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UVA's William Wulf Heads NAE
uestions of science, technology and health underlie many critical
policy issues confronting the nation today. Recognizing, already 100
years ago, that our nation's leaders need analysis and advice from
scientific and engineering experts to make informed decisions,
Congress established the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in
1863. To keep pace with the growing importance and complexity of
science and technology, the National Research Council (NRC) was formed
in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 1964, and the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1970. Known collectively as the Academy
Complex, all are private, independent, non-profit organizations
operating under the 1863 charter. NRC is the jointly administered
operating arm of the three honorific professional societies, NAS, NAE
and IOM, whose members represent the best in their fields. From among
the nation's most distinguished engineers, UVA's own William Wulf was
elected President of NAE, a position he will hold for at least the
next four years. Wulf, an internationally-known expert on computer
architecture, programming languages and systems, has been a professor
of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science
at the University of Virginia since 1988.
UVA Faculty Well Represented in NAE
In recognition of significant achievement and contribution to their
professions, new members are elected annually to NAS, NAE, and IOM by
their respective memberships. Such recognition by ones peers is a very
high honor indeed. Election to membership in NAE is the highest
professional honor an engineer can receive, recognizing personal
engineering achievement in business or academic management; in
technical positions; as university faculty or as leaders in government
and private engineering organizations. While there are two million
engineers nationwide, fewer than 2,000 (0.1%) are members of NAE. At
UVA among 150 engineering faculty, five (3.3%) are members of NAE and
a sixth is in the Department of Environmental Sciences. That speaks
very highly of the quality of engineering at UVA.
Policy Studies
To provide the nation with information and advice on matters of
science, technology and medicine, NRC forms special study committees
whose members represent a cross-section of the scientific and
technological community. The intense work of these well-balanced study
committees results in consensus reports that often produce influential
recommendations that are "hard for the government to ignore," says
Wulf. He advises researchers to keep abreast of these reports since
they often harbinger new directions in governmental funding.
Participation on Study Committees
Because of the volume of work and because special information or
experience often is required, only 10% of study committee experts are
drawn from the membership of NAE, NAE, and IOM. Wulf encourages UVA
faculty who wish to become involved to "contact the appropriate Board
director to make it known they wish to volunteer on a committee." Wulf
believes that "study committees need balance" to study complex issues
requiring interdisciplinary analysis. Commitment to this study design
has earned NRC its reputation for being "absolutely authoritative and
unbiased."
NAE Needs Additional Endowment
While the majority of the studies are requested and funded by the
federal government, each unit of the Academy Complex also undertakes
self-initiated endowment-supported studies. Wulf sees NAE leading the
way by "answering questions the government hasn't even thought to
ask." During his presidency, Wulf hopes to increase NAE's endowment
significantly so NAE can continue to study important issues, questions
and problems on the edge of the future through self-initiated studies.
The Changing Nature of Engineering
Whoever has sped to distant locations by airplane, sent a FAX or
enjoyed the benefits of hip replacement understands the impact of
technology on society. NAE president William Wulf believes "the nature
of engineering practice is changing dramatically" and points to the
"explosion in the variety of materials" expanding design options. He
is excited about the prospect of "smart materials," fully expecting
"computer chips to be embedded in the most mundane of products" --like
bridges that monitor their own stress and corrosion. One of the
outcomes of the acceleration of technological change is the
diminishing half-life of engineering knowledge --in the case of
computers, already to as little as two years. The impact of this
reality on engineering education is substantial and Wulf proposes that
"life-long learning needs to be built into the culture of
engineering." He believes "NAE as a body has a responsibility to
understand...the implication (of technological changes) on policy,
education and the engineering profession."
Technology Literacy is Essential
It is fairly well accepted that the ability to use technology will be
increasingly central to effective performance in the work place, in
school and at home. But beyond usage, Wulf believes that it is
essential for all members of society to have an appreciation for, and
a broad understanding of technology, including the underlying
scientific, mathematical, design and problem-solving principles. Just
imagine lawmakers of the future passing laws about air quality and
power grids or juries considering ground water measurements and
product failure tests without the requisite technological background
to understand expert reports. NAE takes seriously its role as the
nation's engineering advisor and under Wulf's leadership, is poised to
play a pivotal role in promoting technology literacy.
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