The engineer of 2020 as of 2020

Abstract

Has the Engineer of 2020 materialized as expected? Has the education of that engineer met the predictions established fifteen years ago? If so, how and what lessons can be learned moving forward? This paper will present a critical review of the current realities of the state of engineering practice in the year 2020, based on where we expected to be when the National Academies published The Engineer of 2020 in 2004. How well did this visionary report predict the future? What aspects of the document are in fact reality, which continue to show potential, and which did not materialize as envisioned? At the time of publication, the document was prepared by an impressive collection of educators and practitioners. It was widely cited and deemed inspirational, aspirational, and paradigm-changing. The Engineer of 2020 focused on envisioning the future and predicting the roles engineers would play in that future. It included a list of attributes that were expected to be desired in the engineers as of the year 2020. This paper presents an evaluation through the lens of civil engineering practice and civil engineering education. In addition to the National Academies' report, this paper considers more recent profession-shaping publications to include the American Society of Civil Engineer's (ASCE's) Body of Knowledge, 3rd Edition. This paper only presents the views, opinions, and experiences of the authors, a practitioner and an educator. Formal assessment is not incorporated as part of this exploratory analysis methodology. It is anticipated that this paper will be of interest to both civil engineering practitioners and educators as they consider the state of the practice.