We live in a society driven by technology. People in such a society need to understand technology and how it affects their everyday lives. At a very basic level, Bill Hammack, associate professor of engineering at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) says, "You want voters that make informed decisions on technical issues." It's equally-if not more-important for our future policy makers to be technologically literate.
On the job and national security front Bob Gardner, associate editor of Prism (American Society for Engineering Education, Washington), points out that much of the engineering work at defense and aerospace companies requires security clearances that only U.S. citizens can obtain. Therefore, those companies are vitally interested in getting more U.S. citizens into engineering. But, not only is enrollment in engineering declining, 17 percent of students at public 4-year colleges currently take remedial math courses before beginning work on their degrees. So, one might ask, how well are students in the United States being prepared for taking their places in a society driven by technology?