2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society: Over Seven Decades of Contributions from the National Science Foundation: A U.S. National Academy of Engineering Study

Presented at Sociotechnical Integration and Programmatic Reform

The engineering profession is tightly linked with its societal impacts, applications, and benefits. However, these impacts of engineering often remain unclear and misunderstood by the general public. To enhance public awareness about the impacts of engineering and the influence of federal support in bringing them about, as well as to help attract a more diverse engineering workforce, the National Science Foundation (NSF) tasked the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) with conducting a consensus study exploring the “extraordinary” societal impacts of engineering. For this study, the NAE formed a 12-member expert interdisciplinary committee with a mandate to identify extraordinary engineering impacts; organize a virtual public symposium on the topic; develop clear, compelling narratives for public engagement; and provide guidance on how to reach and engage diverse audiences with these narratives. Prior compilations of the NSF’s impacts such as those released for the agency’s 50th and 60th anniversaries (the “Nifty 50” and “Sensational 60” lists, respectively) celebrated technocentric breakthroughs, such as buckyballs and fiber optics. However, this new NAE study takes a distinct approach, highlighting the stories of engineers and programs that have had exemplary societal impacts. A particular emphasis is placed on individuals historically underrepresented in the engineering profession, including people of color, women, and people with disabilities, bringing their experiences and achievements to the forefront. Slated to be released in mid-2024, the report’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations are not yet available. However, this article aims to shed light on the various ways that the NSF and NAE have conceptualized engineering’s impacts on society by 1) exploring the history of engineering at NSF, 2) analyzing foundational material from the NSF/NAE that informed the work of the committee such as NSF’s Broader Impacts and NAE’s Grand Challenges in Engineering, 3) and comparing these to content from the new study that is publicly available. An additional aim of this article is to raise awareness of the upcoming NAE report and encourage thought-provoking discussions about it at the ASEE 2024 Annual Conference.

Authors

Ms. Casey Gibson http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4338-3489 National Academy of Engineering [biography]

Casey Gibson, M.S., is an Associate Program Officer at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) of the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine where she contributes to the Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering (CESER) program. Gibson holds an M.S. from the Colorado School of Mines in Humanitarian Engineering and Science with a specialization in Environmental Engineering. Her participatory research on environmental risks in rural Colombia was conducted under the NSF-supported “Responsible Mining, Resilient Communities” project. Gibson earned dual B.S./B.A. degrees in Biological-Agricultural Engineering and Spanish Language from the University of Arkansas and served as a Fulbright scholar in Mexico.
Dr. David A. Butler http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3423-0720 National Academy of Engineering [biography]

David A. Butler, PhD, is the J. Herbert Hollomon Scholar of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) of the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and is the Founding Director of NAE’s Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering program. Before joining the National Academies, Dr. Butler was an analyst for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, a research associate in the Department of Environmental Health of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, conducted research at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and practiced as a product safety engineer at Xerox Corporation. He has directed numerous National Academies studies on engineering and environmental policy topics. Dr. Butler earned his BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester and his PhD in public policy analysis from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a recipient of the National Academies’ Cecil Medal for Research.

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