NAE ANNUAL FUND
EARTH SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

The inability to anticipate all impacts and future risks of a complex problem is a challenge integral to the engineering process. Engineering’s increasing capacity to provide powerful solutions to multifaceted problems can result in unintended consequences equal to or greater than the original problem. This situation is particularly troubling when modern engineering systems have the power to affect the environment broadly and far into the future.

Recognizing that many engineering decisions cannot be made independently of the surrounding natural and human-made systems, the NAE is leading the development of a new approach to those decisions. Earth Systems Engineering (ESE) brings together quantitative and qualitative tools from engineering, physical sciences, and social sciences; its roots are in industrial ecology, environmental science, and engineering systems. ESE’s goal is better understanding of the challenges posed by complex, nonlinear systems of global importance -- notably environmental systems -- and development of tools that respond effectively to those challenges.

In contrast to the traditional engineering approach, ESE requires evaluation of interactions with non-engineered systems; options for non-technical solutions; and predictions for effects on non-linearly linked systems with diverse customers and multiple scales of impact.

In the near term, the Academy’s ESE program will initiate studies on specific topics -- such as water supply or energy cost issues -- and foster dialogues among experts in ESE’s constituent disciplines.

Additional information on the Earth Systems Engineering program is available at www.nae.edu under NAE Programs. Use your browser’s Back button to return to this page.

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For more information about any of the programs mentioned in these pages -- or about the Annual Fund in general -- please contact us at giving@nationalacademies.org or 202.334.2431.