Sunday, October 19, 2025

ASME ICEF RTS warmly invites all conference delegates to kick off the event with complimentary light refreshments. Held on the Sunday before the conference, the Welcome Reception offers a relaxed and inviting atmosphere to connect with colleagues and peers. This is the perfect opportunity to make new introductions, strengthen existing relationships, and plan meetings outside of the formal conference schedule. Join friends and thought leaders from around the world who are driving innovation in the future of internal combustion.

WICE Mentoring and Networking Reception

Monday, October 20, 2025
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Registration fee: $25 plus conference registration

WICE Mentoring & Networking Reception
Looking to grow your career, make valuable industry connections, and be inspired by experienced professionals? Don't miss the Women in IC Engines (WICE) Mentoring & Networking Reception—a dynamic event designed to empower, connect, and elevate women and allies in the IC engine community.

Join us for an evening of meaningful conversation, mentorship, and professional networking. Whether you're a student, early-career professional, or industry veteran, this is your chance to engage with leaders in the field, gain career insights, and expand your network in a welcoming, supportive environment.

Complimentary refreshments will be provided to attendees who have registered for the reception.

WICE Reception Agenda:

• 6:30 pm: Reception opens with light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments and continues through the event
• 6:50 pm: Welcome by Dr. Cathy Choi, WICE Chair
• 7:00 - 8:00 pm: Speed Mentoring Session: A designated area in the reception room will host Speed Mentoring, featuring multiple tables with 1–2 experienced mentors from Industry and Academia. Guided by the WICE Mentoring Facilitator, mentees will engage in 15-minute discussions at each table, rotating through four sessions over the course of one hour.

 

WICE Mentors

Laura Ricart, Ph.D.
Product Property Management
International Motors, LLC.

Laura Ricart is the Sr. Chief Engineer of Product Property Management for International Motors, LLC. In her current role, she is responsible for the technology roadmap to maintain International’s competitive position in the business prescribed critical Product Properties. This is an expansion of responsibility from her most recent focus on fuel economy for Class 8 tractors and Range in EV products. She leads a team of specialists that drive the customer facing performance attributes, or properties, of the products. Their specialties range from Powertrain Performance and Aerodynamics to User Comfort, Ergonomics and Safety.

Internal combustion engines were the focus of her graduate work and nearly 20 years of her career at Navistar. In her current role she has had the opportunity to continue to develop traditional powertrain technology to newer standards and to diversify and grow the next generations of sustainable powertrain technologies.

Ricart holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Originally from La Romana, Dominican Republic, she first moved to Madison, WI for a BS in Applied Math, Engineering and Physics and went right on for the PhD in ME with a focus in Fuel Spray Mixing and Combustion in HD diesel engines from both an experimental and simulation perspective.

Prof. Christine Rousselle, Ph.D.
Université d’Orléans
Institut Universitaire de France
Polytech – Prisme Laboratory

Christine Rousselle is professor at the University of Orléans (Laboratoire PRISME) since 2006 after a PhD in Energy and Mechanical Engineering obtained in 1993. She is a member of the Scientifi c Council of IFPen and of several advisory boards (since 2022: member of the MariNH3 International Advisory Board (UK program), since 2021: member of the International Advisory Board CMT – UPV (Valencia, Spain)). In 2023, she was Chair and President of Organising Committee of 2nd Symposium on Ammonia Energy and member of organising committee ‘TOTeM49 – IFRF, Chemical energy carriers for long-term storage and long-distance transport of renewable energies. Since 2022: Technical Committee of ‘1st and 2nd Ammonia Combustion Meetings and since 2021: Advisory and scientifi c Committee of THIESEL and SAE-Naples Capri conferences). She is a Fellow (2021) of the Combustion Institute. She is co-editor of Proceeding of Combustion Institute of Journal of Ammonia Energy and member of the board of the Combustion Institute (2024). She is also ambassador for France of ASME-ICEF since 2024. Her main research fi elds are: fundamental combustion to applications, new combustion modes (lean burn, LTC, RCCI…), low and zero carbon-fi elds (ammonia, alcohol, optical diagnostics, engines). She leads several projects related to ammonia fuels, mainly for engine applications, with fundamental improvements on combustion processes and recently to decarbonize industrial furnaces. She obtained in 2024 the status of Senior Member of Institut Universitaire de France for 5 years to dedicate most of her academic time in research focused on Ammonia combustion.

Sibendu Som, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Advanced Propulsion and Power Systems
Argonne National Laboratory

Dr. Sibendu Som is the Director for Advanced Propulsion and Power Department, and Director for AI Applications Initiative at Argonne National Laboratory. He also has an affiliation with the University of Chicago as a Senior Scientist at the Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering. Dr. Som has more than 15 years of experience in multi-physics and multi-scale modeling of piston engines and gas turbines using HPC systems and AI tools. He is a cofounder of Argonne's Virtual Engine Research Institute and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI) program, which is aimed at providing predictive simulations for industry. Dr. Som’s research interests include working at the interface of fundamental and applied research, and he is driven to "move the needle" through large multi-institutional programs. Recently he has been at the forefront of developing foundational/frontier AI models for combustion and fluid dynamics applications.

Dr. Som is fellow of SAE and ASME and has received numerous awards for best technical presentations from different society meetings. He has more than 210 peer-reviewed publications with a H-index of 57 and i-index of 175. Dr. Som was on the ASME executive committee from 2018 to 2025 and was the division chair from 2023-24.

Currently he serves as the chair for sponsorship committee. Dr. Som received his PHD from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2009 and has been employed at Argonne since then. Recently he was selected for Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program at the Booth School of Business.

More information about Dr. Som's professional experiences is available on his LinkedIn and Google Scholar profiles.

Alexander Leitner-Audoui
VP Engineering Waukesha
INNIO Waukesha Gas Engines Inc.

Alexander Leitner-Audoui is Vice President of Engineering at INNIO’s Waukesha gas engines, leading global teams in the development of high-performance gas engines for power generation and gas compression. With over two decades of experience at INNIO Waukesha, Jenbacher and GE, he has played a key role in pioneering engine platforms, product innovation, and reliability improvements. Alex is recognized for his leadership in cross-functional engineering, his contributions to industry standards, and his commitment to sustainable energy solutions.

 

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Meet the WICE Leadership Team

ASME's Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Division recognizes outstanding achievements in the internal combustion engine field through its honors and awards program. Every year, ICEF hosts the Awards Dinner where we recognize these remarkable individuals. This year's awards dinner will be held on Tuesday, October 21st from 6:30 – 8:30 PM.

ICEF RTS hosts daily morning (9:15am) and afternoon (1pm and 4:05pm) coffee breaks. These half-hour blocks of time are meant to "re-charge" attendees and presenters by providing a more relaxed atmosphere to interact with one another. Many use this time to network, arrange evening plans with colleagues, and exchange contact information over coffee.