Engineering Opportunities in the 21st Century

In Engineering Opportunities in the 21st Century, you'll learn ...

• A review of 20th century engineering advancements and their impact on society
• Social issues that impact licensed engineers
• Six changes identified by the National Academy of Engineering to improve sustainability
• Major challenges that will impact engineering in the 21st century

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 1 PDH

Length: 16 pages

In the last century, engineering was prominent in the development of products and systems that created benefits and resulted in significant social changes. Engineers developed electrical generation equipment, automobiles, airplanes, highways, dams, and bridges, as well as health, petrochemical, and nuclear technologies. The number of engineers increased substantially over the century. Towards the end of the century, there were major economic and social changes that impacted engineers and their practices.

This course is designed for engineers who desire to learn more about the engineering achievements of the last century and about challenges and opportunities in the next century. The course provides a short history of modern engineering, the greatest achievements in the last century, changes in the economy that affect engineering, challenges for the next century, and how those challenges will influence engineering opportunities in the future. Content is drawn from the findings of National Academy of Engineering reports and other studies.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• Short history of modern engineering
• Greatest achievements of engineering in the twentieth century
• Changes in the economy that affect engineering
• The main obstacles for the widespread adoption of solar energy as a renewable energy source
• The benefits and fundamental challenges of thermal nuclear fusion
• What is carbon sequestration and how it is being used to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere
• Why managing the nitrogen cycle is essential to sustain food production without further increasing global warming
• Techniques for improving accessibility to clean water
• Engineering better medicines to provide more personalized and targeted care through techniques like DNA mapping
• Benefits derived from reverse engineering the brain
• Engineering disciplines that will most benefit from future challenges and opportunities

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 12 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.