MIT Reports to the President 1997-98
The Technology and Policy Program is a graduate educational program in the School of Engineering. It educates men and women for leadership on the important technological issues confronting society. It prepares its graduates to excel in their technical fields, and to develop and implement effective strategies for dealing with the risks and opportunities associated with these technologies.
The Technology and Policy Program aims to be the educational leader in the field. With about 150 students on campus and about 650 graduates, it is the largest of its kind in the world. With its extensive international connections with other universities, it is building a network of relationships to define the field.
The Technology and Policy Program sponsors both a Master of Science and an Interdepartmental Doctoral Program.
This year's class for the Master of Science in Technology and Policy included about 60 students. Dr. Judith Cardell was the recipient of the 1997 Award for Best Thesis in Technology and Policy for her dissertation that was directed by Maria Ilic and Richard Tabors. The winners of the Alumni Award for Leadership and Excellence in Technology Policy were the founding members of the Technology and Policy Student Society (TPS2), for their initiative in forming this innovative student group.
The interdepartmental doctorate in Technology, Management and Policy, enrolls about 25 students in their 2nd to 5th year of graduate school. Five participants received their doctorates this year and proceeded to positions in the government, industry and academia.
The Technology and Policy Program internship program is an integral part of the TPP curriculum. This second year of activity placed over 30 interns in major policy centers in the United States, Europe and Asia.
The internship program is funded by major corporations and by individuals who generously support public service internships, including the US Congress, the Massachusetts legislature and non-profit organizations. New endowments were those of: Far East Organization; and The Francis Yew Ho Chin Award for Public Service.
The Technology and Policy Program actively maintains relations with many universities and educational agencies, particularly in France, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Professor Nicholas Ashford has arranged to spend his sabbatical this spring with the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands), and Dr. John Ehrenfeld obtained a Fulbright Award to be a visiting professor at the Instituto Superior Technico of Portugal.
More information about this Program can be found on the World Wide Web at the following URL: http://web.mit.edu/tpp/www/
Richard de Neufville