POST CONVENTION COMMENTS:
2010 NATIONAL CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERIES
The American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEI) successfully hosted its 25th Annual National Convention, themed “Innovative Technologies for a Greener Tomorrow”, on September 17-18, 2010 in the Los Angeles area (Orange, CA). The convention attracted over 300 delegates and 46 prolific speakers. The convention showcased a very strong technical program and a lively panel session. The convention also boasted sponsor exhibits, student scholarship awards, corporate excellence awards, and an evening banquet with entertainment.
SEP 17 - Networking Dinner:
Over 100 ASEI members and family came for the networking dinner. A sumptuous South Indian cuisine dinner was served to all. Paul Sikand, ASEI National Chair, welcomed all and provided an overview of the convention activities of Sep 18. Several of the exhibit booth vendors were also present for this event. This dinner event was complimentary.
SEP 18 - Inaugural Session:
Over 210 attendees were present for the daytime technical program. The morning started with a great continental breakfast at 7:30am and at 8:30am our inaugural speaker, Dr. Shankar Sastry (Dean of Engineering at UC Berkeley), provided an excellent overview of green technologies. Followed by Dr. Sastry, Steven Shestag (Boeing Co.) provided an overview of the various green initiatives being pursued by the Boeing Company. Mr. Shestag was a replacement for Dr. John Tracy (CTO Boeing), who had to withdraw due to a death in the family.
SEP 18 - Technical Program:
The convention showcased a very strong technical program with 35 papers presented on green technologies in the areas of renewable energy, transportation, water & waste management, biotechnology, public policy, and business opportunities. The technical program received rave reviews by all present. Each track was well attended and the presentations were of very high quality and interest. This program was the heart of our convention.
SEP 18 - Lunch Session:
All attendees were treated to a delicious Italian lunch. Following the lunch, the ASEI Scholarships Committee presented scholarships to five very worthy students. The scholarships ranged from $2000 to $500. All scholarship recipients were very thankful for receiving the recognition. The sholarships presentation was followed by a great speech by our lunch time speaker, Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, Director of NASA Glenn. Dr. Whitlow gave an impressive overview of the innovative technologies being developed by NASA.
SEP 18 - Panel Session (Afternoon):
In the afternoon, ASEI hosted a lively panel session with six highly regarded corporate and academic leaders in green technologies. Our moderator, Dr. Anita Sengupta, posed questions about 1)sustainability economics in the private sector, 2)carbon tax credits, and 3)combating climate change in the developing world. The panel experts provided insightful commentary on these topics. This panel session was also very well received by the audience.
SEP 18 - NASA Business Opportunities (Afternoon):
Finally, Dr. Shantaram Pai provided a quick overview of the various government business opportunities available to the public.
SEP 18 - Dinner Banquet:
Over 300 convention delegates attended the dinner banquet. From 6pm-7:30pm the attendees enjoyed drinks, appetizers, and exhibit booths. The program started at 7:30pm with a welcome address followed by the ASEI Awards ceremony. Awards were given out for the following categories:
- Corporate Excellence (Service and Engineering Excellence)
- Engineer of the Year
- Young Engineer of the Year
- Student of the Year
- ASEI Lifetime Achievement
Following the awards ceremony, Mr. Joe Wolfsberger, Sr. VP of Eaton, provided an address on the green technology efforts of the Eaton Corporation. This was followed by a delicious North Indian cuisine dinner. During the dinner, various raffle prizes were given to lucky winners. The grand prize was the Wii Game System. Followed by dinner, a guest speaker, Dr. Siddharth Dasgupta, provided an insightful presentation on solar power generation technologies. The next part of the program was an exciting entertainment program consisting of Kathak, Bollywood, and Asian Fusion dances. Finally, after the dance program, the DJ cranked up the music and many from the audience danced until 11pm. | 
