Engineers and Engineering in the United States, Japan, and Germany -- A Proposal for the U.S. Component of a Comparative Study

This research proposes to investigate the factors that account for 'good engineering' and make an engineer a 'high performer,' factors that have received much less attention than studies of 'best practices.' The project will undertake case studies of manufacturing firms in five industries to identify and examine the criteria that define an engineer as a 'high performer'; the education and work experiences that are most important for high peerformance (as identified by 'high performing' engineers and their managers); and where the strengths and deficits are in enegineering education. The present proposal is the US component of a cross-national study, coordinated with research teams in Japan and Germany examining these same issues with a common core set of questions.