ng: Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 1996 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Enginee http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5576.html PREFACE collaborative work as well as the transfer of new techniques and approaches Examples of the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of engineering are plentiful. For instance, computational fluid dynamics allows both chemical engineers to simulate complex chemical processes without altering actual pro duction processes and mechanical and aerospace engineers to simulate flow processes in power and vehicular systems. Also, information technologies are having broad impacts outside of the telecommunications industry-from the design of highway systems to the management of complex manufacturing processes. And advances in data analysis and molecular modeling in biotech nology combine research topics in biology and chemistry with topics in com- puter science and applied mathematics. Although there has always been"cross fertilization"among engineering fields, the nature of todays emerging technologies and the challenges of an increasingly competitive environment have sharpened the need for engineers to understand each other's disciplines and have enhanced the value of that interaction To optimize the objectives of this meeting, the participants selected repre sent all sectors where engineering research and technical work is carried out industry, academia, and government laboratories. Moreover, the participants who were invited to attend after a competitive nomination and selection pro cess, represent some of the countrys"best and brightest"engineers. Another important component of the meeting is that the number of participants was kept relatively low: at 90 to 100. Finally, the content of the meeting-the selection of topics and speakers-was determined by an organizing committee composed of engineers in the same 30-to 45-year-old cohort as the target CONTENT OF THE SECOND ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM The September 1996 meeting included presentations and discussion of leading-edge research and pioneering technical work in four areas: (1)design research, (2) visualization for design and display, (3)microelectromechanical systems(MEMS), and (4)innovations in materials and processes. Presenta- tions covered such topics as performance-based seismic design procedures applications of virtual reality and augmented reality in aircraft design and manufacturing, the challenges of large-scale production of MEMS, and silicon satellites(see Appendixes for complete program). Because of the diversity of the participants'areas of engineering expertise, presenting a talk to this audi ence proved a challenge. Speakers had been asked to tailor their talks to a technically sophisticated but nonspecialist audience and to cover such specific issues as follows: What are the frontiers in their field? What experiments prototypes, and design studies are completed and in progress? What new tools and methodologies are being used? what are the current limitations on Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reservedvi PREFACE collaborative work as well as the transfer of new techniques and approaches across fields. Examples of the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of engineering are plentiful. For instance, computational fluid dynamics allows both chemical engineers to simulate complex chemical processes without altering actual pro￾duction processes and mechanical and aerospace engineers to simulate flow processes in power and vehicular systems. Also, information technologies are having broad impacts outside of the telecommunications industry—from the design of highway systems to the management of complex manufacturing processes. And advances in data analysis and molecular modeling in biotech￾nology combine research topics in biology and chemistry with topics in com￾puter science and applied mathematics. Although there has always been “cross￾fertilization” among engineering fields, the nature of today’s emerging technologies and the challenges of an increasingly competitive environment have sharpened the need for engineers to understand each other’s disciplines and have enhanced the value of that interaction. To optimize the objectives of this meeting, the participants selected repre￾sent all sectors where engineering research and technical work is carried out: industry, academia, and government laboratories. Moreover, the participants, who were invited to attend after a competitive nomination and selection pro￾cess, represent some of the country’s “best and brightest” engineers. Another important component of the meeting is that the number of participants was kept relatively low: at 90 to 100. Finally, the content of the meeting—the selection of topics and speakers—was determined by an organizing committee composed of engineers in the same 30- to 45-year-old cohort as the target participants. CONTENT OF THE SECOND ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM The September 1996 meeting included presentations and discussion of leading-edge research and pioneering technical work in four areas: (1) design research, (2) visualization for design and display, (3) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and (4) innovations in materials and processes. Presenta￾tions covered such topics as performance-based seismic design procedures, applications of virtual reality and augmented reality in aircraft design and manufacturing, the challenges of large-scale production of MEMS, and silicon satellites (see Appendixes for complete program). Because of the diversity of the participants’ areas of engineering expertise, presenting a talk to this audi￾ence proved a challenge. Speakers had been asked to tailor their talks to a technically sophisticated but nonspecialist audience and to cover such specific issues as follows: What are the frontiers in their field? What experiments, prototypes, and design studies are completed and in progress? What new tools and methodologies are being used? What are the current limitations on Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 1996 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5576.html