LESSON 1 2 ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY Marisol Mercado

LESSON 1. 2: ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY Marisol Mercado Santiago, Ph. D.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISCLAIMER This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1333468. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation.

HOW THIS MIGHT HELP YOU? Reflect on the connection of engineering, society, culture, and values. Understand that engineers do not just apply science and technical knowledge Engineering students use critical thinking to take decisions that will create better designs to help people

OUR BELIEFS AND VALUES DETERMINE OUR INNOVATIONS “What we imagine, what we believe to be important to develop for progression in our society, will determine what we actually do create. Different values in a society could lead to a completely different set of technological developments”* *SOURCE: BAILLIE, C. , & CATALANO, G. (2009). ENGINEERING AND SOCIETY: WORKING TOWARDS SOCIAL JUSTICE. SAN RAFAEL, CALIF. : MORGAN & CLAYPOOL PUBLISHERS.

Requirements of design: what we should do to satisfy the needs of the people DE Reflection critical thinking TE RM I NE DETERMIN E Standards, laws, ethics N MI R E T DE E DESIGN DE DETERMINE Beliefs and values of ourselves, our company, and the people who will use the design Past experience, local knowledge TE RM IN E Science and technical knowledge. Research.

If an engineer is going to design a machine to make tingmos, how important is to understand the steps to make them?

Can a tingmo-production machine designed by an engineer be beneficial in all contexts? If we put the machine in home #6, could it limit (or facilitate) the transfer of knowledge on how to make tingmos to the next generations?

ENGINEERS AND DEVELOPMENT: BRIEF HISTORY Engineers and the development of empires (18 th and 19 th centuries) Worked for imperial patrons, obtained rich resources from colonies Engineers and national development (19 th and 20 th centuries) Created national infrastructures to connect dispersed populations into a national whole. Integrated the productivity of people for national and international markets. SOURCE: LUCENA ET AL, 2010

ENGINEERS AND DEVELOPMENT Engineers and international development (20 th century) To develop and modernize through science and technology Idea that there were “backward” societies that should be “developed. ” Engineers and the questioning of technology (the 1970 s) Development engineers focused on providing communities’ basic needs of shelter, food, and water with the goal of making them productive and incorporating them into the economy SOURCE: LUCENA ET AL, 2010

ENGINEERS AND DEVELOPMENT 1980 s and 1990 s Expansion of free markets (supply and demand of products with little government control). Expansion of transnationals Privatization The explosion of Global Engineering activities (2000 present) Some committed to help disadvantaged and resource-poor communities SOURCE: LUCENA ET AL, 2010

SUMMARY Importance of critical thinking on one’s decisions taken during engineering design Importance of investigation, research to help ourselves deliver a better design Brief summary about the history of engineering and international development Values, beliefs, culture help shape a design and vice versa