Page 28 - Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.html

PHASE I REVISITED 11

dard of living of a nation are integrally connected to engineering. As
technology becomes increasingly ingrained into every facet of our lives,
the convergence between engineering and public policy will also in-
crease. This new level of interrelatedness necessitates that engineering,
and engineers, develop a stronger sense of how technology and public
policy interact. To date, engagement of engineers in public policy issues
has been limited at best. It is both the responsibility of engineers and
important to the image of the profession that engineers increase their
ability to eloquently articulate the relevance of engineering to many
public policy issues. In parallel with this, it is critical to try to improve
public understanding of engineering, so that the public can appreciate
the value and consequences of new technology and meaningfully par-
ticipate in public debates where technology is a critical factor.
Attention to ethical issues in engineering through review of case
studies—perhaps delivered and supported by advances in information
technology (as described in the paper by Donald Falkenburg in Appen-
dix A) will reduce our vulnerability to repeat the mistakes of the past
and increase our opportunities to emulate “best practice” successes.

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