Taken from Today's EngineerMagazine
by Pender M. McCarter, APR, associate communications director, IEEE-USA
In August 1997, Norman R. Augustine retired as CEO of Lockheed Martin (but continues as COB). Now, at age 63, he is a member of the faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, his alma mater. In the past, he has served as under secretary of the Army and chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Future of the US Space Program. He has chaired the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the IEEE. He has also served as president of the Boy Scouts of America and is currently chair of the American Red Cross.
This interview, presented in part here, was conducted by Today's Engineer magazine and will appear in its Summer issue later this month. For subscription information, contact 800-678-4333 or see www.todaysengineer.org for the complete interview and a free offer.
TE: How did you get into the field?
NA: It was somewhat by accident. . . . I had. . . an adviser in our high school in Denver, Colorado. And he had asked what I wanted to do when I got out of high school. I said I wanted to be a forest ranger. And he indicated that that was the wrong answer, and said that I should go to college at either Princeton or Williams. And, so, he gave me an application, and I wound up at Princeton. I discovered they didn't teach forestry - much to my chagrin. And they said the closest thing they had was geological engineering. So I started out in geological engineering. I met a friend on a train one night who was an aeronautical engineering student. He said that was what I should study, so I became an aeronautical engineer. And [it was] not well planned, but it worked out.
TE: What have been some of the most satisfying moments in your career?
NA: Well, there have been so many. Some that just had to do with the field of engineering, and I didn't have much to do with. And others. . .I was more directly involved in.
I think one of the most satisfying things has been the creation of Lockheed Martin and the way it's come together as a team of people that seemed to work well together and seemed to enjoy working together. That's been very rewarding. And Dan Tellep [who was the Lockheed CEO] and others deserve a lot of the credit for all that.
Other rewarding things, I think, would have to be some of the technical achievements that took place during this period of time when you put people on the moon and robots on Mars, and built some incredible airplanes, and so on.
And I guess another satisfying moment would certainly have to be the present time when at the young age of 62, I'm starting a totally new career and it's not everybody that gets to do that. It was something I always wanted to do and I feel very fortunate.
TE: That's a nice lead-in to engineer education. I would like to ask you about the preparation of kids in math and science, and what skills you feel the students you have now at Princeton need to succeed in engineering.
NA: The students I'm teaching really are remarkable. They're very much more exposed to the world than I was at their age. Part of it is travel and the Internet and communications being what they are today.
Generally speaking they're very well prepared in their own discipline. And also in the fundamentals, math or literature. If I broaden from the students I'm teaching, just to the general group of graduates in college today, I would say the principal shortcoming of the engineering students is a lack of breadth in terms of their ability to communicate in writing, verbally, [and] their lack of background in public policy issues, political science issues, those things that affect engineering. Just as the laws of physics affect engineering, so, too, do the laws of the land. And engineers and scientists. . .have generally been relatively inept at dealing with those things.
Turning to the liberal arts students who graduate today, I would say the principal shortcoming I see. . . is. . . they're entering a world that's increasingly influenced by technology, in fact, almost dominated by technology in many respects. And most liberal arts students aren't equipped to deal with that. I'm not suggesting they need to be rocket scientists. But it would be nice if they had some understanding of what could be done with science and technology, and what can't be done.
TE: How are you helping liberal arts students bridge this gap?
NA: From my own role, I would say there are two things I've been trying to do. One is to speak out a lot. And write a fair amount, articles in Science and Augustine's Travels, . . . [in which] I talk a lot about the need for students in the liberal arts to build a working familiarity with science and technology. That was one of my motivations for leaving industry and going into academia. In fact, a course I teach deals exactly with the subject of helping liberal arts students understand science and technology and helping science and technology students understand the other issues affecting what they can or perhaps, won't be able to do.
In fact, my course is tailored so half of the students are liberal arts students and half are engineers, all in the same classroom. They do team projects together and they soon learn that projects are designed so that they can't solve them by themselves. ...[T]here will be one part where you need an engineering background. There'll be one part that you need economics background. There'll be one part that you have to deal with social and ethical issues. And they soon discover that a little group with all these different backgrounds is much more successful than a group of five engineers or five economists.
TE: What can engineers do to overcome their deficit in written communications?
NA: I asked our human resources department to run a survey of the first line supervisors of the new engineers we hired in the last few years, and asked about their strengths and weaknesses. The predominant weakness was the ability to communicate....
There's sort of an assumption among engineers and scientists that others should know what it is they mean - not necessarily what they say. It's up to the listener to figure it out. I don't view it that way. I think it's up to the transmitter to be sure that the message is transmitted properly and received. I've seen in my career so many engineers do a beautiful piece of work and make it sound like garbage when they write it up. And today when you have to compete for research grants, when you have to compete for programs through proposals, that's a fatal weakness.
Frankly, that is a very real dilemma. I recently was asked by some friends who happened to be scientists to assist them in obtaining federal support for what is really a very exciting scientific piece of work they're pursuing. I asked them to send me a page that I could pass around on Capitol Hill. And I must confess that with my technical background, I couldn't understand one-tenth of it. And I had emphasized to them that this has to be something that people who are not engineers, people who are lawyers, or smart people, but not scientifically trained could understand.
TE: How can engineers become as adept in dealing with societal and political forces as they are with gravitational and EM forces, as you wrote in Augustine's Laws?
NA: I think that engineers' ability to deal with matters of the type you mention stems from a personal interest or developing a personal interest and; secondly, just from getting out and getting involved.
And if engineers decide they want . . . [to stay] in their laboratories, they probably won't ever be very good at this kind of thing. You learn by doing, and you get involved in your company or your university. . .in some of these broader issues; or in the various engineering professional groups. I think it's important that engineers get involved in their professional societies - not only for a self growth, but I think they owe it to the profession.
TE: A last question about the profession in general: what can we do to make it less like a "stealth profession," dominated by Dilberts?
NA: Engineering has always had the habit of hiding its light under a bushel. When you think of the many challenges in society today or the many accomplishments of the past that depend on science and technology, perhaps even most people in America wouldn't have their jobs today if it weren't for science and technology and the developments it's produced. Furthermore, most people in America today wouldn't be alive because of the change in life expectancy that has come about in good part due to developments in science and technology, whether it be medicine or the provision of food or what have you.
I think that there is a whole series of things that is needed to convey the impact of engineering. One is that engineers have to learn to speak out. Secondly, we live in a world where those who do most of the communicating to the public fall under the group that doesn't have much technical training. I speak of reporters and newscasters.
And, hopefully, the things I spoke of earlier will cause reporters and newscasters to be not only more in-depth but more interested in conveying technical accomplishments. But the engineer should get out in front and tell the story, not in a prideful manner but in a very factual manner. They owe it to society.
TE: Do we need our own television show such as LA Law?
NA: I think that'd be a great idea. People joke about Dilbert, but I think Dilbert's great. He draws attention; he makes important points. I had the privilege of appearing in a video with Dilbert and Dogbert and the marquee listed in order: Dilbert, Dogbert and Norm Augustine. Not only was I second fiddle to a dog, but he was an ethically challenged dog!
NBC NEWS/MSNBC, June 13, 1998
IN THIS BOOMING American economy, graduation season is a great time to be young and in the job market. In fact, you don't even need to graduate to start a hot career. "I won't be looking for a job," says Cindy Yu, a college freshman. "They'll be coming after me when I graduate. Ms. Yu is already working part-time in the high-tech corridor in Richardson, TX, near Dallas, where dozens of telecommunications firms are eagerly recruiting students. Jack Walters, of MCI (Ms. Yu's employer) says the job market here in Richardson is hot. They could increase three-fold the engineers they're graduating in the local area and the marketplace would pick them up.
Harris Miller, a computer industry lobbyist for the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), says there is a dramatic shortage nationwide. "There are 350,000 openings for these high tech workers today," he says. "Every Sunday the newspaper is filled with dozens of columns of help wanted ads."
But appearances may be deceiving. "Employers say they're desperate but look at the facts," says Norman Matloff, who teaches computer science at the University of California Davis. "They hire only 2% of their applicants whether they're a large company or a small one. Does that sound desperate to you? Of course not." A new report from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the largest association of high tech engineers, says that "the pool of available talent should be sufficient for years to come." So which is it? Shortage or surplus?
High-tech types who have passed the ripe old age of 40 say it's a matter of your age - and your wage. Take Ted Sumner, 47 [and member of the FW Section], who took a voluntary buyout after 20 years. He had risen through the ranks at Motorola because he heard the market was hot. "I started looking in October and, gee, this is June. The job market ain't hot for me," he says. "And don't let anyone tell you that it is." Sumner has nine patents to his name and a family to support. He finally got his first job offer this week, for slightly less than he was making before.
How bad is the problem for people Sumner's age? "I don't see people in Silicon Valley or route 128 in Boston walking the streets saying 'will program for food because I'm an older worker,'" says the ITAA's Miller. Maybe not, but is it possible that the industry is pretending there is a labor shortage to keep wages down and profits up? Bob Lerman, labor economist at American University, says it is possible. "Between 1988 and 1997, there was a rapid rise in employment but no rapid rise in salaries," says Lerman. "It means there was no shortage. They were able to hire enough people." This means that computer programmers and systems analysts have surprisingly short careers.
Indeed, within 20 years of graduation, more than four in five end up doing something else. To fill the ranks, lobbyists for the high-tech industry are pushing Congress to nearly double the number of special visas already granted to a quarter of a million high-tech workers from overseas. Some of them have hard-to-find skills; but most don't. "The main thing is to depress the wages of the rest of the people," says Kumar Babu, who runs a software company. Babu is a naturalized citizen, but thinks the foreign nationals are mostly brought in because they work cheaply. "Paying them $20,000 for two years is an extremely good deal for them," says Babu. "If you got somebody from here it would probably cost you $100,000 for two years."
Even in the computer age, labor is still the most important business ingredient: "If we don't have enough skilled people it's like running out of iron ore in the industrial revolution," says Miller. "If they went to Congress and said, 'you know there's a shortage of cheap labor and here's what we want' at least they'd be honest. But they're not being honest," says Matloff. "They're saying there's a shortage of labor - period - in this field, and that's wrong." College kids see the high-tech boom and are majoring in computer sciences at double the rate of just three years ago. They represent another surge of workers with rosy prospects in high-tech America - at least for now.
Young, entrepreneurial enterprise is seeking enterprising individuals for challenging leadership positions. No prior experience is required. Salary is immeasurable and benefits unlimited. You define the job, we provide the resources. Contact Alan Triggs, 972-583-3107, a.triggs@ieee.org.
People who know me quite often ask that question. And, there's no simple answer. Meeting the challenge is one of the first things that comes to mind. The chance to be a part of projects that stretch my limits and challenge my abilities. An opportunity to hone my leadership skills - to see a project through from concept to execution and feel the indescribable satisfaction that accompanies a successful conclusion and know that a large part of that success is due to my efforts. The outstanding contacts I have made with people from around the nation and around the world - leaders in their fields. And, there is even a altruistic motivation included - I like it when people come up and say "thanks."
Another thing people who know me say is "well I'm glad you're doing it" and the unspoken conclusion is "so I don't have to." Have you figured out yet that I'm talking about volunteering?
I asked a couple of our other exemplary volunteers (who, by the way, responded to past newsletter articles calling for volunteers) what they get in return for the time they put in. Here is part of what they told me:
"I had been an IEEE member for five years, just receiving the newsletters and magazines. When I saw the request in the newsletter for the email liaison position, I decided that I could give it a try. . . Since that time, I have participated in more activities, both in the local section and at the region level. For me, it is a chance to help others, maybe repaying some of those that helped me along the way. [Then]. . . maybe in turn they'll continue the cycle on." - Jeff Carrell
"As a consultant, I recognize the value of networking. However, I think that is just part of it. . . IEEE involvement is a chance to give back to the system, extend my outreach to others in my profession, fine tune my skills through association with peers, broaden my knowledge base, share my experiences with others, learn from the experiences of others, and form associations with a very high caliber of professional individuals. Through my volunteer effort, I have seen a number of worthwhile projects achieve reality that would not have been possible on my own. The collective good that can come out of individual efforts has been truly well worth the time and energy." - Bob Krause
So, pull out an old newsletter and flip over to page 2 or go to the Section web page and take a look at the titles and positions. Anything pique your interest? Or, maybe there's something not there that you've always wanted to do? Or, perhaps there's an area that's really messed up and you're just itching to show us how to do it right? Give Alan a call.
FREE OFFER FOR TODAY'S ENGINEER - Today's Engineer magazine has unveiled an electronic version and a package of new offers designed to make the publication more accessible to IEEE members around the world. The magazine's first two quarterly issues are now on-line and are being offered free to any member who completes a short registration form on the site at www.todaysengineer.org. In addition to the two free issues, members who visit the Web site can elect to receive the remaining issues this year at half price.
HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY - This year, IEEE-USA celebrates 25 years of service to the electrical, electronics and computer engineering profession in the United States. Today, IEEE-USA promotes the career and public-policy interests of 220,000 US IEEE members. For more on the history of professional activities and a chance to win prizes, check out www.ieeeusa.org/usab/ANNIVERSARY.
WANTED: TELECOM EXPERT FOR SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT - IEEE-USA is looking for a qualified US member to spend a year in Washington as a technical advisor to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its Office of Policy and Plans. The fellow will help the nation's telecom regulators understand how new, advanced and alternative telecommunications network architectures and technologies could affect telecommunications policy. The deadline for receipt of completed applications is Oct. 2, 1998. Consult the Government Fellowships page at www.ieeeusa.org/usab/FORUM/GOVFEL/ for more details, or contact Chris Brantley at 202-785-0017, or c.brantley@ieee.org.
IEEE-USA SORTS COPYRIGHTS FROM COPY 'WRONGS' IN HOUSE BILL - In two letters to House Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Thomas Bliley, IEEE-USA recommended improvements to the World Intellectual Property Organization Treaties Implementation Act (H.R. 2281). In the first, IEEE-USA urged the Committee "to adopt legislative language that will provide some recourse" to web developers wrongly accused of copyright infringement. In the second, IEEE-USA singled out the bill's Section 1201, "Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems," as having several negative impacts on engineers. Section 1201 will inhibit research and testing in the area of encryption and impede "legal" copying or legal forms of reverse engineering of computer programs. IEEE-USA recommended replacing the provisions with language that does not punish those who decrypt for purposes of research and testing.
WHAT IS A GRADUATE DEGREE WORTH? - IEEE-USA's Workforce Committee recently released figures showing the 1998 average beginning salary offers for engineers and computer scientists (based on annual surveys by National Association of Colleges and Employers). Master's degree candidates in Electrical and electronics engineering, $49,792; Computer science, $47,270. Doctoral degree candidates in Electrical and electronics engineering, $69,750.
CLINTON PLANS PROPOSAL TO BOOST ALTERNATIVE POWER INDUSTRY - Energy Secretary Federico Pena said on Monday the Clinton administration will propose a measure this summer requiring US utilities to generate 5.5% of all electricity from renewable resources by 2010. He said the proposal, which would need approval by Congress, would be good for the environment and would boost the alternative power industry. At present renewable resources provide just over 2% of US electricity.
US PATENT AND TRADEMARK ARCHIVES TO BE ACCESSIBLE ON THE WEB - On June 25, the Clinton Administration announced that it will make available over 20 million pages of patent and trademark information free on the Internet as part of its initiative to make government more efficient and more responsive to the public. Trademark text will be available in August, with trademark images and patent text to follow in November. Consult the following Web sites: The Patent and Trademark Office, www.uspto.gov/, and the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Commerce, www.doc.gov/opa/.
BEST PRACTICES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION - The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released an on-line summary report of its Engineering Education Innovators Conference, held April 6-7, 1997. The conference brought together different NSF constituencies to discuss innovative interdisciplinary approaches to engineering education reform, including best practices and successful case studies. The report is available at www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf9892/start.htm.
"THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS - A Business Leader's Guide to Supporting Math & Science Achievement" offers strategies for how businesses can work with schools to improve math & science achievement. The guide was developed by the business community, led by the National Alliance of Business, the Business Roundtable, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the Dept. of Education. The full document is available at the Business Coalition for Education Reform website, www.bcer.org/timss.
SLOAN CDS HELP STUDENTS MAKE CHOICES IN MATH & SCIENCE CAREERS - The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has announced the development of the Sloan Career Cornerstone Series (SCCS). The series includes nine CD-ROMs, videos and web sites that describe some of the diverse career paths open to engineers, mathematicians, and physical scientists. The series will be ready to ship at year end. SCCS is a unique collaborative effort of eleven engineering, mathematics, and physical science professional societies sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, including IEEE. For more information, visit www.careercornerstone.org, e-mail sccsinfo@ aol.com or call toll free 877-SCCS- INFO.
MEMBERS TO ELECT VICE PRESIDENT - TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES - Beginning with the 1998 annual election, all voting Members of the IEEE are eligible to vote to elect the IEEE Vice President, Technical Activities. The Vice President-Technical Activities (VP-TA) sits on the IEEE Board of Directors and IEEE Executive Committee, and serves as Chair of the IEEE Technical Activities Board which facilitates the activities of the 37 IEEE Societies and Technical Council. The 1998 annual election ballot will actually carry the slate for election of the 1999 VP-TA and the slate for election of 1999 Vice President-Elect. In future years, the election will be only for Vice President-Elect. Information on the candidates may be found in The Institute and at www.ieee.org/candidates.html.
IEEE AND ABET SEEK PROGRAM EVALUATORS - The IEEE Educational Activities Board is now accepting applications for program evaluators to assess the quality of engineering and engineering technology programs at US colleges and universities. The application deadline is October 30, 1998. Selected applicants attend a one-day training session, sponsored by the IEEE, that explains the IEEE/ABET accreditation process. Following training, evaluators are prepared to assist with program evaluations that take place each fall and generally run for two to three days. Contact the Accreditation Administrator, 732-562-5484; accreditation@ieee.org or see www.ieee.org/eab/accredit/accredit.html.
Jean Eason, Editor