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Effecting Behavioral Change: Engineer the Tools for Scientific Discovery

Last modified
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 15:17
In Grand Challenge Scholars Program

Description

People are more likely to improve themselves, their communities and the world if the change is simpler, more desirable, cheaper and easier than the current option, and the activation energy to switch is low. We are creatures of habit. Society has inertia. Changing the world requires changing people’s minds and altering their behaviours. My conscience compels me to try to improve my environment. Over time, I have developed my philosophy for enacting change, and refined my approach. In each of the experiences I will describe below, I identified a behaviour in my peers worth adjusting, created a desirable and simple solution to alter their actions, and gave them the tools to enact change. The scope of these experiences may not be global, but in each, my actions attempted to cause people to improve themselves as individuals, ameliorate their community or have a lesser impact on the environment. Through these, I learned how to lay the foundation for a real behavioural change in my peers, I learned how to lay the foundation for real behavioural change in my peers. This mentality scales up for Grand Challenges. The Grand Challenges cannot be resolved with technology alone, or solely through social pressures, or by simply passing a bill. They cannot be solved by throwing money at them, nor by holding hands and wishing they would go away. Grand Challenges demand all of these things together -- and more: an interconnected ecosystem of scientific innovation, an enlightened social paradigm that welcomes the change, strong political will, ample economic resources and yes, a dash of optimism. With all these elements acting in concert, we can change our behaviours in meaningful ways and be able to achieve great things.

Type of Resource

Article

Rights Statements

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
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Strategic Engineering: Increasing Awareness of Social, Environmental, and Sustainability Considerations in Engineering Work

Last modified
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 15:13
In Arts Humanities Social Sciences Capstone Projects

Description

The purpose of my AHS/E! hybrid capstone project was to create educational materials for practicing engineers that would increase their consideration of the social, environmental, and sustainability implications of their work. To make the materials effective, I chose to frame my content from the worldview of the audience (practicing engineers) rather than from my own worldview. The result is a 60‐minute workshop along with pre- and post-workshop activities on the topic of “Strategic Engineering”—arguing that being socially, environmentally, and sustainably responsible is a desirable business strategy

Type of Resource

Article

Rights Statements

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
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Object Type

  • Article (2)

Collection Membership

  • Arts Humanities Social Sciences Capstone Projects (1)
  • Grand Challenge Scholars Program (1)

Agents

Subject

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  • Entrepreneurial Experience (1)
  • entrepreneurship (1)
  • environment (1)
  • ethics (1)
  • exhibition (1)
  • Global awareness (1)
  • human rights (1)
  • product design (1)
  • service learning (1)
  • social engineering (1)
  • specification (1)
  • strategy (1)
  • studio (1)
  • sustainability (1)
  • (-) business (2)

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  • March 2018 (2)

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Olin College of Engineering

An undergraduate engineering institution exploring innovative approaches to engineering education since its founding in 1997.

1000 Olin Way
Needham, MA 02492
781.292.2390