TEMPE, Ariz. – Leading futurists and technologists have
worked with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to identify
"Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century," focusing on
technological breakthroughs needed to build sustainable societies
and improve the quality of life in a growing and increasingly
complex world.
To help launch a call to action toward achieving these goals,
the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State
University is organizing one of five regional NAE Grand Challenge
Summits.
On April 8 and 9 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, experts
will explore critical needs to develop new medicines and biomedical
technologies, make solar energy economical, find better ways to
manage and recycle the increasing amount of waste materials
produced by growing nations, and transform education to prepare the
next generations for facing these and other challenges.
Those issues are among the NAE's 14 Grand Challenges that also
include ensuring access to clean water around the world, preventing
nuclear terror, reducing vulnerability to natural disasters,
improving health-care information systems and making cyberspace
more secure, among others.
"The past century has seen technological advancements that have
improved life for many on the planet," says ASU President Michael
Crow. "But as remarkable as these achievements have been, we are
challenged to now find even better and more sustainable solutions
to our problems and to extend opportunities to more people to
better their lives."
Deirdre Meldrum, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of
Engineering, says progress depends on fostering collaborations of
engineers with scientists, policy makers, leaders in industry,
economics, law, technology entrepreneurship, education, sociology
and the humanities.
"All of that starts with a call for public awareness about how
important it is for us to overcome these challenges, and giving the
public a voice in decision-making," she says. "That's what we hope
to begin with this summit."
Featured speakers at the summit will be:
- Leland Hartwell, Nobel Laureate in Physiology and Medicine, and
President and Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center
- Kristina M. Johnson, Undersecretary of Energy, U.S. Department
of Energy
- Pamela Matson, Chester Naramore Dean of the School of Earth
Sciences, Stanford University
- James Duderstadt, President Emeritus and University Professor
of Science and Engineering, University of Michigan
For more information, see: http://www.grandchallengesummit.org/phoenix-summit
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/
SOURCE