Reduction to Practice

This article focuses on changes that are required to close the gap between engineering schools and industry. The ASME task force that was originated in 2008 initially set out to define the engineering knowledge and communication skills that mechanical engineering (ME) graduates should have if their employers are to be globally competitive. This resulted in the Vision 2030 report, which was recently released worldwide. A survey has revealed that young engineers and their professors saw themselves much better prepared than their managers did. Experts believe that ASME and its industry leaders can play vital roles by initiating faculty-industry exchanges, by endowing practice-based faculty chairs, by pressing for better faculty-student ratios, and by seeking out new faculty candidates with more industry experience. The successful implementation of a broader ME curriculum, with a tighter focus on professional skills, will produce savvier, more well-rounded, and more professional graduates. The Vision 2030 Task Force predicts that these graduates will always be thinking about the world’s grandest, and most daunting, challenges.