Research in the Formation of Engineers

The NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG) has launched a multi-year initiative, theProfessional Formation of Engineers, to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21stcentury. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession in order to improve quality of life for all peoples. The engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all.

Professional Formation of Engineers includes, but is not limited, to:

Introductions to the profession at any age;

Development of deep technical and professional skills, knowledge, and abilities in both formal and informal settings/domains;

Development of outlooks, perspectives, ways of thinking, knowing, and doing;

Development of identity as an engineer and its intersection with other identities; and

Acculturation to the profession, its standards, and norms.

The goal of the Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE) program…