Chairman’s Message
CIE-USA National Council
Francis H. Chang, PhD, PEng
416-281-1630
It is a great honour and privilege to serve as the National Council (NC) chairman of the prestigious Chinese Institute of Engineers in USA (CIE-USA). With high appreciation and deep gratitude, I count on the talent and energy of fellow National Council members together to serve the Institute to our best ability. We have a slate of outstanding and dedicated council members, who devote their valuable time and professional expertise to serve this organization on a volunteer basis.
CIE-USA is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1917 as one of the earliest engineering societies in North America, and perhaps also in the world, and has a long and proud history. We feel extremely privileged to serve this organization. Under the leadership of the National Council, CIE-USA has been organizing the following three major events regularly which will all be offered this year:
1.) Modern Engineering and Technology Seminar (METS) conference in Taipei, Taiwan every two year since 1966. In 2006, this event will take place during September 24-29 in Taipei.
2.) Sino-American Technology and Engineering Conference (SATEC) in China every two year since 1993. In 2006, this event will take place during October 16-24, in Beijing.
3.) National Engineers Week (E-Week) Asian American Engineer of the Year Award (AAEOY) banquet annually since 2002 at various major cities in US. AAEOY 2006 was held in Seattle on February 25, and AAEOY 2007 will be held in the National Capital- Washington DC with details to be announced during the 2007 E-Week (February 18-24).
Asian American engineers, as demonstrated time and again during our AAEOY celebrations, have contributed significantly to the growth and development of America. Asian American engineers from Fortune 500 companies, startup ventures, major universities, and government organizations have been honored numerous times at our AAEOY Award ceremonies. In addition to their personal accomplishments, they have been presented with accolades and praises by their associated institutions for their magnificent contributions to corporate America. I welcome you and invite you to attend the 2007 AAEOY award banquet in Washington, DC: the Nation's Capital as well as the most prominent place to honor our outstanding Asian American colleagues.
CIE-USA also shares a global vision, and provides its service to many borderless communities including our homelands in Asia through METS and SATEC; and many parts of our domicile in North America through the US National Engineers Week (www.eweek.org) respectively. In addition to the AAEOY Award, CIE-USA also supports Future City Competition (www.futurecity.org) and New Faces in Engineering through National Engineers Week each year.
The world is getting flatter; far-sighted engineers speak of borderless E-Week and conducts Global Telethon for Women Engineers around the world. Asian American engineers are privileged to have the most suitable background to serve another most populous sector of humanity: Asia. There are tremendous opportunities for us to extend our service and apply our knowledge and skill.
We are thankful to corporate America for nurturing our careers and helping us to reach our personal goals; we can now also look beyond the horizon to help corporate America to extend their dreams. We can be bridge builders in many senses of the term. We are the living proof of the American dream, and we are well equipped to build bridges that can bring about the exchange of ideas and dreams based on different cultures.
Whatever is your goal, I wish all of us will have another successful year in 2006, whether for your local activities within your chapters, for AAEOY 2007 in Washington DC, or for any activity that will bring us a step closer to our mission and visions.
Thank You!