First Name
Last Name
Email (required)
I agree to receive emails from the National Academies (required)

We respect your privacy and will never share your information.

Search this publication

Front Matter i-xii
BACKGROUND 1-1
Historical Development 2-2
Structural Characteristics 3-4
Features of the Present Era 5-6
Supply and Demand 7-8
OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE 9-10
1 Introduction 11-11
Traditional Views of Engineering 12-12
The Reality: Diversity in a Complex World 13-13
Significance of Societal Perceptions 14-14
CALCULATING THE VECTOR OF CHANGE: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 15-16
Birth of the Technological Society: 17901850 17-19
The Engineering Education System 20-21
Diversification of the Engineering Disciplines 22-22
Corporate Technology and the Corporate Engineer: 1880 and After 23-25
Global Depression, Global War 26-27
World War II 28-28
EARLY STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGINEERING 29-29
Undeveloped Societal Demands 30-30
Infrastructure Development 31-31
Supportive Societal Environment 32-32
Adaptability and Responsiveness 33-33
Diversity 34-34
POSTWAR CHANGES IN SCOPE 35-35
Expansion of Government's Role 36-37
The Information Explosion 38-38
Global Business, Global Markets 39-39
IMPACTS ON ENGINEERING 40-40
Multiplying Specialties/Interdisciplinary Activity 41-41
The Educational System 42-43
The Professional Societies 44-45
Engineer as Corporate Employee 46-46
Engineer as Government Employee 47-48
Intensification of Social Issues in Engineering 49-52
The Societal Demand-Pull Factor 53-53
Mechanisms for Meeting the Demand 54-54
Factors Limiting Supply Response 55-56
Arguments For and Against Specialization 57-57
Alternative Approaches 58-58
Potential Impacts on Society 59-60
Potential Impacts on Engineering Employment 61-61
Roles and Responsibility for Intervention 62-62
SOCIETY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION 63-64
5 Maintaining Flexibility in an Age of Stress and Rapid Change 65-65
Does the Supply Meet the Demand? 66-66
Is the Quality of the "Product" Adequate? 67-67
Potential Scenarios of the Future 68-68
Significance of the Scenarios 69-69
General Stresses 70-71
RECOMMENDATION 72-72
RECOMMENDATION 73-73
RECOMMENDATION 74-74
RECOMMENDATION 75-75
References 76-76
Bibliography 77-78
Appendix 79-80
Engineering in an Increasingly Complex Society 81-81
CONTENTS 82-82
Introduction 83-84
Engineering as a Method for Solving Problems 85-88
Engineering as a Profession 89-91
Engineering as Social Practice 92-95
Science and Engineering 96-100
Responding to Innovation 101-105
Institutional Imperatives 106-109
The Engineer and the Marketplace 110-114
Educating Engineers 115-119
Resilience in Times of Crisis 120-123
Engineering in Society 124-127
Conclusions 128-128
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 129-129
Presenters 130-130
Committee Members 131-131
Other 132-132

Log In

Former MyNAP users: You'll need to reset your password on your first login to MyAcademies. Click "Forgot password" below to receive a reset link via email. Having trouble? Visit our FAQ page to contact support.

Members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, or National Academy of Medicine should log in through their respective Academy portals.

Email (required)
Password (required)

Don't have an account?

Register

Email (required)
New password (required)
Retype password (required) Password must be at least 8 characters
I agree to receive emails from the National Academies
I accept the terms of use
terms of use

Download as a Guest

While logged on as a guest, you can download any of our free PDFs on nationalacademies.org . You will remain logged in until you close your browser.

Email (required)
Yes, send me emails when similar titles are published
Yes, I accept the terms of use
terms of use

Thank You

Thank you for creating a MyAcademies account!

Enjoy free access to thousands of National Academies' publications, a 10% discount off every purchase, and build your personal library.

Forgot Password

Enter the email address for your MyAcademies (formerly MyNAP) account to receive password reset instructions.

Email (required)

Reset Requested

We sent password reset instructions to your email . Follow the link in that email to create a new password. Didn't receive it? Check your spam folder or contact us for assistance.

Reset Password

New password (required)
Retype password (required) Password must be at least 8 characters

Reset Password

Your password has been reset.

Verify email

Verify Your Email Address

We sent a verification link to your email. Please check your inbox (and spam folder) and follow the link to verify your email address. If you did not receive the email, you can request a new verification link below

Engineering in Society (1985)

Chapter: Engineer as Government Employee

My Academies

Engineering in Society (1985)

Chapter: Engineer as Government Employee