A Grand Challenge Indeed
So the National Academy of Engineering announced 14 goals for a better 21st century. Here’s what I think (yes they asked).
Yay!
- Make solar energy affordable
This is on the cusp. See here and here, and maybe here, here and here. Of course, reduced demand is the other half of this equation, and reduced demand (demand for stuff), overall, will go a long way toward solving half of these challenges.
- Provide access to clean water
The technology is available: the last mile challenge of infrastructure (civil engineering on a budget plus people generally behaving) is the trick. Luckily the NSF is starting to give out money for this kind of stuff.
- Restore and improve urban infrastructure
See above.
- Engineer better medicines
Hell yes. Jay Keasling is my hero.
- Advance health informatics
Certainly doable. Again, an infrastructure and people behaving issue, but I think this is a lower apple than the clear water, or the infrastructure, mostly because bits are free.
- Manage the nitrogen cycle
Capturing gas is hard. That said, the operative words here are manage and cycle. Multi-pronged, lateral containment is key. Kennan like a mofo.
- Reverse-engineer the brain
I was on the fence about this one, but this would, in addition to making it easier to sell Coca Cola, help us understand violence, greed and apathy. Sign me up.
And then it got silly
- Provide energy from fusion
Didn’t you people see Chain Reaction?
This also makes fission not seem like a tenable solution, when it is, right now, the best we have. My fear is that searching for fusion will prevent people from solving the (IMHO tractable) last miles problems associated with fission. There are only so many people that understand this shit, and Nuclear Engineerign funding is already paltry.
- Develop carbon sequestration methods
This, again IMHO, just encourages bad behavior. What poor town will be the next Staten Island?
- Prevent nuclear terror
We’re engineers, not Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor.
- Secure cyberspace
The internet is insecure because of people, not because of computers. Right? Help?
- Enhance virtual reality
Really? Really? In the top 14? Did Larry Page just watch the Lawnmower Man before the vote? W. T. F. I’ll take my potatoes fried and my copulation authentic, thanks.
- Advance personalized learning
With technology? How bout paying teachers more? Forget OLPC, how about 1 teacher per ten children first.
- Engineer the tools for scientific discovery
What the hell does this mean? I haven’t got a clue. That’s like building a computer to tell you the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Given that I’m trying awfully hard to stay in the good graces of these folks, I’m glad there are at least 7 problems we’re both interested that I can try to work on.