Seminar

Human progress and development affect people from all walks of life and demands a multidimensional and comprehensive perspective. As engineering students today acquire competencies and knowledge about different STEM related subjects, many find themselves not well prepared for leading social change. They are challenged by the complexity and diversity that a rapidly changing world presents them with. Today’s problems in areas such as business, education, natural and man-made disasters, conflicts, international relations, health care, climate change, human rights and gender issues are complex and demand skills beyond science and engineering for tackling them. No single discipline be it STEM or liberal arts, can solve these problems in isolation. The COVID crisis and ongoing wars around the world has set a ‘new normal’ and existing knowledge and strategies may no longer be adequate to operate during uncertain times. While the world of Generative AI offers unfathomable opportunities, we now require a new generation of engineers who are capable of bringing about societal change driven by compassion, empathy and ethics.

The speaker with nearly 4 decades of experience in social development will speak how one can apply engineering principles and expertise to address societal challenges and create positive impacts on communities and the broader society. This approach will require combining technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of human behavior & social issues to design and implement solutions that lead to meaningful change.

Co-sponsored by: HKN Clarkson University, Gamma Gamma

Room: 176, Bldg: CAMP, 10 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York, United States