Engineering Education Today: Meeting the Global Challenge?

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Engineering Education Today Meeting the Global
Challenge?

• National Science Foundation
• Directorate for Engineering
• Division Director Gary A. Gabriele
• Engineering Education and Centers

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The Context..
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The reports...

• Engineering Research and Americas Future (NAE,
  2005) Committee to Assess the Capacity of the
  U.S. Engineering Research Enterprise
• The Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2004) and Educating
  the Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2005)
• Rising Above the Gathering Storm Energizing and
  Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
  (NRC/COSEPUP, 2005)
• Innovate American National Innovation Initiative
  Final Report (Council on Competitiveness, 2005)

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The book...
Clearly, it is now possible for more people than
ever to collaborate and compete in real-time,
with more people, on more kinds of work, from
more corners of the planet, and on a more equal
footing, than at any previous time in the history
of the world
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Another report..
The Emerging Global Labor Market

• Engineering occupations are the most amenable to
  remote location
• Offshore talent exceeds high-wage countries
  potential by a factor of 2
• 17 of engineering talent in low-wage countries
  is suitable for work in a multinational company.
• At current suitability rates, and an aggressive
  pace of adoption in demand, supply of engineers
  could be constrained by 2015.

Suitable quality of education, location,
domestic competition
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Summary of the current environment

• Knowledge and human capital have become key
  driving forces in a global economy.
• All countries, developing and industrialized,
  have a shortfall in SE talent.
• Education has become one of the highest
  priorities for developing countries.
• Competition for SE talent in the future is going
  to be a major global battleground.

Arden Bement remarks at NSB Workshop on
Engineering Education
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Impact on Engineering Education

• Commodity engineering will increasingly be done
  through the low-cost providers.
• What will be the advantage that our engineers
  will bring to the global market?
• Our innovation infrastructure will depend on a
  strong SE workforce.
• How do we attract a more diverse group of
  students to all levels of engineering education?

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Issues for engineering education
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Interest in engineering
Percent of total BS degrees granted
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Undergraduate enrollments in engineering by
ethnicity and sex
Source Women, Minorities, and Persons with
Disabilities in Science and Engineering 2004
(NSF 04-317)
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Graduate Enrollments in Engineering
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Women engineering graduates, 2002
Source NCES, 2002
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A typical Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
1962
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Whats missing?

• Systems design and complex problems
• Global and social relevance
• Production systems, logistic systems
• Project management
• Research experience
• Creativity and Innovation processes
• Business and marketing principles
• Use of modern computing infrastructure and tools

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What is NSF doing?
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NSF/ENG Programs
FY 05 Investments

• Engineering Education Program (10M)
• Develop and support a community of researchers on
  how students learn engineering
• Engineering Research Center Program (9.3M)
• Focus on integration of research and education on
  engineered systems
• Requirement for K-12 outreach.
• Research Experience for Undergraduates (Sites)
  (7M)
• Research Experience for Teachers (3M)

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Research and EducationNSF Programs

• Additional NSF-wide activities include -
• ADVANCE Increasing the Participation and
  Advancement of Women in Academic Science and
  Engineering Careers
• Centers for Learning and Teaching
• Graduate Research Fellowships
• Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
• Integrative Graduate Education and Research
  Traineeship Program
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education
• National Nanoscale Infrastructure Network
• International Opportunities for Scientists and
  Engineering
• Other ENG/EHR activities include -
• NSF-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship-Scholarship
  Program
• SBIR Supplemental Funding for Diversity
  Collaborations

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Major leverage points for moving forward

• Curriculum research leading to informed reform.
• Academic leadership that understands the need for
  change and how to lead major change.
• ABET
• We need to change the culture of engineering
  educational to one that welcomes women and
  minorities to engineering at all levels, UG thru
  faculty.

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As we think about the many challenges ahead, it
is important to remember that students are driven
by passion, curiosity, engagement, and dreams.
... In the long run, making universities and
engineering schools exciting, creative,
adventurous, rigorous, demanding, and empowering
milieus is more important than specifying
curricular details.
Charles M. Vest Educating Engineers for 2020 and
Beyond Educating the Engineer of 2020
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Thank you.