Download PDF Fall Bridge on Engineering a Diverse Future September 25, 2024 Volume 54 Issue 3 Guest edited by Wanda Sigur and Percy Pierre, this issue of The Bridge addresses the issues around sustaining a U.S. engineering workforce that builds on and integrates the talents and ideas of our diverse nation. The President's View The Power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Engineering Thursday, September 26, 2024 Author: John L. Anderson As a graduate student in 1968 at the University of Illinois, I volunteered to tutor minority undergraduate students who were enrolled in Project 500,[1] a pilot project to increase the diversity of the undergraduate student body. I was assigned five undergraduate students who were in their first year of science and engineering study. All five dropped out after one semester; they lacked the foundational knowledge in mathematics and the sciences needed to succeed in an engineering or science curriculum. It was later recognized that the planning for Project 500 lacked diverse input. It lacked the inclusion of diverse ideas, some of which might have slowed the process but would have increased the chances of success for these minority students. This example highlights the important relationship between diversity and inclusion in decision-making processes. The mission of the National Academy of Engineering is to advise the nation about matters of engineering and technology, and to advance the engineering profession. The US Census Bureau predicts that White males will comprise only 22% of the US population by the year 2060, and a smaller percentage of the college-age population.[2] We must attract and educate engineers from the remaining 80% of our citizens if we are to fulfill this mission.[3] To quote John Brooks Slaughter, “We must let opportunity meet talent.”[4] There is no easy fix to improving diversity within STEM fields. It is a systems problem, with the various elements depending on each other and with history and socioeconomics compounding the challenges. But we must move forward toward our goals for diversity and, very importantly, use diversity to improve our organizations. In any profession, the inclusion of minority populations in governance and decision-making will always be challenging because of the dynamics of human networking. As noted in a Rand analysis of promotions of flag officers in the military, “Ducks pick ducks.”[5] We must resist this instinctive behavior. This issue of The Bridge addresses DEI in the engineering profession and articulates why progress in all three areas is critical for the advancement of engineering and technology in the United States. The authors of the articles have made significant contributions to engineering and human resources as educators, practitioners, and researchers; they speak from experience as leaders in academia, business, and government. Throughout my career I have seen many positive changes in the composition of and leadership in the engineering workforce, due in great measure to attention paid to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am certain such progress will continue. We must be successful in this endeavor to maintain our strong position in technology and innovation. I am confident we will. [1] guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=348250&p= 2350891 [2] www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/ publicati ons/ 2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf [3] www.nae.edu/305234/Presidents-Perspective-The- Diversification-of-the-National-Academy-of-Engineering [4] www.nationalacademies.org/news/2020/10/we-must-let- opportunity-meet-talent [5] news.usni.org/2020/08/12/report-to-pentagon-on-culture- of-flag-general-officers-across-services About the Author:John L. Anderson (NAE), president, the National Academy of Engineering