00:00:00 Landmarks are the markers of our past that tell us who we are, where we have been, and where we are going along diverse paths of discovery.

00:00:25 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recognizes landmarks that tell the stories of mechanical engineering, the inventions that made a difference in people's lives, the solutions to industry's problems, the machines and systems that change society.

00:00:40 The program was started in 1971 to bring mechanical engineering out to lay people, to historians, and to the rest of our fellow engineers.

00:00:53 Each year, millions of people visit ASME landmarks and read the plaques that explain the significance of the artifacts displayed.

00:01:00 Any ASME member can nominate a landmark with the support of a sponsoring unit, that is a section, division, or chapter of ASME.

00:01:09 The nomination follows a formal process explained in the MS-72 History and Heritage Manual.

00:01:16 Nominations are reviewed twice a year by a seven-member committee and are evaluated by a set of criteria listed in the MS-72.

00:01:24 The key thing on the landmark nominations is answering the right questions.

00:01:30 If the committee has questions about a nomination, they will defer taking action until the nominator can answer them.

00:01:37 The committee may reject a nomination because the submission lacks any indication of potential success, or public accessibility is unlikely, or clearly the object or concept falls under another engineering landmarks program.

00:01:51 It would be very well to consider whether any similar landmarks have been designated prior to this.

00:01:58 If the steam-pumping engines do, see whether any other steam-pumping engines have been nominated and approved.

00:02:06 And then, if so, evaluate your nomination or proposed nomination in light of those.

00:02:12 Ideally, the process leads to an approval if the nomination fulfills the rigorous criteria that enables ASME to maintain a credible and respected program.

00:02:30 Let's look at what it takes to make a landmark.

00:02:33 Take an inventory of your local area, review potential nominations within an industry, or simply discover something that seems as though it should be a landmark.

00:02:43 You will need to do some research about the technology and the artifact you've discovered, establish a rapport with its owner, and perhaps find others who can provide necessary resources.

00:02:54 But first, ask yourself these questions.

00:02:57 Is it mechanical engineering?

00:03:00 Great achievements that create social or economic change make fertile sources for potential landmarks.

00:03:06 But the technology that made it possible must be mechanical engineering.

00:03:11 Many marvels of technology involve mechanical engineering, but are led by other disciplines or technologies.

00:03:17 Some can qualify as ME landmarks.

00:03:20 An example is the Abacus integrated circuit wire bonder, which led to the automated manufacture of IC chips for computers.

00:03:28 It's an ME marvel in the electronics industry.

00:03:31 If, however, mechanical engineering did not provide the innovative or revolutionary technology, another society or a joint endeavor might be more appropriate.

00:03:42 Has sufficient time elapsed to make an objective judgment that the work has lasting value?

00:03:48 Engineering projects are often considered great achievements as they are built.

00:03:52 But what can we know really about their influence 15 to 20 years down the line?

00:03:57 Valid research into competing or simultaneous development cannot be made for years to come.

00:04:03 Is the work an artifact that was or could have been conceived, designed, developed, or constructed by a mechanical engineer?

00:04:11 Invention and discovery know no boundaries.

00:04:14 The inventors and designers of landmarks do not need to be mechanical engineers.

00:04:18 What makes an artifact special?

00:04:21 A landmark must be unique.

00:04:23 Perhaps it was the first ever of a line of products.

00:04:26 Or perhaps it is the last surviving example of a technology that was once widely used.

00:04:31 Landmarking requires tangible artifacts, however, and the nomination should focus on the existing equipment or systems.

00:04:39 Sites without equipment or original machinery can be designated as heritage sites.

00:04:45 Let's talk about significance.

00:04:48 Ask yourself these questions.

00:04:50 Does the work represent a significant step in history?

00:04:54 ASME's Landmarks Program tells a story of how one technical advance builds on another.

00:04:59 For example, a breakthrough idea, the first use of a synergy of technologies,

00:05:05 or a quantum leap in performance or efficiency that changes the evolution of that industry.

00:05:11 Did the work make a contribution to the development of humanity in general?

00:05:16 Did it contribute to the profession or practice of mechanical engineering in particular?

00:05:21 The nomination must indicate who did what to benefit whom in specific terms

00:05:27 that demonstrate the relationship between the specific technology and people.

00:05:32 History is telling its stories to an increasingly international audience.

00:05:36 For the researcher, this means you need to place your nominated artifact and its technology

00:05:41 within the context of inventions worldwide as well as local.

00:05:46 What makes this proposed work unique?

00:05:49 Why should this particular object be selected?

00:05:52 Once you make your case for landmarking the technology,

00:05:55 you must answer, is the nominated example the best of its kind?

00:06:00 The program looks for several criteria here.

00:06:03 If several examples still exist, all should be acknowledged.

00:06:07 When selecting one in particular to landmark, keep in mind,

00:06:10 the older is preferred over the newer, the intact over the partial,

00:06:15 the original over the replica or restoration, the tangible over the more abstract,

00:06:20 the operational over the unworking,

00:06:22 and the ones that are accessible to the public over the ones that no one will see.

00:06:27 Preservation work often offers less than ideal opportunities for landmark programs.

00:06:32 While ASME prefers tangible, visible landmarks that are easily accessible to the public,

00:06:37 preservation issues call for tradeoffs in order to recognize artifacts

00:06:41 that may be subject to destruction.

00:06:44 If preservation is not an issue, ask yourself how ASME's designation

00:06:48 would benefit the recognition effort.

00:06:51 Artifacts that are already preserved in major museums

00:06:54 generally do not qualify for landmark status by ASME.

00:06:58 Small, single-subject museums or significant collections that are accessible to the public

00:07:03 can qualify as heritage collections.

00:07:07 Once your nomination is approved, you will need to contact ASME staff

00:07:11 to help in planning your designation ceremony and descriptive brochure.

00:07:15 Landmark ceremonies can be fun, formal, fancy, or fairly simple.

00:07:21 These special events should bring together the most people possible

00:07:24 and emphasize the visibility and recognition that accompanies a landmark.

00:07:29 The sponsoring unit of ASME is responsible for planning and completing the nomination process.

00:07:34 A history and heritage committee member will be assigned to advise the organizer.

00:07:39 History and heritage will write and pay for the plaque and arrange for it to be presented.

00:07:44 It will approve the ceremony date at least five months in advance

00:07:48 and review and approve the commemorative brochure.

00:07:51 In addition, public information will help coordinate media relations,

00:07:55 invitations, and special guests.

00:07:57 As nominator, you are a researcher.

00:08:00 As organizer, you will call on many other skills

00:08:03 or find other members who can provide those skills to serve on a planning committee.

00:08:07 Your first priority is the brochure, primarily because it takes the longest to prepare.

00:08:12 This brochure becomes the ultimate resource on the technology and artifact.

00:08:17 It will be read by public and professional audiences for years to come.

00:08:21 The brochure is our opportunity of documentation of the history

00:08:26 of that particular piece of mechanical engineering.

00:08:30 Select an author who writes well and understands the engineer's perspective.

00:08:34 Gather photographs and illustrations

00:08:37 and provide copies to the history and heritage committee for use in promoting the landmark.

00:08:41 Many of your questions on content and formatting

00:08:45 can be answered by brochure guidelines published within the MS-72.

00:08:49 Also, the graphics guidelines, MS-73,

00:08:53 provides information on the use of the ASME logo.

00:08:56 Setting the date establishes a final schedule

00:08:59 and sets several actions into motion.

00:09:02 Program participants must be contacted,

00:09:05 the plaque ordered, invitation lists compiled,

00:09:08 the logistics settled, and the invitation sent out.

00:09:12 Hold planning meetings with ASME, the owner, and other key participants.

00:09:16 Walk through the day to anticipate needs

00:09:19 and help others understand how they are needed.

00:09:22 Your regional director, division vice president, and chapter chair

00:09:25 are very important in planning your ceremony.

00:09:28 In addition, there may be a regional history and heritage officer to consult,

00:09:31 as well as your assigned history and heritage committee representative

00:09:34 and the staff liaison at ASME Public Information.

00:09:37 Once you establish your program,

00:09:40 you will want to include some of the program's speakers in your planning.

00:09:43 In planning a ceremony, if you have limited financial resources,

00:09:47 support from the landmark owner or corporate sponsorship can be arranged.

00:09:51 Contributions of services often can be mixed

00:09:54 with funds raised from local organizations.

00:09:58 The sponsoring unit of ASME will incur costs

00:10:01 for the production and printing of the brochure,

00:10:04 the printing and postage for the invitations,

00:10:07 the photocopying or printing of the event program,

00:10:10 and any refreshments you may want to provide.

00:10:13 More elaborate ceremonies can include entertainment,

00:10:16 group transportation, dinners, and mementos.

00:10:19 As the event grows closer, you will be involved in media relations.

00:10:22 Local media should always be invited

00:10:25 and made aware of the landmark designation.

00:10:28 Even if you don't handle the media yourself,

00:10:31 you will need to help those who do.

00:10:34 First, professional quality photographs of the artifact are needed.

00:10:37 Second, video of the machine in action may be available from the owner

00:10:40 or recorded to show the motion and process.

00:10:43 Since you know the territory or technology better than most people,

00:10:46 you should anticipate media needs.

00:10:49 What are the potential opportunities?

00:10:52 For example, the ceremony may create a reunion

00:10:55 for the original design team who should be interviewed or taped.

00:10:58 On the day of the ceremony,

00:11:01 you should see all your preparation fall into place.

00:11:04 Your speakers and guests have arrived, and you are ready.

00:11:07 And we're very delighted to see our activities culminate

00:11:10 in this very, very important designation ceremony.

00:11:13 You have connected with people in your community,

00:11:16 in your industry, in your professional world.

00:11:20 I know the Boeing people, present and past,

00:11:23 greatly appreciate the recognition of this achievement

00:11:26 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

00:11:29 You have left a legacy to be learned by those who follow.

00:11:33 We want to celebrate the best.

00:11:36 You have advanced public understanding of mechanical engineering

00:11:39 far beyond the reach of today.

00:11:42 And we want to celebrate the individual or collective genius

00:11:46 that's behind these mechanical engineering achievements.

00:11:49 You have left a trail that explains who we are

00:11:52 and where we have been.

00:11:55 And to rejoice that this marvelous example

00:11:58 of engineering survives

00:12:01 to inspire future generations to even better achievement.

00:12:04 You have left a message for the future.