The executive committees of the Offshore Mechanics & Arctic Engineering (OMAE) Division and the Ocean Engineering (OE) Division held a series of meetings over the past two years to consider the advantages of merging these two divisions. The results of these discussions were very positive and it became clear that a combined division would have significant strengths and advantages. The combined division would represent the best and strongest collection of specialists and scientists from academia and industry in the fields of Ocean Engineering, Offshore Engineering, Pipeline Engineering, Materials Engineering, Arctic Engineering, and Risk and Reliability. With a combined membership of over 700, the new division is also expected to be energized because of the larger pool of talents. In terms of conference and symposium activities, the new division is expected to experience substantial growth in the number of sessions, workshops, and tutorials. Regarding technical committee activities, the new division will eliminate some duplication and provide better opportunities for cooperation and participation within related fields of engineering. Truthfully, a larger division will also be better positioned within ASME.

As chairmen of these committees, we were empowered to seek approval from ASME for the merger with the submission of a joint request letter to the ASME management. After the official approval in late 1998, a broader ad-hoc working group, represented by members from both OMAE and OE, worked on a name for the new division that would satisfactorily reflect the interests of our large and diverse combined membership. After much hard work and deliberation, the name "Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering - OOAE" was selected for the new Division. This name is inclusive and encompasses all engineering activities in the oceans, energy resources in offshore environment, and arctic development. The new division will be affiliated with the Energy Resources Board (ERB) because of the greater opportunities for cooperation with the Petroleum Division, which also belongs to ERB.

The officers of the executive committee for the OOAE Division will consist of:

The officers will serve through the next full ASME fiscal year. If you would like to be involved in the division, please let one of the officers know about your interests.

Several important resolutions were reached during the merger exercise. For example, the very successful OMAE conference series will continue under its present name and all the members of the combined division from OE are urged to consider attending and submitting abstracts for future OMAE conferences. For example, the 18^th International OMAE Conference will be held in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on July 11-16^th, 1999. This will be the first OMAE Conference to be held by the newly merged OOAE Division. OMAE ’00 will be held in New Orleans in February 2000. There is strong sentiment and support amongst the executive committee members to ensure that OMAE Conferences continue to prosper into the 21^st Century and remain as the Conference of choice of the experts in the field of ocean, offshore and arctic engineering. The quarterly, peer-reviewed, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (JOMAE) will become the official journal of the new division. It publishes outstanding conference papers as well as high quality, independently submitted papers. All members are strongly invited to submit their manuscripts for consideration and to subscribe to it on the next membership renewal form. An appropriate name change will be considered by the Editorial Board.

Aside from the executive committee, other working groups are being formed to work on the new technical and operating committees for the division. These groups will review and define the mission and goals of the division, prepare bylaws, establish a technical committee structure that will result in strong and active member participation, and appoint committee chairs. If you would like to be involved in these activities, please let one of the officers know about your interests. We are looking forward to a very vigorous and successful organization.

We have asked ASME to automatically change all OMAE and OE division affiliations to the new division. If you have any particular concerns about this switch, please contact Mr. Jim Reffelt at ASME Headquarters.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the critical collaboration and contribution of the many international co-sponsoring societies, as well as the local supporting institutions and companies, which are essential for the successful preparation of the OMAE conferences. More importantly, we would like to continue to count on their trust and support during this transition period. There is a bright future for the Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering Division!

Yours sincerely,