Mike McMeekin

As 2020 comes to an end, all of us are reflecting on a year unlike any other in recent history.
• Early in the year, the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, more than 18 million Americans have been infected, over 300,000 Americans have died earlier than they should have, and our health care system has been strained to the breaking point. The pandemic has caused major loss of jobs and has had worldwide economic impacts that will be felt for years. There have been social and cultural impacts on the way we live and work. The greatest economic and social impacts have been absorbed by those with the least resources.
• In May, the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of the police triggered nationwide demonstrations and an awakening to the impacts of racial injustice, including recognition that systemic application of public policy has contributed to this injustice.
• We experienced another year of devastating impacts from extreme weather events, particularly wildfires and hurricanes, that were exacerbated by the continuing effects of long-term climate change.
• The 2020 election was unlike any other. Record numbers of Americans voted despite the pandemic. The election highlighted the sharp political polarities in our country and the dangerous impacts of conspiracy theories and misinformation spread using technology platforms.
• At the end of the year, we experienced a cyber-security attack that reached deep into multiple federal government agencies and infrastructure-related industries with still unknown impacts.

What has 2020 taught us about the future of engineering?

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ECL-USA Summit 10, Licensure Models for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is complete. The summit was presented in partnership with the National Society of Professional Engineers and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

The participants in the summit explored the future of licensure for engineering and the role licensure and regulatory bodies can play in ensuring that engineers and organizations engaged in the development of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution act in the public interest. The discussion was informed and framed by the perspectives of our summit provocateurs…. Read More

Planning is continuing for our next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, Licensure Models for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, on December 16, 2020. This summit will feature a half-day deep dive into the need for engineering licensure models to adapt. This summit will be presented in partnership with the National Society of Professional Engineers and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Register at the link below.

Summit 10 Registration

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Thanks to Dr. Yvette Pearson, Associate Dean at the Rice University School of Engineering, for featuring ECL-USA on her Engineering Change Podcast series. Dr. Pearson’s podcast (https://engineeringchangepodcast.com/resources) and her work is seeking to transform engineering and aligns closely with the work of ECL-USA. She is particularly interested in shifting cultures to enhance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion engineering education and practice.

You can listen to the ECL-USA podcast at any of these links.

Apple Podcasts https://lnkd.in/daK4eF5
Google Podcasts https://lnkd.in/dqJXY9A
Spotify https://lnkd.in/dhZWR5T
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/engineering-change-podcast

ECL-USA’s first Engineering Ideas Institute is complete. You can now review the reports for all four sessions (Session 1 Report) (Session 2 Report) (Session 3 Report) (Session 4 Report). Recordings of all four sessions are also available (Session 1) (Session 2) (Session 3) (Session 4).

The reports highlight the provocateur presentations and the group discussions on four topics that are highly important to the future of engineering. Each report summarizes the key takeaways from the sessions.

Session 1 included an exploration of the complex entanglement between society and technology and the role that the engineering community can play in an emergent future to help society anticipate, untangle, and adapt. Group discussion was centered around provocateur Darshan Karwat’s self-reflection questions for activist engineers.

Session 2 revealed the unique leadership responsibility of the engineering community to commit to a deep understanding of the systems that are impacted by our work captured in this framework.

Session 3 challenged participants to work for justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity in the engineering community through a broad-based approach that encompasses personal mastery, interpersonal relationships, organizational culture, and structural barriers.

Session 4 examined how engineering and science can be used to more effectively set policy and how engineers can move beyond simply providing technical advice and counsel to higher level engagement in public policy.

Look for an announcement soon on our upcoming programming.

ECL-USA’s Summit 9, The Engineering Ideas Institute, is in the books. Session 1 included an exploration of the complex entanglement between society and technology and the role that the engineering community can play in an emergent future to help society anticipate, untangle, and adapt. The theme of Session 2 was Environmentally Responsible Engineering: Building Capacities for Leading ERE Work / Leading the Change. This session explored what it takes to lead the work of ERE through the stories of the session provocateurs who are actively engaged in this type of work. Session 3 focused on the subject of Diversity Challenges: Exploring Barriers and Enablers for Women and Under Represented Minorities in Engineering. The session explored why the system is stuck with respect to the percentage of women and under-represented minorities in the engineering workforce and possible leverage points for unsticking it (removing barriers, fostering enablers, changing mindsets and unconscious biases, etc.). Session 4’s theme was Public Policy: Enabling Engineering Leadership in the Public Policy Arena. This session examined how engineering and science can be used to more effectively set policy and how engineers can move beyond simply providing technical advice and counsel to higher level engagement in public policy. Detailed reports on all four sessions will be available soon.