1. A NEW TAKE ON HOLISTIC ENGINEERING
Dena Ghoneim BSc, Patrick Miller PhD

2. The 21st Century Engineer
ROAD MAP
Two centuries
Two approaches to engineering
The 21st Century Engineer
Exploring changing roles in Engineering practice
Wrap Up
Share and Reflect

3. ACTIVITY…
Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?

4. ACTIVITY… Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?
Should individual engineers be responsible for the ultimate impacts of their actions?

5. ACTIVITY… Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?
Should individual engineers be responsible for the ultimate impacts of their actions?
Should companies be responsible for their impacts? What about the consumer or recipient of said good or service who also plays a role?

6. ACTIVITY… Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?
Should individual engineers be responsible for the ultimate impacts of their actions?
Should companies be responsible for their impacts? What about the consumer or recipient of said good or service who also plays a role?
Are universities responsible for developing 21st century engineering?

7. ACTIVITY… Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?
Should individual engineers be responsible for the ultimate impacts of their actions?
Should companies be responsible for their impacts? What about the consumer or recipient of said good or service who also plays a role?
Are universities responsible for developing 21st century engineering?
Is industry?

8. ACTIVITY… Should engineers be obligated to do pro-bono volunteering?
Should individual engineers be responsible for the ultimate impacts of their actions?
Should companies be responsible for their impacts? What about the consumer or recipient of said good or service who also plays a role?
Are universities responsible for developing 21st century engineering?
Is industry?
Is 21st century engineering a superior approach compared to 20th century engineering?

9. TELL US ABOUT ENGINEERING…

10. FROM THE 20TH CENTURY TO THE 21ST CENTURY
THE EVOLUTION OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE

11. TWO TRENDS SHAPING ENGINEERING
Globalization
Complexity
Putting them together and aspiring to the quote from the introduction are essential because of trends that are shaping the way engineers practice and the situations engineers practice in.

12. SOME PERSPECTIVE: GLOBALIZATION
The scope and scale of engineering practice is increasingly global. Firms that provide excellent services are not always geographically constrained – in fact many major projects are planned by overseas firms
Congested profession! What will this look like 10 years from now? Are we future proofing our engineers for excellence?

13. SOME PERSPECTIVE – COMPLEX PROBLEMS
Inequality
and poverty
Natural Disasters
Climate
Change
Sustainable Energy
Economic meltdown!
Urban Migration
Infrastructure renewal
Sustainable Communities

14. COMPLEX PROBLEMS
Emergent topics such as sustainability, human centered design, and new economic realities challenge us to explore these issues in new ways
Our clients and projects are also touched by these complex problems – challenging us to rethink and recreate how we look at delivering outcomes
Where does this leave us?

15. A STORY & SOME CONTEXT… Develop energy efficient buildings
Innovative in the biomedical field to save lives in a cost effective way
Revamp Calgary Transit

16. THE PROBLEM OF DILBERT…. OR BEING AN “ENGINEER” VS
THE PROBLEM OF DILBERT…. OR BEING AN “ENGINEER” VS. PRACTICING ENGINEERING
Students enter first year engineering and the focus is immediately on math and science – these are valuable yes, but few students felt they were ready to apply all these tools to problems.
Students tend to adopt a narrative of engineering without any experience – are engineering students already experts in engineering? Likely not.
But of the students we quizzed there was certainty on the math and the money – a narrow definition instead of an open one. Of course people should have views on the 4 year program they are about to embark on.
Using Dilbert as a proxy – there was a general sense that Engineering practice was almost an extension of education.
People focus on the idea of being an engineer, but there is a question about what does it mean ‘to engineer’.
Often the identity of the engineer

17. T-SHAPED ENGINEERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Breadth of Knowledge and identity
An I shaped professional has only the skill spike…
The bar on the top is the cherry on top for professionals. It enables lateral thinking, team work, looking at problems in new light.
Depth of Expertise
Depth of Expertise

18. ACTIVITY Sketch your T – what informs it?
Sketch our a 2oth century engineer and a 21st century engineer

19. ACTIVITY Sketch your T – what informs it?
Sketch our a 20th century engineer and a 21st century engineer

20. ENGINEERING ROLES
What are the key roles engineers have played in society?
What roles do they need to play in the 21st century?
Is there a transformation gap? What enables it?

21. ENGINEERING PRACTICE 20th Century The world is defined mechanistically
Reliant on heuristics such as codes or guidelines
Develop solutions
I shaped professional
21st Century
Problems are complex
Reliant on ‘out of the box thinking’ and novel approaches
Enable outcomes
T shaped professional
Engineers exist to provide universal solutions based on heuristics that can be repeated regardless of context
This approach is useful but is not a catch all – in my own field of transport engineering and planning many challenges have emerged as a result.
Engineering systems interact with humans, and will therefore change over time.

22. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
What do you think of these approaches?
What different challenges do they meet?

23. FROM THE 20TH CENTURY TO THE 21ST…
THE EVOLUTION OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE

24. ACTIVITY Get into groups of four…
One person will be a 20th century engineer
One person will be a 21st engineer
One person will be a 20th century citizen
One person will be a 21st century citizen

25. DEBRIEF How did you feel in your role?
What were the differences between engineering styles? What did each contribute?
How can both styles be used in balance?
Does current engineering education prepare engineers to practice in both styles? What about industry support?
What barriers exist?

26. SUMMARY
There are at least two types of engineering practice and countless roles engineers play
The role of the engineer is always evolving and changing
To be ready for the upcoming challenges we will face engineers need to be able to bring their whole identity as leaders to ‘engineer’ – 21st and 20th.

27. QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?