RA

Location: www.cggc.duke.edu/pdfs/051606_Testimony_of_Vivek_Wadhwa.pdf

WATCO enacting legislation now to correct perceived crises in US engineering education and competitveness.

Claim: Current

Audience: U.S. House of Representatives

Ethos:
Mr. Wadwha establishes his credentials first off as an engineering professor at a prestigious university and an experienced entrepreneur and businessman.

Pathos:
Wadwha does adjust his address to his audience of politicians. When he lists the applications of engineering, he lists off political hot-topics, rather than technical hot-topics e.g. environment, health care, and renewable energy sources.

Logos:
Most of the argument relies on presenting research that the quoted numbers of graduating engineers from China and India in comparison with the U.S. are not entirely accurate. He makes three arguments. First, the numbers are overreported by the Chinese government. Secondly the actual proportion of Chinese engineers to populace is less than the USA (the implication being that there is plenty of needs to meet for China; competing with US business is just one possiblity for them.) Lastly he argues that the quality of Chinese and Indian engineers is generally less than that of US engineers. Companies still turn to the US for innovation.

Wadwha acknowledges that his data is insufficient to argue for one course or another. The arguments are fairly typical for engineering and economics, although somewhat adjusted for the audience. In light of the fact that I cannot find this document on the US government website makes me suspect that it wasn't all that effective.


A little more on that last bit. The curious bit about this document is that it is hosted at Duke University, but I was unable to track down a copy on the US House of representatives website, which makes me wonder if it wasn't prepared and then never given, or if somebody had it removed for political reasons?