1 Other Information:
Historically, engineering has been a largely monolithic profession dominated by white males. As representatives of the engineering
community and, especially as members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), we must ask whether this bodes well for
the future of the profession and the nation. Engineers and engineering have made essential contributions to the quality of
life in the United States, and the American public usually embraces technological advances, including advances in national
security that are developed for its benefit and the benefit of the nation. At the same time, however, the public is largely
unaware that these benefits are designed and produced by engineers. As an organization with the self-adopted mission of “promot[ing]
the technological welfare of the nation by marshaling the knowledge and insights of eminent members of the profession,” we
must recognize that the health, viability, and vitality of the engineering workforce are crucial to the continued success
of our profession and our nation. A profession that exists to promote human well-being must be inclusive. There is a moral
and social cost to the profession, and to the nation, when U.S. citizens do not have equal access to the opportunities and
rewards that follow from an engineering education because of their gender, socioeconomic status or ethnic origin. An engineering
education can open doors to career life-long professional growth and challenges, leadership opportunities, and material rewards
in service to society. The many causes of the engineering “diversity gap” are complex, and interrelated; they involve an entire
system of economic, cultural, social, political, and historical factors that are manifested in families, communities, K–12
schools, institutions of higher education, and businesses across the country. In fact, addressing these complex problems requires
the active involvement of organizations such as NAE whose members are leaders in the engineering community.
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