Engineering Excellence Unveiled
Delving into the prestigious institution that champions engineering achievement, advises the nation, and shapes the future of technology.
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What is NAE?
A Pillar of National Academies
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) stands as a distinguished American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It forms a crucial part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), alongside the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Mission and Purpose
The NAE's core mission encompasses several vital functions: developing engineering programs to address national imperatives, fostering advancements in education and research within engineering, and providing esteemed recognition for the exceptional accomplishments of engineers. Its work is instrumental in guiding the nation's technological trajectory.
Autonomy and Advisory Role
While integrated within the NASEM, the NAE maintains administrative autonomy and independence in selecting its members. Critically, it shares with its sister academies the profound responsibility of offering expert, objective advice to the federal government on matters pertinent to engineering and technology, ensuring informed policy-making.
Historical Trajectory
Early Beginnings within NAS
The National Academy of Sciences, established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, initially focused solely on "science or art," with no explicit mention of engineering. The first formal recognition of an engineering role within the NAS came in 1899 with the creation of standing committees, including one for "physics and engineering." Despite proposals for a dedicated engineering section, early resistance from some members, who viewed professions like engineering as primarily for "pecuniary gain," delayed its full integration.
Wartime Catalysis and Formation
The prospect of World War I spurred a national need for technical services, leading engineering societies to offer their expertise to the government. This period saw the formation of the National Research Council (NRC) in 1916, with assistance from the Engineering Foundation. Although engineers were increasingly elected to the NAS, the long-standing issue of applied sciences remained. By 1919, the NAS established its first engineering section, but the engineering profession still sought greater recognition and a more direct advisory role. This culminated in 1960 when Augustus Braun Kinzel championed the establishment of a separate, yet affiliated, engineering academy. On December 5, 1964, the NAE was formally established as an autonomous parallel body within the National Academy of Sciences, with Kinzel as its first President.
Evolving Influence and Key Contributions
Since its inception, the NAE has significantly expanded its influence. In 1966, it formed the Committee on Public Engineering Policy (COPEP), later merging with NAS committees to form the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. The NAE has provided critical advice on diverse national issues, from aeronautics and space engineering to urban planning (e.g., advising against additional runways at JFK airport in 1971) and foreign investment. It played a role in the investigation of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 and advised on the Superconducting Super Collider site in 1989. The Academy has also been a vocal advocate for reforming doctoral education in science and engineering, emphasizing the need for more "versatile scientists" and better preparation for engineering practice, as highlighted in its "Engineer of 2020 Studies" project.
Distinguished Members
Membership Criteria
Formal membership in the National Academy of Engineering is reserved for U.S. citizens. However, the NAE also recognizes "international members" who are non-citizens elected for their exceptional contributions. The Academy boasts over 2,000 peer-elected members and international members, comprising senior professionals from business, academia, and government who are among the world's most accomplished engineers.
The Election Process
Election to the NAE is considered one of the highest honors in engineering. Nomination for membership is exclusively by a current NAE member, recognizing outstanding engineers for their distinguished and sustained achievements. These contributions typically fall into one or both of the following categories:
- Significant contributions to engineering research, practice, or education, including impactful literature.
- Pioneering new and developing technological fields, making major advancements in traditional engineering disciplines, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.
Leading Institutional Affiliations
Since its founding, approximately 5,020 members have been elected to the NAE. A significant portion of these members are affiliated with leading academic institutions. The table below highlights the top institutions associated with the most NAE members (data as of late-2024):
Key Program Areas
Diversity in Engineering
The NAE's diversity office is dedicated to expanding and diversifying the domestic talent pool in engineering. This involves organizing workshops, collaborating with other organizations, and identifying opportunities to improve inclusivity. Notable initiatives include the "EngineerGirl!" and "Engineer Your Life" webpages, aimed at inspiring young individuals, particularly girls, to pursue engineering careers.
Engineering, Economics, & Society
This program area investigates the intricate relationships between engineering, technology, and the economic performance of the United States. Its efforts aim to deepen the understanding of engineering's contributions to various economic sectors and to pinpoint areas where engineering can further enhance economic prosperity. A key focus is also on assessing and improving technological literacy across different populations, including K-12 students, teachers, and adults, as detailed in the "Technically Speaking" report and associated website.
Engineering & the Environment
Recognizing historical associations of engineering with environmental impact, this program highlights the profession's current leadership in mitigating negative environmental consequences. It provides crucial policy guidance to government, the private sector, and the public, advocating for strategies to create a more environmentally sustainable future through engineering innovation and responsible practice.
Engineering Education
The NAE has historically championed the advancement of engineering education. While the Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education is no longer active, its mission was to drive curriculum changes to meet the evolving needs of students and address 21st-century challenges. The Committee on Engineering Education continues this work, offering advice to policymakers, administrators, employers, and other stakeholders to enhance the quality of engineering education in the United States.
Engineering, Ethics, & Society
This center focuses on engaging engineers and the broader engineering profession in identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas inherent in engineering research and practice. It works closely with the Online Ethics Center, fostering a culture of ethical responsibility and critical thinking within the engineering community to ensure that technological advancements serve societal well-being.
20th Century Achievements
Defining a Century of Impact
In February 2000, during National Engineers Week, astronaut and engineer Neil Armstrong unveiled the NAE's list of the 20 top engineering achievements that profoundly impacted the quality of life in the 20th century. This extensive project involved 29 professional engineering societies, which submitted 105 nominations. These were then refined and grouped into 29 broader categories before the final top 20 were selected and ranked. The initiative aimed to highlight the transformative power of engineering.
The Top 20 Innovations
The NAE's ranked list recognized achievements that, even if not invented in the 20th century, had their most significant impact during that period. Electrification, for instance, was deemed essential for nearly every facet of modern society, illuminating the world and influencing countless aspects of daily life. In 2003, the NAE further elaborated on these accomplishments in its publication, "A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements that Transformed our Lives."
Critical Perspectives
The NAE's list, while celebrated, also drew criticism. Some commentators questioned the ranking of space technology (Spacecraft) at twelfth, arguing its profound impact, particularly the Moon landing, warranted a higher position. Others noted the list's device-centric nature and its omission of the foundational physics contributions by figures like Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry for electrification, or the physicists behind the transistor and integrated circuits. Furthermore, the environmental and societal costs of these advancements, such as fossil fuel emissions from electrification and automobiles, and heavy-metal byproducts from electronics manufacturing, were also highlighted as important considerations not fully addressed by the list.
Grand Challenges for Engineering
Addressing Global Issues
The NAE's "Grand Challenges for Engineering" initiative confronts complex, global social issues that demand innovative technological solutions and systemic thinking. The Academy posits that addressing these "wicked problems" requires engineers to not only develop technical solutions but also to effectively influence public policy, translate innovations into market-ready solutions, and integrate insights from social sciences and humanities. These challenges align closely with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring the critical engineering component required for their success.
The 14 Grand Challenges
Launched in 2007, a blue-ribbon committee of global technological leaders, chaired by former Secretary of Defense William Perry, identified key engineering challenges for improving life in the 21st century. After extensive input and review, 14 challenges were announced in February 2008, categorized into energy, sustainability, global climate change; medicine, health informatics, and healthcare delivery; reducing vulnerability to threats; and advancing human spirit and capabilities. These challenges are not ranked but serve to inspire the profession and the public.
Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP)
In 2010, the NAE developed the Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP) to prepare undergraduate engineering students for careers addressing these global challenges. The program integrates five key components:
- Research: Project-based or independent research related to a Grand Challenge.
- Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Incorporating public policy, business, law, ethics, human behavior, risk, medicine, and sciences.
- Entrepreneurship: Skills to translate invention into innovation and scale market ventures for global solutions.
- Global Dimension: Perspective to address global challenges and lead innovation in a global economy.
- Service Learning: Developing social consciousness and applying technical expertise to societal problems through initiatives like Engineers Without Borders.
STEM Education & Literacy
Beyond higher education, the NAE also focuses on K-12 STEM education, aiming to equip younger students to tackle complex problems. This involves aligning learning theories and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Technological Literacy Standards with the Grand Challenges to guide curriculum development. The NAE's efforts, supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA, seek to inform instructional practices and strengthen the connections among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
Global Summits
The NAE's Grand Challenge initiative has fostered international collaboration, leading to the organization of joint Global Grand Challenges Summits. These summits bring together engineering academies from the United States, the United Kingdom (Royal Academy of Engineering), and China (Chinese Academy of Engineering). The first summit was held in London in 2013, followed by Beijing in 2015, and the third hosted by the NAE in the United States in 2017, emphasizing a global movement towards solving these critical challenges.
Prestigious Prizes
Engineering's "Nobel"
The National Academy of Engineering awards several highly prestigious prizes, each accompanied by a $500,000 award. These include the Bernard M. Gordon Prize, the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize, and the Charles Stark Draper Prize. Collectively, these awards are often referred to as the American equivalent of a Nobel Prize for engineering, recognizing monumental contributions that have significantly advanced the field and benefited humanity.
The Gordon Prize
Established in 2001 and named after Bernard Marshall Gordon, founder of Analogic Corporation, the Bernard M. Gordon Prize recognizes academic leaders for their development of innovative educational approaches to engineering. Each year, the $500,000 prize is split, with $250,000 awarded personally to the recipient and the remaining $250,000 allocated to their institution to support ongoing academic development in engineering education.
The Russ Prize
The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize is an American national and international award initiated by the NAE in October 1999. Awarded biennially in odd years since 2001, it is named after Fritz Russ, founder of Systems Research Laboratories, and his wife Dolores Russ. This prize celebrates a bioengineering achievement that has had a profound impact on society and has advanced the human condition through widespread use, often instigated by Ohio University to honor its alumnus, Fritz Russ.
The Draper Prize
The NAE annually bestows the Charles Stark Draper Prize, which honors significant advancements in engineering and efforts to educate the public about the field. The recipient receives $500,000. The prize is named in honor of Charles S. Draper, widely recognized as the "father of inertial navigation," an MIT professor, and the founder of the Draper Laboratory, whose pioneering work revolutionized navigation technology.
NAE Presidents
Leadership Through the Years
The National Academy of Engineering has been guided by a succession of distinguished leaders since its formation in 1964. These presidents have steered the Academy's mission to advise the nation, foster engineering excellence, and address critical societal challenges. The table below lists the individuals who have served as President of the NAE, along with their terms:
Outreach & Engagement
Public Communication
The NAE actively engages in outreach to publicize the vital work of the engineering profession and the Academy itself. This includes producing a weekly radio spot broadcast on WTOP radio in the Washington, D.C., area, with archives available on the NAE website. Additionally, the NAE distributes a biweekly newsletter that highlights current engineering issues and recent advancements, keeping stakeholders informed and engaged.
Crisis Communication Training
In a critical effort to enhance public safety and information dissemination, the NAE has hosted a series of workshops titled "News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis." These workshops bring together experts from the National Academies and other fields to provide reporters, state and local public information officers, emergency managers, and public sector representatives with crucial information regarding weapons of mass destruction and their potential impacts. This initiative is a collaborative effort with the Department of Homeland Security and the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation.
Digital & Media Relations
The NAE cultivates strong relationships with media members to ensure comprehensive coverage of its work and to serve as a reliable resource for technical inquiries or expert commentary from NAE members. Furthermore, the Academy maintains an active presence on various social media platforms. This strategic digital engagement aims to reach both new and younger audiences, as well as traditional stakeholders, through contemporary communication channels, broadening the understanding and appreciation of engineering.
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References
References
- William Henry Welch NAS.
- National Academy of Engineering (NAE). (2004).The engineer of 2020: Visions of engineering in the new century, National Academies, Washington, DC.
- National Academy of Engineering (NAE). (2005). "Educating the engineer of 2020: Adapting engineering education to the new century." National Academies, Washington, DC, 192.
- Becoming a Member, NAE website.
- About NAE, National Academy of Engineering.
- Business, &. Manufacturing Editors, "National Academy of Engineering Reveals Top Engineering Impacts of the 20th Century: Electrification Cited as most Important." Business Wire, Feb 22, 2000, pp. 1, ABI/INFORM Collection; ProQuest Central
- Goodwin, Irwin. "Engineers proclaim top achievements of 20th century, but neglect attributing feats to roots in physics." Physics Today 53.5 (2000): 48-49.
- Macfarlane, Daniel. "Caught between Two Fires." International Journal, vol. 67, no. 2, 2012, pp. 465-482, ProQuest Central; Research Library.
- Petroski, Henry. "Great Achievements & Grand Challenges." Civil Engineering Magazine Archive 80.2 (2010): 48-57.
- National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Annual Report for 2007, Washington, DC, Accessed at [3]
- National Academy of Engineering, Annual Report for 2008, Washington, DC, Letter from President, Accessed at [4]
- Olson, Steve. Grand Challenges for Engineering: Imperatives, Prospects, and Priorities: Summary of a Forum. National Academies Press, 2016.
- O'Leary, Maureen. "Grand Challenges for Engineering." The National Academies in Focus, vol. 8, no. 1, 2008, pp. 20-21, ABI/INFORM Collection; ProQuest Central.
- Front Matter." National Academy of Engineering. 2016. Grand Challenges for Engineering: Imperatives, Prospects, and Priorities: Summary of a Forum. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23440.
- KATSOULEAS, TOM. "LAST WORD: New Challenges, Same Education?." ASEE Prism 18.8 (2009): 60-60. Accessed at [5]
- Mitcham, Carl. "The true grand challenge for engineering: Self-knowledge." Issues in Science and Technology 31.1 (2014): 19-22.
- Fang, Xing, et al. "Environmental impacts on surface water and groundwater for expanding urban water supply capacity using stone quarries." World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers. 2009. Citing McGhee and Steel 1991.
- EbD and the NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering." Technology and Engineering Teacher, vol. 71, no. 6, 2012, pp. 3, Education Database; ProQuest Central.
- Regli, William, and Jeff Heisserman. "Report from the Royal Academy of Engineering's Global Grand Challenges Summit." Computer-Aided Design 11.45 (2013): 1485-1487.
- [6] Frontiers of Engineering
- William A. Wulf and George M.C. Fisher "A Makeover for Engineering Education" Issues in Science & Technology Spring 2002 p. 35-39.
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This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.
This is not professional engineering or policy advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional consultation, detailed research, or expert advice in engineering, technology, or public policy. Always refer to official NAE publications, primary research, and consult with qualified professionals for specific project needs or policy considerations. Never disregard professional advice because of something you have read on this website.
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