External Forces and NSF Engineering

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External Forces and NSF Engineering
National Science Foundation Directorate for
Engineering Acting Assistant Director for
Engineering Richard O. Buckius
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External and Internal Conditions
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Innovation and International Competition

• The best companies outsource to win, not to
  shrink. They outsource to innovate faster. If
  Americans and Europeans want to benefit from the
  flattening of the world they will have to run
  at least as fast as the fastest lion and I
  suspect that lion will be China, and I suspect
  that will be pretty darn fast. Thomas
  Friedman, The World is Flat
• Life will be tough for those who are less
  skilled, less educated, and less able to adapt to
  changing conditions. Even highly skilled
  service workers, engineers included, will be
  challenged by the rise of similar (and cheaper)
  human capital resources abroad. Peter Coy,
  Business Week
• The individuals who are able to take advantage
  of the new opportunities do extremely well.
  Those who are poorly situated get hammered.
  Gordon Hanson, UCSD in Business Week
• Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're
  not part of the steamroller, you're part of the
  road. Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Catalog

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Ranking of First University DegreesSelected
Countries
Country Ranking by Number Ranking by
Percent of Eng. Degrees () Eng. of all
Degrees China (2001) 1 (219,563)
1 Japan (2001) 2 (104,478) 9 Russia
(1999) 3 (82,409) 15 U.S. 4
(59,536) 29 South Korea 5 (56,508)
4 Germany (both) 6 (36,319) 8 France
(both) 7 (34,293) 18 India (1990)
8 (29,000) 30 Italy (both) 9
(27,685) 10 Taiwan (2001) 10 (26,587)
6 . . Israel 25
(2,762) 20 Ireland 26 (2,014)
19 Hong Kong (1995) 27 (1,822) 14 Norway
(both) 28 (1,691) 25 Singapore (1995)
29 (1,676) 3 Malaysia (1990) 30
(877) 23
NSB, SE Indicators 2004
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Engineering Workforce TrendsDegrees
Bachelors
Masters
Doctorate
AAES/EWC, 2004
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Engineering Workforce Trends Women
Bachelors (Women)
Degrees
Masters (Women)
Doctoral (Women)
Years
AAES/EWC, 2004
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Engineering Workforce Trends Underrepresented
Bachelors (Underrepresented)
Masters (Underrepresented)
Doctoral (Underrepresented)
AAES, 2004
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External Reports

• Engineering Research and Americas Future (NAE,
  2005) Committee to Assess the Capacity of the
  U.S. Engineering Research Enterprise
• The Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2004) and Educating
  the Engineer of 2020 (NAE, 2005)
• Rising Above the Gathering Storm Energizing and
  Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
  (NRC/COSEPUP, 2005)
• Innovate American National Innovation Initiative
  Final Report (Council on Competitiveness, 2005)

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NSF Budget 2001-2006
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NSF Research and Related ActivitiesFY 2006
Request by Directorate (Dollars in Millions)
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Research and EducationENG Integration

• CAREER Proposals
• Program started in 1994
• Must have a well thought-out plan for integration
  of research and education, in addition to
  significant research project
• ENG provides approximately 1/4 of all CAREER
  awards
• Engineering Research Center (ERC) Awards
• Program initiated in 1985
• ERC innovations in research and education are
  expected to impact curricula at all levels from
  pre-college to life-long learning and to be
  disseminated to and beyond academic and industry
  partners

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Research and EducationResearch Experiences for
Undergraduates

• The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
  program supports active research participation by
  undergraduate students in any of the areas of
  research funded by the National Science
  Foundation.
• REU projects involve students in meaningful ways
  in ongoing research programs.
• REU Sites are based on independent proposals to
  initiate and conduct projects that engage a
  number of students in research.
• REU Supplements may be requested for ongoing
  NSF-funded research projects or included as a
  component of new proposals.
• ENG provides approximately 1/4 of all NSF REU
  investments.

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Research and EducationResearch Experiences for
Teachers

• The Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)
  activity was initiated in the NSF Directorate for
  Engineering in FY 2001 to involve middle and high
  school teachers in engineering research.
• The RET program builds partnerships between
  teachers and engineering researchers in
  engineering research laboratories. RETs aim to
  build collaborative relationships between both
  in-service and pre-service teachers, support
  their active participation in research and
  education, and strengthened partnerships between
  institutions of higher education and local school
  districts.
• ENG provides approximately 1/2 of all NSF RET
  investments.

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Research and EducationOther ENG Programs

• Our Engineering Education and Centers (EEC)
  programs support research that addresses the aims
  and objectives of engineering education including
• the content and organization of the curriculum,
• how students learn problem solving, creativity
  and design,
• new methods for assessment and evaluation of how
  students learn engineering, and
• our understanding of how to attract a more
  talented and diverse student body
• EEC is looking for significant breakthroughs in
  understanding so that our undergraduate and
  graduate engineering education can be transformed
  to meet the needs of the changing economy and
  society.
• It is expected that successful proposals will
  most likely be comprised of multidisciplinary
  teams of engineers and other fields that bring
  expertise pertinent to learning research.

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Research and EducationNSF Programs

• In addition, other NSF-wide activities include
• ADVANCE Increasing the Participation and
  Advancement of Women in Academic Science and
  Engineering Careers
• Centers for Learning and Teaching
• Graduate Research Fellowships
• Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
• Integrative Graduate Education and Research
  Traineeship Program
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education
• National Nanoscale Infrastructure Network
• In addition to ENG Engineering Education and
  Centers programs, other ENG/EHR activities
  include
• NSF-Navy Civilian Service Fellowship-Scholarship
  Program
• SBIR Supplemental Funding for Diversity
  Collaborations

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Research and Education 2005 Investment in
Students
NSF
ENG
Other includes direct costs (subcontracts,
materials and supplies, consultant services),
permanent equipment, travel, other personnel, etc.
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Engineering Research AwardsIncrease in Research
Collaboration
2005
ENG Single PI vs. Multiple Investigator
Awards
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Research Grant Funding Rate
Funding Rate Percent
Proposals Submitted
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ENG Organization and Reorganization
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Engineering at the NSF and in the U.S.
Internal Conditions
External Conditions

• In 2006, the NSF Engineering Directorate will
  invest approximately 580 million among the
  smallest budgets in NSF to support the entire
  breadth of engineering, including its
  nanotechnology and cyberinfrastructure
  investments.
• These resources will be divided among 7 divisions
  the largest number in all of NSF.
• Engineering currently receives the largest number
  of proposals of any NSF directorate.

• Engineering education and research are becoming
  increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative.
  Universities and industries are adopting
  interdisciplinary clusters.
• Foreign nations particularly China are
  increasing emphasis in engineering research and
  graduating more engineers than the United States.
  
• Leadership in engineering and innovation will be
  key to the nations prosperity and security in a
  global, knowledge-driven economy.

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Potential Reorganization Outcomes

• Ability to Pursue
• New Directions
• Provides mechanisms to pursue high-risk, frontier
  research.
• Enables research at the intersection of diverse
  disciplines.
• Combined divisions promote agile and flexible
  responses to emerging challenges.

• Collaboration Across
• Disciplines
• Enhances integration of education and research.
• Enables a more integrated approach to research
  priorities.
• Builds synergy among basic research, discovery,
  and innovation.

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Directorate for Engineering
Office of the Assistant Director Deputy Assistant
Director
Senior Advisor Nanotechnology
Bioengineering and Environmental Systems BES
Civil and Mechanical Systems CMS
Electrical andCommunications Systems ECS
Office of Industrial Innovation OII (SBIR/STTR)
Chemical andTransport Systems CTS
Engineering Education and Centers EEC
Design and Manufacturing Innovation DMI
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Merging Divisions and Priorities
Current 06
Proposed 07
Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and
Innovation (EFRI)
Bioengineering and Environmental Systems
Division of Chemical, Biological,
Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET)
Chemical and Transport Systems
Civil and Mechanical Systems
Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing
Innovation (CMMI)
Design and Manufacturing Innovation
Electrical and Communication Systems
Division of Electrical, Communication and Cyber
Systems (ECCS)
Cyber- Systems
Engineering Education and Centers
Division of Engineering Education and Centers
(EEC)
Office Industrial Innovation and Partnerships
(IIP)
Office of Industrial Innovation
GOALI I/UCRCs Partnerships
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Proposed Organizational Structure
Office of the Assistant Director Deputy Assistant
Director (OAD)
Disciplinary Areas
Crosscutting Areas
Emerging Frontiers in Research and
Innovation (EFRI)
Chemical, Biological Environmental and Transport
Systems (CBET)
Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (C
MMI)
Engineering Education and Centers (EEC)
Electrical, Communications and Cyber
Systems (ECCS)
Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP)
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Proposed Organizational Structure
Disciplinary Areas
Office of the Assistant Director Deputy
Assistant Director (OAD)
Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing
Innovation (CMMI)
Chemical, Biological Environmental and Transport
Systems (CBET)
Electrical, Communications and Cyber
Systems (ECCS)
Emerging Frontiers In Research and
Innovation (EFRI)
Engineering Education and Centers (EEC)
Crosscutting Areas
Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP)
Crosscutting Areas Biology in Engineering
Complexity in Engineered and Natural
Systems Critical Infrastructure
Systems Manufacturing Frontiers New Frontiers in
Nanotechnology Others
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Reorganization Process

• Throughout 2004 ENG engaged in a comprehensive
  strategic planning process. Among the goals
  identified by this process was Organizational
  Excellence.
• Spring 2005 Engineering Advisory Committee
  reviewed and commented on conceptual framework
  for reorganization.
• Summer/Fall 2005 Public comments were solicited
  via the NSF website.
• Fall 2005 Engineering Advisory Committee
  reviewed and commented on conceptual framework in
  light of public comments.
• End of 2005 Structure complete.
• Spring 2006 Draft strategic plans for each new
  division completed, and completed reorganization
  presented to Engineering Advisory Committee.
• FY 2007 Engineering Directorate reorganized.

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Summary

• Globalization, engineering workforce, and
  external reports point to leadership in
  engineering and innovation as the key to the
  nations prosperity and security in a global,
  knowledge-driven economy.
• NSF and ENG must balance all its priorities in
  research and education.
• Directorate for Engineering reorganization seeks
  to enhance mechanisms to pursue high-risk
  frontier research, to promote interdisciplinary
  activities, and provide an agile and flexible
  structure to respond to emerging challenges.

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Thank youQuestions