August
- September 2001
OpEd Corner
Engineering
Publicity: The Sequel
by Robert Johnson,
SE, PE
Today's trivia
question is this: Who is David Lederman?
No, No, No. He is not
a talk show host; that guy is David Letterman. David Lederman happens to
be an engineer who is changing our world; this, perhaps, is more than we
can say for our famous talk show host. But while you've probably heard
of David Letterman, chances are you have no idea who David Lederman is.
The first compact
mechanical heart was implanted in the human body recently, and it made
big news. In all of the related coverage, the medical team that
performed the surgery received significant acknowledgment and publicity.
Buried in the news stories was the mention of one David M. Lederman,
president and chief executive officer of Abiomed, the company that
pioneered the compact implantable heart.
This engineer is yet
another who is changing our world. He and his colleagues are improving
the human condition, and yet he is almost unknown to the public.
Instead, today's young people — and the public in general — are
idolizing and praising athletes, celebrities, and even talk show hosts,
whose names are as recognizable as Kleenex, Clorox, and Coke.
Are we promoting the
wrong priorities or is it just that improving our lives isn't all that
important in the minds of enough people to make it a PR priority? I
wonder whether people would feel the same if they were faced with
needing one of David Lederman's hearts…
The future of America
rests not with the athletic and entertainment superstars garnering
headlines and chatting it up with David Letterman; it lies with the
David Ledermans among us, who are developing the new technologies that
may very well save our lives someday.
 Reader
Poll:
What
Do You Think?
Is there anything we can do as a profession to publicize
the importance of engineering accomplishments?
Do
you think the public's priorities related to "stars and
idols" can be changed?
Can
engineers ever hope to be considered stars and idols? How?
We
want to hear from you on this topic. Please
send your comments to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
Include your name, residence city and state, and
IEEE membership status.
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Robert
Johnson is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is
chair of public relations for the Structural Engineers Association of
Illinois.
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