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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 ard" inventor have been a prominent part of American folklore, interwoven with enthusiasm for exploration and development of the land and pride in American ingenuity. But in recent decades the American public has become less enamored of engineers and engineering. A duality of image has developed in which, on the one hand, the engineer is admired for his inventiveness, competence, and practicality; while on the other hand he is often viewed as a corporate "yes- man" of conservative views and little social conscience or consciousness. Mistrust of technology and dissatisfaction with its fruits have become significant new elements in American society. Engineers are seen as having lost their traditional aura of heroism and individuality, to have become anonymous team members, soldiers in the corporate army. This change in image has important implications for the practice of engineering. Perhaps the new image is exaggerated, but it is nonetheless true that exaggerated images can carry great weight in decision making today, particularly when those decisions are made partly on the basis of public attitudes and opinions. More generally, our trust or mistrust of governing institutions often seems to revolve around these matters. In a very real sense, our society's view of itself continues to be partly tied to its viewâwhether good or illâof technology and of our national talent for pursuing it. For these reasons, the panel focused much of its attention on the historical development of the engineering profession, believing that some understanding of the evolution of American engineering in the societal context is essential for understanding its current structure and status. Historical Development Engineering began in America with the building of forts, arsenals, and roads. Engineering for military purposes predominated, but the growing population greatly needed transportation systems, buildings, agricultural implements, public works such as sewer and water supply systems, and machine-made products of all kinds. The first engineers in the United States were European; they brought with them to America their European training and European technology. It was not until after the founding of West Point in 1802 that American-born engineers began to appear. As demand for engineering skills was slow to develop, engineering schools were slow to emerge: For almost the first half of the nineteenth century, only West Point and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduated American engineers. Civil engineering was the first engineering discipline to attain professional status in the United States. By mid-century, mechanical engi
