Why engineers need to grow a long tail: A primer on using new media to inform the public and to create the next generation of innovative engineers

Often the details of new media get lost in an alphabet soup that usually begins with an "i" - the iPod, the iPad, the iTouch. Yet the essence of new media is not in these devices, but in their use. This short primer shows engineers how to think about new media by focusing on the deeper issues of communicating in this new user- generated era. Readers will grasp the mindset of new media; an under- standing that will long outlast the latest social networking tools. It will empower practicing engineers to develop new, powerful ways to help the public understand what engineers do and why engineering is important; but perhaps most importantly this primer gives engineers the foundation for reaching the next generation of innovative engineers.

Bill Hammack's work has been recognized by an extra- ordinarily broad range of scientific, engineering, and journalistic professional societies. From his engineering peers he's been recognized with the ASME's Church Medal, IEEE's Distinguished Literary Contributions Award, ASEE's President's Medal, and the AIChE's Service to Society Award. From the journalists he has won the trifecta of the top science/engineering journalism awards: The National Association of Science Writer's coveted Science in Society Award; the American Chemical Society's Grady-Stack Medal and the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award -- all typically given to journalists. A leader in using mass media to communicate engineering to the public, he teaches Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Ilinois - Urbana.