After successfully completing its second launch into space, China has once again demonstrated its position as a world power by showing how its engineering educational system has paid off. More so than in the United States, a unique public consensus for investing heavily in engineering education already exists in China. Grounded in a culture that celebrates craftsmanship, the engineering profession enjoys strong patronage from the state. China has successfully retailed the idea that the very act of choosing an engineering or other scientific career is an expression of patriotism, potent incentive in a country where nationalism is as much a part of growing up as dozing through ideology sessions and mastering the brush strokes needed to be literate in a written language running to thousands of letters. “Government has promoted the notion of using science and technology to save China,” says Li Gong, 43, general manager for Sun Microsystems’ China Engineering & Research Institute. Learn more about China’s engineering schools in PRISM, ASEE’s award-winning magazine.
China’s success comes in making engineering a prominent and relevant topic among their younger generations. The US should follow suit, and indeed, in some parts of the country, engineering is being introduced as a science requirement in high school curriculums. The more students know about engineering, and the sooner they know it, the more likely they are to form positive opinions about taking it up as a career.