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How will engineering firms of the future be transformed from both internal and external forces in the coming decade?  The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, The Engineering Firm of the Future (2030), to be held on June 16, 2021, will explore this topic. The summit will feature deep dives into two important themes of the future – Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators and Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts.

Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 12 REGISTRATION

Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators

 How will the external landscape within which engineering firms operate be reshaped by global risks and technology accelerators?

• How will clients respond? What new needs, fears, desires, and concerns may emerge?
• How might these changing dynamics and needs drive the creation of new value propositions and transformed business/practice models for engineering firms?
• What new mindsets and capabilities will be most prized as firms navigate the coming decade?

Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts

• What aspirations, values, and needs will new generations of engineering talent manifest as they join and build careers within firms?
• How do social and environmental values and attitudes compare/align across talent cohorts within firms as well as with organizational values?
• How will firms respond to resulting pressures to align visions, values, strategies and practices across talent cohorts within their organizations?
• How might firms leverage evolving aspirations and values to create new ways of working and new forms of value to offer clients?
• Will this generational shift allow firms to better address issues of social and environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion?

To inform the talent of the future discussion, ECL-USA is convening a series facilitated focus group workshops of professionals in consulting engineering firms. Firms represented by active ECL-USA stakeholders have been asked to nominate individuals to participate in focus groups from experienced-based cohorts – 1 to 3 years of experience, 5 to 10 years of experience, and 10 to 25 years of experience. The perspectives gathered in the focus groups will be presented at the summit.   

An additional source of data-gathering for the summit will be an online values survey that is being developed by researchers at Arizona State University, led by Darshan Karwat who was one of the provocateurs for ECL-USA Summit 9. This survey, which is planned to be available in May, will provide additional data which will also be presented at the summit.

The Summit 12 provocateurs will inform and frame this discussion of the two themes from their different perspectives.

• Stephen Brockwell, Product Owner for AEC Integration, ESRI. Digital Practice – Accelerating to Meet the Speed of Change.
• Martha Rogers, Natural Capital Economist, The Nature Conservancy. Valuing Natural Capital – the Changing Landscape of Practice.
• Chris Murphy, Chief Technology Officer, Black & Veatch. Transitioning to Digital Business Models.
• Doug Melton, Program Director, Kern Family Foundation. Deploying an Entrepreneurial Mindset.
• Kyle Davy & Mike McMeekin, ECL-USA. Values & Aspirations of Talent Cohorts Within Firms.
• Darshan Karwat, Assistant Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society and The Polytechnic School, Arizona State University. Social Justice, Environmental Protection & JEDI Values Survey.

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 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 (mike.mcmeekin@lamprynearson.com).

How will engineering firms of the future be transformed from both internal and external forces in the coming decade?  The next Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) virtual mini-summit, The Engineering Firm of the Future (2030), to be held on June 16, 2021, will explore this topic. The summit will feature deep dives into two important themes of the future – Responding to Global Risks & Technology Accelerators and Developing and Sustaining Talent Cohorts.

Register for the summit at the link below.

SUMMIT 12 REGISTRATION

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The World Economic Forum’s 2021 analysis of the global risk landscape identifies the failure to act to address climate change and future threats from infectious diseases as having the highest likelihood of occurrence and the highest potential impact on the world. This analysis aligns with the outlook of engineering organizations such as the National Academy of Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers in their work to define the engineering challenges of the 21^st Century. Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 11 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.

Satellite view of the 2019 Kincade Fire (Source. www.nasa.gov)

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By: Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy

This winter’s polar vortex event in Texas and across the Midwest provides yet another example of the threats we face from extreme weather made worse by climate change. Multiple failures across interconnected infrastructure systems resulted in extensive, serious health and safety consequences for people who relied on these systems along with economic consequences that will be felt for years.

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ECL-USA appreciates the good work being done by other organizations that we have collaborated with to advance the future of engineering. See below for three recent examples.

Engineering for One Planet

The Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Initiative has launched a new website as a resource for the global engineering education community. Mobilized by The Lemelson Foundation and VentureWell in collaboration with hundreds of stakeholders, EOP seeks to establish environmental sustainability as a core tenet of engineering education. The site provides a curricular framework and other toolkits for educators, and additional resources, information and events for the community. The curricular framework is currently being piloted by five universities: ASU’s Polytechnic School, Oregon State University College of Engineering, UCF College of Engineering & Computer Science, University of Maryland – A. James Clark School of Engineering, and Villanova University College of Engineering. Visit the site for more resources and information, and to sign up for updates: http://bit.ly/3qmKsHc

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Circular Economies for Food and Agricultural Systems Initiative

ASABE’s new initiative is intended to “promote circular agricultural and environmental systems in the food industry in order to best meet the increasing demands of the growing global population while sustaining availability of natural resources and the health of ecosystems.”

https://www.asabe.org/News-Detail/partners-add-momentum-to-asabe-initiative-on-circular-economies

Seattle Infrastructure Week

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, check out Infrastructure Week 2021, a week to highlight the importance of Seattle’s infrastructure, its workforce and the role of public engagement.

Infrastructure Week

 

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.

SUMMIT 11 REGISISTRATION

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 … Read More