A panel from the US National Academy of Engineering launched the 14 'Grand Challenges in Engineering' at last week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Advancing health informatics has been listed as one of the 21st century's greatest challenges by the panel, comprising leading scientists and engineers.
Established in 2006, the panel met several times to discuss and develop the list of challenges. Through an interactive website, the effort received worldwide input from prominent engineers and scientists, as well as from the general public, over a one-year period. More than 50 experts in different fields reviewed the panel's conclusions.
The final choices fall into four themes that are essential for humanity to flourish: sustainability, health, reducing vulnerability, and joy of living. The panelists say they did not attempt to include every important challenge, nor did they endorse particular approaches to meeting those selected. Rather than focusing on predictions or gadgets, the goal was to identify what needs to be done to help people and the planet thrive.
Other topics in the list of challenges include making cyberspace secure, engineering better medicines, making solar energy economical, preventing nuclear terrorism and reverse engineering the brain [advancing artificial intelligence].
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