Investment in engineering education

Seattle Times (March 3) -- In an op-ed, Michael B. Bragg, the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering at University of Washington, writes that though the number of students graduating from high school with a strong interest in the STEM fields is on the rise, “we don’t have the capacity in our universities to provide these students with the education required to qualify for a bow wave of engineering jobs.” Bragg, an Illinois alumnus (BS 1977, Aerospace Engineering) and former professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Illinois, that colleges in Washington state have been “working together for several years to solve this challenge and our progress has been good. But we need to do better.” He calls for increased investment in engineering education as a driver of economic progress in the state. Also: ASEE FirstBell (March 3).