Where will we find the next generation of ...(ct of Columbia decreased between 1986 an...)

The space race was won in no small part through the engineering prowess of young students who were emboldened by the launch of Sputnik. says Schuckman. While there is no definitive Sputnik moment today, the competitiveness challenge that nations such as China, India, and others pose to the U.S. is as real a threat to our way of life today as Sputnik was 50 years ago.

Sam Palmisano, President and CEO of the IBM Corporation and Honorary Co-Chair of the 2008 National Engineers Week, summed up the challenge: We need to recruit engineers from a broad cross-section of society, and this means reaching out to populations that are underrepresented in the engineering professions. Only 11 percent in the United States today are women, 3 percent Blacks and 4 percent Hispanics. These statistics reveal a large reservoir of potential engineers that is not being fully tapped. I encourage you to use the E-Week 2008 campaign to inspire the next generation of engineers, reaching out to a diverse cross section of youngsters, independent of gender, ethnicity, or physical disability. And finally, lets engage the general public to see, touch and embrace engineering, the source of so much of the prosperity, growth and hope that are reaching more and more people around the globe.

'/>"/>