Emerging and Declining Centers of Engineering Science

Engineering science, like other fields of research and other world-spanning endeavors, has its rising and fading centers. This study uses surveys of academic researchers and literature in engineering to ascertain the surging Japanese and the relatively declining American research performance. Their recognition and centrality, as well as Japanese and American engineering scientists' participation in global collegial networks are examined Tests corroborate the hypothesis that a place of surging performance (Japan) is deprived of recognition and not yet a major center of influence and collaboration, and that, conversely, a decreasing relative perform ance of the existing center (United States) continues to accumulate recognition and centrality, exceeding its performance.