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The Committee on Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society is conducting a virtual symposium on Thursday August 18 and Friday August 19 that will highlight how engineering research and practice have led to positive societal and economic impacts; and examine how investments in engineering education, research, careers, and institutions by the National Science Foundation (NSF) catalyzed these impacts.
The event will feature presentations from leading experts on
Speakers and discussants will also participate in roundtable discussions and address questions posed by online participants.
Symposium Highlights
Thursday August 18
Welcome remarks John L. Anderson, President, NAE Dan Arvizu, Chancellor; and Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New Mexico State University System; Chair, Committee on Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society
Session I – NSF and its Role in Fostering Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society The symposium’s first session will lay the groundwork for the event by providing background and insight on NSF’s history of funding engineering research, the establishment of the Directorate for Engineering as the home of this support, and how NSF engineering research and education funding affect not just technological innovation but our society and culture.
Session II – People Who Bring About Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society Experts who have applied engineering principles to some of society’s most challenging problems and have brought about far-reaching changes to technology, the economy, and society will be hare their experiences.
Friday, August 19
Keynote – Engineering’s Role in Creating Extraordinary Impacts on Society Engineers and the work they perform have had profound effects that range far beyond technological advancement. This opening keynote will highlight how these contributions affect such diverse issues as individual quality of life, national security, population health, manufacturing services, infrastructure resilience, public policy, and society at-large.
Keynote – Engineering Education – The Key to Creating the Next Generation of Extraordinary Impacts The role of engineering education—a pillar of the Directorate for Engineering’s efforts—in building and sustaining the pipeline of researchers and practitioners who bring about innovations that change society, will be discussed.
Session III – NSF Centers that Catalyze Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society NSF Centers—in particular, their Engineering Research Centers—have played a central role in producing breakthroughs that address national challenges and open new opportunities. This session will bring these contributions to center stage through presentations by engineers who have been an integral part of these Centers’ many achievements.
Session IV – NSF Processes that Foster Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society Closing out the symposium will be talks by engineers whose extraordinary impacts were made possible by the various NSF funding processes that have supported engineering research and education over the years. These include the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC), Innovation Corps (I-Corps), Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (ADVANCE), Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), and Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP) support mechanisms.
Symposium timing [EDT] day
Early Session
Late Session
Thursday, August 18
10:00am – noon
12:30pm – 5:00pm
10:00am – 2:30pm
2:40pm – 6:20pm