Public Stewards or Hired Guns?: An Inquiry into Engineering Education

Abstract

The world is facing converging crises of overpopulation and urbanization, resource depletion and globalwarming, political tension and unrest. Often, we call upon engineers, as technical experts, to addressthese issues. Engineers are allotted a large amount of decision‐making influence and power based ontheir assumed knowledge and skill sets. However, there is perhaps a danger in giving influence toindividuals with a limited understanding of social, political and environmental issues. In the words of Donna Riley, “The profession of engineering…has historically served the status quo, feeding an ever‐expanding materialistic and militaristic culture, remaining relatively unresponsive to public concerns, and without significant pressure for change from within” (Riley, 2008). This inquiry seeks to ask: “Are engineers truly prepared to tackle today’s contemporary issues?” by exploring the nature of the engineering industry in the 21st century, engineering education broadly, and the Applied Science Curriculum at Queen’s University specifically. It will draw on both independent research and focus groups with Applied Science students. Particular themes which will be explored include the engineering design process, the understanding of power relationships and the need for interdisciplinarity.