Engineering for One Planet: Scaling for Impact Workshop

National Collegiate Inventors And Innovators Alliance, Hadley MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Engineering For One Planet (EOP) Scaling for Impact Workshop will convene a diverse group of educators, engineers, and other stakeholders to explore and expand new approaches to scaling the EOP initiative. The EOP initiative seeks to transform the national engineering curriculum to include environmental sustainability as a core value in the profession. Its vision is that all engineers will be equipped with the skills, knowledge, and understanding to protect the planet and the life it sustains. This workshop will enable VentureWell and The Lemelson Foundation to increase awareness and attract new supporters to implement the EOP vision on a national scale. It aligns with the NSF EEC division's objectives for the creation of 21st century engineers and the discovery of new revolutionary technologies that are more sustainable. VentureWell, in partnership with The Lemelson Foundation, will host a 1.5 day convening to identify, explore, and develop a roadmap for scaling and sustaining the reach and impact of the EOP initiative. Critical information about the most promising ways to advance the initiative will be learned through assembling a large group of participants (from multiple sectors and disciplines that represent a variety of identities and experiences) and facilitating a series of in-depth discussions designed to elicit ideas and recommendations for expanding the EOP initiative beyond its current group of champions. VentureWell will lead and manage all project activities, while The Lemelson Foundation will act as a strategic partner and leverage the significant expertise and community it has built through the initiative. The collective goal of this convening is to generate recommendations and fuel action to transform engineering education so that all students encounter environmental sustainability principles as an integrated part of their education and are equipped with the tools needed to incorporate these principles into their future research, careers, and innovations. To accomplish this, the EOP Scaling for Impact Workshop will: 1) ensure participants understand the EOP and its vision for reshaping engineering education; 2) develop priorities and recommendations for refining the EOP Framework (a guide for professors to integrate environmental sustainability into their curriculum); 3) ensure that JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) practices are embedded into the EOP scaling efforts; 4) strengthen existing collaborations and fostering new relationships among participants; and 5) identify approaches and recommendations that will inform the design of a five-year roadmap for an EOP Collective Impact Initiative. These efforts will enable the achievement of the EOP vision with maximum impact and scale. The convening will generate insights pertaining to the institutionalization of curricular change; approaches and mechanisms for engaging priority stakeholders and constituents; the engagement of individuals from underrepresented groups; how the EOP Framework should be revised to incorporate JEDI; and metrics and approaches that can be used to assess progress toward the EOP vision. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.