Krish Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt University, met with members of Congress in early February to discuss the importance of engineering’s role in improving living standards, socioeconomic growth and global competitiveness. With the support of Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations, he joined deans from other Tennessee engineering schools as part of the American Society of Engineering Education’s Public Policy Colloquium, which brings together engineering deans from across the country to advocate for the most pressing federal policies that affect engineering education and research.
During the meetings, the deans emphasized that engineering education and research are crucial in addressing the growing demand for technical jobs to ensure that the U.S. has a skilled STEM workforce to meet future challenges. They said federal funding is essential to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in research and development, and they talked about how university-led engineering advancements drive innovation and play a pivotal role in economic development through technology transfer by fostering a cycle of research-driven economic growth. Roy shared how the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering is engaged with regional partners to address transit needs, innovate solutions for active military and veteran challenges, and advance emerging technology fields like AI.
Roy urged staff members from the offices of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Bill Hagerty, BA’81, JD’84, R-Tenn., Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., to continue to support this work by ensuring adequate federal funding in fiscal year 2024 for the agencies that support engineering education and research—namely the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.
“We must engage policymakers and advocate for continuing and robust federal funding to support transformative engineering education and research,” Roy said. “By engaging with them and showing how engineering education and research directly impact our people, society and economy, we can connect that support to how universities like Vanderbilt are addressing the nation’s workforce needs, the nation’s economic competitiveness goals and the full range of societal challenges.”
Heather Bloemhard, associate director of federal relations, said, “By bringing the deans to Capitol Hill to advocate for federal funding, we bridge the gap between vision and reality, ensuring policymakers understand the critical role of federal funding for engineering education and research in shaping a resilient and competitive future through real-world examples at universities like Vanderbilt.”
