Yale’s faculty of engineering will convene a forum May 3 of leaders from government, industry and academia to explore “Challenges to Innovation in the 21st Century.”
The forum to be held in Davies Auditorium (enter through 10 Hillhouse Avenue), is part of Yale Engineering’s Sesquicentennial celebration. Among the speakers will be John H. Marburger, Presidential Science Advisor; William A. Wulf, President of the National Academy of Engineering; Vernon J. Ehlers, Congressman and Member of the Committee on Science in the United States House of Representatives; and Henry B. Schacht, Chairman of Lucent Technologies.
“This forum will examine a variety of technical and societal issues that challenge the continued health of our nation’s highly successful innovation engine,” said Paul Fleury, dean of engineering at Yale.
Led by keynote speaker Richard C. Levin, President of Yale, speakers and panelists will address the forum from their perspectives on such issues as the trends in globalization, competition, the mobility and availability of capital and talent, workforce demographics, federal and industrial support for research and development, and government policies relating to investment credits, liability and intellectual property.
“The forum represents a unique opportunity to learn from and to inform this influential group on issues of vital importance to the United States,” Fleury added.
Engineering at Yale started in 1852 with William Norton’s civil engineering course and has produced an unsurpassed line of outstanding graduates. J. Willard Gibbs, one of this country’s greatest scientists, received the first Ph.D. in engineering in the United States at Yale.
“In the past 150 years, we have graduated a body of engineering alumni who have become entrepreneurs and leaders in all aspects of society,” said Fleury. “It remains an essential part of our responsibility as educators to illuminate issues at the nexus of technology and society. The forum will address one of our nation’s most important issues of this kind.”
The following is a schedule of the day’s speakers:
8:30 a.m., Welcome, Paul A. Fleury, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Yale University
8:45 a.m., Keynote Address-“The American University as an Engine of Economic Growth,” Richard C. Levin, President, Yale University
9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., The Perspective from Industry, Henry B. Schacht, Chairman, Lucent Technologies
11 a.m., The Perspective from Congress, Vernon J. Ehlers, Congressman and Member, Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives
12:15 p.m., Lunch and Remarks by Alison F. Richard, Provost, Yale University
1:45 p.m., The Perspective from the Executive Branch, John H. Marburger III, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., The Perspective from Academia, A Panel Discussion, Paul A. Fleury, Moderator
