For example, why shouldn’t every design and development group have a steampunk consultant on staff, just as they now have usability consultants, or environmental consultants? It might mean the difference between spending umpteen hours and tons of money developing a pen that can write in zero gravity, versus simply using a mechanical pencil. Companies could save money, time, and potentially increase their cool factor, by having someone on staff who thinks outside the high-tech box.

Further, steampunk might be a draw for students into hard sciences – and our nation can always use more scientists, especially ones who are creative. Colleges could offer courses in steampunk science and design as electives on science degrees.

A couple of specific examples where such thinking might be useful:

Energy and Transportation – our current oil crisis lends itself well the concept of alternate forms of propulsion and power. So why not merge two trends – steampunk and the growing interest in alternative fuels and transport? You could both inspire “cool” solutions, and perhaps draw a number of steampunk enthusiasts into solving some real problems. This could be done through design contests, through employer recruitment techniques and incentives, etcetera.

Trade and Manufacturing – we live in a global economy where more and more products we use are made overseas by cheap labor under dubious environmental and human rights controls. This results in American job losses, increased pollution, massive use of oil in transporting these goods around the world, and other problems, in addition to the uniformity of product design that Jeremiah mentions.

But by having local artists create handmade or low-tech alternatives, you reduce such problems and inject more individuality, creativity, and wealth back into our own nation.

I’m sure there are more, and better, examples than what I’ve given here – I’m just thinking off the top of my head. But I do think that steampunk doesn’t need to fade away into a fashion niche enjoyed by small bands of “individualist” high school theatre and arts students, for example. It could become a revitalizing and inspirational niche in our country’s science, technology and manufacturing sectors.