Grand Engineering Challenges

Cosmic Log posts about the Grand Challenges Ahead for engineers. These aren't necessarily prize-related challenges, but the Ansari X PRIZE and the DARPA Grand Challenge are mentioned as examples of past challenges. The article is on work being done by the National Academy of Engineering to investigate Grand Engineering Challenges to spotlight for this century. All of the analogies for future challenges mentioned in the article were prize-related: 2 X PRIZE Foundation challenges (the Archon Genomics X PRIZE and the Automotive X PRIZE) and the DARPA Urban Challenge. Some of the other challenges mentioned also sounded similar to past, present, or proposed prize challenges, such as the Grainger potable water challenge and the Virgin Earth Challenge.