Mike McMeekin

Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy

Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 11 featured a deep dive into how engineering and the engineering community can contribute to meeting the challenge of climate change and how engineering might be transformed by the way it responds to the emerging risks of climate change. To observe the journey the engineering community could follow to make this contribution, scan the “Map of The Future for Engineering and The Grand Challenge of Climate Change” that emerged from Summit 11. The map identifies ten “Key Steps” the engineering community can take to help society achieve carbon neutrality and reduce the threat of climate change.

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How will engineering firms of the future be transformed from both internal and external forces in the coming decade?  The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, The Engineering Firm of the Future (2030), to be held on June 16, 2021, will explore this topic. The summit will feature deep dives into two important themes of the future – Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators and Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts.

Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 12 REGISTRATION

Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators

 How will the external landscape within which engineering firms operate be reshaped by global risks and technology accelerators?

• How will clients respond? What new needs, fears, desires, and concerns may emerge?
• How might these changing dynamics and needs drive the creation of new value propositions and transformed business/practice models for engineering firms?
• What new mindsets and capabilities will be most prized as firms navigate the coming decade?

Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts

• What aspirations, values, and needs will new generations of engineering talent manifest as they join and build careers within firms?
• How do social and environmental values and attitudes compare/align across talent cohorts within firms as well as with organizational values?
• How will firms respond to resulting pressures to align visions, values, strategies and practices across talent cohorts within their organizations?
• How might firms leverage evolving aspirations and values to create new ways of working and new forms of value to offer clients?
• Will this generational shift allow firms to better address issues of social and environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion?

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How will engineering firms of the future be transformed from both internal and external forces in the coming decade?  The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, The Engineering Firm of the Future (2030), to be held on June 16, 2021, will explore this topic. The summit will feature deep dives into two important themes of the future – Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators and Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts.

Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 12 REGISTRATION

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The World Economic Forum’s 2021 analysis of the global risk landscape identifies the failure to act to address climate change and future threats from infectious diseases as having the highest likelihood of occurrence and the highest potential impact on the world. This analysis aligns with the outlook of engineering organizations such as the National Academy of Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers in their work to define the engineering challenges of the 21^st Century. Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 11 featured a deep dive into how engineering and the engineering community might be transformed by the way it responds to the emerging risks of climate change.

Satellite view of the 2019 Kincade Fire (Source. www.nasa.gov)

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By: Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy

This winter’s polar vortex event in Texas and across the Midwest provides yet another example of the threats we face from extreme weather made worse by climate change. Multiple failures across interconnected infrastructure systems resulted in extensive, serious health and safety consequences for people who relied on these systems along with economic consequences that will be felt for years.

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ECL-USA appreciates the good work being done by other organizations that we have collaborated with to advance the future of engineering. See below for three recent examples.

Engineering for One Planet

The Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Initiative has launched a new website as a resource for the global engineering education community. Mobilized by The Lemelson Foundation and VentureWell in collaboration with hundreds of stakeholders, EOP seeks to establish environmental sustainability as a core tenet of engineering education. The site provides a curricular framework and other toolkits for educators, and additional resources, information and events for the community. The curricular framework is currently being piloted by five universities: ASU’s Polytechnic School, Oregon State University College of Engineering, UCF College of Engineering & Computer Science, University of Maryland – A. James Clark School of Engineering, and Villanova University College of Engineering. Visit the site for more resources and information, and to sign up for updates: http://bit.ly/3qmKsHc

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Circular Economies for Food and Agricultural Systems Initiative

ASABE’s new initiative is intended to “promote circular agricultural and environmental systems in the food industry in order to best meet the increasing demands of the growing global population while sustaining availability of natural resources and the health of ecosystems.”

https://www.asabe.org/News-Detail/partners-add-momentum-to-asabe-initiative-on-circular-economies

Seattle Infrastructure Week

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, check out Infrastructure Week 2021, a week to highlight the importance of Seattle’s infrastructure, its workforce and the role of public engagement.

Infrastructure Week