Engineers will be increasingly called upon to help devise solutions to the tremendous problems of poverty, inequality, and social and environmental dislocation that afflict major parts of the globe in the 21st century. Working as an engineer in this context involves negotiating highly complex social, economic, and political realities and dealing with a wide range of institutions and actors, including national and local governments, multilateral lenders such as the World Bank, diverse non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities. It also increasingly involves working in interdisciplinary teams with social scientists, public health and medical workers, humanitarian aid workers, bankers, politicians, and the like. "Sustainable" development implies a development path that is socially equitable, culturally sensitive, and environmentally appropriate over a multi-generational time frame.
The minor in Engineering for Sustainable Development exposes engineering students to some of the key issues related to development, methods of information-gathering in diverse and difficult settings, and working effectively with non-engineers on complex problems. The minor is open to undergraduates in any of the engineering disciplines in the Whiting School of Engineering. Students in Arts & Sciences may also pursue the minor with the permission of the program director.
For further information, please contact Erica Schoenberger via email or at 410-516-6158.