Recognizing the potential of better design principles to improve the manufacturability and market responsiveness of designed products, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has made this subject the focus of its research program in engineering design theory and methodology. The National Research Council, through its Manufacturing Studies Board, proposes to establish a Committee on Engineering Design Theory and Methodology to provide advice regarding the future directions of this program. The committee will study engineering design in the United States, focusing on the role of design in U.S. economic, education, manufacturing, and research support systems. Within this study, the committee will: (a) outline a long-range national strategy for graduate and undergraduate education in engineering design, including suggestions for balancing the current academic emphasis on analytical science with practical design synthesis, implementing change despite the high cost of engineering design education, and attracting and educating qualified engineering design faculty despite the current shortage, and (b) outline a strategy for conducting research necessary to develop a fundamental theory of engineering design, including identifying the basic and applied research topics that need to be addressed and suggesting which of those topics are appropriate for federal funding or consortia of industry and academia.
