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October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
MIT Prez: Teach cooler stuff
U.S. universities should focus on cooler topics as they try to attract more students to the engineering profession, according to MIT President Charles Vest.
Vest said that focusing on nano-science and large systems offer "mind-boggling possibilities" and "daunting challenges," and will draw more students into the engineering field.
Vest made the comments during a lecture "Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond," at MIT's Bartos Theater , in an address Oct. 12 as part of the Brunel Lecture Series on Complex Systems, which was hosted by the Engineering Systems Division at MIT.
Nano-scale projects at MIT like batteries constucted out of viruses and the study of large scale systems like transportation and the environment will keep MIT on the cutting edge, and draw more young students into the field, Vest said.
"As we think about the challenges ahead, it's important to remember that students are driven by passion, curiosity, engagement and dreams," Vest told a standing-room-only audience.
Vest also told the audience, in so many words, that engineering programs should do more to help their students get a life.
Too much focus on individual study and core engineering coursework doesn't prepare students for "an ever-evolving social, political and economic context," said Vest.
Engineering programs should focus more on group work, team projects, research and exprimental learning, and less on lectures.
21st century engineers will need communication skills and an understanding of ethics and social responsibility, business organization, innovation and product development. So it's not a bad idea to take a few humanities courses while you're at it, Vest said.
A number of recent reports have warned that problems in the U.S. education system and a lack of investment in basic research are eroding the country's lead in the engineering and the sciences.
Posted by Paul Roberts on October 19, 2006 01:09 PM
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