Grand Challenges Identified – NAE

As a follow-up to my post from last year (”Grand Challenges for Engineering“, February 9, 2007) in which I discussed the initiative of the National Academy of Engineering to gather feedback from people all over the world regarding what they consider the ”Grand Challenges for Engineering”, the NAE has released a list of 14 grand challenges, as identified by their committee (and I assume the people who sent in feedback).  You can view their challenges here.  This exercise is a very valuable one in getting people to think constructively and creatively about our future – technological and otherwise.  If we do not educate our engineers (and our children for God’s sake) to think integratively (is that a word?) and ethically about how to use technology to help solve the problems we face, we’re not long for this world.