The NAE Grand Challenges and the Role of Civil Engineering

1. The NAE Grand Challenges and the Role of Civil Engineering by Richard K. Miller President Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Needham, MA 2009 ASCE Annual CE Department Heads Conference The Nines Hotel Portland, OR May 26-28, 2009

2. Looking Back to the 20th Century:

3. Looking Ahead to the 21st Century: NAE’s 14 Engineering Grand Challenges

4. The NAE Grand Challenge Committee William Perry, Committee Chair, (Former Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense) Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor and Professor of Engineering, Stanford University Alec Broers, Chairman, Science and Technology Select Committee, United Kingdom House of Lords Farouk El-Baz, Research Professor and Director, Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University Wesley Harris, Department Head and Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Bernadine Healy, Health Editor and Columnist, U.S. News & World Report W. Daniel Hillis, Chairman and Co-Founder, Applied Minds, Inc. Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard University Dean Kamen, Founder and President, DEKA Research and Development Corp. Raymond Kurzweil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kurzweil Technologies, Inc. Robert Langer, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jaime Lerner, Architect and Urban Planner, Instituto Jaime Lerner Bindu Lohani, Director General and Chief Compliance Officer, Asian Development Bank Jane Lubchenco, Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University Mario Molína, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Larry Page, Co-Founder and President of Products, Google, Inc. Robert Socolow, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University Environmental Institute J. Craig Venter, President, The J. Craig Venter Institute Jackie Ying, Executive Director, Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

5. Observations: • Transcend time zones • Transcend political boundaries • Belong to the next generation (students) • Extend well beyond engineering to include • other disciplines • Require systems thinking • Require engineers in leadership positions • Require substantial new funding • Politically popular at present • Inspirational to the next generation

6. 21st Century Technology Frontiers Tiny Systems Nano Bio Info Macro Systems Energy Environment Health Care Manufacturing Communications Logistics Natural Science Social Science

7. Engineering Grand Challenges (Natural Affinity Groups) • Make Solar Energy Economical • Provide Energy from Fusion • Develop Carbon Sequestration • Methods • Manage the Nitrogen Cycle • Provide Access to Clean Water • Engineer Better Medicines • Advance Health Informatics • Secure Cyberspace • Prevent Nuclear Terror • Restore and Improve Urban • Infrastructure • Reverse Engineer the Brain • Enhance Virtual Reality • Advance Personalized Learning • Engineer the Tools of Scientific • Discovery

8. Engineering Grand Challenges (Generalized Groups) Energy Environment Global Warming Sustainability Reduce Vulnerability to Human and Natural Threats Energy Environment Global Warming Sustainability Energy Environment Global Warming Sustainability Expand and Enhance Human Capability and Joy Improve Medicine and Healthcare Delivery

9. Civil Engineering and the Grand Challenges http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ What is involved in maintaining infrastructure? How can you improve transportation systems? How can you build better insfrastructure?

10. Civil Engineering and the Grand Challenges http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ Where does our water supply come from? What is desalination? What other technologies will provide clean water?

11. Civil Engineering and the Grand Challenges http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ How do you capture CO2? How do you store CO2?

12. Civil Engineering and the Grand Challenges http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ How do you make solar energy more economical? How do you store solar energy?

13. Grand Challenges Frame Opportunities • Civil Engineering is of central importance (again) • Systems thinking (rather than component technologies) is key • Social Sciences are integral to needed outcomes • technologies alone vs. public policies + technologies • economics and tax policies as drivers for needed outcomes • Change the national dialog—and redefine engineering as relevant • Provoke increased federal funding • Prepare the future leaders in solving the Grand Challenges • BUT we must stop talking to ourselves, and engage others! • March 2-3, 2009 – Summit on the NAE Grand Challenges • 1,100 in attendance • 400 students • Grand Challenge Scholars Program

14. Summit on the NAE Grand Challenges Duke University March1-3, 2009 http://summit-grand-challenges.pratt.duke.edu/ • Summit Program • Student Day • Plenary: Charles Vest • Session 1 – Energy and Environment • Session 2 – Health • Session 3 – Entrepreneurship • Session 4 – Security • Session 5 – National Survey • Session 6 – Learning/Computation • Session 7 – Engineering Education • Keynote Speakers • Charles Vest, NAE • A. Paul Alivisatos, LBL • Robert Socolow, Princeton • Annie Anton, NC State • Jeff Hawkins, Numenta • Robert Langer, MIT

15. NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program http://www.grandchallengescholars.org/ Prepare students to lead in solving the Grand Challenges in this century • Five Components • Research experience related to Grand Challenges • Interdisciplinary study involving public policy, business, law • Entrepreneurship • Global dimension or study abroad • Service learning Each student receives recognition from NAE All universities invited to join the program

16. Summit #2 on NAE Grand Challenges Currently being planned Spring 2010 Los Angeles, CA • More keynote speakers on the Grand Challenges • Include policy makers, social scientists, journalists • Elevate the role of students • Continue the Academy Awards for student videos

17. How do we compare with the Rest of the World? Source: NSF Science and Engineering Indicators 2008

18. U.S. 8th Graders are confident of their math skills. Source: Ginsburgh, et. Al. 2005

19. Their performance is another story. Source: Ginsburgh, et. Al. 2005

20. % 8th Grade Science Teachers with Science Degrees Source: Ginsburgh, et. Al. 2005

21. Industry Government source: NSF Science and Engineering Indicators 2007

23.   Council Academies President America COMPETES Act

24. “We need to get back to making stuff based on real engineering not just financial engineering.” Thomas Friedman New York Times Sept. 28, 2008

25. Changing the Conversation! • NAE • Stanford University • Infinite Loop Media www.iloop.tv/imagineit2/index.html

26. Changing the Conversation! • Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity • TED Conference, June 24, 2008 • Professor Woodie Flowers, MIT • on Educational Reform • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F84LtXvLTtA • (Google these names to locate the video web sites. They are • well worth the effort!)