Engineering the Future: Celebrating Innovation and Sustainability
Consider a world that produces everyday goods without depleting natural resources, and where toxic emissions are a thing of the past.
Now, imagine a place where robots inspect bridges, looking for structural defects years before they become a safety risk.
In this same space, medical researchers use artificial intelligence algorithms to study the 3D structure of the diseases they are working to treat, and cargo ships are fueled with ammonia instead of fossil fuels.
It all happens, here and now, in this world.
This is because of the engineers.
As we approach this year's National Engineers Week, February 18-24, we're celebrating with the theme “Welcome to the Future.” I can't imagine a better time to do this. This theme honors our achievements while also casting an ambitious vision for the future.
In fact, the future of engineering has never been brighter, with the advent of artificial intelligence and robotic technology. We are in the midst of rapid growth, where innovation, sustainability and diversity come together to lead us to engineering solutions that we could only dream of.
I have always felt that the impact of engineering on our lives is profound and amazing.
Growing up on a farm in rural Foreston, Illinois, my early vision of engineering began simply by building dirt game roads and digging ditches to mitigate spring snowmelt.
Eventually, playtime was replaced, and I was expected to help. I found that constant creativity in approach led to easier ways of getting work done and not being afraid to try allowed for a real-time iterative solution approach that delivered results at a faster pace.
Obviously things became more complicated as I moved into college and then into the work environment in my pursuit of becoming a professional engineer. Today, as I spend more time in this industry where innovation and problem solving are the expectation, I am impressed by how those around me respond.
However, our industry is on the brink of a rate of change unlike anything I have seen.
Consider the birth of the computer. It was the 1940s when an early version of today's computers was first developed.
These versions were not available to consumers and came at high prices for years. Even after home computers arrived on the scene in the late 1970s, it would be another three decades before the first iPhone was released in 2007.
In less than half that time, we have a new iPhone released almost every year, iPads, iPods, and soon the latest innovation, the Vision Pro headset.
Now, compare that to generative AI, which is a relative newcomer on the tech scene. It only took a year after its launch for interest in generative AI to triple. Where will AI take us and at what pace?
Quantum computing, meanwhile, deals with problems that are too complex for us to handle, and we will anticipate problems one day. Nanotechnology gives us repair and restoration options at the molecular level so we can better control the outcome.
These innovations open the door to enormous possibilities because they challenge engineers to develop solutions with greater creativity, flexibility and ingenuity. That's why it's important to invest in STEM education for our youth.
Children are the ones who solve the problems of our future. They will take our progress and build on it. Their innovations will benefit our entire society.
We are uniquely positioned to advance the future of our world through the next generation.
It is up to us to cultivate a world where children see engineering for its potential and build a brighter, more resilient future powered by its limitless potential. It is up to us to share how important STEM is tomorrow regardless of our career paths and to emphasize that they can.
Certainly not everyone should pursue engineering as that would create a restrictive world. We simply must not ignore how much of a role technology will play in our future no matter our field of interest, why it will be essential to be able to embrace technology no matter your passion and how quickly we might fall behind if we wait.
The solutions, development and dreams of the next generation will be more than we can imagine. Their work will include technology with an expectation of rapid change and support sustainable development.
Let's give them a warm welcome to the future.
Mick Grunwald is a professional engineer who enjoys helping colleagues and clients find solutions to their toughest problems, even when they go beyond engineering. He is also CEO of Fehr Graham, an engineering and environmental firm with 12 offices in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Contact him at mgrenewold@fehrgraham.com.
