"Our economy, national security, and quality of life depend on engineers, so it is disturbing to see how few Americans, particularly young people, understand the importance and excitement of engineering."
– Chuck Vest, President, NAE
"Adoption of the messaging from Changing the Conversation has had a dramatic impact on our engineering college’s ability to attract more diverse students, particularly women and minorities."
– Jackie Sullivan, Associate Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado
"This new blueprint puts ideas into action. Just as engineering helps shape the future, this new platform will help engage young people and inspire them to pursue a career that can change the world."
– Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and CEO, DuPont
Greg Pearson said:
Obama Gets It
On Feb. 8, President Obama addressed a meeting of the Deans Council of the American Society for Engineering Education in Washington, D.C. “For every Steve Jobs, we need 10,000 engineers who maybe are working a little more quietly but nevertheless are able to create the kind of products and services that improve people’s lives and ...read more
This brochure for prospective students starts with the tag line “Because Dreams Need Doing” on the cover and says "engineers apply their creativity... and design solutions that make our lives better"
I’m Chuck Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering. I’m pleased to welcome you to the website of an ambitious project. We call it "Changing the Conversation."
In the 21st century, our nation should have a vibrant economy, a healthy and secure populace, and a high standard of living.
To meet this goal we must increase the quantity, quality, and diversity of our engineering workforce. To achieve that, we need to change the way people perceive and talk about engineering.
We have developed this site to help the engineering community communicate more effectively about engineering. We particularly hope industry, engineering societies, professional associations, and federal agencies will benefit from using this tool.
On this site you will see engineering messages and taglines that have been shown to resonate with young people and adults. You will see examples of how people are using these messages. And you will have the opportunity to create a personal profile and interact with your peers.
So please look around and explore the site. Contribute to it. Learn from others. Engage in dialogue. Take away some great ideas for your own messaging efforts.
Together, we can change the conversation and inspire young people to make a world of difference.