WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hundreds of business leaders, policymakers, academics and media representatives have raised their voices, and today, a report from the National Engineering Forum (NEF) reveals findings from the movement’s first ten dialogues. Lockheed Martin, the Council on Competitiveness and the National Academy of Engineering launched NEF to find actionable solutions to the engineering enterprise’s greatest challenges: capacity, capability, and competitiveness – the 3C’s.
The report, titled “Engineering our Nation's Future,” details input from NEF’s executive-level participants and outlines their recommendations on how the U.S. can preserve and support the engineering enterprise. The actions center around five themes: understanding the nature of the 3C’s, education advocacy, public perception of engineers and engineering, public and private investment and immigration reform.
“The NEF movement has revealed a passion in this country for supporting engineering as a catalyst for innovation, prosperity and security,” said Jeff Wilcox, vice president of engineering for Lockheed Martin, and a NEF founder. “This passion reaches across industries, academic institutions, national laboratories, and communities, and highlights how critical engineering is to our national success story.”
Since NEF’s founding in 2012, regional dialogues in engineering hubs throughout the country have engaged leaders from government, academia, industry, labor, national laboratories, the arts, finance, and media in a robust dialogue around the 3C’s. NEF’s first ten dialogues visited New York City, Knoxville, Tenn., Albuquerque, N.M., Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Columbus, Ohio, Houston, Detroit and Raleigh, N.C., to gather input. The recent fall dialogues in Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta will add to the findings, illuminate the areas with the most critical need, and help create action plans. The 2015 dialogue series kicks off in Phoenix in February.
“The National Engineering Forum is elevating American awareness of the impact and contribution of engineering to our way of life,” said Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness and a NEF leader. “From mitigating climate change, to enhancing cyber security, to balancing and optimizing resources for energy, food, and water, the National Engineering Forum is the only platform engaging these diverse, influential leaders in conversations about the national resource that is American engineering.”
To download the report, visit: http://www.nationalengineeringforum.com.
To download photos from NEF events, visit: http://www.nationalengineeringforum.com/regional-dialogues.
About the National Engineering Forum
The National Engineering Forum (NEF) brings together leaders concerned about the sustainability of U.S. engineering and its impact on the nation’s security and prosperity. NEF involves industry executives, academics, policymakers, media, engineering societies, and nonprofits to develop solutions to challenges facing our nation’s engineering enterprise. For more on NEF, visit www.nationalengineeringforum.com or follow us on Twitter @NatlEngForum.
