George D. Catalano

Engineering, Poverty, and the Earth

In the present work, the growing awareness in engineering of the profession’s responsibility towards the environment and the poor is considered. The following approach is taken: a brief overview of the issues of poverty particularly in the U.S. and the deterioration of the natural world with a focus on the Arctic is provided. Case studies involving New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the status of polar bears in a time of shrinking Arctic ice cover are detailed. Recent developments in engineering related to the issues of poverty and the environment are discussed. A new paradigm for engineering based on the works of Leonardo Boff and Thomas Berry, one that places an important emphasis upon a community, is explored.

Special session - new engineering stories: How feminist thinking can impact engineering ethics and practice

The goal of this special session is to examine the way we as engineers frame stories about engineers and engineering, and to ask: do we need to embrace new stories? We will explore traditional stories about engineers and engineering ethics and ask, how might these stories, and the kind of engineering practice and education they inspire, change if framed from a feminist perspective? The outcomes of this session are to build a greater community interested in social engagement, engineering ethics, and feminist methodologies as they apply to engineering.

Special session: Re-imagining engineering education: Feminist visions for transforming the field

The goal of this special session is to explore what engineering education might be like if it were done from a feminist perspective, and how this new vision might influence the profession and society. Feminist perspectives are understood broadly to recognize the connectedness of all forms of social injustice. Thus feminist visions of engineering might address a broad set of concerns such as militarism, racism, and global economic inequality as well as sexism and heterosexism. Outcomes include concrete ideas for future research and institutional transformation, collaboration and mutual support of one anothers efforts.

Tragedy in the gulf: A call for a new engineering ethic

The question that the present work addresses is how might we move the engineering profession towards a more encompassing engineering ethic and do it in a way which the practitioners might be receptive to such new ideas? Put another way, how might we develop a new engineering ethic, which focuses more upon the results as evidence by its adoption across the myriad of disciplines rather than the purity or elegance of the argument? The present work seeks to offer one approach that might work borrowing from our developing view of complex systems theory. One important characteristic of a complex system — and we shall consider others — is that a system is composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more properties. Stated another way, the behavior among the possible properties may not be obvious from the properties of the individual parts. The proposed new ethic also integrates new ideas from quantum mechanics as well as eco-philosophy.

Making Gentle the Life of the World

A design project, the compassion and peace practicum, is described. The practicum has evolved over the years and now focuses upon promoting peace and/or justice in the world through some concrete action. Engineering and non-engineering students have successfully completed their projects. The topics and teams are self-selected. A formal engineering design methodology is employed. For engineering students, this serves as a broadening of their understanding of the role and impact of engineering and technology. For non-engineering students, the project serves as an introduction to the technical world and develops an appreciation for the skills and talents of engineers. The concepts of compassion and promoting peace are considered and ideas are offered for integrating such ideas into the context of an engineering design project

Engineering Ethics:Peace, Justice, and the Earth, Second Edition

A response of the engineering profession to the challenges of security, poverty and underdevelopment, environmental sustainability, and native cultures is described. Ethical codes, which govern the behavior of engineers, are examined from a historical perspective linking the prevailing codes to models of the natural world. A new ethical code based on a recently introduced model of Nature as an integral community is provided and discussed. Applications of the new code are described using a case study approach. With the ethical code based on an integral community in place, new design algorithms are developed and also explored using case studies. Implications of the proposed changes in ethics and design on engineering education are considered. Table of Contents: Preface / Acknowledgments / Introduction / Engineering Ethics / Models of the Earth / Engineering in a Morally Deep World / Engineering Design in a Morally Deep World / Implications for Engineering Education / Final Thoughts / Re erences / Authors Biography

Special session - increasing awareness of issues of poverty, environmental degradation and war within the engineering classroom: A course modules approach

The goals of the proposed special session are the following: (1) Describe ongoing efforts at various institutions which attempt to integrate the issues of poverty, environmental degradation and war into existing engineering courses; (2) Describe process(es) used in developing course modules; (3) Provide an interactive, experiential process whereby the session participants will begin to develop their own course modules for use in their respective courses; (4) Further develop a community interested in increasing awareness of issues of poverty, environmental degradation and war within engineering education and the engineering profession; and (5) Explore options for establishing closer ties between the course modules and real-world community agencies/organizations.

Special Session - Not Many Women in Engineering -- So Why Should I Care? Bridging Gender Gaps and Stereotypes

As a group, we will explore issues related to the fact that engineering and computer science is still very much a male dominated profession. We will explore these issues through a process of reflection and challenge. An interactive format will be utilized with attendees assigned to smaller discussion groups each led by a facilitator. Facilitators will be both female and male. A series of open-ended questions will serve as the starting point for the discussions with each group then asked to report back to the entire session as a whole

Work in Progress: Using Wolves to Teach Engineering Design

A one-credit-hour course was developed and offered as part of an experimental effort that attempts to bring instruction in design methodologies to both engineering and non-engineering majors alike through collaboration with the Wolf Conservation Center in New York. One important overarching goal is to increase the technical literacy of students at Binghamton University who may not be formally enrolled in engineering classes. The first cohort of students enrolled in the course was fifteen with one student majoring in engineering. Students were confronted with a range of issues associated with wolf and other endangered species conservation efforts. A formal engineering design methodology was introduced through a series of lectures and in-class design experiences. Students then identified a project of interest to them, designed and implement their proposed solution. The clients for the design projects were a pack of captive gray wolves. Linkages to a host of issues from environmental stewardship to globalism were easily made in the context of technological impact upon the natural world. The course was offered as part of the universitys honors program, which recruits students from a wide range of disciplines across campus. A variety of assessment tools are incorporated into the course including questionnaires, focus groups and exit surveys