*_mei ni_*
Friday, August 22, 2008
Portfolio Task 1: Engineering for Sustainability
Today, it is of no doubt that the global demands for energy and resources are at an all time high. We are exhausting the capacity of the planet to provide many of the resources we use and to accommodate our emissions, while many of the planet’s inhabitants cannot even meet their basic needs. One needs to recognize the problem to live within constraints.
In our global, knowledge-based economy today, the standings of social and technological advancements necessitate the need of not just a good engineer, but more importantly a global engineer who is constantly aware of the engineering place and impact on the world.
Traditionally, the objective of the engineering curriculum was based on acquiring the hard technical skills and knowledge. This objective brought about the fact that many of the graduate engineers were poorly prepared for the working society, be it in social, ethical and environmental elements. In order to deliver appropriate and sustainable technical solutions, engineers do not just require only the broad range of skills, but also the ability to visualize and understand engineering with the ultimate goal of universal accessibility in mind.
As mentioned in the article by Prof Seeram Ramakrishna, the advent of a services-oriented economy these days has resulted in companies, organizations and even nations to seek for a workforce that does not “fear” technology but embraces and thrives on it. Thus, here is when the skills of an engineer come into place, analyzing the information systemically and designing the solutions through a holistic approach.
Well, the challenges of the future world are never ending. R. Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change the existing reality by fighting it. Instead, create a new model that makes the old one obsolete”. I personally feel that all engineers should adopt this mind set to make the world a better place to live in.
In our global, knowledge-based economy today, the standings of social and technological advancements necessitate the need of not just a good engineer, but more importantly a global engineer who is constantly aware of the engineering place and impact on the world.
Traditionally, the objective of the engineering curriculum was based on acquiring the hard technical skills and knowledge. This objective brought about the fact that many of the graduate engineers were poorly prepared for the working society, be it in social, ethical and environmental elements. In order to deliver appropriate and sustainable technical solutions, engineers do not just require only the broad range of skills, but also the ability to visualize and understand engineering with the ultimate goal of universal accessibility in mind.
As mentioned in the article by Prof Seeram Ramakrishna, the advent of a services-oriented economy these days has resulted in companies, organizations and even nations to seek for a workforce that does not “fear” technology but embraces and thrives on it. Thus, here is when the skills of an engineer come into place, analyzing the information systemically and designing the solutions through a holistic approach.
Well, the challenges of the future world are never ending. R. Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change the existing reality by fighting it. Instead, create a new model that makes the old one obsolete”. I personally feel that all engineers should adopt this mind set to make the world a better place to live in.
