About 3,000 engineers worldwide will convene in the upcoming World Engineers' Convention 2004 (WEC2004) held in Shanghai, said Cheng Donghong, secretary general of the WEC2004 organizing committee Wednesday.

The meeting is scheduled to hold from November 2 to 6. The organizing committee has received about 800 theses, including 174 delivered by overseas engineers, said Cheng, who is also a member of the secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology.

Cheng said about 21 heads of international and foreign engineering organizations and 37 Chinese academician will attend the convention.

The motto of the convention is "Engineers shape the sustainable future." Twelve scholars will give speeches on engineering and social development, including Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council, Thomas E. Graedel, professor of industrial ecology at Yale University and Xu Kuangdi, president of Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Topics for discussion at the convention will include computerized network infrastructure, bio-engineering and life sciences, transportation and sustained development of super metropolises, environmental protection and disaster prevention, agricultural engineering and food safety, natural resources and energy, and environmentally-friendly manufacturing.

An exhibition on major Chinese engineering projects, including the Three Gorges Project, the manned space program and major projects scheduled for the next five to 10 years, will be showcased during the convention, according to the committee.

Sponsored by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the WEC2004 is held by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Shanghai Government.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2004)