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 Ave 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 of top engineers 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. This group also includes the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

The NAE creates engineering programs to help the country. It also encourages new ideas and research in engineering. Plus, it celebrates the amazing things engineers achieve. New members are chosen each year by the current members. They pick engineers who have done outstanding work in research or made big contributions. The NAE works on its own, but it also helps the U.S. government by giving advice on engineering topics.

History of the NAE

The National Academy of Sciences was started a long time ago, in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln signed a law to create it. Its job was to study science and art. At first, engineering was not a main focus. But over time, engineers became more involved.

In the early 1900s, people started to see how important engineering was. There were discussions about whether engineers should have their own special group within the Academy. During World War I, engineers played a big role in helping the country. This showed how much their skills were needed.

Finally, in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) was officially created. It became a separate but connected part of the National Academy of Sciences. This was a big step for engineers in the U.S. Augustus Braun Kinzel became its first president.

The NAE was set up to do a few important things:

• Give advice to the government on engineering matters.
• Work with the National Academy of Sciences on projects that involve both science and engineering.
• Help the country solve big problems related to engineering and technology.

Over the years, the NAE has continued to advise the government. For example, in 1971, it advised against building more runways at JFK airport. In 1989, it helped the Department of Energy choose a site for a large science project. The NAE also works to improve engineering education. In 1995 and 2000, it said that engineering schools needed to change to prepare students better for the future.

Becoming a Member

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. These are senior experts from businesses, universities, and the government. They are considered some of the best engineers in the world.

Being elected to the NAE is one of the highest honors an engineer can receive. It often means you've had a lifetime of amazing achievements. Only current members can suggest new members. Engineers are chosen for their outstanding work in:

• Engineering research, practice, or teaching. This includes important writings about engineering.
• Creating new fields of technology or making big improvements in old ones. This also includes new ways of teaching engineering.

Since it started, the NAE has elected 2,634 members. Many members come from top universities. For example, MIT has had the most members, with 199. Stanford University is next with 168 members.

What the NAE Does

The NAE works on many different projects. These projects help improve life for everyone.

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century

In 2000, the NAE announced the 20 most important engineering achievements of the 20th century. Astronaut Neil Armstrong helped share this list. These achievements had the biggest impact on how we live. Many engineering groups helped choose and rank these achievements.

Some inventions, like the telephone and the car, were not new in the 20th century. But their biggest impact was felt during that time. The top achievement was electrification. This means bringing electricity to homes and businesses. Electricity changed almost everything, from how we get food to how we communicate.

Here are the top 20 achievements:

Grand Challenges for Engineering

The NAE also identified "Grand Challenges" for engineers to solve in the 21st century. These are big, global problems that need new ideas and technology. They are similar to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

How the Grand Challenges Were Chosen (2008)

In 2007, the NAE asked a group of top thinkers to find the most important engineering challenges for the 21st century. This group was led by William J. Perry, a former Secretary of Defense. They wanted to find challenges that, if solved, would greatly improve our lives.

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

• Energy, how we use resources, and climate change.
• Medicine, health information, and healthcare.
• Making us safer from natural disasters and human threats.
• Improving human abilities and spirit.

Many engineering schools now teach courses based on these challenges. The NAE hopes these challenges will inspire young people and engineers around the world.

Here are the 14 Grand Challenges:

• Make solar energy affordable
• Provide energy from fusion
• Develop carbon sequestration (capturing carbon)
• Manage the nitrogen cycle (how nitrogen moves in nature)
• Provide access to clean water
• Restore and Improve city structures
• Advance health informatics (using data in healthcare)
• Engineer better medicines
• Understand the brain
• Prevent nuclear terror
• Make cyberspace safe
• Improve virtual reality
• Advance personalized learning
• Engineer the tools for scientific discovery.

Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP)

In 2010, the NAE started a program for engineering students called the Grand Challenge Scholars Program. It helps students prepare for careers that will help solve these big challenges. The program has five parts:

• Doing research related to a Grand Challenge.
• Learning about different subjects like public policy, business, and ethics.
• Learning how to turn new ideas into real products or services.
• Understanding global issues and working with people from different countries.
• Helping society through projects like Engineers Without Borders.

STEM Education and the Grand Challenges

The NAE also works to connect the Grand Challenges to STEM education for younger students (K-12). The goal is to help students learn the skills they need to tackle these complex problems in the future.

Global Grand Challenges Summit

The NAE works with engineering academies from other countries, like the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. They hold joint "Global Grand Challenges Summits" to discuss these important issues. The first one was in London in 2013.

Frontiers of Engineering

The Frontiers of Engineering program brings together young engineering leaders, usually aged 30-45. They meet to talk about new research and ideas in different engineering fields. The goal is for them to work together, share ideas, and build connections. These meetings happen in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and India.

Diversity in Engineering

The NAE works to make the engineering field more diverse. This means encouraging more people from different backgrounds to become engineers. They have created websites like EngineerGirl! and Engineer Your Life to inspire young people.

Engineering, Economics, and Society

This program studies how engineering and technology affect the U.S. economy. It looks at how engineers can help the economy grow. It also tries to understand how well people in the U.S. understand technology. They have a report called Technically Speaking that explains what "technological literacy" is.

Engineering and the Environment

Engineers are now at the forefront of protecting our environment. This program highlights how engineers are working to reduce pollution and create a more sustainable future. It gives advice to the government and businesses on how to do this.

Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society

This center helps engineers think about and solve ethical problems in their work. It works closely with the Online Ethics Center.

How the NAE Shares Its Work

The NAE tries hard to let people know about the important work engineers do.

• They have a weekly radio show on WTOP radio in Washington, D.C.
• They send out a newsletter twice a week about engineering news.
• They hold workshops for reporters and emergency managers. These workshops teach them about important topics like how to communicate during a crisis.
• The NAE also works with the media to make sure their work is covered. They are active on social media to reach new and younger audiences.

Prizes Awarded by the NAE

The NAE gives out several big prizes. Each prize 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 was started in 2001. It is named after Bernard M. Gordon, who founded a company called Analogic Corporation. This prize honors teachers and leaders who create new ways to teach engineering. The winner gets $250,000 for themselves, and their school gets $250,000 to keep improving engineering education.

Russ Prize

The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize was created in 1999. It is given every two years. It is named after Fritz Russ, who started Systems Research Laboratories, and his wife Dolores Russ. This prize celebrates achievements in biomedical engineering that have greatly helped society.

Charles Stark Draper Prize

The NAE gives out the Charles Stark Draper Prize every year. It is given for big advancements in engineering and for teaching the public about engineering. The winner receives $500,000. The prize is named after Charles Stark Draper, who was known as the "father of inertial navigation" and 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 members of the National Academy of Engineering
• List of engineering awards