Frequently Asked Questions

The mission of the National Academy of Engineering is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology.

The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program is a great way to get involved in programs at the National Academies.  The program is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, and law students in the analysis and creation of science and technology policy and to familiarize them with the interactions of science, technology, and government.  A full list of fellowship opportunities at the National Academies can be found on the Fellowships Page.

The NAE doesn't currently have a program for undergraduate students. 

Please visit the National Academies' Careers page for information about working at the National Academies: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/careers/.

The NAE doesn't currently have an undergraduate internship program but actively participates in the Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship program http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/policyfellows/index.htm. The National Research Council's Space Studies Board offers an undergraduate internship http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/ssb_052239.

The National Academies has several groups and units that have ethics responsibility – for instance, the Institutional Review Board for research activities that involve human subjects, the oversight group that handles research integrity education requirements, and the counsel’s office for more general queries. The Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society (CEES) at the NAE works to engage engineers in research, education, and policy-related activities in which ethical issues arise. You can see the current list of CEES projects at www.onlineethics.org. CEES and its dissemination arm, the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Research (OEC) have advisory groups made up of persons with credentials in the fields of engineering, ethics, and society; you can find their names in the “About” section of the OEC.

The findings and recommendations of NAE reports are occasionally picked up or cited by policy experts based at various think tanks. And occasionally someone at a think tank, an engineering professional society or in Congress or a federal agency will publicly call for the National Academies, the NRC, or the NAE specifically to undertake a study of a particular issue or topic. However, the National Academies and the NAE are independent, i.e., without formal ties to any outside think tanks, companies or govt. agencies.

The National Research Council assessed U.S. doctoral programs and the results are available through the report and the accompanying data tables.  Read more on A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States website.

We use the following abbreviations: engr = engineer and engrg = engineering.

Members are elected to the NAE therefore you can not join the NAE and there are no application forms. Election to membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. Please visit the fellowship page to find out about fellowship opportunities at the National Academies http://www.nationalacademies.org/grantprograms/index.html.

For NAE logo items call 202-334-2264.

The National Academy of Engineering doesn't currently have projects on this topic but you may want to contact the National Academies Marine Board: http://www.trb.org/MarineBoard/MarineBoard.aspx.

The current NAE membership includes 240 members of Section 4, Civil Engineering.

With the recent election of our 2014 membership class, the NAE currently has: 121 members and 13 foreign members who are female. 

The NAE has no provisions for expulsion of a member. As an organization, we don’t have policy positions on research ethics or research integrity. To read more about ethics in engineering please visit the Online Ethics Center http://www.onlineethics.org/.

You can view the bylaws of the National Academy of Engineering here: https://www.nae.edu/About/leadership/Bylaws.aspx.

Members are elected to NAE membership by their peers (current NAE members). Election to membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. Members have distinguished themselves in business and academic management, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations.

Contact Jenney Resch in the Membership Office on jresch@nae.edu.

Engineering has been defined in many ways. It is often referred to as the "application of science" because engineers take abstract ideas and build tangible products from them. Another definition is "design under constraint," because to "engineer" a product means to construct it in such a way that it will do exactly what you want it to, without any unexpected consequences.

Engineers are men and women who create new products. It is estimated that there are over 2 million practicing engineers in the United States. They work in fields such as biomedicine, energy, automotive, aerospace, computers, and many others that require people to create products that didn't exist before.

No, the NAE is not an agency of the federal government. It is a private, independent, nonprofit institution. The NAE advises the federal government and also conducts its own independent studies that examine important topics in engineering and technology.

The NAE was established in 1964 as an independent, nonprofit organization. It operates under the same congressional act of incorporation, signed by President Lincoln in 1863, that established the NAS.  The NAE provides advisory services to the federal government through the National Research Council (NRC), the operating arm of the two academies. The NRC is managed by a governing board -- the president of the NAS serves as its chair, and the president of the NAE serves as its vice-chair.

No, the NAE is not a grant-making institution.

The NAE provides advisory services to the federal government, primarily through studies and projects executed by the National Research Council (NRC). In a typical year, more than 900 NRC study committees are in operation.

In addition to NRC activities, the NAE also conducts an independent study program using its own funds. In these studies the NAE addresses important topics in engineering and technology that have significant economic and social implications. In recent years the work of the NAE has focused on establishing a balance between economic growth and environmental protection; ensuring national prosperity in era of global economic and technological interdependence; and supporting an education system that can provide both a literate, well-trained workforce.