20 May 2011
Congratulations to Matthew Landells on making it to the final seven of a national essay writing contest. Matthew's essay below, titled "How will engineering and technology change the way we live in the next 125 years", was shortlisted to the final seven from over 700 entries.
DMH
“The engineer has been, and is, a maker of history” - James Kip Finch
Never has this statement been more true than now. The last 50 years has, according to Professor Robert Winston of the BBC, in a recent program, “seen more change in the area of science than any other period in history”, and this has had an enormous impact on our lives. Now, as we move forwards into a new era of challenges, science and technology must respond with solutions, innovations and discoveries that will continue to support our civilisation for decades to come. In my opinion, the next 125 years will be one of the most important periods in human history. The critical role of science and technology is this: allowing the human race to continue to move forward. The scope of this role is so wide that I have decided to focus only on two levels: global and personal.
It’s hard to even imagine our world in the year 2136, but I think there are some areas where we can begin to predict the massive changes that will inevitably occur. The main crisis facing the world is that of energy - how can our economies continue to expand, without endangering the very planet we inhabit? Based on current US EIA statistics, world energy needs will continue to expand by around 3% a year for the foreseeable future. This energy cannot be provided by diminishing supplies of fossil fuels, so engineers must work on a new kind of energy source to relieve the world of its energy problems, and perhaps even prevent the continuation of global warming. Fusion power may just be the solution - projects such as The National Ignition Facility in California, USA and JET in Culham, UK may already be close to finding the answer to cheap, green power for years to come. Without the contribution of engineering and technology, our way of life would certainly not be sustainable for the next 125 years.
On a much more personal level, engineering and technology will play a pivotal role in our personal wellbeing in the next 125 years. Modern medicine moves at a staggeringly fast pace that looks set to continue, and the influence of engineering and technology on medicine has been incredible. The last few decades have seen advances such as MRI, laser eye surgery and the addition of robots to the surgeon’s tool tray. But I believe there are still many more ways in which engineering can revolutionise medicine. Would it be possible, for example, to engineer a replacement kidney, or even a more complicated organ such as the lungs? In 125 years, I think so. Limbs are already being replaced for engineered ones - soldiers injured in Afghanistan have recently been taking part in a trial of a new prosthetic leg which has hydraulic components, controlled by a small computer chip which instantaneously responds to the person’s movements. This trial has made a massive impact on their lives, so imagine what engineering can do to help even more people in the years to come.
In conclusion, the years ahead will be tough. The next 125 years will certainly be some of the most challenging in human history. But I believe that we can overcome the challenges that face us and still have time to improve the quality of our lives - the role of engineering and technology cannot be underestimated.