Mike McMeekin

Since the dawn of humanity, our technologies have transformed the world around us, adapting our environment to meet our needs and wants. Over the last 150 years, the Engineering Community has played a primary role in the creation and application of physical, digital, and biological technologies, from infrastructure and energy systems to digital twins and artificial intelligence to gene splicing and bio-printing.

In today’s world, the power and reach of new technologies is ever-expanding, and the pace of technological change is accelerating. Now more than ever, it is imperative that those of us involved in the creation and application of all types of technology consider the social, environmental, and ethical impacts of our work. Engineering Change Lab – USA’s (ECL) latest summit introduced the work of Engineering Change Lab – Canada in Technological Stewardship (TS) as a professional identity, orientation, and practice that can support us in navigating the complex tensions inherent in our work, broadening our perspective about potential impacts of our efforts, and bending the arc of technology towards greater good.

Mark Abbott, Director of ECL-Canada and Director of Tech Stewardship at MaRS Discovery District, kicked off the summit by recapping their eight-year journey that has resulted in their current focus on catalyzing and supporting a TS movement. The main purpose of ECL-Canada’s TS Practice Program is to ensure that technology is beneficial for all by impacting the creators and implementors of technology, such as the Engineering Community. The TS Practice Program is founded on three core commitments.

• Advance Understanding
• Deliberate Values
• Practice Behaviors

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Since the dawn of humanity, our technologies have transformed the world around us, adapting our environment to meet our needs and wants. Over the last 150 years, the Engineering Community has played a primary role in the creation and application of physical, digital, and biological technologies, from infrastructure and energy systems to digital twins and artificial intelligence to gene splicing and bio-printing.

In today’s world, the power and reach of new technologies is ever-expanding, and the pace of technological change is accelerating. Now more than ever, it is imperative that those of us involved in the creation and application of all types of technology consider the social, environmental, and ethical impacts of our work. During this ECL-USA summit, you will be introduced to Tech Stewardship as a professional identity, orientation, and practice that can support us in navigating the complex tensions inherent in our work, broadening our perspective about potential impacts of our efforts, and bending the arc of technology towards greater good.

The summit will be held on June 14, 2022. Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 15 REGISTRATION

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The Engineering Community is facing an unprecedented talent crisis. Unemployment rates for the industry are less than three percent. The retirement of baby boomers continues. The number of new graduates is increasing at low rates. Meanwhile, the demand for new talent continues to increase dramatically, driven by a growing economy and increasing investments in infrastructure. These stresses on our workforce come at a time when the Engineering Community is challenged by the need to contribute at higher levels in addressing the challenges of the 21^st Century. Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 14, Augmenting the Engineering Workforce Through Technological Innovation, held on March 15, 2022, and sponsored by Autodesk, explored how technology may be viewed as a significant strategy for closing this unfolding supply and demand gap – augmenting the engineering workforce using emerging technologies to increase productivity, enhance creativity, and work more efficiently and safely.

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“Most people come to their organizations with a desire to do something meaningful, to contribute and serve. Everybody needs, as philosopher and management scholar Charles Handy says, ‘an inner belief that you are in some sense meant to be here, that you can leave the world a little different in a small way.’”

Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatley

Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy

Research consistently demonstrates the correlation between purpose and employee engagement. Alignment between personal and organizational values can result in more effective organizational performance and drive long-term success. Evidence is also emerging that society expects businesses to look beyond their own self-interest. According to the 2021 Purpose Premium Index from global public relations firm Porter Novelli, “75% of Americans say it is no longer acceptable for companies just to make money; they must positively impact society too.”

There is, then, value for organizations to invest in defining their purpose and even greater value to society when that purpose becomes a “noble purpose” that incorporates environmental and social values. A “noble purpose” unites, energizes, motivates people within and across organizations, and fulfills their desires for meaning and contribution in their work lives. It quickly and clearly communicates how individuals and organizations can contribute to a cause that benefits society in a meaningful way…. Read More

New demands for engineering work, driven by a growing economy as well as new programs such as the recently passed federal infrastructure bill, have the potential to create significant shortages in staff and talent within the engineering community. The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual summit, Augmenting the Engineering Workforce Through Technological Innovation, to be held on March 15, 2022, will explore this important topic.

Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 14 REGISTRATION

In this future, technological innovation may not be seen as a threat to the engineering community (automating and replacing engineering jobs), but rather may be viewed as a significant strategy for closing this unfolding supply and demand gap — augmenting the engineering workforce using emerging technologies to increase productivity, enhance creativity, and work more efficiently and safely. Jobs will change, not replaced.

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Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 11, The Imperative of Climate Change and the Future of Engineering, 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. In the final exercise of the summit, participants reflected on the potential emergence of a “noble purpose” for the engineering community centered on the climate change imperative. The intent of a “noble purpose” is to unite, energize, and motivate people within and across organizations, and to fulfill their desires for meaning and purpose in their work lives.

A final version of the ECL-USA Climate Change Noble Purpose for Engineering Statement is now complete. This statement was prepared with input from a working group of 25 that included representatives from 16 engineering organizations and participants in the ECL-USA Climate Change Summit.

The entire statement is included here, and you can also download a copy of the statement at the link below.

CLIMATE CHANGE NOBLE PURPOSE STATEMENT FOR THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY

Ultimately, our goal is that this statement will impact the way the engineering community does its work, with a greater emphasis on addressing climate change, both through reducing emissions and adaptation to our changing climate.

If you are interested in indicating your support for this statement, if you are part of an organization that might be interested in supporting or endorsing the statement, or, if your organization would be interested in a presentation regarding the statement, please reach out to Mike McMeekin (mikemc@ecl-usa.org).

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