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Strengthening the U.S. Engineering Workforce for Technology Innovation: Professional Graduate Engineering Education that Supports the Method Engineers Use to Create, Develop, and Innovate New Technology

1. Introduction

The National Collaborative is creating and implementing a new model for professional graduate engineering education that enables continued growth of graduate engineers in industry and government service throughout their entire professional careers ─ from entry-level through the highest levels of professional engineering leadership for innovation and creative practice. This model reflects the manner by which practicing engineers recognize real-world needs, understand the issues involved, learn the existing state-of-the art of technology through self-directed and experiential learning, identify and formulate realistic specifications required for effective solution, direct scientific research efforts to gain a better understanding of phenomena involved, and actually create, develop, and innovate new ‘ideas’ from conceptual exploratory stages of development through the later stages of systems operational development is put forth. The model is patterned after actual engineering development programs and experience in aerospace and other industrial practice. The primary focus of this advanced professional educational model in engineering is to support the professional growth of the graduate engineer through action-learning by working on real issues that lead to effective action and innovation in the practitioner’s industry.

The framework for this new model of professional engineering education has been presented previously; most recently at the ASEE National meeting in 2008.1-7 It establishes three educational benchmarks for the practicing professional engineer; Early Career (Master of Engineering degree), Mid Career (Doctor of Engineering degree), and Senior Career (Engineering Fellow degree). The centerpiece of this model is its focus on technology development projects. These are projects of significance to the engineer’s company and are expected to be either part of or an extension of his or her assigned tasks. This paper will discuss the way these projects foster a synergism between innovative technology development and the professional growth of the practicing professional engineer in this educational model and how they might vary with the educational level / professional development of the practicing professional engineer.

2. Innovative Technology Development and Engineering Practice

The professional engineer systematically applies the Engineering Method shown below to create technologies that satisfy real world needs.

Needs → Engineering → Technology

↑↓

Directed Scientific Research to gain a better understanding of phenomena when needed

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Stanford, T., & Keating, D., & Olson, R. (2009, June), Strengthening The U.S. Engineering Workforce For Technology Innovation: Professional Graduate Engineering Education That Supports The Method Engineers Use To Create, Develop, And Innovate New Technology Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--4881