"Public understanding of engineering and its underlying science will be important to support the calls for funding, as well as to enhance the prospect for successful adoption of new technologies."(Introduction to the Grand Challenges for Engineering)
Engineers have been working for centuries on improving the standard of human life and the quality of future living environment. Engineering is a profession that aims to benefit the public. Therefore, public understanding of engineering is an essential element for engineering profession. This article will look on the reasons for the importance of public understanding.
Firstly, with a good understanding of engineering, people will be more easily to accept new technologies and make an ample use of them. Through the ages, engineering’s products have become an important part of people’s daily life. For example, people live in the high-risen building, drive home, travel by airplane. In general, engineering’s products have met people’s basic needs for survival, including food, water, shelter, health, and communication. It is because public understanding of these technologies, these technologies can survive and thrive. Hence, Public acceptance and adoption of new technologies will motivate and promote the development of engineering.
Secondly, public understanding of engineering will be necessary for supporting the funding for engineering development. In order to meet all the grand challenges, to carry out projects, public funds are needed. For instance, when computer engineering first came out, few companies feel like investing on it. However, the use of computer became more and more widespread in the 20th century, people accept computer engineering very well. Nowadays a plenty of companies all over the world invest on computer engineering. Computer engineering has become one of the most prosperous industries in the world.
In brief, a good public understanding is very important to the engineering profession.
