Welcome to a new column, SEAS Voices, in the U.Va. Engineer. In every issue, we will ask an alum, a faculty member, an undergraduate and a graduate student the same question and print their responses. Our hope is that you find these responses provocative, insightful and, perhaps, useful as catalysts for further dialogue. Gain a glimpse into the perspectives of the people who make SEAS great.

Emily Ewell (’07), fourth-year chemical engineering undergraduate

Historically, engineering has been a central driving force for change and innovation — whether these transformational engineering processes apply to systems in agriculture, manufacturing or government, or to the design of a technical instrument or “life-simplifying” device. I think in the next five years there are going to be significant breakthroughs in biotech research, alternative energy resources and energy utilization and sustainability. Although it’s the small items like the iPod and Blackberry that seem to make the greatest impact on day-to-day life, it’s the social and cultural shifts stimulated by technology that are, although perhaps less noticed, more deeply ingrained and influential. I see a world facing increasingly difficult transportation and medical challenges, but I envision that in only a few years, we’ll have a world with seamless communication systems, a research population dedicated to optimizing our natural resources and improved treatments for cancer and neuro-degenerative diseases.

Bill Walker, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

I see two aspects to this question. The first is the tangible, technological contribution of engineering, and the second is the more subtle, but deep, transformation of our culture. I expect to see computing and communications become even more ubiquitous than they are today. We will soon be able to reliably use voice recognition and computer reading to boost our productivity, especially away from the office. At the same time, search engines will be able to answer questions just the way a knowledgeable person would. Of course all this information will force us to become much more selective about what to believe. Ronald Reagan’s famous statement that we should “trust but verify” will take on a new, broad importance.

Karthik Narayanaswamy (’07), fourth-year Ph.D. student in civil engineering

We are experiencing and will continue to experience a very exciting time for engineering, during which the profession will be driven by innovation on a global scale. The emergence of new and rapidly developing economies in Asia, coupled with the sheer talent within that population, offers enormous opportunities as well as challenges. One important structural consequence of these challenges and opportunities will be a narrowing of the chasm between academia and industry. As a result, innovative ideas will be more efficiently transferred to the marketplace, and the historic perception of a “distinct engineered product” will be nullified. Combined with the need for engineered solutions worldwide, these facts will effect a new paradigm of seamless technology — a model by which a variety of engineering applications will be integrated into the relevant cultural and economic systems quickly and effectively.

Rebecca L. Johnson Kirk (’80), flight controller, Electrical Power System, International Space Station, NASA-Johnson Space Center

I see engineering providing solutions that both improve and complicate our everyday lives. Information exchange will be faster and increasingly accessible. This will add convenience to our lives and be invaluable when the information is personally significant. It will also blur the end of the workday. The individual challenge will be to balance work and personal life in this type of environment.