Electrification changed the country's economic development and gave the rural population the same opportunities and amenities as people in the cities. If anything shines as an example of how engineering has changed the world, it is clearly electric power. The list, however, is more than a simple tally of engineering achievements. Given the ever-greater speed of technological advancement, it's critical to understand as much as possible about how technology impacts our lives. To make intelligent choices, we must be able to measure the benefits, risks, and potential consequences of the technologies we use.
Technological achievement is something to behold, and to celebrate.
But achievement is only possible with the right groundwork. By giving today's children the means to develop technological literacy, we'll be providing them with the tools they'll need to make as much progress in this new century as the last. H. Guyford Stever served as president of Carnegie Mellon University and White House science adviser to the president. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences.