National Academy of Engineering facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Academy of Engineering

Formation	1964; 61 years ago (1964)
Type	NGO
Location	2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. 20418
Parent organization	National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a special group in the United States. It is a nonprofit organization. The NAE is part of a bigger group called the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). This group also includes the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

The NAE creates engineering programs to help with national needs. It also encourages education and research in engineering. The NAE celebrates the amazing achievements of engineers. New members are chosen each year by current members. They pick people based on their important work in original research. The NAE makes its own rules and chooses its own members. It works with the other National Academies to give advice to the U.S. government.

History of the NAE

The National Academy of Sciences was started in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln signed a law to create it. Its goal was to "investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art." Engineering was not mentioned at first. The first time engineering was recognized was in 1899. This was when the Academy set up its committees.

In 1913, a scientist named George Ellery Hale suggested big changes. He wanted the Academy to include new fields like medicine and engineering. Some members disagreed because they thought these jobs were "mainly followed for pecuniary gain." His ideas were not accepted then. However, by 1916, the Academy started planning a separate section for engineering.

Engineers also helped the government during World War I. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson asked the National Academy of Sciences to create a "National Research Council." This Council was meant to help American industries and national defense using science. Many engineers were elected to the Academy during this time. Still, there was a debate about how engineering fit into the Academy.

Finally, in 1964, a big step was taken. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) was officially created. It became an independent group within the National Academy of Sciences. Augustus Braun Kinzel became its first President. At that time, only about 30 of the 675 members of the National Academy of Sciences called themselves engineers. The NAE was a way to include more engineers and their important work.

The NAE was created with clear goals:

• To advise the U.S. Congress and government on important engineering matters.
• To work with the National Academy of Sciences on topics that involve both science and engineering.
• To help the country with big problems in engineering and technology.

Since its start, the NAE has given advice on many important projects. For example, in 1971, it advised the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey not to build more runways at JFK airport. In 1986, an NAE member helped investigate the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In 1989, the NAE advised the Department of Energy on where to build the Superconducting Super Collider.

In 1995, the NAE, along with the NAS and the National Academy of Medicine, suggested changes to how engineers are educated. They said that engineers needed to be more "versatile" instead of only focusing on one small area. The NAE continued this idea in 2000 with its "Engineer of 2020 Studies." These studies said that engineering education needed to change to prepare engineers for the future.

Becoming a Member of the NAE

To become a member of the NAE, you usually need to be a U.S. citizen. People from other countries can become "international members." The NAE has over 2,000 members and international members. These are top professionals in business, universities, and government. They are considered some of the most skilled engineers in the world.

Being elected to the NAE is one of the highest honors in engineering. It often recognizes a lifetime of great achievements. Only a current NAE member can nominate someone. The person nominated must have made outstanding contributions in one or both of these areas:

• Engineering research, practice, or education, including important writings.
• Creating new technologies, making big improvements in older engineering fields, or finding new ways to teach engineering.

Since it started, the Academy has elected about 5,020 members. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has the most members with 207. Stanford University has 172, and the University of California at Berkeley has 127.

What the NAE Does

The NAE works on many different projects and programs. These programs help improve engineering and its impact on the world.

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century

In 2000, the NAE announced the 20 top engineering achievements of the 20th century. These achievements had the biggest impact on how people lived. Astronaut and engineer Neil Armstrong helped announce the list. Many engineering groups suggested ideas.

Some achievements, like the telephone and automobile, were not invented in the 20th century. But they were included because their biggest impact happened during that time. The top achievement was electrification. This means bringing electricity to homes and businesses. Electricity lights our world and affects almost everything we do. This includes making food, heating and cooling, transportation, and computers.

Here is the list of the top 20 achievements:

Grand Challenges for Engineering

The NAE also identified "Grand Challenges for Engineering." These are big, global problems that engineers need to help solve. They are complex issues that affect everyone. Solving them needs new technology and smart thinking. The NAE believes engineers must also work with public policy and social sciences.

Developing the Grand Challenges (2008)

In 2007, the NAE started this project. They asked a group of top thinkers from around the world to help. This group was led by former Secretary of Defense William Perry. Their job was to find the most important engineering challenges for the 21st century. The NAE wanted to find challenges that would greatly improve our quality of life if solved.

In 2008, the committee announced 14 Grand Challenges. They fit into four main groups:

• Energy, sustainability, and global climate change.
• Medicine, health information, and health care.
• Making us safer from natural and human dangers.
• Improving human abilities and spirit.

Many engineering schools now offer classes based on these Grand Challenges.

The 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering are:

• Make solar energy affordable.
• Provide energy from fusion.
• Develop carbon sequestration (capturing carbon).
• Manage the nitrogen cycle.
• Provide access to clean water.
• Restore and Improve urban infrastructure (city systems).
• Advance health informatics (health data).
• Engineer better medicines.
• Reverse-engineer the brain (understand how it works).
• Prevent nuclear terror.
• Secure cyberspace.
• Enhance virtual reality.
• Advance personalized learning.
• Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.

The NAE said these challenges are not ranked by importance. They are meant to inspire engineers, young people, and the public. They are important for every country. Solving them could help society survive and thrive.

Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP)

In 2010, the NAE created a program for college engineering students. It helps them prepare for careers that will solve the Grand Challenges. The program has five parts:

• Research experience on a Grand Challenge project.
• Learning about different subjects like public policy, business, and ethics.
• Learning about Entrepreneurship to turn ideas into real solutions.
• Gaining a global view to solve worldwide problems.
• Doing service learning to help society with engineering skills.

STEM Education and the Grand Challenges

The Grand Challenge Scholars Program is for college students. But the NAE also thinks about younger students (K-12). They want to prepare K-12 students to help solve these big problems. This involves connecting STEM education with the Grand Challenges. The goal is to guide how school lessons are created. This helps students see how science, technology, engineering, and math are connected.

Global Grand Challenges Summit

Because of the NAE's work, three engineering academies from different countries started a summit. These are the NAE (U.S.), The Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. They held the first Global Grand Challenges Summit in London in 2013. A second summit was held in Beijing in 2015. The NAE hosted the third summit in the United States in 2017.

Frontiers of Engineering

The Frontiers of Engineering program brings together new engineering leaders. These are usually engineers aged 30-45. They meet to talk about new research in different engineering fields. The goal is for them to work together, share ideas, and build connections. There are several of these meetings each year, including U.S., German-American, and Japan-America summits.

Diversity in Engineering

The NAE has an office focused on diversity. Its goal is to help more people from different backgrounds become engineers. This includes holding workshops and finding ways to improve programs. The NAE also has websites like EngineerGirl! and Engineer Your Life to encourage young people.

Engineering, Economics, and Society

This program studies how engineering and technology affect the U.S. economy. It looks at how engineering helps different parts of the economy. It also tries to understand how engineering can make the economy stronger.

This program also studies how well people in the U.S. understand technology. This includes K-12 students, teachers, and adults. A report called Technically Speaking explains what "technological literacy" means. It also explains why it is important and what is being done to improve it.

Engineering and the Environment

Engineers have sometimes been linked to causing environmental harm. This program aims to show how engineers are now leading the way in fixing these problems. It provides advice to the government, businesses, and the public. The goal is to create a future that is better for the environment.

Engineering Ethics and Society

The Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society helps engineers think about right and wrong. It encourages them to solve ethical problems in their work. This Center works closely with the Online Ethics Center.

Reaching Out to the Public

The NAE works hard to share information about engineering and its own work.

The NAE has a weekly radio spot on WTOP radio in Washington, D.C. They also send out a newsletter every two weeks about engineering news.

The NAE has held workshops called News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis. These workshops help reporters and emergency managers understand important information. They learn about serious topics and their impact.

The NAE also works with the media. They want to make sure their work is covered in the news. They also serve as a resource for reporters who have technical questions. The NAE uses social media to reach new and younger audiences.

Presidents of the NAE

No.	Image	President	Term	Notes
1		Augustus B. Kinzel	1964-1966
2		Eric A. Walker	1966-1970
3		Clarence H. Linder	1970-1973
4		Robert C. Seamans Jr.	1973-1974
5		William E. Shoupp	1974-1975	resigned to head the Energy Research and Development Administration
6		Courtland D. Perkins	1975-1983
7		Robert M. White	1983-1995
8		Harold Liebowitz	1995-1996
9		Wm. A. Wulf	1996-2007
10		Charles M. Vest	2007-2013
11		C. D. Mote, Jr.	2013-2019
12		John L. Anderson	2019-2025
13		Tsu-Jae King Liu	2025-Present

Source

Prizes Awarded by the NAE

The NAE gives out several important prizes. Each winner receives $500,000. These prizes are sometimes called the American version of a Nobel Prize for engineering.

Gordon Prize

The Bernard M. Gordon Prize started in 2001. It is named after Bernard Marshall Gordon. This prize recognizes leaders in universities who create new ways to teach engineering. Each year, the winner gets $500,000. The winner can keep $250,000, and their school gets $250,000 to help with education.

Russ Prize

The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize is an award started by the NAE in 1999. It is given every two years since 2001. It is named after Fritz Russ and his wife Dolores Russ. This prize celebrates achievements in bioengineering. It recognizes work that has greatly helped society and improved human life.

Charles Stark Draper Prize

The NAE gives out the Charles Stark Draper Prize every year. This prize is for advances in engineering and for teaching the public about engineering. The winner receives $500,000. The prize is named after Charles S. Draper. He was known as the "father of inertial navigation" and was a professor at MIT.

See also

In Spanish: Academia Nacional de Ingeniería (Estados Unidos) para niños

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
• List of founding members of the National Academy of Engineering
• List of engineering awards