The publications below are recent releases of the National Academy of Engineering’s Program Office. Most publications are for sale by the National Academies Press and can be read online for free. Visit www.nap.edu for additional details.
Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development
Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development is the first in a series of biennial workshops on the theme of engineering ethics and engineering leadership. This workshop addresses conflicting positive goals for engineering projects in impoverished areas and areas in crisis. These conflicts arise domestically as well as in international arenas. The goals of project sponsors and participants, which are often implicit, include protecting human welfare, ensuring social justice, and striving for environmental sustainability alongside the more often explicit goal of economic development or progress.
Rebuilding a Real Economy: Unleashing Engineering Innovation
At the 2009 Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Engineering in Irvine, California, a public forum entitled 'Rebuilding a Real Economy: Unleashing Engineering Innovation' brought together seven prominent leaders of the innovation system to discuss the challenges facing America. The insights of the panel members cut to the heart of what this nation needs to do to remain a global leader in the turbulent world of the 21st century.
This summary captures the main points made by the forum participants with the aim of encouraging further reflection and discussion. As the panelists pointed out, no single action can reenergize our innovation system. A portfolio of interconnected and interdependent initiatives must be undertaken to generate new knowledge and technology and move that new knowledge successfully into a competitive world marketplace. But the panelists clarified the goal toward which we must strive and some of the most important steps we need to take to achieve that goal.
Lifelong Learning Imperative in Engineering: Summary of a Workshop
Workshop summary calls lifelong learning a necessity for engineering professionals and examines how rapid technological changes and emerging fields impact engineers’ ongoing knowledge. Lifelong Learning Imperative in Engineering also looks at the history of continuing education in the field, the issues around certifying such education, and the challenges presented by a global marketplace.
Frontiers of Engineering:
Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2009 Symposium
This volume includes 14 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's 2009 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) Symposium held in September 2009. USFOE meetings bring together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30 to 45) to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2009 symposium covered four topic areas: engineering tools for scientific discovery, nano/micro photonics and new applications, engineering the health care delivery system, and resilient and sustainable infrastructure. The papers describe leading-edge research on such topics as digital holographic microscopy for 3D imaging, light-emitting diode technology for solid-state lighting, medical informatics for detection of adverse events, and infrastructure resilience to disasters, among other topics. Appendixes include information about contributors, the symposium program, and a list of meeting participants. This is the fifteenth volume in the USFOE series.
Improve research in engineering ethics.
Improve engineering practice in situations of crisis and conflict.
Improve engineering education in ethics and social issues.
Involve professional societies in these efforts.
Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development is the first in a series of biennial workshops on the theme of engineering ethics and engineering leadership. This workshop addresses conflicting positive goals for engineering projects in impoverished areas and areas in crisis. These conflicts arise domestically as well as in international arenas. The goals of project sponsors and participants, which are often implicit, include protecting human welfare, ensuring social justice, and striving for environmental sustainability alongside the more often explicit goal of economic development or progress.
The workshop, summarized in this volume, discussed how to achieve the following:
Improve research in engineering ethics.
Improve engineering practice in situations of crisis and conflict.
Improve engineering education in ethics and social issues.
Involve professional societies in these efforts.
Engineering Curricula:
Understanding the Design Space and Exploiting the Opportunities: Summary of a Workshop
During a workshop in April 2009, representatives of industry, academia, government agencies, and professional societies came together to address (1) the restructuring of engineering curricula to focus on inductive learning through inquiry-based activities and learning experiences grounded in the real world, (2) the integrated, just-in-time learning of relevant topics in STEM fields, and (3) the creative use and implementation of learning technologies. Additional topics arose during breakout discussions, including many additional suggestions for facilitating curricular innovation. Attendees included individuals from industry, academia, government agencies, and professional societies.
Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects
Engineering education in K-12 classrooms is a small but growing phenomenon that may have implications for engineering and also for the other "STEM" subjects--science, technology, and mathematics. Specifically, engineering education may improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics, increase awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, boost youth interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and increase the technological literacy of all students. The teaching of STEM subjects in U.S. schools must be improved in order to retain U.S. competitiveness in the global economy and to develop a workforce with the knowledge and skills to address technical and technological issues.
Engineering in K-12 Education reviews the scope and impact of engineering education today and makes several recommendations to address curriculum, policy, and funding issues. The book also analyzes a number of K-12 engineering curricula in depth and discusses what is known from the cognitive sciences about how children learn engineering-related concepts and skills.
Engineering in K-12 Education will serve as a reference for science, technology, engineering, and math educators, policy makers, employers, and others concerned about the development of the country's technical workforce. The book will also prove useful to educational researchers, cognitive scientists, advocates for greater public understanding of engineering, and those working to boost technological and scientific literacy.
Nurturing and Sustaining Effective Programs in Science Education for Grades K-8:
Building a Village in California: Summary of a Convocation
K-8 science education in California (as in many other parts of the country) is in a state of crisis. K-8 students in California spend too little time studying science, many of their teachers are not well prepared in the subject, and the support system for science instruction has deteriorated. A proliferation of overly detailed standards and poorly conceived assessments has trivialized science education. And all these problems are likely to intensify: an ongoing fiscal crisis in the state threatens further cutbacks, teacher and administrator layoffs, and less money for professional development.
A convocation held on April 29-30, 2009, sought to confront the crisis in California science education, particularly at the kindergarten through eighth grade level. The convocation, summarized in this volume, brought together key stakeholders in the science education system to enable and facilitate an exploration of ways to more effectively, efficiently, and collectively support, sustain, and communicate across the state concerning promising research and practices in K-8 science education and how such programs can be nurtured by communities of stakeholders.
Partnerships for Emerging Research Institutions
Because few faculty members in emerging research institutions (ERIs) pursue research, most students in this fast-growing environment have no opportunity to experience the activity at the heart of science and engineering. In September 2007, the National Academies sponsored a workshop to look into the impact of research experience on students in ERIs and to identify the difficulties in cultivating a research climate in these institutions. This report presents some creative ideas developed by workshop participants for addressing problems related to teaching loads and “admini-structural” problems that plague ERI administrators and faculty. Many of the proposed solutions involve (1) a re-examination of how ERIs are organized and administered and (2) partnerships with other institutions or organizations.
Ethics Education and Scientific and Engineering Research
Increasing complexity and competitiveness in research environments, the prevalence of interdisciplinary and international involvement in research projects, and the close coupling of commerce and academia have created an ethically challenging environment for young scientists and engineers. For the past several decades, federal research agencies have supported projects to meet the need for mentoring and ethics training in graduate education in research, often called training in the
responsible conduct of research. Recently, these agencies have supported projects to identify ethically problematic behaviors and assess the efficacy of ethics education in addressing them. With support from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Engineering Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society held the workshop "Ethics Education and Scientific and Engineering Research: What's Been Learned? What Should Be Done?" on August 25 and 26, 2008. The workshop, summarized in this volume, discussed the social environment of science and engineering education; the need for ethics education for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in science and engineering; models for effective programs; and assessment of approaches to ethics education, among other topics.
Developing Metrics for Assessing Engineering Instruction: What Gets Measured is What Gets Improved
Faculty in all disciplines must continually prioritize their time to reflect the many demands of their faculty obligations, but they must also prioritize their efforts in ways that will improve the prospects of career advancement. The current perception is that research contributions are the most important measure with respect to faculty promotion and tenure decisions, and that teaching effectiveness is less valued--regardless of the stated weighting of research, teaching and service. In addition, methods for assessing research accomplishments are well established, even though imperfect, whereas metrics for assessing teaching, learning, and instructional effectiveness are not as well defined or well established.
Developing Metrics for Assessing Engineering Instruction provides a concise description of a process to develop and institute a valid and acceptable means of measuring teaching effectiveness in order to foster greater acceptance and rewards for faculty efforts to improve their performance of the teaching role that makes up a part of their faculty responsibility. Although the focus of this book is in the area of engineering, the concepts and approaches are applicable to all fields in higher education.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2008 Symposium (2009)
This book compiles papers discussed during the NAE's annual Frontiers of Engineering symposium, which brings together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30-45) to exchange information about leading technologies in a range of engineering fields. Topics in 2008 included drug delivery systems, emerging nanoelectronic devices, cognitive engineering, and understanding and countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Systems Engineering to Improve Traumatic Brain Injury Care in the Military Health System (2009)
A new workshop summary from the National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine discusses potential tools and techniques for improving the care of patients with traumatic brain injury in the Military Health System. The summary includes working group deliberations with specific suggestions for undertaking operational systems engineering (OSE) studies and analyses. OSE engineers use mathematical techniques to understand and improve operations involving a wide variety of complex interactions among people, processes, materials, equipment, facilities and more. Free PDF available through the National Academies Press.
The Offshoring of Engineering: Facts, Unknowns, and Potential Implications (2008)
This report summarizes a workshop on the offshoring of engineering held in October 2006. Offshoring, the transfer of work from the United States to entities abroad, has grown significantly in recent years and is transforming U.S. engineering. While offshoring is benefiting many U.S.-based companies and contributing to the creation and retention of U.S. engineering jobs in several industries, the impact on careers across the U.S. engineering work force is uneven, requiring further study and attention to those negatively affected. The long-term implications for U.S. engineering are also not clear, as significant gaps in the data on trade in services and employment make it difficult to assess the net effects of offshoring on the U.S. engineering work force.
Information and Communication Technology and Peacebuilding: Summary of a Workshop (2008)
Those who would use information and communication technology (ICT) in the cause of peace need to be cognizant of the risks as well as the benefits. ICT can facilitate positive dialogue but also hate speech. It can be used to fight corruption but also facilitate it. Simply giving people more information does not necessarily lead to predictable or positive results. As people become more informed, they may become more motivated to change their circumstances and to do so violently. On December 14, 2007, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) convened a group of experts in diverse fields to consider the role of ICT in promoting peace and conflict resolution. The one-day workshop was designed to consider current and emerging technologies and strategies for employing them in conflict management and diplomacy. It also aimed to explore how organizations with a role in promoting peace, like the U.S. Institute of Peace, can most effectively leverage technology in carrying out their missions.
Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering (2008)
Encouraging young people to make a difference in the world through an engineering career is more likely to attract them to the field than emphasizing the challenge of math and science skills, says a new report from the National Academy of Engineering. The report offers tested messages that reposition engineering as a satisfying profession that involves creative ideas and teamwork. It also recommends that the engineering community begin using these messages in a coordinated communications strategy.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2007 Symposium (2008)
U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) symposia bring together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30 to 45) to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2007 symposium covered engineering trustworthy computer systems, control of protein conformations, biotechnology for fuels and chemicals, modulating and simulating human behavior, and safe water technologies. Papers in this volume describe leading-edge research on disparate tools in software security, decoding the “mechanome,” corn-based materials, modeling human cultural behavior, water treatment by UV irradiation, and many other topics. A speech by dinner speaker Dr. Henrique (Rico) Malvar, managing director of Microsoft Research, is also included. Appendixes provide information about contributors, the symposium program, summaries of break-out sessions, and a list of participants. This is the thirteenth volume in the USFOE series.
Energy Futures and Urban Air Pollution: Challenges for China and the United States (2007)
Air pollution imposes major costs -- both human and economic -- and China should learn from the successes and failures of the U.S. in its efforts to improve urban air quality, says a new report from the National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering, produced in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering. Key to meeting both countries' goals for cleaner air will be improving energy efficiency in power generation, transportation, and other sectors.
Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace (2007)
Because much of the nation’s critical infrastructure depends on information technology (IT), the United States is vulnerable to adversaries who might exploit weaknesses in critical information systems. In addition, we do not adequately understand what makes IT systems vulnerable, the best ways to reduce their vulnerabilities, or how to implement cybersecurity techniques. In response to these concerns and at the request of Congress, the National Research Council undertook a study to develop a strategy for cybersecurity research to address the vulnerability issue. This report provides an assessment by a committee of experts of the nature of the cybersecurity threat; an analysis of why previous research efforts have not been completely effective; an analysis of the human resources required to advance cybersecurity research; descriptions of illustrative research areas; and recommendations for action.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports from Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2006 Symposium (2007)
This volume includes 15 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's 2006 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) Symposium held in September 2006. USFOE meetings bring together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30 to 45) to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2006 symposium covered four topic areas: intelligent software systems and machines, the nano/bio interface, engineering personal mobility for the 21st century, and supply chain management. A paper by dinner speaker Dr. W. Dale Compton, Lillian M. Gilbreth Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering, Emeritus, is also included. The papers describe leading-edge research on commercializing auditory neuroscience, future developments in bionanotechnology, sustainable urban transportation, and managing disruptions to supply chains, among other topics. Appendixes include information about contributors, the symposium program, and a list of meeting participants. This is the twelfth volume in the USFOE series.
Tech Tally: Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy (2006)
In a broad sense, technology is any modification of the natural world made to fulfill human needs or desires. From computers and genetically modified foods, to superhighways and satellites, technology is pervasive. To be an informed citizen requires knowing something of the nature of technology: how it is created, how it shapes society, and how people influence its development. It requires technological literacy. However, very little has been done to determine the level of technological literacy in the United States. Tech Tally: Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy explores methods and opportunities for assessing technological literacy in K–12 students, K–12 teachers, and out-of-school adults. The report suggests how scientifically valid and broadly applicable assessments might be developed for the three target populations. Findings and related recommendations are provided in five critical areas: instrument development, research on learning, computer-based assessment methods, framework development, and public perceptions of technology.
Engineering Studies at Tribal Colleges and Universities (2006)
This study was designed to provide expert, objective, independent advice to 11 tribal colleges that are working together to offer engineering programs. The chief data-gathering activity was a one and one-half day workshop. Reasons for establishing a four-year engineering program at a TCU were outlined in the workshop—making it possible for American Indian students to complete a four-year engineering degree entirely within the tribal college system; reducing the high attrition rate of American Indian students who attend mainstream educational institutions; and providing an engineering program that is culturally relevant to tribal students.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2005 Symposium (2006)
This volume includes 16 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's 2005 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) Symposium held in September 2005. USFOE meetings bring together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30 to 45) to exchange information about leading-edge technologies in a range of engineering fields. The 2005 symposium covered four topic areas: ID and verification technologies, engineering for developing communities, engineering complex systems, and energy resources for the future. A paper by dinner speaker Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is also included. The papers describe leading-edge research on face and human activity recognition, challenges in implementing appropriate technology projects in developing countries, complex networks, engineering bacteria for drug production, organic-based solar cells, and current status and future challenges in fuel cells, among other topics. Appendixes include information about contributors, the symposium program, and a list of meeting participants.
Enhancing the Community College Pathway to Engineering Careers (2005)
Community colleges play an important role in educating engineering students, but the quality of these colleges' engineering programs is not known and many students are unaware of the possibility of transferring to four-year educational institutions. “Enhancing the Community College Pathway to Engineering Careers,” a new report from the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council, discusses ways to improve engineering education at community colleges and strategies to enhance partnerships between those colleges and four-year schools of engineering.
Building a Better Delivery System: A New Engineering/Health Care Partnership: A New Engineering/Health Care Partnership (2005)
This joint study by the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine includes findings and recommendations for building a strong partnership between engineers and health care professionals to address the crises facing health care delivery in the United States. The report focuses on two major applications of systems-engineering tools: (1) systems design, analysis, and control tools to promote a better understanding of health care processes and interactions and improve system performance within the severe constraints of a crisis situation; and (2) information and communications technologies to facilitate information flow, connectivity at all levels (patients, care teams, health care organizations, and the larger regulatory and financial environment), and coordinated, patient-centered health care. In addition to the committee's consensus report, this volume includes 38 individually authored papers based on presentations given at three fact-finding workshops. The papers address not only operational challenges confronting the U.S. health care delivery system, but also opportunities for improving the use of information technology (e.g., biosensors and wireless communications, and remote monitoring) and systems engineering (e.g., human factors engineering, financial engineering, supply-chain management, and modeling and simulation).
Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century (2005)
The Phase I report of the Engineer of 2020 Project, Visions of Engineering in the New Century, identified the attributes and abilities engineers will need to perform well in a world driven by rapid technological advancements, national security needs, aging infrastructure in developed countries, environmental challenges brought about by population growth and diminishing resources, and the creation of new disciplines at the interfaces between engineering and science. To ensure that future engineers have these capabilities, they must be educated to be not only technically proficient, but also ethically grounded global citizens who can become leaders in business and public service. This Phase II report provides recommendations to guide engineering educators, employers, professional societies, and government agencies as they reengineer the "system of systems," the engineering education process.
Technological Options for User-Authorized Handguns: A Technology-Readiness Assessment (2005)
It could take as long as 10 years and cost as much as $30 million to bring a user-authorized handgun to the commercial marketplace. This is a major conclusion of the 11-member Committee on User-Authorized Handguns, which conducted an engineering-focused feasibility analysis. User-authorized handguns are firearms that can only be operated by designated individuals. To work reliably, sensor technology must be integrated with locking and firing mechanisms. The committee found that limited research has been done on a variety of biometric and nonbiometric technologies, but no development efforts to date have moved beyond the bread-board stage. In addition, most research has come to a halt for lack of funding and, in some cases, lack of interest. The committee considered handguns for two broad categories of users: law enforcement personnel and individuals who store and use firearms at home. The law enforcement application has more stringent technical requirements because weapons are often used under adverse conditions, such as rain, mud, blood, and extreme temperatures; in addition, operators may be wearing gloves. The committee concluded that no current biometric technology is completely suitable for use in firearms. The technology that comes closest to satisfying all of the requirements is radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which is not a truly biometric technology.
Engineering Research and America’s Future: Meeting the Challenges of a Global Economy (2005)
With funding from the National Science Foundation, NAE convened a committee of engineering leaders during the summer of 2004 to conduct (1) an assessment of the past and potential impact of the U.S. engineering research enterprise on the nation’s economy, quality of life, security, and global leadership; and (2) to determine whether the level of public and private investment is sufficient to sustain U.S. preeminence in basic engineering research. The committee documented and evaluated recent contributions of U.S.-based engineering research to critical national interests; assessed the potential contributions of engineering research to emerging national challenges and opportunities; and outlined a national strategy for ensuring that the engineering research foundations of American global economic, military, scientific, and technological preeminence remain solid in the face of rapid, often disruptive, societal and global change. Findings and recommendations are intended to inform public-sector and private-sector decision making regarding the scale and allocation of investments in engineering research, engineering research infrastructure, and engineering education. Implementation of the committee’s recommendations should strengthen the U.S. engineering research enterprise and ensure that engineering research continues to contribute to U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and global technological leadership.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2004 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering (2005)
This volume includes 14 papers from the National Academy of Engineering's Tenth Annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium held in September 2004. The U.S. Frontiers meeting brings together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30-45) to learn from their peers and discuss leading-edge technologies in a range of fields. The 2004 symposium covered these four areas: engineering for extreme environments, designer materials, multiscale modeling, and engineering and entertainment. Papers in the book cover topics such as scalable mobile robots for deployment in polar climates, the challenges of landing on Mars, thin-film active materials, vascular tissue engineering, small-scale processes and large-scale simulations of the climate system, simulating physically accurate illumination in computer graphics, and designing socially intelligent robots, among others. Appendixes include information about the contributors, the symposium program, and a list of the meeting participants. The book is the tenth in a series covering the topics of the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering meetings.
Urbanization, Energy, and Air Pollution in China: The Challenges Ahead -- Proceedings of a Symposium (2004) (Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council)
In October 2003, a group of experts met in Beijing under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Engineering /National Research Council of the National Academies to continue a dialogue and eventually chart a rational course of energy use in China. This collection of papers is intended to introduce the reader to the complicated problems of urban air pollution and energy choices in China.
Emerging Technologies and Ethical issues in Engineering (2004)
Engineers and ethicists participated in a workshop to discuss the responsible development of new technologies. Presenters examined four areas of engineering--sustainability, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, and energy--in terms of the ethical issues they present to engineers in particular and society as a whole. Approaches to ethical issues include: analyzing the factual, conceptual, application, and moral aspects of an issue; evaluating the risks and responsibilities of a particular course of action; and using theories of ethics or codes of ethics developed by engineering societies as a basis for decision making. Ethics can be built into the education of engineering students and professionals, either as an aspect of courses already being taught or as a component of engineering projects to be examined along with research findings. Engineering practice workshops can also be effective, particularly when they include discussions with experienced engineers. This volume includes papers on all of these topics
by experts in many fields. The consensus among workshop participants is that material on ethics should be an ongoing part of engineering education and engineering practice.
Accident Precursor Analysis and Management: Reducing Technological Risk Through Diligence (2004)
In the aftermath of catastrophes, it is common to find prior indicators, missed signals, and dismissed alerts that, had they been recognized and appropriately managed before the event, could have resulted in the undesired event being averted, these typically can be called "precursors". The report of a July 2003 NAE workshop documents various industrial and academic approaches to detecting, analyzing, and benefiting from accident precursors and examines public-sector and private-sector roles in the collection and use of precursor information. The report includes the analysis, findings and recommendations of the authoring NAE committee as well as eleven individually authored background papers on the opportunity of precursor analysis and management, risk assessment, risk management, and linking risk assessment and management.
The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R&D Needs (2004)
The announcement of a hydrogen fuel initiative in the President’s 2003 State of the Union speech substantially increased interest in the potential for hydrogen to play a major role in the nation’s long-term energy future. Prior to that event, DOE asked the National Research Council to examine key technical issues about the hydrogen economy to assist in the development of its hydrogen R&D program. Included in the assessment were the current state of technology; future cost estimates; CO2 emissions; distribution, storage, and end use considerations; and the DOE RD&D program. The report provides an assessment of hydrogen as a fuel in the nation’s future energy economy and describes a number of important challenges that must be overcome if it is to make a major energy contribution. Topics covered include the hydrogen end-use technologies, transportation, hydrogen production technologies, and transition issues for hydrogen in vehicles.
The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century (2004)
To help maintain the nation's economic competitiveness and improve the quality of life of the world's population, engineering education in the United States must anticipate and adapt to dramatic changes in engineering practice in the coming decades, says a new National Academy of Engineering report. The report recommends ways to improve engineers' training and prepare them for the complex technical, social and ethical questions raised by emerging technologies.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2003 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering (2004)
This volume includes 14 papers from the National Academy of Engineering’s Ninth Annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium held in September 2003. The U.S. Frontiers meeting brings together 100 outstanding engineers (ages 30-45) to learn from their peers and discuss leading-edge technologies in a range of fields. The 2003 symposium covered these four areas: environmental engineering, fundamental limits of nanotechnology, counterterrorism technologies and infrastructure protection, and biomolecular computing. Papers in the book cover topics such as microbial mineral respiration; water-resource engineering, economics, and public policy; frontiers of silicon CMOS technology; molecular electronics; biological counterterrorism technologies; Internet security; DNA computing by self-assembly; and challenges in programming living cells, among others. A talk by Aerospace Corp. president and CEO William F. Ballhaus, Jr. titled The Most Important Lessons You Didn't Learn in Engineering School is also included in the volume. Appendixes include summaries of the breakout session discussion that focused on public understanding of engineering, information about the contributors, the symposium program, and a list of the meeting participants.
A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements that Transformed our Lives (currently out of print)
Celebrating a century of innovation, the National Academy of Engineering and a consortium of professional engineering societies present the most significant engineering triumphs of the era. While the achievements encompass many dramatic and highly visible engineering feats, from the first flight at Kitty Hawk to the birth of the Internet, the lineup is largely composed of more commonplace advances that had a truly profound and widespread effect on all of society. Indeed, most of the achievements profiled in this book are so much a part of our lives that we have come to take them for granted. But to learn the stories behind these great achievements is to behold and appreciate them anew.
Owner-Authorized Handguns: A Workshop Summary (2003)
The feasibility and potential impact of so-called smart handguns has generated considerable public interest and debate. This report summarizes a June 2002 workshop at the National Academy of Engineering that examined three related issues: the state of technology for owner-authorized handguns; the role of product liability in the development and marketing of such firearms; and the potential impact of these smart guns on health and crime. Smart-gun technology has the potential to prevent unintended or undesirable uses of handguns, such as accidental shootings; the shooting of police officers by assailants using the officers’ own weapons; suicides; homicides with stolen handguns; and other gun-related crimes. However, information presented at the workshop suggests that considerably more research is needed to bring a reliable and commercially viable product to the marketplace. The report also notes that the impact of smart-guns will be influenced by legal issues, human behavior, economic conditions, and other factors.
The Impact of Academic Research on Industrial Performance (2003)
Drawing on the findings of sector-specific workshops, e-mail surveys, research literature, expert testimony, and committee and panel member expertise, this study by the National Academy of Engineering assesses the qualitative impact of academic research on five industries--network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; aerospace; transportation, distribution, and logistics services; and financial services. The report documents the range and significance of academic research contributions to the five industries, comparing the importance of different types of contributions (e.g., research-trained graduates, fundamental concepts and key ideas based on basic and applied research, tools, prototypes, products, and services), the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of these contributions (spanning many fields of engineering, the natural sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences), and the multiple vectors by which academic research is linked to each industry. The report calls for action to address six cross-cutting challenges to university-industry interactions: the growing disciplinary and time-horizon-related imbalances in federal R&D funding; barriers to university-industry interaction in services industries; the critical role of academic research in the advancement of information technology; the role of academic research in the regulation of industry; the impact of technology-transfer activities on core university research and education missions; and the search for new pathways and mechanisms to enhance the contributions of academic research to industry. The report also includes findings and recommendations specific to each industry.
The Carbon Dioxide Dilemma: Promising Technologies and Policies (2003)
Growing concerns about climate change partly as a result of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions has prompted the research community to assess technologies and policies for sequestration. This report contains presentations of a symposium held in April of 2002. The sequestration options range form ocean disposal, terrestrial disposal in geologic formations, biomass based approaches and carbon trading schemes. The report also presents current efforts at enhanced oil recovery using carbon dioxide and demonstrating its utility. The volume is intended only as introduction to the subject and not the final word.
Information Technology (IT)-Based Educational Materials: Workshop Report with Recommendations (2003)
In the last half-century, we have witnessed the birth and development of a new era-the information age. Information Technology (IT), the primary vehicle of the information age, has transformed the modern workplace and is pervasive in the development of new knowledge and wealth. IT has also dramatically influenced our capacity to educate. Yet, the application of IT in education has been disorganized and uneven. Pockets of innovation in localized environments are thriving, but the promise of open access, greatly enhanced teaching and learning, and large-scale use has not been realized. IT-Based Educational Materials: Workshop Report with Recommendations identifies critical components that support the development and use of IT-based educational materials. The report points to three high priority action areas that would produce a transitional strategy from our fragmented environment to an IT-transformed future in engineering education--Build Community; Create Organizational Enablers; and Coordinate Action. The report outlines six recommendations, including a call to establish a national laboratory to carry out evidenced-based investigations and other activities to insure interoperability and effective teaching and learning. The report also stresses the need to pursue open architectures and to engage multidisciplinary researchers, including social scientists and others who address the transformation of faculty cultures. The report also discusses the need to engage users and developers of the IT-products in activities that are driven by student learning outcomes. This initiative has been partially funded by the Kavli Institute, Oxnard, California.
Completing the "Big Dig": Managing the Final Stages of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project (2003)
Completing the "Big Dig": Managing the Final Stages of Boston’s Central Artery/Tunnel Project. Boston’s Central Artery/Tunnel Project, a 7.8-mile system of bridges and underground highways and ramps, is the most expensive public works project ever undertaken in the United States. The original cost estimate of $2.6 billion has already been exceeded by $12 billion, and the project will not be completed until 2005, seven years late. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA), the public steward of the project, requested that the National Research Council carry out an independent assessment of the project's management and contract administration practices, with a focus on the present situation and measures that should be taken to bring the project to a successful conclusion. This report presents the committee's findings and recommendations pertaining to cost, scheduling, and transitioning from the current organization dominated by consultants to an operations organization composed largely of full-time MTA staff. The report recommends that MTA establish an external, independent, peer-review program to address technical and management issues until the transition to operations and maintenance is complete; begin a media campaign now to teach drivers how to use the new system safely; and develop, immediately implement, and maintain a comprehensive security program.
Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the September 2002 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering This collection includes summaries of presentations given at the NAE Symposium in September 2002. Topics include chemical and molecular engineering in the 21st century, human factors engineering, the future of nuclear energy, and engineering challenges for quantum information technology.
Raising Public Awareness of Engineering (2002)The public has little awareness or appreciation of engineering as the source of technology. The engineering community spends mightily to try to improve public awareness, but an NAE-commissioned survey of activities intended to raise public awareness found little coordination among them and few measures of success. This report provides the results of this survey, explains why it was needed, and recommends how the engineering community can work successfully to communicate the importance of engineering to society.
Diversity in Engineering: Managing the Workforce of the Future (2002)
This report contains fifteen presentations from a workshop on best practices in managing diversity, hosted by the NAE Committee on Diversity in the Engineering Workforce on October 29-30, 2001. NAE president William Wulf, IBM vice-president Nicholas Donofrio, and Ford vice-president James Padilla address the business case for diversity, and representatives of leading engineering employers discuss how to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering careers. Other speakers focus on mentoring, globalization, affirmative action backlash, and dealing with lawsuits. Corporate engineering and human resources managers attended the workshop and discussed diversity issues faced by corporations that employ engineers. Summaries of the discussions are also included in the report.
Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology (2002)
Technically Speaking provides a blueprint for bringing us all up to speed on the role of technology in our society, including understanding such distinctions as technology versus science and technological literacy versus technical competence. It clearly and decisively explains what it means to be a technologically-literate citizen. The book goes on to explore the context of technological literacy-the social, historical, political, and educational environments.
Technically Speaking provides a blueprint for bringing us all up to speed on the role of technology in our society, including understanding such distinctions as technology versus science and technological literacy versus technical competence. It clearly and decisively explains what it means to be a technologically-literate citizen. The book goes on to explore the context of technological literacy-the social, historical, political, and educational environments.
Additional Reports from the National Academy of Engineering