Engineering Education for the 21st Century Charles M. Vest President, National Academy of Engineering ASEE Annual Conference Pittsburgh, PA June 23, 2008

A Summary of Sorts

When I started teaching in 1967, our concerns were: How to make the first year exciting, How to communicate what engineers actually do, How to develop an understanding of business processes, and How to get students to think about ethics and social responsibility.

Today, in 2008, our concerns are:

How to make the first year exciting, How to communicate what engineers actually do, How to develop an understanding of business processes, and How to get students to think about ethics and social responsibility.

And to this we must add: Nano-Bio-Info Large Complex Systems An entire new life-science base Astounding computation and storage capabilities Globalization Innovation Leadership Teamwork across disciplines, fields, nations and cultures Experiential Learning: Conceive / Design / Implement / Operate. Entrepreneurship Product Development and Manufacturing Sustainable Development

Oh, And Our Graduates Must Be Global Engineers Technically Adept Broadly Knowledgeable Innovative and Entrepreneurial Commercially Savvy Multilingual Culturally Aware Able to Understand World Markets Professionally Flexible and Mobile

WHY?

Because the world is changing.

Context and Goals for Technological Education A New Century New Innovation and Enterprise Models New Technological Frontiers Engineering Grand Challenges

It’s a New Century

A New Century 20th Century: –Physics, Electronics, and High-Speed Communications and Transportation 21st Century: –Biology and Information, –but also Energy, Water, and Sustainability

With New R&D Investments Data for 2002 Source: Science and Engineering Indicators, NSF 2008 R&D Expenditures and Share of World Total

U.S. R&D: On Top / Losing Share The U.S. leads in R&D investments The U.S. is among the leaders of the pack in R&D/GDP. However, our global share declined in every category from 1986 to –Domestic R&D -9%New U.S. Patents -2% –Sci. Publications -8%Sci. Researchers -8% –S&E BS Degrees -10%New S&E PhDs -30% Source: Competitiveness Index, Council on Competitiveness Nov. 2006

With New Players Where the Expertise is Source: Competitiveness Index 2007, Council on Competitiveness, Washington, DC

Where the Expertise will be …

Source: Science and Engineering Indicators 2006, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC First Engineering Degrees (China Rises.) China US Japan

It’s not all about numbers, but …

“Venture capital is the search for smart engineers.” --Floyd Kvamme Kleiner-Perkins

It’s not all about numbers, but … “Venture capital is the search for smart engineers.” --Floyd Kvamme Kleiner-Perkins Engineers are creative problem solvers.

With New Speed

A New Century with New Innovation and Enterprise Models

Source: Stuart Feldman, IBM Research, Presentation at Carnegie-Mellon University, 29 June, 2005 With New Jobs U.S. % Employment by Sector History and Projection

With New Connections Location No Longer Matters. “The World is Flat” -- Tom Friedman –In 1989 the Berlin Wall came down, and Microsoft’s Windows went up. –$1.5 trillion worth of optical fiber connects the world. –Globalization has “accidentally made Beijing, Bangalore, and Bethesda next door neighbors.” –Many jobs are now just a “mouse click” away from anywhere..

With New Debates Location Does Matter. The power of regional innovation clusters Proximity of small companies and corporate labs to universities Venture capital networks

Both are correct. But in any event, … Globalization is the new reality.

With New Innovation Models Open Innovation (Henry Chesbrough, HBS) –Companies today must integrate the best ideas, no matter where they originate. In other countries In other companies or laboratories Even in competing organizations. –New, dynamic business models are needed for an open, connected world. Licensing Partnering Joint Venturing

The Globally Integrated Enterprise (Sam Palmesano, CEO IBM) –Supercedes the multinational corporation –Driven by globally shared technologies and standards built on global IT –Focus shifted from products to production –New borderless strategy, management, and operations for integrated production and value delivery. With New Enterprise Models

Service Enterprises will look like this: Function 1 Function 2 Function 5 Function 6 Function 7 Function 8 Function 9 Function 4 Function 3 Country A Country I Country H Country G Country FCountry E Country D Country C Country B

Manufacturing Projects already look like this.

But with many more boxes and countries!

Manufacturing Projects already look like this. But with many more boxes and countries! For example, the new Boeing 787

Manufacturing Projects already look like this. But with many more boxes and countries! For example, the new Boeing 787 –Reportedly has 132,500 engineered parts

Manufacturing Projects already look like this. But with many more boxes and countries! For example, the new Boeing 787 –Reportedly has 132,500 engineered parts –Produced in 545 global locations.

,000,000 -2,000,000 Net change in employment Source: Competitiveness Index, Council on Competitiveness Nov Small and Medium Firms Drive Job Growth With New Importance of Small Companies

A New Century with New Technological Frontiers

With New Engineering Frontiers Bio Info Nano Smaller and Smaller Faster and Faster More and More Complex

Engineering Frontiers Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Larger and Larger More and More Complex Great Societal Importance

Frontiers and Synergies Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Nano Bio Info Natural Science Science and Engineering Are Merging.

Frontiers and Synergies Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Nano Bio Info Social Science These engineering systems need social science, management, and humanities / communications.

Frontiers and Synergies Must be reflected in university education. Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Nano Bio Info Social Science Natural Science

The Payoff will come from Bridging the Frontiers Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Bio Info Nano Bio-based materials Biomemetics Personalized, Predictive Medicine Synthetic Biology Biofuels Etc.

The Payoff will come from Bridging the Frontiers Our students must be prepared to do this. Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Bio Info Nano Bio-based materials Biomemetics Personalized, Predictive Medicine Synthetic Biology Biofuels Etc.

The Payoff will come from Bridging the Frontiers Our students must be prepared to do this. Macro Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Bio Info Nano Bio-based materials Biomemetics Personalized, Predictive Medicine Synthetic Biology Biofuels Etc. Engineers help shape the future.

In this New Century Engineering is Dynamic with Exciting Frontiers and Grand Challenges

Engineering is not static. 20th century Stovepipes: –Scientists discovered. –Engineers created. –Doctors healed.

Engineering is not static. 21st century science, engineering,and medicine are: –Totally interdependent –Blending together in new ways

Engineering is about Systems From nanobiological devices To large scale infrastructure To the earth itself

And Engineering Systems include, interact with, and serve: People Economies Business Law Politics Culture …

Grand Challenges for Engineering Proposed by a committee of amazingly accomplished and innovative people. Extremely challenging and important. Deemed to be doable in the next few decades.

Grand Challenges Committee Bill Perry, chair Sir Alec Broers Farouk El-Baz Wes Harris Bernadine Healy Daniel Hillis Calestous Juma Dean Kamen Ray Kurzweil Bob Langer Jaime Lerner Bindu Lohani Jane Lubchenco Mario Molina Larry Page Rob Socolow Craig Venter Jackie Ying

Engineering Grand Challenges Announced Feb. 15, 2008 Make Solar Energy Economical Provide Energy from Fusion Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods Manage the Nitrogen Cycle Provide Access to Clean Water Engineer Better Medicines Advance Health Informatics Secure Cyberspace Prevent Nuclear Terror Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure Reverse Engineer the Brain Enhance Virtual Reality Advance Personalized Learning Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery

Engineering Grand Challenges See the NAE website. Energy Environment Global Warming Sustainability Improve Medicine and Healthcare Delivery Reducing Vulnerability to Human and Natural Threats Expand and Enhance Human Capability And Joy

Think about these Challenges Some are imperative for human survival. Some will make us more secure against natural and human threats. All will improve quality of life. Most are of global scale.

Subtext of the Challenges The public and policy makers need to understand what engineers do and can do. And don’t forget why young women and men chose NOT to study engineering …

Subtext of the Challenges The public and policy makers need to understand what engineers do and can do. And don’t forget why young women and men chose NOT to study engineering … They’d “rather go into a field where they can help people and make the world better”!

Subtext of the Challenges The public and policy makers need to understand what engineers do and can do. And don’t forget why young women and men chose NOT to study engineering … They’d “rather go into a field where they can help people and make the world better”! Engineering is essential to our health, happiness, and safety.

In Closing Some Personal Views about Engineering Education

Some Personal Views and Questions What is important in Engineering Education? Innovation in Teaching and Learning The Need for Research and Assessment of Teaching and Learning The Meta University

What is important in Engineering Education Making universities and engineering schools exciting, creative, adventurous, rigorous, demanding, and empowering environments is more important than specifying curricular details.

What is important in Engineering Education Making universities and engineering schools exciting, creative, adventurous, rigorous, demanding, and empowering environments is more important than specifying curricular details. That ’ s what I learned at MIT.

Innovation in Engineering / Technology Education There is a lot out there: –Experiential learning –Projects –Computer-assisted learning –CDIO –Business Plan Competitions –UROP, UPOP –Studio Learning –WebLab –Second Life …… etc. –Entire new schools like Olin College

Innovation in Engineering / Technology Education There is a lot out there: –Experiential learning –Projects –Computer-assisted learning –CDIO –Business plan competitions –UROP, UPOP –Studio Learning –WebLab –Second Life …… etc. –Entire new schools like Olin College But we don’t assess or propagate them! (NIH?)

Digital Resources for Education Cyberinfrastructure Inexpensive, Limitless Memory Digital Archives –JSTOR, ARTstor, Ithaka, Public Library of Science, Google Library, … Platforms / Pedagogy –SAKAI, OKI, Open Learning Initiative (CMU), Connexion (Rice), Digital Chemistry (Berkeley), VUE (Tufts), Lionshare (Penn State), …

And the Open Content Movement MIT OpenCourseWare –Teaching Materials for 1800 courses –Free of charge to Anyone, Anywhere OCW Traffic OCW Movement

The Meta University A Personal View What we are observing is the early emergence of a Meta University -- a transcendent, accessible, empowering, dynamic, communally-constructed framework of open materials and platforms on which much of higher education worldwide can be constructed or enhanced.

Thank you for your attention.

Red Messages courtesy of: Changing the Conversation A National Academy of Engineering Project