After making a list of the great engineering achievements of the 20th century, the National Academy of Engineering, of the United States, has recently described a list of the grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century (of no particular order):

• Make solar energy economical
• Provide energy from fusion
• Develop carbon sequestration methods
• Manage the nitrogen cycle
• Provide access to clean water
• Restore and improve urban infrastructure
• Advance health informatics
• Engineer better medicines
• Reverse-engineer the brain
• Prevent nuclear terror
• Secure cyberspace
• Enhance virtual reality
• Advance personalized learning
• Engineer the tools of scientific discovery

Update on 27 April 2008.  The US National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics would love to hear your thoughts on these challenges.