with valuable industry recognition. The following universities and inventions will compete at the 2013 IShow Bournemouth University, Epidural Needle Insertion Simulator Brigham Young University, Shot Coach Harvard University, Theratech Johns Hopkins University, AccuRIGHT Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Coriolis Centrifuge Massachusetts Institute of Technology, HeatWare Massachusetts Institute of Technology, OneBin Tufts University, Uji University of Michigan, Turtle Cell Washington University at St. Louis, Low-Cost Spirometer For more information on the 2013 ASME IShow, visit the website at www.asme.org/events/competitions/asme-ishow.

How to Make Everyone in Your Office Like You, A Lot - The Muse

How to Make Everyone in Your Office Like You, A Lot - The MuseHow to Make Everyone in Your Office Like You, A Lot I recently went from working in a 20-person arbeitszimmer to interning in a 300-person one.And when I arrived on my first day, I had a goal. When I left in mid-August, I wanted to have made a positive impression on my new co-workers.All 300 of them.Did I make that goal? Well, Id say Im friendly with around half the faces I see- pretty good, considering thats still 150 relationships in 10 weeks So even though I technically came up short, Im still counting this challenge a success.Here are the habits that worked for me.1.Smiling (For Real)You know that close-lipped smile you give when youre trying to be polite? In the past, Id use that smile to acknowledge employees I didnt know very well. However, this summer, I committed to giving everyone- stranger or no- a legitimate, teeth-and-all smile.I found that almost everyone would grin back. In two seconds, wed create a genuine, enjoyable connection, which would make talking to them in the kitchen or at happy hour that much easier and organic.2.TalkingIknow, this sounds pretty obvious- but how often do you talk to co-workers you dont already know?Basically, Id chat withanyonewho didnt look like they were in a huge hurry. While I made tea, Id ask the person getting coffee how his or herbei morning welches going. When welcheshing my hands at the sink, Id say to the woman next to me, Ive never smelled hand soap so yummy In the elevator, Id ask, Do you know whats on the 11thfloor?Obviously, not everyone wants to have a conversation. But most people do, and this welches hugely helpful in meeting people.3.Holding DoorsGetting the door for other people has gone out of style, and Im not sure why.It doesnt matter what gender you are- I bet youll be surprised how appreciative others will be when you hold the door open for them. And, bonus One time, holding the door open for the CEO turned into a mini-interview about my career plans.4.Going to Office EventsI love being around others, but it takes alotout of me- so it was a challenge to attend office get-togethers.Nonetheless, Im really glad I summoned up the energy. There was a ton of accidental networking for example, I started chatting to a couple people by the food table only to learn they were high-level employees in a department I was interested in. After I told them that, they gave me their contact info and asked me to reach out for career advice and job referrals.Plus, going to all these non-mandatory events raised my office visibility.5.Asking, Can I Help?Whenever I saw anyone doing anything physical (stocking the fridge with soda, unloading the dishwasher, delivering mail to peoples desks), Id ask, Can I help?This habit gave me a huge reputation boost- and not just with the person I was asking, but everyone who heard me ask as well.It shows youre a team player and that you dont have an ego, which I think is great for anyone, whether yo ure entry-level or in the C-suite.Of course, youll have days where this feels impossible- but whenever you have a few seconds, just ask. 6.Connecting on LinkedInEven if I just met someone for a second or two, after I went back to my desk, Id immediately send a LinkedIn invite. Sarah from Advertising probably wouldnt have remembered me from our short encounter alone, but the request reinforced my name, face, and title in her mind.Also, it gave us something to discuss the next time we ran into each other. I could say something like, Hey, I saw you worked at Ogilvy straight out of college- Ive always been interested in that agency. What did you think of the culture?7. Asking People to Lunch or CoffeeInformational interviews arent just useful when you want to network or get insight into a job or company. Theyre also a super sneaky way to make friends.After I met someone who seemed interesting and connected with him or her on LinkedIn, Id send a message along the lines ofHey Spencer,Than ks again for showing me where the SweetN Low was If youve got any free time this week, Id love to grab lunch somewhere near the office and hear more about what your work for the Product team.Best,AjaMore often than not, these interviews turned into fun conversations. And even if they stayed purely educational? Well, then I got to learn useful information about another role or company department.Yesterday was actually my last day in the office. As I walked around, saying my final goodbyes, I was struck by how effective all of these small habits really were. I had the privilege of meeting some really cool, talented people- and I barely had to travel from my desk to do it I hope these strategies help you do the same.Photo of people in a meeting courtesy of Shutterstock.

How Big Companies Recruit and Hire for IT Skills

How Big Companies Recruit and Hire for IT SkillsHow Big Companies Recruit and Hire for IT SkillsHow Big Companies Recruit and Hire for IT Skills West, PayScale.comTech-industry employees are among the best paid, most highly skilled and most sought-after workers anywhere. But employers are finding that it takes more than money to recruit and retain the best of the best.Paying for top talent is important, but it isnt the only variable, says Stacey Carroll, principal consultant at Payscale.com, which provides both workers and employers with in-depth salary and career information. After all, if it was simply about money, then every company would just write bigger checks.Theres no magic app for attracting top talentand ensuring employee satisfaction, yet a few leading technology companies have succeeded in creating a winning combination of salary, benefits, work environment and company culture. This recipe for success makes them a target for job seekers and keeps their workers happy and p roductive, according to a new report from PayScale.com.The Top Tech Employer Comparison report ranks more than 20 leading tech-industry employers, from long-established companies like Microsoft to newer companies like facebook inc, on issues such as employee compensation, demographics, benefits and perks, job flexibility, work stress, job satisfaction, and the level of meaning that employees find in their work.Who Are Tech Companies Hiring?Based on the reports findings, tech-industry employees tend to be well-educatedThe majority (55 percent) have at least a bachelors degree.15 percent have only associate degrees6 percent have MBAs14 percent have other types of masters degrees3 percent have PhDsLeading the list of tech-industry hires are graduates of universities known for their outstanding technology programs, schools such as Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The most common majors among students who land jobs with technology companies include Computer engineeringSoftware engineeringSupply chain managementFinance and marketingTech Remains a Mans World The reports findings show that thetech industry is leise a mans world to a large extent. At all but one of the companies studied, male employees significantly outnumber female employees.At more than half of those companies, men account for at least three-quarters of the workforce. That includes longtime tech-industry leaders such as Microsoft (79 percent male/21 percent female) and Intel (82/18) as well as younger companies such as Google (74/26) and Facebook (79/21). Most tech employees are also relatively young, ranging from a median age of 26 at Facebook to a median age of 39 at Hewlett-Packard.How Do Tech Employees Rate Salary and Benefits Versus Job Meaning and Flexibility?According to Carroll, todays tech employees, especially younger Gen Y employees, are looking for jobs that provide meaningful work, along with workplace flexibilityand good pay.Its a formula that comp anies are eager to perfect. Yet comparing employee compensationat top technology companies with other leading indicators underscores the elusive connection between paycheck size and job satisfaction.Of the 21 companies covered by the report, for example, Facebook ranks 12 for median starting pay and 8 for median mid-career pay, but the company ranks 2 for overall job satisfaction with a score of 88 percent (the percentage of employees who report feeling fairly satisfied to extremely satisfied at work).Compare that to Yahoo, which pays its employees better at every stage the company places sixth for starting pay and third for mid-career pay yet is near the bottom of the list for job satisfaction.The difference may have something to do with the high marks Facebook receives for job flexibility and job meaning. Facebook exceeds all other tech companies in job flexibility with a score of 94 percent (the percentage of employees who say they are able to fully determine their own schedule s and time off, with or without advance notice.)The company places second in job meaning with a score of 81 percent (based on the number of employees who answer yes or very much so to the question, Does your job make the world a better place?). By contrast, Yahoo ranks 7 for job flexibility (88 percent) and 14 for job meaning (51 percent).Achieving High Job Satisfaction Among Tech EmployeesCompeting for tech talent never gets easier, nor is it a perfect mathematical equation, Carroll says. Instead its about understanding your market, knowing what your current and prospective employees are looking for, and doing your best to create the environment that attracts the right workers to your company.Yet companies that want to recruit IT candidatesand retain highly-skilled tech workers cant afford to overlook compensation as a key part of their strategy, according to Katie Bardaro, lead economist at Payscale.com.There is a vacuum right now for top tech talent, so if you can afford it then you need to provide employees with pay incentives, she says. This is especially true for current employees who may be wooed by competitors.Make them feel valued to drive employee motivationand provide them with a reason to stay, because it will be nearly impossible to replace them in todays tech-hungry world, where the demand for tech workers is outpacing the current supply.