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Engineering Ideas Institute will explore how the engineering community can help address challenging environmental, social issues

Engineering Ideas Institute will explore how the engineering community can help address challenging environmental, social issues

Registration is open for September summit that will delve into concepts like circular economy innovations to advance the engineering community as a catalyst for change

BOULDER, Colorado — Change leaders from a variety of engineering disciplines will gather in Boulder next month to explore how the engineering community can transform its work through regenerative practices, circular economy innovations and biomimicry.

The 2022 Engineering Ideas Institute will be held Sept. 26-28 at The Colorado Chautauqua. The event is hosted by Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL), a social change lab founded in 2017 that convenes change leaders across the engineering community to accelerate its progress through deep learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.

A key focus of the institute will explore how concepts such as circular economy innovations — improvements of designs, products and systems to reduce and recapture waste — can help protect, restore and replenish human capital and natural resources while transforming agro-forestry, water use, urban development, building design and industrial systems.

  • Maury Salz, retired president of CLAAS Omaha and a former president of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, will describe ASABE’s initiative to transform food and agricultural systems to a circular economy.

The institute will also more broadly explore the engineering community’s role as leaders of societal change, employing provocations and case studies to identify strategies for leading change and engaging in adaptive work in a variety of settings, from education to practice to public policy.

  • The discussion will include analysis of former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen, who acted as a whistleblower to reveal that the social network was aware of the harms its products have had on young people.

“The mission of Engineering Change Lab – USA is to explore the role engineering must play in addressing the most challenging issues of the day — challenges that take knowledge, leadership and collaboration to solve,” said Mike McMeekin, president and executive director of ECL. “Engineering intersects with so many areas of society, so through deeper understanding of concepts like circular economy innovations, the engineering community can increase its contributions to the creation of a better world.”

McMeekin is available for interviews to discuss the focus areas of the 2022 Engineering Ideas Institute, the vital role engineering will play in addressing societal issues and the organization’s mission.

Learn more about the 2022 Engineering Ideas Institute here and register today.

 

About Engineering Change Lab – USA

Engineering Change Lab – USA (ECL) is a social change lab founded in 2017 that convenes change leaders across the engineering community to accelerate its progress. ECL hosts a series of summits each year to learn from thought leaders, share perspectives, provoke new ways of thinking, deepen understanding of engineering’s emerging future, and launch experiments and focused initiatives. Learn more at ECL-USA.org.