Diversity in engineering is not just about fairness, but about creativity, according to Wm. [William] A. Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, who will visit the Cornell campus to deliver two lectures on April 11 and 12. Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Wulf's visit is co-hosted by the Faculty of Computing and Information (FCI) and Women's Programs in Engineering.

"Down to my toes, I believe that engineering is profoundly creative," Wulf has said in decrying what he calls the non-diverse, "pale male" model of engineering. "What comes out is a function of the life experiences of the people who do it…. in the competitive global economy, the pale male design team just cannot deliver the goods."

Wulf will speak on "The Diversity Imperative for Engineering" April 11 at 4 p.m. in 255 Olin Hall and then attend a reception with hosted by the Student Advisory Group for Women in Engineering. He then will present the second lecture in the new FCI Distinguished Lecture series April 12 at 8 p.m. in Uris Auditorium, speaking on "Some Challenges for Computer Science/Engineering in the 21st Century." A reception will.

On the latter topic, Wulf is expected to emphasize the accelerated growth rate of computer technology. "One of the hardest things for most people to understand is the effect of its exponential rate of improvement" he has written. "To my knowledge, there has never been a similarly rapid, sustained change in technology, especially one with such broad social application. By comparison, even the Industrial Revolution seems modest in scope and leisurely in pace . . . universities are in the information business, and the information railroad is coming."