Another survey of students has been carried out; this time it was in an attempt by GE to discover the reasons why these students went into engineering.. They were asked to draw up a list of the scientists and engineers who had been most important to them in inspiring them to go into engineering. Asked to identify who they considered the hero or icon in their field, they came up with some odd - to me, at least - results. This was a survey of 900 British undergraduates, so I would expect some weighting towards the UK. This was the result :
1. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 2. James Dyson, 3. Steve Jobs, 4. Nikolai Tesla, 5. Bill Gates, 6. Frank Whittle, 7. Isaac Newton, 8. Albert Einstein, 9. Charles Rolls & Henry Royce, 10. Thomas Edison.
The list is odd but the most staggering thing to me is the inclusion of James Dyson in 2nd. He designs vacuum cleaners for God's sake. It may be, of course, that James Dyson is seen as someone who has made a lot of money and in these days that is important. And if we think Nikolai Tesla deserves a place, why is there no space for Michael Faraday? Considering it is a British list I am amazed at several omissions. George & Robert Stephenson built the first railways in the world and surely their influence on civilisation was second to none? And what about Thomas Telford [roads, bridges, canals], James Brindley [canals], Nigel Gresley [Flying Scotsman, Mallard], Reginald Joseph Mitchell [Spitfire], A.V. Roe [aeroplanes] and so it goes on. How can Newton and Einstein be below a vacuum cleaner designer? We are in Lloyd Webber territory here. We live in an era of celebrity where being famous is more important than actually achieving anything very much; where Andrew Lloyd Webber is worth millions while in an earlier era, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in poverty. We are in a time when casino gambling investment bankers are paid millions every year for their expertise and we endure economic depression to keep the experts afloat.
Would I include Steve Jobs and Bill Gates on the list? Bill Gates, yes, Steve Jobs, no. My full list?
1. George & Robert Stephenson, 2. Isaac Newton, 3. Albert Einstein, 4. Michael Faraday, 5. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 6. Frank Whittle, 7. James Brindley, 8. Thomas Telford, 9. Thomas Edison, 10. Bill Gates.
Is my list reasonable? I don't know. I could change my mind tomorrow.
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