2026 Policy Outlook for Engineers

ASME's 144th President Lester Su is joined by guest Dale Matthews.   Matthews is a technical consultant at Framatome, Inc., a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, ASME Fellow, and Chair of the ASME Section III Standards Committee. He brings more than 35 years of experience designing and supporting critical nuclear power plant components and has spent decades helping develop ASME nuclear codes and standards.Sponsored by COMSOL

In this episode of ASME TechCast, SCHOTT's Tina Gallo debunks five common misconceptions surrounding borosilicate glass and explains why it remains a go-to material for applications ranging from semiconductors and lab equipment to automotive and energy technologies. Visit SCHOTT.com to learn more about glass solutions.

Advanced nuclear technology is moving from promise to reality. In this episode of ASME TechCast, Caroline DeWitt, Co-Founder and COO of Oklo, discusses the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of advanced nuclear power. From reactor design and regulatory progress to business models and large-scale deployment, DeWitt shares how Oklo is working to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy through its Aurora powerhouse technology. She also explores the collaboration, innovation, and long-term thinking required to move breakthrough technologies from idea to impact.Oklo is a foundational sponsor of the ASME CATALYZE Summit, focused on accelerating sustainable industrial transformation.Join the conversation at CATALYZE: www.catalyze.asme.org Read more about Oklo and advanced nuclear technologies: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/beyond-the-reactor

As ASME’s newly elected president, Janis Terpenny wants to sharpen the Society’s value proposition for the next generation of engineers.Terpenny began her term as ASME’s 145th president in June, after nearly 30 years serving as an active volunteer. Also an ASME Fellow, Terpenny previously chaired ASME’s Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Group and served on the Fellows Review Committee. She also founded, then chaired or co-chaired for a decade, the Broadening Participation Committee (BPart) for the ASME Design Engineering Division.Terpenny recently sat down with Mechanical Engineering to share how she discovered engineering, found a professional home in the Society, what engineering education still gets wrong, and her priorities for the year ahead.

ASME Techcast talks with Boeing’s Melissa Orme about smart manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and the role of Women in 3D Printing.

As sensing systems move into tougher environments, material choice matters more than ever. In this episode of ASME TechCast, SCHOTT’s Tina Gallo returns to discuss the glass materials inside LiDAR systems and why material selection can make such a difference in performance.To learn more about SCHOTT’s specialty glass solutions, visit ⁠schott.com⁠.

Paul Fakes of ASME’s Washington office examines the 2026 policy issues—from federal funding to AI regulation—that could shape the future of engineering.

Steam operations manager Zac McGinnis discusses the engineering, history, and enduring appeal of ASME Landmark No. 611.

Sustainability, clean technologies, and the push for decarbonization are somewhat loaded topics these days, but there's no doubt that this area is seeing plenty of interest, investment, and innovation.Milo Werner is a general partner at DCVC, a 15-year-old venture fund that invests in deep tech. Warner works on the energy and climate platform, investing in companies that are commercializing advanced green technologies. She also runs a non-profit called NextGen Industry Group, which supports companies that are commercializing advanced technologies. The group organizes events for leaders in this space to facilitate shared thinking around strategy and execution, and does a number of projects with institutions such as ASME.Werner joins ASME TechCast to share some insights into the U.S. re-industrialization movement, what to look for in clean tech investment, and how the field is evolving for engineers entering the green economy workforce. She also discusses how a standard process for commercializing these technologies could  accelerate re-industrialization in the United States—something that’s now under development as part of a partnership with ASME.

In this episode of ASME TechCast, we're joined by Bradley Hope, Steven Gerdeman, and Rahul Rajadhyaksha to explore how AI is reshaping design for manufacturing and where it meets its limits. Learn why rule-based systems remain essential, what the "cold start problem" reveals about AI's limitations, and how a hybrid approach will likely define the next generation of workflows.This podcast is sponsored by HCL Software DFMPro, a CAD-integrated design for manufacturing software that helps designers deliver high quality designs at lower cost. To learn more about the software or contact the team with your questions, visit dfmpro.com.