May 2007 Mechanical Engineering: Editorial

editorial

engineering food chain

By
John G. Falcioni,
Editor-in-Chief

A funny thing happened to us at the top of the engineering food chain: The rest of the world caught up.

Parts of Europe, notably Germany, have always shared top honors. Some will agree that Japan is up there too. Now China and India, also-rans for years, will have us believe that they may be ready to vie for a leadership role—and the U.S. may be responsible.

As in many things, perceptions matter. In the case of China, there's a whole lot of hoopla, but it is based on some hard realities.

A new study from Duke University (cited by Associate Editor Alan Brown in his article, "Brain Drain," in this issue) shows that the United States has remained competitive with China and India in the number of engineers it graduates every year, but many, who are foreign-born, return to their home countries after graduation, thus leaving a void in the engineering ranks of this country. What makes the situation even more serious is that, arguably, the education they receive in the U.S. is often superior to that which students may receive at home.

The Duke study shows that in 2003-2004, the United States awarded 137,437 undergraduate degrees in engineering, computer science, and information technology. This compares with 139,000 in India and 361,270 in China. The numbers would have us believe that more students in China and India are graduating as engineers than in the U.S. But yet another study by Duke, two years ago, showed that these recent grads included mechanics and technicians, and others receiving associate degrees, and thus are far less qualified than the engineers graduating from U.S. universities.

The push to emphasize science and technology education in grades K-12 in the United States—including the significant efforts of ASME—is aimed at introducing kids, especially those in elementary and middle schools, to the excitement and "coolness" factor of technology. One of the most publicized efforts is the FIRST program, which held its national competition in Atlanta last month. The hope is that the interest will grow and those with inquiring minds will consider engineering careers.

Of course, just because its prowess may be overstated does not rule China out of the engineering field. Duke's findings suggest that not all of China's graduating "engineers" may be of the highest ilk, but there's evidence that proficiency is not entirely lacking. One example comes in the form of an interesting twist. General Motors, long a leading American brand boasting American workers and American designers, has sent its American versions of cars around the world, but may now be, ironically, relying on a Chinese redesign team to grow its Buick LaCrosse line.

An article in last month's issue of Fast Company magazine says that the American automaker, with 50 percent of its sales now coming from outside the United States—and the Chinese market growing fastest of all—is allowing a Chinese creative team to lead its LaCrosse strategy in China, where the redesigned model has become hip and popular. A new LaCrosse for the North American market is said to be going into production in 2008 or 2009, and while the magazine reports that GM isn't saying what the new model will look like, it may reflect ideas of the Chinese design team.

As outsourcing has become common among U.S. manufacturers, most Americans have been at ease with the notion that true innovation is an American competitive advantage that keeps us ahead of the world. But what if the rest of the world has caught up?