Scientific and Engineering Research1

This paper is part of a series describing information technology (IT) impact on transforming various economic and social dimensions of our world. The focus of this piece is the impact of IT on transforming scientific and engineering research and allied education. The history of modern information technology begins about 60 years ago with the invention of electronic computers motivated by the prospects of automating tedious scientific and engineering calculations. Computers began as massive devices, housed in centers, and with use highly intermediated by a new breed of experts. But the invention of the transistor, electro-optical devices, and the astonishing perfection of integrated circuit technology soon provided the physical basis for a new world of ubiquitous “digital enterprise ” built upon software and knowledge. Science and engineering applications launched the information age, have continued to help define the leading edge, and no