The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, The Imperative of Climate Change and the Future of Engineering, will be held on March 22, 2021. The summit will explore how engineering and the engineering community could be transformed by the way it responds to the emerging dynamics of climate change and the threat it poses to our world. The summit will explore the roles the engineering community can play within and across the private sector (industry), public sector (government), and the non-profit sector (NGOs and research universities) to catalyze action, facilitate communication, foster collaboration, drive innovation and entrepreneurship, and shape climate change public policy. In the final portion of the summit, we will reflect on the potential emergence of a “noble purpose” for the engineering community centered on the climate change imperative.
Register for the summit at the link below.
Our provocateurs will inform and frame this discussion from their different perspectives.
• Dr. Bill Rouse will provide an overview of the grand challenge of climate change. Dr. Rouse is Research Professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. His research focuses on understanding and managing complex public-private systems such as healthcare delivery, higher education, transportation, and national security. Dr. Rouse has written numerous articles and books, including most recently Failure Management, Malfunctions of Technologies, Organizations, and Society, Oxford University Press, 2020.
• Andrew McAllister, who is serving his second term as a member of the California Energy Commission, will describe the State of California’s goals for decarbonization and adaptation and set the stage for our discussion of California as a case study and as context for the challenge facing the world. Commissioner McAllister has worked on energy deployment and policy since the early 1990’s. He is chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Energy Officials and is a Board member of the Alliance to Save Energy.
• Heather Rock, Climate Resilience Chief at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, will focus on the adaptation and resilience aspects of the climate change challenge. Heather leads PG&E’s efforts to bolster the resilience of its assets, infrastructure, operations, employees, and communities amid the growing risks of climate change. She is a member of the California Governor’s Technical Advisory Council for its Integrated Climate Resilience and Adaptation Program and a member of RAND Corporation’s Social and Economic Policy Advisory Board.
• John Shinn, Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems, will offer his perspective on the role of emerging technologies in addressing climate change. Since the late 1980s, John has worked to advance climate change action within the oil industry. He is a leader in carbon capture and storage systems. He also spent 10 years on the Governing Board of Engineers Without Borders.
• Thelma Briseno, Director of Energy and Water Programs at Climate Resolve, offer the perspective of an engineer working in the non-profit sector to address climate change impacts on poor communities.
This summit will be delivered virtually utilizing Zoom. Kyle Davy will again design and facilitate the summit. Kyle and all session provocateurs will present by live stream with opportunities for live questions and answers. In line with the tradition of past ECL-USA summits, there will also be opportunities for small group and large group activities and discussions.
The summit reading list is also available.
The summit registration fee is $100. Free registration is available for a limited number of students or for others with financial constraints. Students and others interested in a waiver of the registration fee should contact Mike McMeekin ([email protected]).
