SASE Announces 2011 National Conference

 Citing its mission of preparing Asian heritage scientists and engineers for success in the global business world, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) has announced its first National Conference and Career Fair.  The conference will take place in Baltimore, Maryland on September 30-October 1, 2011.

“We’ve experienced rapid growth.  Our membership has quickly grown to 1,600 and we have chapters at 24 of the finest technical institutions in the nation.  Our members and leadership team felt the time was right to produce this conference.  It’s a very effective way to educate our members, and connect them with employers,” according to John Cheng, Executive Director of SASE. “Baltimore is a great location to have our first National Conference and we expect up to 800 people to attend”.  

 The two-day conference will feature keynote speakers, personal development workshops and career panels, together with a career fair.

 The response from the corporate community has been positive.  Early organizational sponsors include P&G, GE, Toyota, Shell, Dow, Lockheed Martin, Michelin and Southern Company.

 “I am definitely looking forward to all of the sessions, and I think the Career Fair will help me at this stage of my career.  But, I’m also really looking forward to meeting students and engineers and scientists from around the country…..it should be a lot of fun,” according to Michael Luo a second-year Chemical Engineering student at Georgia Institute of Technology.

 For more information about the conference, visit www.saseconnect.org/conference, or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SASE.  For more information about being a sponsor at this year’s National Conference and Career Fair, contact Rene Avendano, (562) 496-4428, rene.avendano@saseconnect.org.

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SASE's very own President and Co-Founder, Dr. Shekhar Mitra, was recently awarded the prestigious Eillis Island Medal of Honor. Please see P&G Press Release below as we celebrate with Dr. Mitra!

On 8 May 2010, Dr. Shekhar Mitra, Sr. VP R&D Global Beauty & Grooming and Corporate Materials Science, Flavors & Fragrances was honored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) in a ceremony held on Ellis Island and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

 The Ellis Island Medals of Honor pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America's unique cultural mosaic. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have officially passed resolutions recognizing the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which ranks among this country's most prestigious awards. Recipients are listed in the Congressional Record, honoring those who have made enduring contributions to the United States of America and to the world.

DDesigned to pay homage to the immigrant experience, as well as for individual achievement, each year medals are awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds. The honorees are remarkable Americans who exemplify outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage. They are honored by the NECO because they create a better world in the future by the work they do today.

Shekhar joins a notable group of past recipients such as former US Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush (Senior), and Clinton. And celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Frank Sinatra, John Glenn, and Bob Hope.

DDr. Mitra is joining this unique society based on his contributions in two key areas::

• Touching consumers’ lives through game-changing branded innovation, both here in the US and in developed and developing markets around the globe, as demonstrated through his work on key brand innovation programs including Crest®, Aleve®, Prilosec, OLAY®, SK-II, and Secret to name a few. He has been awarded over 50 patents spanning multiple categories in health and beauty.
• Maintaining and supporting his ethnic identity and passionately advocating for diverse communities through personal and professional development, most recently demonstrated by his role in the founding of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE, www.saseconnect.org).

In addition, Dr. Mitra is recognized inside and outside P&G as a connector of ideas, people and opportunities and as an enabling leader who cares deeply about both people and business results.

Beauty & Grooming Vice Chair Ed Shirley commented, “Dr. Mitra’s contributions truly exemplify how our Company Purpose to deliver meaningful innovation helps improve more consumers’ lives, in more parts of the world, more completely. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Mitra on this unique honor!”

Interview with Dr. Mitra on his Ellis Island Medal of honor.
Watch to learn about Dr. Mitra's career and views on the importance of mentors and SASE.  (Video 1 of 4)

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