|
14
challenges
that
would
improve
how
we
live
US
National
Academy
of
Engineering.
|
|
|
The
U.S.
National
Academy
of
Engineering
announced,
on
February
15th
2008,
the
grand
challenges
for
engineering
in
the
21st
century.
A
committee
of
experts
from
around
the
world,
convened
at
the
request
of
the
U.S.
National
Science
Foundation,
revealed
14
challenges
that,
if
met,
would
improve
how
we
live.
"Tremendous
advances
in
quality
of
life
have
come
from
improved
technology
in
areas
such
as
farming
and
manufacturing,"
said
committee
member
and
Google
co-founder
Larry
Page.
"If
we
focus
our
effort
on
the
important
grand
challenges
of
our
age,
we
can
hugely
improve
the
future."
The
final
choices
fall
into
four
themes
that
are
essential
for
humanity
to
flourish
--
sustainability,
health,
reducing
vulnerability,
and
joy
of
living.
The
committee
did
not
attempt
to
include
every
important
challenge,
nor
did
it
endorse
particular
approaches
to
meeting
those
selected.
Rather
than
focusing
on
predictions
or
gee-whiz
gadgets,
the
goal
was
to
identify
what
needs
to
be
done
to
help
people
and
the
planet
thrive.
"We
chose
engineering
challenges
that
we
feel
can,
through
creativity
and
commitment,
be
realistically
met,
most
of
them
early
in
this
century,"
said
committee
chair
and
former
U.S.
Secretary
of
Defense
William
J.
Perry.
"Some
can
be,
and
should
be,
achieved
as
soon
as
possible."
The
committee
decided
not
to
rank
the
challenges.
NAE
is
offering
the
public
an
opportunity
to
vote
on
which
one
they
think
is
most
important
and
to
provide
comments
at
the
project
website
(see
link
below.)
"Meeting
these
challenges
would
be
game
changing,'"
said
NAE
president
Charles
M.
Vest.
"Success
with
any
one
of
them
could
dramatically
improve
life
for
everyone."
The
Challenges:
- Make
solar
energy
affordable
- Provide
energy
from
fusion
- Develop
carbon
sequestration
methods
- Manage
the
nitrogen
cycle
- Provide
access
to
clean
water
- Restore
and
improve
urban
infrastructure
- Advance
health
informatics
- Engineer
better
medicines
- Reverse-engineer
the
brain
- Prevent
nuclear
terror
- Secure
cyberspace
- Enhance
virtual
reality
- Advance
personalized
learning
- Engineer
the
tools
for
scientific
discovery
Latest
RVing
news
headlines
http://www.roamingtimes.com
Improving
how
we
live
-
14
challenges
of
our
age?
What
do
you
think?
...
|
Readers'
comments:
Kay Dubner
:
I don't know what most of these mean. I know what virtual reality is but how do you enhance it? How do you advance personalized learning, does it mean more schools or more computer learning? What are health informatics? Does this mean give more information about health? Interesting, but why can't scientists talk in everyday language?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
