What do Engineers Need To Know? by Pradeep K. Khosla, dean of the College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon:
In 1995, close to 40% of the world’s engineering work hours were based in the United States. By 2010, only 10% will be.
…
The change has been accelerated by other nations’ massive investments in engineering and science education, first in Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea, and now in India and China. They all understand what America already knows: Knowledge creation drives future economic growth, and an educated labor force is essential for participation in the global economy.
So true, the economic benefit of science investment is a big theme in our economic posts.
We also are revamping the engineering curriculum. We still will emphasize depth in engineering knowledge, of course, but our graduates also must understand innovation, entrepreneurship, product development, and systems integration. Those skills will enable our graduates to lead organizations and manage effective teams. Graduates also will require greater knowledge of the world outside the United States and have experiences in working effectively with individuals from other cultures.
A good plan and one repeating what has been discussed here before: Benefits of Engineering and Innovation Education - MIT Undergraduate Changes - Harvard Elevates Engineering Profile - Improving Engineering Education. Also remember more S&P 500 CEOs majored in Engineering than anything else. Tour the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Lab.
June 28th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
The conflict between what is being taught and what is needed in business is the subject of continuing debate globally…