Bernard Amadei
Founder, Engineers Without Borders – USA and Professor at the University of Colorado Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Friday, April 19, 2019
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ATL (Bldg. 007).
In the next two decades, almost two billion additional people are expected to populate the Earth. This growth will create unprecedented demands for natural resources, materials, waste disposal, health care and infrastructure.
The role of engineers will be critical in fulfilling those demands at various scales, ranging from small communities to large urban areas, and mostly in the developing world. A simple question arises: Do today’s engineering graduates and engineers have the skills and tools to address the global problems that our planet and humans are facing today, or will be facing within the next 20 years?
Since the answer to that question is negative, a new epistemology of engineering practice and education is needed. Dr. Amadei will address the importance of reflective and adaptive practice, system thinking, and social engagement (e.g., Engineers Without Borders) when addressing global problems.
As we enter the first half of the 21st century, the engineering profession must embrace a new mission statement—to contribute to the building of a more sustainable, stable, equitable, and above all, peaceful world. Engineers must be more than providers of technical solutions. They must also be peacemakers, social entrepreneurs, and leader and be able to operate in a multi-cultural world.
