We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims
Richard Buckminster Fuller, US engineer and architect, 1895-1983
Engineers of our time are at the forefront of change. They draw on technology to answer pressing concerns of the world, deflect terrorists’ attacks, rebuild cities that are leveled to ground by natural disasters, create affordable energy, unlock secrets of brain function.
They push the boundaries of our changing world so that we are not its victims but its designers.
Engineers of the 20th century gave us electricity, cars, airplane, radio, television, computers, air conditioning, spacecraft and internet that revolutionise the way we live and work.
According to National Academy of Engineering, a US-based non-profit institution that advises the U.S. federal government and conducts studies in engineering and technology, the following are the 20th century’s greatest engineering achievements.
Achievements:
1.Electrification
2.Automobile
3.Airplane
4.Water Supply and Distribution
5.Electronics
6.Radio and Television
7.Agricultural Mechanization
8.Computers
9.Telephone
10.Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
11.Highways
12.Spacecraft
13.Internet
14.Imaging
15.Household Appliances
16.Health Technologies
17.Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
18.Laser and Fiber Optics
19.Nuclear Technologies
20.High-performance Materials
We need you to continue their work, to create a brave new world as an engineer.
Take a look at the 14 “Grand Challenges for Engineering’’ that the National Academy of Engineering has also put forth to the engineers of the new century. Are you up for the challenge?
1. Make solar energy economical
2. Provide energy from fusion
3. Provide access to clean water
4. Reverse-engineer the brain
5. Advance personalized learning
6. Develop carbon sequestration methods
7. Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
8. Restore and improve urban infrastructure
9. Advance health informatics
10. Prevent nuclear terror
11. Engineer better medicines
12. Enhance virtual reality
13. Manage the nitrogen cycle
14. Secure cyberspace
