Why Asia?

Asia is a logical focus for the study of globalization and innovation because of its increasing importance for the development of technology. According to the New York Times, “The United States has started to lose its worldwide dominance in critical areas of science and innovation… Foreigners, especially Asians, have become more active and in some fields have seized the innovation lead.”  Although Japan’s economy remains among one of the world’s most technologically powerful, second only to that of the United States, both the US and Japan are feeling the pressure of technology migration to counties such as Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, India, and China. Asia is at the center of both technology design and manufacturing, and is a microcosm for the global interconnectedness that defines the engineering market. Through visiting two locations each year in Asia the INNOVATE conference is able to touch on many of these issues in an in-depth and personal manner that engineering, scientific and technical students rarely have the option to experience first-hand.