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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 included a deep 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

Agenda & Reading List

Provocateur Presentation Recordings

Provocateur Presentations

Summit Reports

This virtual summit explored the workforce of the future for the engineering community, exploring systemic forces that will shape the future workforce as well as key leverage points and innovative strategies for confronting present and future workforce challenges. The summit discussions explored such questions as …

•  Given the looming enrollment cliff facing higher education, how will the engineering community confront the ‘grand challenge’ of attracting, educating, and retaining talented individuals to meet workforce needs in the next decade?
• How can the engineering community attract and retain a disproportionate share of young people into engineering education programs and ultimately to practice?
• How can universities move beyond 20% and 15% in terms of bachelor’s degrees awarded for women and under-represented minorities in engineering education programs?
• How do we transform the culture of engineering organizations to be more welcoming to women and under-represented minorities and to embrace purpose-driven practice?

Agenda

Summit Recording

Provocateur Presentations

Summit Reports

In a world in which ever more complex digital systems intertwine with infrastructure and technology-enabled resources and services, cyber threats and dangers are outpacing societies’ ability to effectively prevent and manage them. A new, essential role for the engineering community is emerging — creation and stewardship of cyber-resilient critical infrastructure on behalf of society. This virtual summit explored the nature of the ‘step change’ required for the engineering community to fully embrace this leadership role.

Agenda & Reading List

Summit Recording

Provocateur Presentations

Summit Reports

The 2023 ECL-USA Engineering Ideas Institute examined how the engineering community can use scenario thinking to become more agile, flexible, and resilient in the face of an uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing world. Preliminary research, provocateurs, group exercises, nature walks, and personal reflection were all used to collectively create three scenarios of the future and then to explore implications of these scenarios for the future of engineering.

Agenda

Provocateur Presentation Recordings

Provocateur Presentations

2033 Scenarios

Summit Reports

The public policy arena is where priorities are established, and policies and standards are developed to address the greatest challenges facing our communities and society. To unlock its full potential, the engineering community must step boldly into this arena as advisors, advocates, collaborators, and leaders and learn how to get things done through active engagement in public policy. The summit provided important learning regarding the need for the engineering community to increase its engagement in public policy, the skills needed for engagement, the wide variety of options for engagement, and the satisfaction and sense of purpose that can come with contributing to society and the future of engineering in this manner.

Reading List

Summit Recording

Presentations

Summit Reports

Why is sustainability important to the transformation of engineering education? ECL-USA’s virtual summit, Scanning the Horizon of Engineering Education:  The Sustainability Imperative, explored this question. The multi-faceted answers to this question lie in the engineering community’s responsibility in protecting our planet, the massive impact of the work of engineering, engineering student values, employer needs and responsibilities, and the academic community’s role in preparing the next generation.

Summit Recordings

Presentations

Summit Reports

September 26-28, 2022

Sustainability is not enough. Escalating climate, infrastructure and social crises are outpacing efforts to address them with sustainable practices. The engineering community has the tools and strategies to take us beyond sustainability — both to address dire challenges and to restore living systems. Circular economy and regenerative approaches are principal means for achieving these ends.

Engineers and their allied fields must have the commitment and courage to step up and engage in the hard work of leading change to benefit society.

These propositions were at the heart of the 2022 Engineering Ideas Institute. This summit drew on provocations, exercises, nature walks and dialogues to shift minds and prompt participants to think differently about the future of engineering. This year’s Institute focused on circular economy and regenerative strategies to push society toward a healthy, resilient future. An overview of the Institute is available here.

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 15 | June 14, 2022

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. This summit introduced 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.

Summit Recording

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 14 | March 15, 2022

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. Summit 14 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. Key takeaways and important strategies as well as a map of the summit outcomes are available at the links below.

Summit Recording

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 13 | October 11-13, 2021

The second edition of The Engineering Ideas Institute (first in-person) was held at The Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, a historic venue located at the foot of the mountains. The program for the summit focused on two major themes.

• Engineering in an Age of Acceleration – How are the forces of acceleration in technology, the natural environment, and society impacting engineering?
• Engineering and Justice – What can we learn about engineering’s roles in contributing to racial inequality? What can we do, through our work, to help create a more just, equal, diverse, and inclusive society?

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 12 | June 16, 2021

How will the engineering firm of the future be transformed in the coming decade? Summit 12 explored a set of driving forces that will reshape the environment within which firms operate, their internal business models, and models of practice. Themes explored included the following.

• How will the external landscape within which engineering firms operate be reshaped by global risks and technology accelerators?
• What aspirations, values, and needs will new generations of engineering talent manifest as they join and build careers within firms?

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 11 | March 22, 2021

How will engineering and the engineering community be transformed by the way it responds to the emerging dynamics of climate change and the threat it poses to our world? How might its stewardship of technology and nature on behalf of society be manifest in helping society confront this climate imperative? Summit 11 explored the roles the engineering community can play within and across the private sector, public sector, and the non-profit sector to answer these questions.

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 10 | December 16, 2020

Summit 10 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.

Presentations

Summit Reports

Summit 9 | July 29-30 & August 4-5, 2020.

Summit 9 featured deep dives into four of the strategic issues of the future.

Technological Driving Forces – Social Impacts of Technology / Building Capacities for Stewardship of Technology
View Technological Driving Forces Session Report

Environmentally Responsible Engineering Leadership Challenges – Building Capacities for Leading ERE Work / Leading the Change
View Environmentally Responsible Engineering Leadership Session Report

Diversity Challenges – Exploring Barriers and Enablers for Women and Under-Represented Minorities in Engineering
View Diversity Challenges in Engineering Session Report

Public Policy – Enabling Engineering Leadership in the Public Policy Arena
View Engineering Leadership in the Public Policy Arena Session Report

Presentations

Summit 8 | March 10 & 11, 2020

Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, Houston, TX. The themes of Summit 8 included exploration of the future of engineering through the lens of biomedical engineering and the stewardship role of engineers with respect to climate and extreme weather challenges, both of which are major issues for Houston and the Gulf Coast.

Presentations

Summit 7 | October 21 & 22, 2019 | Boston, Massachusetts

Summit 7 continued the work of ECL-USA on technological driving forces that are transforming the way engineers do their work and also included a deep dive into the future of consulting engineering.

Presentations

Summit 6 | July 15 & 16, 2019 | Berkeley, California

Summit 6 was a joint effort of ECL-USA and ECL-Canada focusing on engineering ethics in a world of rapid technological change and engineering entrepreneurship. Summit 6 was held at the historic Berkeley City Club.

Summit 5 | March 5 – 6, 2019, Kansas City, Kansas

This Summit focused on K-12 Education and Engineering, and Engineers and Public Policy. Thank you Blue Valley CAPS for a great meeting facility and for introducing us to an innovative program.

Summit 4 | October 25 – 26, 2018, Denver, Colorado

The primary goals of Summit 4 were to hear from provocateurs, to explore key concepts for the lab (Technological Change, Change in the Academy, and the Intersection of Technology and Nature); and to advance the work of our focused initiative. View the Summit 4 Report.

Summit 3 | June 12 – 13, 2018, Omaha, Nebraska

At Summit 3, the attendees explored the Vision Statement’s imperative for the engineering community to serve as stewards of technology, the built and natural environments, and public health, safety and welfare, and worked on a definition of stewardship. Additionally, time was spent on expanding our understanding of and commitment to the role that the ECL-USA can play, and how we could continue to evolve the ECL-USA as a social change lab.

Summit 2 | February 5 – 6, 2018, Omaha, Nebraska

The objectives of Summit 2 were to explore the prospect of, and process for, moving the engineering profession toward fulfilling its highest potential in the emerging future; crystallize the intent of the ECL – USA and commit to using a social laboratory approach in taking on this work; recognize and make progress on focused initiatives begun at the first summit; organize ECL – USA, including structure, participation, communication protocols, and plans for future summits.

Summit 1 | July 31 – August 1, 2017, Omaha, Nebraska

This first Summit was convened to evaluate whether there was a need for the ECL-USA, and to gauge overall interest in the effort.  The Summit heard from Engineering Change Lab – Canada, conducted scenario planning exercises, discussed other efforts ongoing in the United States, identified several initiatives, and identified next steps.