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For release December 8, 2006
AMERICANS CHALLENGED BY ‘FLAT WORLD’ UTSI
PROFESSOR SAYS IN LUNCH SEMINAR
Innovation, smart thinking, and a thirst for
education are vital if Americans are to cope with the fast
changes brought on by a “flattening of competition” throughout
the world, a University of Tennessee Space Institute professor
believes.
“This is a competitive challenge for Americans,” said Dr.
Gregory Sedrick on Dec. 5 in the first of planned free monthly
luncheon seminars at UTSI. “It is bad news for Americans if we
don’t step up to the challenge.”
He cited some positive ways that drastic changes make it
possible for people to collaborate on a world-wide basis. For
instance, he said that at the same time “outsourcing” caused a
loss of many jobs in the United States, 250,000 new higher
paying, supporting jobs were created.
While India and China are graduating far more engineering
students, Sedrick said the U.S. still has the highest quality
engineers in the world, adding, “The question is, how long?” He
also noted that “engineering” does not have the same definition
in India and China as in the U.S. For instance, he cited studies
showing that only 25 percent of India’s three hundred thousand
engineering graduates are ready to work in outsourcing jobs, and
only 10 percent of China’s 500,000 engineering graduates are
qualified for jobs in the new economy upon graduation.
Sedrick, program chair for UTSI’s graduate program in Industrial
Engineering with an Engineering Management concentration, drew
from Thomas Friedman’s recent book, “The World Is Flat,” in
which Friedman stresses that the democratization and integration
of technology and economic systems have made the competitive
world flat.
The professor cited ten reasons for the drastic changes and
suggested the path to success lies in three actions: remaining
connected, raising “terrific children” and instilling in them
the value of life-long learning. He cautioned against
“protectionism” as a solution to the problem, saying, “We can’t
protect ourselves against this threat by legislation.”
The fall of the Berlin wall, which allowed the spread of
technology worldwide, the “open window” provided by Microsoft,
and “public view” made possible when Netscape became public,
providing sudden access to everyone, opened the door for
.world-wide collaboration, Sedrick said.
____________________________________________________
Dr. William Hofmeister,
director of UTSI’s Center for Laser Applications, will lead the
next seminar
at 11:30 a.m. January 30 entitled “Nanotechnology: Revolution or
Boondoggle?”
Held under the balcony in the UTSI dining hall, the only charge
is for the lunch.
____________________________________________________
“Software enabled us to collaborate anywhere
– Tennessee, Japan, India…” Sedrick said. As an example of “open
sourcing,” he cited on-line “encyclopedia” where anyone with at
least two sources can contribute and “suddenly you’re
collaborating world wide.”
Urging his listeners to “remain connected,” Sedrick and invited
them to take advantage of UTSI’s help. He said the Institute’s
distant education program reaches graduate students throughout
Tennessee and in “almost every state in the union” as well as to
many other parts of the world.
The speaker emphasized the urgent need to re-educate the
unskilled in the United States and to develop cyber
infrastructure where needed.
Becky Stines, director of Continuing Education at UTSI,
introduced Sedrick after Dr. Donald C. Daniel, UT associate vice
president and UTSI chief operating officer, welcomed those
attending. Stines recently initiated the “Lessons From the Lake”
seminars. Plans are to invite individuals from area industries,
Chambers of Commerce, Arnold Engineering Development Center and
other groups to lead future seminars. Persons planning to attend
the seminars are asked to notify Director Stines at (931)
393-7276 or bstines@utsi.edu.
DR. GREGORY SEDRICK
Writer: Weldon Payne (931)
393-7222
wpayne@utsi.edu |
