# Presentation: 202508

## National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association Annual Meeting

**National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association Annual Meeting**

*ENGINEERING:  Stepping into the New Millennium*

- Joseph Bordogna
- National Science Foundation
- http://www.nsf.gov/bordogna
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- 16 March 1998

## A 21st Century World

**A 21st Century World**

**Cognitive****Revolution**

**Diverse**
**Workforce**

**Technology****Reinvestment**

**Information**
**Explosion**

**Demographic****Shifts**

**Environmental****Sustainability**

**Finite****Resources**

**International****Partnerships**

**Global****Economy**

**Infrastructure**
**Renewal**

**Shared****Wealth**

## Innovation System

**Innovation System**

**Innovation**
**Wealth Creation**
**Sustainable Development**

**Analysis**
**Reduction**

**Discovery of**
**  ****New Knowledge**
**  ****& Basic Laws**

**Societal Needs **
**The Public Good **
**Natural Capital**

**Devices **
**Processes**
**Systems**

**Ideas**
**Information**

**Capital Formation **
**& Investment**

**Synthesis**
**Integration**

**Design**
**Manufacture**
**Maintenance**

**Science**

**Policy Context**

**Engineering**

**Economic Context**

## The source of wealth is something specifically human:  KNOWLEDGE

**The source of wealth is something specifically human:  *****KNOWLEDGE***
**Knowledge applied to tasks we already know how to do is *****PRODUCTIVITY***
**Knowledge applied to tasks that are new and different is *****INNOVATION***

***Managing for the Future:  The 1990s and Beyond***
**Peter F. Drucker, 1992**

## National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)

**National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)**

**POTUS**

**Science**

**Technology**

**International**
**Science,**
**Engineering &**
**Technology**

**Environment**
**and**
**Natural**
**Resources**

**National**
**Security**

## Challenges for 21st Century Engineers

**Challenges for 21st Century Engineers**

**Increasing pace of technological innovation**
**Post-cold war international politics**
**New kinds of military conflicts and economic partnerships**
**Shift from defense development to commercial competition; merging of defense and commercial industrial base**
**Vastly improved global communications, intelligent information technology, and low-cost computing power**
**Increasing number and strength of U. S. trading partners **
**Changing demographics, expanding social infrastructure**
**Environmental concerns increasingly important**

## Enabling the Nation’s Capacity to PerformEngineering at the Interface of Human and Physical Systems

**Enabling the Nation’s Capacity to Perform****Engineering at the Interface of Human and Physical Systems**

**PHYSICAL**
**SYSTEMS**

**NATURAL SYSTEMS**

**Sustainable**
**Development**

**Cost Reducing **
**Health Care**

**Educational **
**Technologies**

**Human-Machine**
**Interfaces**

**Management of**
**Technological Innovation**

**HUMAN**
**SYSTEMS**

**Life Cycle**
**Engineering**

**Learning and **
**Intelligent Systems**

## Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA 

**Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA **

**1749****	****“Mechaniks ... to be informed of the Principles of that Art by which ****	****weak Men perform such Wonders, Labour is saved, Manufactures **
**	****expedited ...”  “Balance useful knowledge with general knowledge ****	****to serve mankind.” Benjamin Franklin on curriculum for educating ****	****youth**
**1776****	****“Wealth of Nations” -- Making and Moving Things -- Adam Smith**
**1794****	****West Point Engineering School, New York -- George Washington**
**1817****	****First civil engineering curriculum at West Point modeled after Ecole ****	****Polytechnic**
**1821****	****First Civilian engineering course in U. S. at Norwich Academy, Vermont**
**1835****	****First engineering degrees, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute.  Based on 18th ****	****century focus on engineering as a blend of the arts, with creation of ****	****artifacts and systems to serve society.  Laid foundation for liberality in ****	****engineering education that has blossomed in latter half of 20th century.**

## Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA 

**Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA **

**(continued)**

## Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA 

**Evolution of Engineering Education in the USA **

**(continued)**

**Past:****	****Curriculum in response to workforce needs for **
**	****a new technology**
**Future:****	****Technology needs change quickly -- education must**
**	****be more than a response**
**	****Expertise in a single discipline is no longer enough**
**	****Ability to contribute and thrive through change**
**	****Engineering graduate:  commodity or wealth creator?**

**What are the fundamentals?**

## Components of a Holistic Baccalaureate Education 

**Components of a Holistic Baccalaureate Education **

- Vertical (In-depth) Thinking
- Abstract Learning
- Reductionism - Fractionization
- Develop Order
- Understand Certainty
- Analysis
- Research
- Solve Problems
- Develop Ideas
- Independence
- Technological - Scientific Base
- Engineering Science

- Lateral (Functional) Thinking
- Experiential Learning
- Integration - Connecting the Parts
- Correlate Chaos
- Handle Ambiguity
- Synthesis
- Design / Process / Manufacture
- Formulate Problems
- Implement Ideas
- Teamwork
- Societal Context
- Functional Core of Engineering

## Digital Technology is Enabling Collective Intelligence 

**Digital Technology is Enabling Collective Intelligence**

***For the first time we have the ability to extract, ***
***preserve and organize the ***
***collective intelligence of entire populations.***
***Douglas Englebart***

## How Old Corporate Structures Use Technology

**How Old Corporate Structures ****Use Technology**

- Autonomy-Driven Corporation
- 	-- Culitvates and Rewards the Individual
- 	-- Technology Seen as Tool to Enable                                              	More Productivity
- Control-Driven Corporation
- 	-- Puts the Organization First
- 	-- Technology Used to Constrain or      		Replace the Individual

## The Knowledge Age Workplace:  Technology Used to Cooperate    

**The Knowledge Age Workplace: **** Technology Used to Cooperate****  **

- Enhance Group Performance
- Celebrate Flexibility
- Stimulate Creativity
- Enable Market-Changing Ideas

- Technology is used to

## Engineers:  Thriving in the Knowledge Age Organization

**Engineers:  Thriving in the Knowledge Age Organization**

- Diverse set of skills
- Unique perspectives
- Individual visions

**Future engineers will utilize**** ****and integrate their**

- Bottom Line:  More Innovation
- 		      More Wealth Creation

## Characteristics of Next Generation Engineering Graduates

**Characteristics of Next Generation Engineering Graduates**

- Understand the functional core of the engineering process.
- Analyze and synthesize; formulate problems and solve them; become adept at group problem-solving strategies.
- Think across disciplines (laterally) as well as in disciplinary depth (vertically).
- Communicate ideas effectively to influence diverse groups, including non-engineers; act both independently and as a team member.
- Recognize the relationship of the engineering enterprise to the social/economic/political context of engineering practice and the key role of this context in engineering decisions.
- Develop the motivation, knowledge base, and intellectual capacity for career-long learning.

## Meeting the Challenge

- 17

**Meeting the Challenge**
**Next Generation Engineering Career Paths**

**Sustainable development:  avoiding environmental harm; energy & materials efficiency**
**Life cycle engineering; infrastructure creation and renewal**
**Micro / nanotechnology / microelectromechanical systems**
**Mega systems**
**Smart systems**
**Multimedia and computer-communications systems**
**Living systems engineering**
**Product and process development, quality and control**
**System integration; system reconfiguration**
**Creative enterprise transformation**
**. . . ****?**

## Meeting the Challenge

- 18

**Meeting the Challenge**
**Next Generation Engineering Skill Set**

**Systems integration; synthesis**
**Engineering science; analysis**
**Problem formulation as well as problem solving**
**Engineering design**
**Ability to realize products**
**Facility with intelligent technology to enhance creative opportunity**
**Ability to manage complexity and uncertainty**
**Teamwork; sensitivity in interpersonal relationships**
**Language and multi-cultural understanding**
**Ability to advocate and influence**
**Entrepreneurship; management skills; decision making**
**Knowledge integration, education and mentoring**

## The Complex Whole

**“****The past three centuries of science have been predominantly reductionist, attempting to break complex systems into simple parts, and those parts, in turn, into simpler parts.  The reductionist program has been spectacularly successful, and will continue to be so.  But it has often left a vacuum:  How do we use the information gleaned about the parts to build up a theory of the whole?  The deep difficulty here lies in the fact that ****the complex whole may exhibit properties that are not readily explained by understanding the parts****.  The complex whole, in a completely nonmystical sense, can often exhibit collective properties, ‘emergent’ features that are lawful in their own right.”**

**Stuart Kauffman**
_**At Home in the Universe**_**, 1994**

**The Complex Whole**

## Today’s Challenge inEngineering Education

**Today’s Challenge in****Engineering Education**

- “The need to create sound syntheses and systemizations of
- knowledge...will call out a kind of scientific genius which
- hitherto has existed only as an aberration: the genius for
- integration.  Of necessity this means specialization, as all
- creative effort does, but this time the [person] will be
- specializing in the construction of the whole.”
- 					José Ortega y Gasset
- 						*Mission of the*
*	**  **	**	**	**	**        **University (1930)*

## NSF Engineering Education FundingEHR/ENG/CISE, FY 1991-1996

- NSF Engineering Education FundingEHR/ENG/CISE, FY 1991-1996

**Notes:**
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## Strategy for the Future

*Based on recommendations of 1995 Action Agenda Workshop and discussions with NSF staff*
- Start no new coalitions.
- Focus the efforts of existing coalitions on evaluation, dissemination, and institutionalization of promising educational innovations, *not more innovations.*
- Begin new programs with this focus as coalitions end (max 10 yr) and/or phase down.
- Seek closer integration of ENG education programs with those of EHR, CISE, etc.
- Seek new ways to encourage supportive academic culture and to integrate education and research.

**Notes:**
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## Path Forward

- Action Agenda announcement and guidelines prepared; clearance process begun
- Goal to post announcement on web (only) by end of November 1997; first proposal deadline March 31, 1998; publicize broadly through ASEE *Prism* & web page, Engineering Deans’ Council, etc.; give advance alert at 1997 FIE Conference, November 6-7
- Panel review & initial awards in spring 1998
- Second and subsequent deadlines December 1
- Award size $100K-600K, up to 3 years, ~$5 million available first year; may increase as coalitions phase down or complete funding period

**Notes:**
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## Some Enabling Paradigms for the Integration of Education & Research - I

**Some Enabling Paradigms for the Integration of Education & Research - I**

*Encouraging learning within the context of discovery***       Individual Investigator Awards (IIA)**
*Discovery experiences for undergraduates**** *****                     Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) **
*Engineering education within an integrative academic system****                                                                *****Engineering Research Centers (ERCs)**
*Continuous curriculum improvement****                                *****Combined Research-Curriculum Development (CRCD)**
*University/industry partnerships within an integrated education/research environment****                                              *****Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)**
*Development of integrated academic careers****                      *****Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)         Recognition Awards for Integrating Research and Education (*****New*****)**

## Some Enabling Paradigms for the Integration of Education & Research - II

**Some Enabling Paradigms for the Integration of Education & Research - II**

**Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) ****-- *****development of integrated academic careers***
**Engineering Education Scholars Workshops ****-- *****enabling and nurturing a new cadre of engineering education innovators and leaders***
**Engineering Education Coalitions ****-- *****large-scale efforts for systemic engineering education reform***
**Recognition Awards for the Integration of Research and Education**** *****-- recognizing achievement and sharing experience in integrating research and education*****  ****(http://www.nsf.gov:80/od/osti/raire/recintro.htm)**

## Seeing What’s Visible:21st Century Academe

**Seeing What’s Visible:****21st Century Academe**

_**Traditional**_
**Department-based**
**Campus-centric**
**Few Links to Industry**** **
**Building-Block Courses**
**Research *****vs.***** Education**

_**Emerging**_
**Topic-based**
**Global Reach **
**Robust Industry Partnership**
**Holistic Curriculum**
**Integration of Research & Education**

## NSF Outcomes Goals

**Discoveries at and across the frontier of science and engineering.**
**Connections between discoveries and their use in service to society.**
**A diverse, globally-oriented workforce of scientists and engineers.**
**Improved achievement in mathematics and science skills needed by all Americans.**
**Meaningful information on the national and international science and engineering enterprise.**

## NSF Core Strategies

**Develop Intellectual Capital**
**Strengthen the Physical Infrastructure**
**Integrate Research and Education**
**Promote Partnerships**

## NSF Themes

**Knowledge & Distributed Intelligence**** **
**Life and Earth’s Environment**** **
**Educating for the Future**