The world is facing a host of challenges as it enters the next century, many of these as old as humankind. Yet these challenges are reinvented every day in ever more complex forms, as rising populations exert pressure on global resources. Technology has the potential to solve many of these challenges. To find solutions, industry, government and research institutions worldwide have an acute need for engineers with advanced training in every field.
Engineers
in the 21st century will be looking for answers to problems that affect
not only our quality of life, but in parts of the world, survival itself.
The environment is under stress from infrastructure and industrial growth;
the development of vast portions of the land, especially rainforests;
and the indiscriminate use of natural resources. These stresses impact
the world's climate, and contribute to regional food shortage, increasing
the risk of disease. Engineers must take a leading role in locating, using,
and creating new resources, particularly in the areas of energy and clean
water, to change this trend.
The rise in the world's population also impacts transportation and public infrastructure systems. In the older developed nations, generations of use are wearing out roads, bridges, water systems and buildings, whilst in younger nations, these systems need to be created and expanded to support economic growth. Engineers will be called upon to find and provide new techniques and materials to build the strong foundations that societies can depend on. The answers to these challenges, and to those yet to be revealed, will often be found by engineers in university and industry research institutions, using both traditional and computer-based techniques. Engineers both in the field and the laboratory will need a full understanding of communications and information management, so that they may work cooperatively to put innovative ideas to work. Technology transfer on a global scale is essential to bring engineering solutions to the people.
These challenges do not stand alone. Each area impacts the others, and solutions require engineers in all fields working together as teams. Synergistic solutions must be sought by both academic researchers and practising engineers in industry. There are many opportunities now in US universities to work in interdisciplinary engineering programs, that challenge students with real world projects. These programs bring together teams of students from various disciplines, including business, physics, chemistry, medicine, etc., to attack problems from all possible approaches. A second trend is the integration of information technology into the research and academic setting, as data creation and management is an important part of advanced engineering studies in every field.
Graduate engineering education in the US offers excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary study and research in advanced engineering fields. Materials engineering is an outstanding example. Engineers across the nation are contributing to a research effort focused in new electronic materials, looking for the next generation of microchips, as well as for materials to improve true-color, real-time image analysis.
Energy is another area that brings together engineers from all fields as they search for clean-burning fuel cell technologies, or explore the possibilities of economical wind and solar power. Biomedical engineering is a very important cross-disciplinary effort that will impact all of us, with demand increasing rapidly, as the large post-World War II population group ages and puts a heavier demand on health care resources.
Aerospace is not just interdisciplinary - working with materials engineers, physicists, mathematicians, and chemical engineers - it is international. Engineers from US universities are working actively with aerospace agencies from other nations to prepare for the international space station. As for mechanical engineering: it has been said that all engineering problems are at heart mechanical engineering problems. Like computer engineering, it plays a vital role in most research and industrial projects.
Engineers in the 21st century are going to face increasing responsibilities outside traditional engineering disciplines, in areas such as public policy-making, legal reviews of technical issues, and copyright and patent issues arising from technology transfer. Engineers can bring their expertise to contribute to solving these problems as well. Indeed, these areas may offer new and even more interesting career options outside the usual fields.
The need for engineers is evident. The opportunities are outstanding. And, as the large group of engineers from the Baby Boom generation approaches retirement age, young men and women who are prepared as 21st century engineers will find they can create a new Renaissance in global technology.
Author
Winifred M. Phillips
Dean, College of Engineering
The University of Florida
