Public understanding of science and technology has permeated the lexicon of the science and engineering community. All of us must do better. K through 12 education in science and math is not improving fast enough for an information society that will be increasingly dependent on those skills. Young people today will have a number of distinctive iterations in their career paths over a working lifetime. Life-long education has become a necessity.
Demographic projections indicate a continually changing America.
Immigration is projected to become more important to U.S. population growth than natural increases through birth and death rates. In industry, environmental concerns increasingly influence product development. And there is likely to be continuous movement toward sustainable manufacturing, not just ethically, but because astute vision here can create new wealth as well. I'm sure each of you would have important additions. These clues and guideposts serve as subtle signals that give direction and insight to our decisions.