Global Technology: Changes and Implications

But what does the word global in the phrase global technology mean? Does it mean finding a way to feed, clothe, house, and otherwise serve the 9 billion people who will soon live on the planet? Does it mean competing with companies around the world to build and sell products and services? On a more immediate and practical level, can the rise of global technology be expected to create or destroy U.S. jobs? The National Academy of Engineering held a three-hour forum exploring these and related questions.

In the first half each panelist explored a specific dimension of the global spread of technology. The topics varied widely–from reducing poverty to the impact of young people on technology to the need for systems thinking in engineering. But all seven presenters foresaw a world in which engineering will be fundamentally different from what it has been.
In the second half the panelists discussed a variety of issues raised by moderator Charles Vest and by forum attendees.

Contents
1 Perspectives on Global Technology
Engineering for the Other 90 Percent
Global Expansion of the Research Workforce
The Global Youth Movement in Technology
The One Laptop per Child Revolution
The Coming Era of Systems Thinking
Erasing the Boundaries of Space and Time
Becoming a Global Leader
2 Charting a Path into the Future
Strategies for Innovation
Avenues of Communication
Integrating Social and Technological Systems
Bandwidth as a Factor in Competition
Changing the Nature of Engineering
Women in Engineering
The Global Engineer
APPENDIXES
A Forum Agenda
B Panelists’ Biographies