The Future of Engineering

I had the opportunity and privilege to participate in the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair in Fair Park today. The fair had over 900 students representing 600 schools from four different counties in North Texas. I was a judge for the fair representing the Dallas Post of the Society of American Military Engineers - - a group that provides recognition, awards, and scholarship opportunities for promising engineering students. It was great being around and interacting with the best and brightest the area has to offer. I had three observations that I wanted to share that I feel are important.

The first is the large number of students that focused on alternative energy issues. The range of projects and ideas were from wind power to solar cells to biomass - - about half the students were focusing on energy issues. Several of the students have already been granted patents for their ideas and inventions. Engineering research, but applied to current needs - - future engineers looking at big solutions for our big energy problems.

The second theme is the notion that diversity is a moving target. About half the participants were female - - in fact, my top four students were females. This represents a huge change in the context of engineering gender diversity. The other side of the diversity equation is that a majority of the students were represented by two ethnic groups. We have a ways to go in having a diverse profession that mirrors society at large. This is fundamentally important - - to solve problems, you need to understand the issues and context from the viewpoint of all the stakeholders and participants.

The third theme is the high quality of all the work - - from all the participants. What I observed were students who are fundamentally very sound in math and science - - combined with great computer skills. You end up with a future engineering corps that thinks in terms of pictures and graphics - - this is a key skill set that will be required in the future. The worlds of art, information management, and engineering all intersecting at the same point. Finally, you have ninth graders that have no fear or apprehension about explaining something technical to a complete stranger. A huge room filled with individuals comfortable with the notion of “Explain something technical to me - - you pick the topic.”

All the students were winners - - our top student had a project entitled “Optimization of Novel High Efficiency Photo-Thermovoltaic Concentrator Solar Cell: A 2nd Year Study.” The future looks very bright indeed.