MIT Reports to the President 1998-99
The Technology, Management, and Policy Program (TMP), established in 1992, is a multidisciplinary doctoral program that focuses on research intended to improve methods used in defining and implementing policies for the intelligent use of technology. It is the doctoral process associated with the Technology and Policy Program that sponsors a Master of Science professional curriculum for about 130 students at any time.
As of December 1998, the Technology, Management and Policy Program became part of the new Engineering Systems Division within the School of Engineering. This presents a significant institutionalization of the Program, which no longer will be an interdepartmental program, but will henceforth be part of a department-like structure with faculty on a permanent rank list.
Currently involving about 20 doctoral candidates in, the Technology, Management and Policy Program coordinates research in several MIT research centers and educational programs in technology, management, and policy issues linked to large-scale systems. Together with the Technology and Policy Program, it involves over 40 faculty and research staff, US $10 million of annual research funding, and about 200 graduate students. Graduates from this program go on to work for industry or government from Tokyo to Paris to Washington, D.C. Five students completed their dissertations this year, and proceeded to work in the Pentagon, in industry, and in academia (University of Maryland and New York University).
The participants in this Ph.D. Program share a common vision. Each emphasizes dual competency–in a technical area and in management and policy–as the basis for the effective design of large-scale systems. Together they are developing a new paradigm for the planning and design of engineering systems, a paradigm that blends technical expertise with competence in economics, management, and policy to achieve a better adaptation of technology to societal goals. A primary purpose of TMP is to diffuse throughout the education and practice of engineering the expertise in systems technology and policy that has been developed in the individual centers involved in the Program.
The centers and laboratories that constitute the Program have each achieved considerable worldwide recognition in their specialized fields over the past 20 years. By working together they can pursue research on large-scale systems and establish interdisciplinary curricula more easily than they could individually.
The Program's objectives are to participate in major research projects in close cooperation with national laboratories and international organizations; to establish a significant team of faculty and staff who work closely together in technology, management, and policy; and to create new educational opportunities in large-scale systems by building on the existing capabilities of the Technology and Policy Program.
CENTERS AND LABORATORIES
The Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development (CTPID) was named to underscore the important linkages between technology, policy, and industrial development. The central objective of the Center is to define these linkages and to develop policy alternatives that meet pressing social concerns.
The Center for Construction Research and Education (CCRE) was established at MIT in 1982. It provides a research environment conducive to the development and application of innovative construction technologies and management principles. It offers graduate programs in construction engineering and management and acts as a facilitator and catalyst for improving the productivity and competitiveness of the engineering and construction industry and to enhance its contribution to the economy and society in general.
The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) was established in 1973 to develop and coordinate a wide range of transportation-related activity at MIT. It provides a focal point for transportation education, facilitates transportation research, conducts an outreach program to the transportation industry, and encourages a sense of common purpose among the many departments, centers, and laboratories involved in transportation at MIT. The interchange of information, ideas, and inspiration among its faculty, students, and research staff makes it one of the most dynamic centers of activity in the transportation field.
The Materials Systems Laboratory (MSL) is internationally recognized for its innovative work on the competitive position of materials and products in automotive, aerospace, electronic, and environmental applications. It fosters a unique combination of knowledge of the design and production processes used in industry together with managerial economics.
Program for Environmental Education and Research (PEER) explores the relationship between technology and a sustainable environment. This initiative builds upon MIT's extensive strengths in environmentally oriented education and research activities. More information about this program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://web.mit.edu/esd/.
Richard de Neufville
MIT Reports to the President 1998-99