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2023 National Academy of Engineering Annual Meeting

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Details
October
01
2023
to
October
02
2023
July 02, 2024 AT 08:01 AM
2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC
Schedule
Saturday, Sep 30, 2023
Sunday, Oct 01, 2023
Monday, Oct 02, 2023
Speakers
  • Arun Majumdar
    Arun Majumdar
    Stanford University

    Arun Majumdar is the Jay Precourt Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Energy Science and Engineering and a senior fellow and the former director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. He is also a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (by courtesy) and in the Department of Photon Science at SLAC. He served in ...

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  • Alex "Sandy" Pentland
    Alex "Sandy" Pentland

    Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland directs MIT Connection Science, an MIT-wide initiative, and previously helped create and direct the MIT Media Lab. He is a member of advisory boards for the UN Secretary General, the UN Foundation, Consumers Union, the OECD, and formerly the American Bar Association, Google, AT&T, and Nissan. Professor ...

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  • David Allen
    David Allen
    University of Texas at Austin

    David Allen is the author of seven books and more than 300 papers, primarily in the areas of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, the engineering of sustainable systems, and the development of materials for environmental and engineering education. He served on a variety of governmental advisory panels and, from 2012 to 2015, chaired ...

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  • John L. Anderson
    John L. Anderson
    Vice Chair, National Research Council

    John L. Anderson began his six-year term as president of the National Academy of Engineering July 1, 2019. Previously, he was president of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and distinguished professor of chemical engineering (2007–15), and provost and executive vice president at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) ...

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  • Donald C. Winter
    Donald C. Winter
    National Academy of Engineering

    Donald C. Winter, NAE chair (2020–24), is an independent consultant supporting national and international security interests in the US and allied nations. He served as the 74th Secretary of the Navy from January 2006 to March 2009. As Secretary of the Navy, he led America’s Navy and Marine Corps Team and was responsible for an ...

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At-a-Glance

 

*** Engineering the Future for Sustainability ***

2023 NAE Annual Meeting
October 1-2,  Washington DC.

The NAE’s commitment to sustainability—and the importance of it—has never been stronger. Our efforts focus on protecting the environment, empowering people, and finding solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges. Through responsible, effective and efficient engineering, engineers are changing the world.

“Sustainability is living on nature’s income rather than living on its capital.”

~ Murray Gell-Mann

The NAE Annual Meeting has an established tradition of convening engineers, researchers, and technical experts to discuss timely issues, current developments and future trends in engineering which impact our world.

This year’s focus on “Engineering the Future for Sustainability” is a timely topic that impacts our nation and the world.  

 
 

Annual Meeting Highlights

New Member Inductions
Opening remarks from NAE Chair Donald C. Winter, followed by President John L. Anderson's address. The NAE Executive Officer Alton D. Romig, Jr. will then introduce the Members and International Members for induction of the Class of 2023.

Special Lecture in Engineering & Society
The fourth annual Special Lecture in Engineering and Society will feature NAE Member Sandy Pentland.

Celebration of Life:  NAE President William A. “Bill” Wulf, NAE President 1996-2007
Bill is remembered and revered for his service as NAE president, as well as for his many accomplishments in engineering and engineering leadership.

Plenary Session
NAE Member Arun Majumdar will kick off sustainability discussions by providing a comprehensive overview.

Awards Celebration
Recipients of the Simon Ramo Founders Award and Arthur M. Bueche Award will be recognized, and the new George and Virginia Bugliarello NAE International Secretary will be installed.

Technical Forum—Engineering the Future for Sustainability: Measuring and Communicating Our Progress
This year’s forum will feature a lineup of energy experts with diverse views including Arun Majumdar (NAE), Stanford University, David Allen (NAE), University of Texas, Sarah Kapnick, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Erkan Erdem, KPMG. Renown television personality and founder/CEO of Future Engineers, Deanne Bell, will moderate the panel.

2023 NAE Annual Meeting Technical Forum
​Engineering the Future for Sustainability: Measuring and Communicating Our Progress

Sustainability connotes different things to different individuals. To engineers, sustainability may best be captured in the United Nations 17 Sustainability Goals. More challenging than defining sustainability is measuring our progress towards a sustainable future. To borrow from Murray Gell-Mann’s analogy (above), how do we know whether we are spending our income or capital? How do we even keep track of nature’s income?

As a broad concept, “sustainability” demands a better definition. As a societal goal, it also requires measurement. Measurements are critical to society’s acceptance of the fact that we are making progress. Measurements also assist us in determining whether we are spending nature’s income or capital. What are the best measurements to use to assess progress towards sustainability? How do we best measure the cradle-to-grave impacts of sustainable technologies? Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is one broadly used methodology. What are some of the others? Can we develop better tools or metrics for charting progress towards sustainability?

Even if we are able to agree on the methodologies and metrics useful in measuring progress towards sustainability, how do we convince ourselves that the data are meaningful? 

The 2023 NAE Annual Meeting Technical Forum will focus on the topic of sustainability, how we measure it, and how to gain society’s buy-in of what constitutes progress in moving towards a sustainable future for our planet. Panelists will include members of our engineering and scientific communities who are authorities on sustainability, tools for measuring sustainability, and social acceptance.

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