To combat this need, more than 120 U.S. engineering schools have pledged to President Obama to train approximately 20,000 professionals. These engineers would be specially trained to get a handle on these large scale global issues. This will account to about 20 students per year for each institution over the next decade.
“Teaching engineering fundamentals in the classroom is important, but it’s not enough… Solving our planet’s Grand Challenges requires engineering expertise, but they won’t be solved by engineers alone,” said Richard Miller of Olin College. “Doubling down on even more hard sciences and math will not help. Instead, we need to incorporate new elements into engineering students’ education to give them both the skillset and the mindset needed to become leaders in addressing societal challenges.”
The list of Grand Challenges was identified from members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and the White House Strategy for American Innovation. A complete list of the NAE Grand Challenges is as follows:
- Make solar energy economical
- Provide energy from fusion
- Develop carbon sequestration methods
- Manage the nitrogen cycle
- Provide access to clean water
- Restore and improve urban infrastructure
- Advance health informatics
- Engineer better medicines
- Reverse-engineer the brain
- Prevent nuclear terror
- Secure cyberspace
- Enhance virtual reality
- Advance personalized learning
- Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
Many have noted that there has been a lack of progress, sense of urgency, or communication infrastructure to tackle these Grand Challenges. In fact, many feel that certain items on the list are not even an issue at all… However, this infusion of fresh blood should certainly start to turn the conversation. In fact, more than a quarter of American engineering schools now have programs targeting these Grand Challenges.
“We’re poised to transform the landscape of engineering higher education… The tremendous response suggests we’ve tapped into something powerful—the very human element connecting engineering with students who want to make a real difference,” explained Tom Katsouleas, dean of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. “I think we’re going to see these Grand Challenge Engineers do just that.”
The Grand Challenge training programs will focus on five educational elements:
- Hands-on research and design projects
- Real world interdisciplinary focus working with clients and mentors
- Innovation/entrepreneurship
- Cross-culture global perspective
- Service learning
The education set up is based off of the Grand Challenge Scholars Program created by the NAE. More than 160 students have completed the program, with 20 currently in it.
Fortunately, the program is attracting many female engineering students, as 50 percent of participants are women. This compares to a 19 percent average for all US engineering students.
Lyssa Aruda, is a Grand Challenge Scholar at the University of Southern California. She is currently working on improving the economics of solar power. “The idea of giving back is so important, and we’re actually learning how to do that… I think that’s probably the reason most of us choose engineering in the first place—to have the opportunity to give back to people,” she said.
NAE President C.D. Mote added: “The NAE’s Grand Challenges for Engineering are already inspiring more and more of our brightest young people to pursue careers that will have direct impacts on improving the quality of life for people across the globe… Imagine the impact of tens of thousands of additional creative minds focused on tackling society’s most vexing challenges. ‘Changing the world’ is not hyperbole in this case. With the right encouragement, they will do it and inspire others as well.”
The late, great MIT and NAE past president, Chuck Vest agreed. Watch him discuss the Grand Challenges and how to get students interested in STEM.
Source NAE.