 The
theme of this month’s cover
story, “The
Incredibles,” is that
engineers are heroes. Perhaps even
superheroes. The story is about
engineering students using their
skills to help solve the problems
of the developing world, designing
low-cost medical devices, for example,
that save lives. A number of organizations
have formed to connect engineers
with those who need their help.
The engineers-as-heroes theme is
a recurring one in Prism. Past stories
include engineers going into Sri
Lanka immediately following the
tsunami, looking for ways to mitigate
death and destruction the next time
one strikes. Next month, we’ll
be looking at engineers who are
evaluating why the levees failed
in New Orleans, after Hurricane
Katrina devastated the historic
city. Engineers help society in
so many ways, and it’s a theme
we return to again and again.
“The
House That Kim Built,”
which begins on page 38, refers
to the gleaming new Jeong H. Kim
engineering building at the University
of Maryland. The state-of-the-art
center was made possible in part
by a generous donation from Bell
Labs President Jeong H. Kim, who
earned his Ph.D. in engineering
from Maryland. Kim is part of a
growing breed of entrepreneurs who
help fund high-tech centers in engineering
schools that foster innovation.
Be sure to check out the photographs
accompanying the story. You can
see just how dramatic and inviting
the new Jeong H. Kim center is.
When we think of Ireland, for many
of us, it’s about how the
country was so poor that our ancestors
had to pack up and leave that bonny
land and come to America to earn
a living. That’s no longer
the case. Between 1995 and 2003,
the Irish economy expanded at an
average annual rate of 8.1 percent,
and yearly growth is still strong.
Ireland is the world’s leading
exporter of software—an industry
valued at $16.8 billion—and
as a result, the country requires
more scientists and engineers than
it can graduate. In “On
the Move,” we look at
what Ireland is doing to ensure
that it will have the technological
workforce it needs.
It is always our goal to provide
you a choice of interesting and
thought-provoking articles. I hope
you enjoy this month’s selections.
If you have comments or suggestions,
I would be pleased to hear from
you.
Frank
L Huband
Executive Director and Publisher
f.huband@asee.org
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