Against a dismal backdrop, our experts champion fresh ideas for
making STEM--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--
a national priority. The country's future depends on it. By
Stephanie Shapiro Marc Donohue fears that an engineering brain
drain will cripple the United States and ultimately trigger a
global cataclysm. His case begins innocuously enough with the
hypothetical tale of a homeowner who has no clue how to prevent
the basement pipes from freezing or fix a sump pump. But
Donohue, vice dean for research for the Whiting School of
Engineering, quickly raises the threat level, depicting a nation
incapable of developing renewable energy methods or solving
water shortages. From there, Donohue’s narrative hurtles into a
world at war over the planet’s scant remaining natural
resources. Donohue places much of the blame for his doomsday
scenario on the complexities of the digital universe. “Advanced
technology has led us down this path where we have become
complacent about all the technology in our