Updated – July 14, 2022
Photo source: The Colorado Chautauqua
Photo source: 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.
Recent News
The Shadow History of Engineering & Racial Justice
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.
Tech Stewardship Summit Wrap-Up
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, from infrastructure and energy systems to digital twins and artificial intelligence to gene splicing and bio-printing.
In today’s world, the power and reach of new technologies is ever-expanding, and the pace of technological change is accelerating. Now more than ever, it is imperative that those of us involved in the creation and application of all types of technology consider the social, environmental, and ethical impacts of our work. Engineering Change Lab – USA’s (ECL) latest summit introduced the work of Engineering Change Lab – Canada in Technological Stewardship (TS) 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.
Mark Abbott, Director of ECL-Canada and Director of Tech Stewardship at MaRS Discovery District, kicked off the summit by recapping their eight-year journey that has resulted in their current focus on catalyzing and supporting a TS movement. The main purpose of ECL-Canada’s TS Practice Program is to ensure that technology is beneficial for all by impacting the creators and implementors of technology, such as the Engineering Community. The TS Practice Program is founded on three core commitments.
- Advance Understanding
- Deliberate Values
- Practice Behaviors
Technological Stewardship, an Engineering Change Lab – USA Summit Presented in Collaboration with Engineering Change Lab – Canada
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, from infrastructure and energy systems to digital twins and artificial intelligence to gene splicing and bio-printing.
In today’s world, the power and reach of new technologies is ever-expanding, and the pace of technological change is accelerating. Now more than ever, it is imperative that those of us involved in the creation and application of all types of technology consider the social, environmental, and ethical impacts of our work. During this ECL-USA summit, you will be introduced to 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.
The summit will be held on June 14, 2022. Register for the summit at the link below.
The Talent Crisis in the Engineering Community, ECL-USA Summit 14 Wrap-Up
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 21st Century. Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL-USA) Summit 14, Augmenting the Engineering Workforce Through Technological Innovation, held on March 15, 2022, and sponsored by Autodesk, 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.
A Noble Purpose for the Engineering Community
“Most people come to their organizations with a desire to do something meaningful, to contribute and serve. Everybody needs, as philosopher and management scholar Charles Handy says, ‘an inner belief that you are in some sense meant to be here, that you can leave the world a little different in a small way.’”
Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatley
Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy
Research consistently demonstrates the correlation between purpose and employee engagement. Alignment between personal and organizational values can result in more effective organizational performance and drive long-term success. Evidence is also emerging that society expects businesses to look beyond their own self-interest. According to the 2021 Purpose Premium Index from global public relations firm Porter Novelli, “75% of Americans say it is no longer acceptable for companies just to make money; they must positively impact society too.”
There is, then, value for organizations to invest in defining their purpose and even greater value to society when that purpose becomes a “noble purpose” that incorporates environmental and social values. A “noble purpose” unites, energizes, motivates people within and across organizations, and fulfills their desires for meaning and contribution in their work lives. It quickly and clearly communicates how individuals and organizations can contribute to a cause that benefits society in a meaningful way…. Read More
