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Scanning the Horizon of Engineering Education:  The Sustainability Imperative

 An ECL-USA Summit Presented in Collaboration with ABET, Engineering for One Planet, and Olin College of Engineering

 A series of significant societal, technological, and environmental challenges are reshaping what it means to be an engineer in the 21^st Century. Engineering education is a primary crucible for this change, with the need to transform the curriculum, experience, and composition of the student body, faculty, and staff in higher education institutions.

Chief among the drivers of change is the emergence of sustainability as central to engineering practice in the future. The challenges that we face mean that our engineering education system needs to instill in graduating practitioners of all disciplines the values, mindsets, skills, and competencies that will enable graduates to incorporate sustainability into their careers.

The next ECL-USA virtual summit, scheduled for March 14, 2023, will offer a deep dive into the way sustainability is being manifest within engineering education. We will explore this transformation from multiple perspectives of stakeholders within the engineering community represented by our summit provocateurs.

Accreditation. Michael Milligan is CEO of ABET, the global accreditor of 4,500+ college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and technology. Michael will kick off the summit with his perspectives on the sustainability imperative.

Students. A panel of student change leaders who are passionate about sustainability will offer the workforce-of-the-future perspective.

Educators. Alessandra Ferzoco, Assistant Professor at Olin College of Engineering, is equal parts scientist, engineer, designer of learning experiences, and curious wanderer. She will offer her view of Olin’s unique approach and her experiences in guiding students through the ethical dilemmas associated with sustainability as they work with on real world problems in their capstone projects.

Employers. Jennifer Bradford, Global Business Strategy Manager for Education at Siemens, is passionate about enabling educators and learners to create a more sustainable future. Jennifer leads Siemens’ Skills for Sustainability Network which supports educators in enabling the workforce of the future to develop innovative sustainable solutions.

Innovators and Non-Profit Collaborators. Cindy Cooper, Senior Program Officer at The Lemelson Foundation, leads Lemelson’s Engineering for One Planet (EOP) initiative, an effort to equip tomorrow’s engineers with the skills, knowledge and understanding to protect our planet and the life it sustains. Cindy will offer an update on the EOP framework. Cindy will also be joined by campus representatives from two of the institutions involved in Lemelson’s pilot project on implementation of the EOP framework.

Group discussions at the summit will center around envisioning how sustainability can impact curriculum, students’ learning experience, and research and on overcoming resistance or inertia that could prevent or slow the transformation.

Registration for the summit is now open at this link.

 

An ECL-USA Summit Presented in Collaboration with ABET, Engineering for One Planet, and Olin College of Engineering

A series of significant societal, technological, and environmental challenges are reshaping what it means to be an engineer in the 21^st Century. Engineering education is a primary crucible for this change, with the need to transform the curriculum, experience, and composition of the student body, faculty, and staff in higher education institutions.

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By Kyle V. Davy AIA and Mike McMeekin PE

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.

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A recent Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL) summit featured a deep dive into 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. Discussions at the summit demonstrated a clear need for engineering licensure models to adapt to these transformational developments in a manner that will protect the public and guide engineers to practice as stewards of technology and nature on behalf of society.

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Updated – July 14, 2022

Photo source: The Colorado Chautauqua

2022 Engineering Ideas Institute, September 26 – 28, 2022

In 2019, the leadership of Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL) conceived the idea of the Engineering Ideas Institute.

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In a narrative that is overwhelmingly positive, the history of engineering is commonly told as a story of progress and achievement. From the Brooklyn Bridge and the Hoover Dam to countless roadway and water projects across America, engineers designed and built an infrastructure that not only drove progress and growth, but also protected public health, safety, and welfare. From Edison’s lightbulb and Bell’s telephone to computers and the Internet, engineers created technologies that revolutionized the way we live and work. And, from mechanical and electrical devices to chemical processes, members of the Engineering Community were central to both industrial and consumer revolutions in the United States and across the world.

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