1. A 21st Century Imperative: Increasing the Number, Quality, and Diversity of Engineering Graduates
Charles M. Vest
President, National Academy of Engineering
President Emeritus, MIT
Summit: Assuring Michigan’s Knowledge-Based Workforce
Ann Arbor
October 13, 2009

4. Inauguration Day 2008

5. “We need to get back to making stuff based on real engineering not just financial engineering.”
Thomas Friedman
NYT
Sept. 28, 2008

6. “We need to get back to making stuff based on real engineering not just financial engineering.”
Thomas Friedman
NYT
Sept. 28, 2008
“Germany’s renewable energy industry, with more than 50,000 new jobs, now is second only to their auto industry.”
Thomas Friedman
NYT
Sept. 15, 2009

8. “Without a renewed effort to bolster the
foundations of our competitiveness, we can
expect to lose our privileged position.

9. “You can always count on the Americans to do
the right thing … after they have exhausted all
the other possibilities.”
--Winston Churchill

10. “You can always count on the Americans to do
the right thing … after they have exhausted all
the other possibilities.”
--Winston Churchill

11. First:
Then:
Develop Brainpower
Unleash Innovation

12. DEVELOPING
BRAINPOWER

13. How do we compare with the Rest of the World?
A Problem
Source: NSF Science and Engineering Indicators 2008

14. And it gets worse … Engineering Graduates and US Population by Race

15. Immigrants have founded many Of our S&E Based Companies
source: V. Wadhwa, Issues in Science and Technology, 2009

16. INSPIRE
Developing Brainpower

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

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

19. IMPROVE
EDUCATION
Developing Brainpower

20. AP Passing Scores at 10 Dallas ISD Schools in Math and Science
Source: The College Board

21. We can fix the K-12 Problem.
Minority AP Passing Scores per 1000 Juniors and Seniors in Math, Science, and English for African-American and Hispanics in 10 Dallas ISD Schools, Texas, and U.S.
First Year of
AP Incentive Program
Source: The College Board, Dallas ISD, Texas Education Agency, National Center for Educational Statistics (2005 U.S. enrollment data is estimated through extrapolation)

22. SIX-YEAR COLLEGE GRADUATION RATE
SIX-YEAR COLLEGE GRADUATION RATE* Students who passed an AP exam compared to those who did not pass an AP exam** Texas Public Colleges or Universities
ANGLO
HISPANIC
AFRICAN AMERICAN
* % receiving B.A. degree within 6 years of high school graduation based on group of students graduating in 1998, and
enrolling in a Texas Public College or University (67,863 students).
** Based on AP Exams in core academic subjects of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies
Source: National Center for Educational Accountability

23. Putting the “E” in STEM K-12 engineering education should emphasize:
A National Academy of Engineering Project
K-12 engineering education should emphasize:
Design
Creative problem-solving process.
It should include:
Math, science, and technology concepts.
It should develop 21st century skills:
Systems Thinking
Collaboration
Communication
Source: Engineering in K-12 Education, National Academies Press, 2009

24. Be Careful and disciplined.
Putting the “E” in STEM
Be Careful and disciplined.
Data on effectiveness are sparse.
Teachers are unprepared and overloaded.
Our report raises more questions than it answers.

25. UNLEASHING
INNOVATION

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

27. 21st century Innovation Life Sciences and Information Technology
Globalization of
R&D
Education
Workforce
Macro Systems
especially Energy
21st century
Innovation
A new
Enabling Technology?
Future of
Venture Capital?
Disruptive Technologies
For
Grand Challenges

28. 21st century Innovation Evolution of current Innovation System
Inducement
Prizes
Discovery Innovation
Institutes
21st century
Innovation
Virtual
Communities
New Universities
New Educational
Organizations

29. Distributed Intelligence S&T Acceleration Globalization
Life Sciences
and
Information Technology
Relentless Change
Grand Challenges
Distributed Intelligence
S&T Acceleration
Globalization
Internet Democracy
Globalization of
R&D
Education
Workforce
Macro Systems
especially Energy
21st century
Innovation
Future of
Venture Capital?
A new
Enabling Technology?
Disruptive Technologies
For
Grand Challenges
Evolution of
Current
Innovation System
Inducement
Prizes
Discovery Innovation
Institutes
To Be Determined by
A New Generation
21st century
Innovation
New Universities
Virtual
Communities
New Educational
Organizations

30. Two Things
we must do

31. Change the Conversation
A National Academy of Engineering Project
Engineers help shape the future.
Engineering is essential to our health,
happiness, and safety.
Engineers are creative problem solvers.

32. The Amazing Disappearing
Rediscover
The Amazing Disappearing
Word

33. ENGINEER

34. We need to get it back into the vernacular.
ENGINEER
We need to get it back into the vernacular.

35. Why Young People should study
Engineering

36. Why Young People should study
Engineering
This is the most exciting era in science and engineering in human history.

37. Frontiers of Technology
Nano
Bio
Info
Tiny Systems
Macro Systems
Energy
Environment
Health Care
Manufacturing
Communications
Logistics

38. Why Young People should study
Engineering
This is the most exciting era in science and engineering in human history.
Our future economy, health, security, and quality of life depends on S&E.
It’s really interesting and rewarding.

39. Engineers can conquer Grand Challenges. Energy
Environment
Global Warming
Sustainability
Reducing Vulnerability to
Human and Natural Threats
Expand and Enhance
Human Capability
And Joy
Improve Medicine and
Healthcare Delivery

40. Why Young People should study
Engineering
This is the most exciting era in science and engineering in human history.
Our future economy, health, security, and quality of life depends on S&E.
It’s really interesting and rewarding.

41. The 15 Top Earning Degrees Starting Salaries 2009
Petroleum engineering $83,121
Chemical engineering $64,902
Mining engineering $64,404
Computer engineering $61,738
Computer science $61,407
Electrical engineering $60,125
Mechanical engineering $58,766
Industrial engineering $58,358
Systems engineering $57,438
Engineering technology $56,447
Actuarial science $56,320
Aeronautical engin. $56,311
Agriculture engineering $54,352
Biomedical engineering $54,158
Construct. Management $53,199
Source: CNNMoney.com, July 24, 2009

42. A FINAL THOUGHT

43. What is needed in K-12 Initiatives
Evaluation
Coherence
Scale
Sustained Effort

44. Thank you.