Engineering Practice in a VUCA World
September 23-25, 2024
Boulder, Colorado
SPONSORED BY THE LEMELSON FOUNDATION / ENGINEERING FOR ONE PLANET
It’s a VUCA World (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) and it’s getting worse. The 2024 Engineering Ideas Institute will dive into the dynamics of this unfolding future, exploring such questions as …
- Are new paradigms for engineering practice emerging and what are the broad contours of these new ways of thinking and being for the engineering community?
- What role should the engineering community play in countering a rising trend of dis-information and misinformation?
- How can the engineering community build (rebuild) trust between itself and the broader public while experiencing the dynamics of this VUCA world?
- What macro-ethical challenges are arising for engineering practice as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds?
- What is the leadership mandate for the engineering community in this VUCA world for addressing issues such “wicked problems” as:
- Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies
- Climate change
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social justice
If you are working to drive change in your organization or just curious about the future, we invite you to join us.
Registration fee: $1,250/person
Register nowAgenda:
2024 Engineering Ideas Institute Preliminary Agenda
Reading List:
2024 Engineering Ideas Institute Reading List
Provocateurs:
Guru Madhavan. Our opening provocation will feature Guru Madhavan, Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and Senior Director of Programs at the National Academy of Engineering. He will summarize the ideas from his recent book Wicked Problems: How to Engineer a Better World. The book, which will be a pre-reading for the Institute, recently received a feature review in “Nature.”
Mark Abbott. Mark is an Ashoka Fellow who currently serves as the Director of Tech Stewardship at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto and as Director of Engineering Change Lab – Canada (ECL-CA). Mark led the development of ECL-CA’s Tech Stewardship Practice Program, including their upcoming AI focus area.
Bryan Dewsbury. Bryan is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society research program, which blends research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming in the cultivation of equity in education. Bryan will contribute learnings from his research to the discussion of the pushback against DEI.
Rico Nelson. Rico is President and CEO of Civil Technology Inc., a Denver-based, woman-owned small business enterprise. His expertise includes strategic business operations leadership and leadership development. Rico will offer his perspective, as a business leader, on the pushback against DEI and minority-owned business incentive programs.
John Poulsen. John is Global Director of Science Policy at The Nature Conservancy. He will contribute to the discussion of climate change as a wicked problem by offering his experience in local capacity building and a systems approach as integral elements of implementing science-based conservation policies.
Kristan Uhlenbrock. Kristan is the Executive Director of the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. With polarization rising, trust in institutions falling, the media seen as increasingly biased, and cultural divides creating challenges for our common humanity, the Institute for Science & Policy is positioned to address the collective action issues that define our modern world. If we are to make progress, we need a space where people can learn, share, and work towards science-based solutions.
Yolanda Webb. Yolanda is the founder and CEO of WEBB Advisory Group. She has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership, teaching, and organizational development. She is a philanthropist, public policy nerd, advocate, and subject matter expert on human behavior, social impact, community engagement, corporate social responsibility, equity, inclusion, and how to create diverse and accessible environments.
Student Panel. We will also be joined by a panel of five students from the University of Colorado at Boulder, who will offer their perspectives on what engineering students need and want to learn about engaging with wicked problems.
Please contact us with any questions.
