Author: Dylan Anthony Hazelwood

By Matt K.

The main takeaway I gained from this course is that engineers cannot create like they used to. Therefore, they cannot learn like they used to. The purpose of being an engineer today is not about designing and manufacturing just to make money off of consumers. The global scope has to be considered. Engineering is not all math and physics. Culture plays a more important role than ever. As mentioned in the book, global engineers must improve on their “soft skills” in order to be environmentally and socially conscience. I believe the most important aspect taught in this course was the cultural aspect when developing new technologies. Engineers should always ask first how their creation will have an effect on the people and the planet. If they blindly produce technology that functions well and has cheap costs without thinking about the global impact (waste, pollution, health issues etc.), they are not truly thinking how an engineer should.

That is what this class has taught me. Obviously, all the other undergraduate courses are mostly essential in terms of technical knowledge, but Engineering for Social Change says that technical courses are not enough. I plan on graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree in May 2018 and I would not have had the same outlook on the engineering field as I do now if I had not enrolled in this course. There are many ways that technology has greatly benefitted humanity but none of them are without consequences. Every lecture and presentation had the same bottom line: if technology does not become more socially aware, humanity will face many dangers in the future. Engineering in society cannot continue to operate like it has been for the past century. The harm being inflicted on our planet and on the developing nations is accelerating in terms of waste and pollution and while many professionals are working hard to come up with solutions, it will most likely be in the hands of college graduates to come up with sustainable, long-term solutions. It starts with education and this class discusses the real applications and consequences of implementing knowledge obtained in the main technical courses. For example, learning how to build a car is not enough for an engineer. One must understand what effects producing that car can have on the world.

Admittedly, I never knew the scale of the harm we are doing to our planet until this semester. The statistics were fascinating and horrifying at the same time. There are some things that make me think the world and the people in it are beyond saving because of how much damage has been done by humanity in such a short period of time. But I am confident that if more engineers and people in general become more responsible, many unintended consequences can be mitigated and new methods and technologies can spread around the world and have huge positive impacts.

By Darayus K.

When I first walked in to room 1200 of the Kim Engineering Building on the University of Maryland, College Park campus, at 1:00pm on the first day of September, 2017, I saw more unique faces and appearances than I ever had in my life. As myself and the rest of the students arranged ourselves into a circle—a class formation I had not seen used since my high school humanities courses—I heard mumbles and whispers in a wide variety of accents and even languages. This first day of class was already shaping up to be a surreal experience, and our lecture had not even begun.

I come from central New Jersey, a region in the United States which I have always considered to by one of the most diverse in the country, with people from all sorts of countries, race and creed living in neighborhoods, running errands, going to school, going to work, all with little issue. Any issues regarding “diversity” or “immigrant” were nonexistent in the region I grew up in. Despite this upbringing, I was still surprised to see the amount of people from different cultures and backgrounds that I did in ENME467. The main difference between ENME467’s flavor of diversity and the diversity back home that I found, was that while everyone back home shared the common thread of “daily life” (errands, work, school etc.), the common thread that was shared among the diverse students of ENME467 was one of inspiring and being involved with social change.

From learning about the end of traditional work due to artificial intelligence (covered in both our required reading book, and Dr. Jungho Kim’s lecture), to the latest industrial revolution (additive manufacturing) there are many issues arising in today’s world which cannot be handled solely through engineering tools. Every student in this class, whether they were from Spain, Denmark, Baltimore City, or New Jersey like myself, came into this class ready to learn about and enact social change. Social change, as we learned, is the alternative toolbox an engineer needs, besides their equations, software, machines and data, the soft side of engineering must be addressed. The social and political impacts of the technologies that have been created by, and will be created by engineers must be addressed. With virtual and augmented reality technologies, for example, we are changing the way we interact with our world, and the way we perceive our world. As engineers we need to be aware of the major policy and privacy issues that could ensue with such technologies. These skills are not taught in our Fluid Dynamics, or Electronics classes, but are taught in this one, amazing course. These skills are meant to diversify our mind on a deeper level, introducing us to concepts normally foreign to us as engineers daily.

This issue of foreign experiences played a critical role throughout my time in this class. It began with literally working with four exchange students from Spain on our class project, and learning about Spanish culture and work ethic, continuing with a course format foreign to me as an engineer who has taken mainly technical courses since beginning college, leading to a unique project of which I had never undertaken, either in academic or work situations, all the way to learning about a foreign concept each and every lecture. The foreign course format allowed me to voice my opinions and hear the opinions of others, with us sitting in a circle as opposed to traditional lecture rows that hamper discussion. The (relatively) foreign social and philanthropic concepts also taught me a lot. All of the difficulties of giving away money were explained in a way that we would not only understand the considerable effort it takes to solve such problems, but also the importance. This semester of foreign experiences has not only helped me grow and expand as an engineer, but as a person in an increasingly global society as well.

By Kristen J.

Engineering for Social Change was an enlightening course this semester. It started with Dr. Grimm bringing up hard discussions of homelessness and how we as individuals could help. What is the best way to help someone in that position? Money? Food? We came to the conclusion as a class that we don’t know the best way to help homeless people as an individual but that we might be able to make change as a group. This is because of the complexity of every individual situation; one solution maybe appropriate for one person but not for another. To put every homeless person in a box and try and fix a problem is only going to make the problem worse. This idea can be translated into other areas of problem solving. And it makes you consider, are you actually helping the problem or making it worse? Waste is a good example because there are so many ways in which we dispose of waste that could be handled better. Landfills for instant are abundant here in the United States, but smaller countries like Sweden have no land free to dispose of trash in such a way. Is our solution the best solution? Or are we just taking advantage of the mass amount of land that we have? Or when we talk about electronic waste, it gets very complicated because recycling a lot of electronics become highly toxic tasks that only the lowest level of workers would accomplish. The US exports the majority of electronic waste, making it other countries responsibility. As an engineer, I want to make the world a better place, I want to see the world free of poverty, food insecurities, and given access to clean water. The challenge is how can I make that happen? It becomes my responsibility as an engineer to protect the health of individuals around the world. As climate change is growing I would love to use some of my knowledge to stop or possible reverse humans effect on the Earth. I would love to see everyone driving electric cars and making sustainable choices from their clothes to their meals. As an engineer I can make this a reality by awareness and education. A lot of times we forget what is important when we are trying to be the best and being on this earth and creating a healthy environment for my children and my children’s children would make me happy. This class was exciting because it brought to light a lot of fears and insecurities I already had, while also exploring strange and interesting engineering solutions and sometimes pitfalls. It was different than any other class I have taken during my engineering education. Dr. Anand brought this course to life and you can tell that he wants this course to be successful because of the number of amazing guest speakers we had. From 3D printing food to algorithms on social media to the Flint, Michigan water crisis we were subjected to a wide range of topics and interests. Every class there was always something new and interesting to learn about. I loved this class because it was so different from my every day engineering classes and it made me feel like I, as an individual, can make a change for the better for all of our future. I think when there are so many things going wrong in the world you forget that you matter and that your choices can make a difference, but this class reminded me that we are all important because we can make a difference. At the beginning of the class we were asked to introduce ourselves and why we
decided to take the class. I joked then that I was here because I wanted the change the world. I know now that I want to change the world and I hope the things I learned this semester will travel with me wherever my career takes me. Thank you Dr. Anand, Professor Sanchez and Professor Hazelwood for an amazing semester.

By Ruth J.

As future engineers we are a part of designing the future. When looking back in time it is somewhat easy to see the errors of the past and criticize. However “Engineering For Social Change” has made me see that at lot of the problems, like pollution and waste are unintended consequences of great technologically progresses that improved the life of many. The evolution of the way of living in the western world over the 150 years has jumped leaps and bounds and has increased expected life time and provided a comfortable life for most people. How ever big the problems we face today are, no one would want to go back, and dealing with the consequences is one of the tasks that stand before us as engineers today.

One thing that has become clear to me is that when moving forward and developing new technologies and solutions there is a very important lesson that we need to learn from the past. We must not only look at what problems the technology solves but also what it does not solve, what problems it could possibly create and who and what it will impact, intended or not. This is for me the most valuable lessen I have learned.

This way of thinking can and must be applied both in philanthropy and business. Not only businesses for profit but also philanthropy has through history been misguided and many times lead to destruction societies, cultures and nature around the world in the attempt to solve a problem.

By becoming aware of this responsibility within the engineering field has been eye-opening and equipped me become more aware and hopefully make better products and cause fewer unintended consequences. But it has also opened my eyes to the fact that not every bad consequence can be call unintended. And by calling it unintended the responsibility is being pushed to the side instead of owning up to the fact that proper research had not been conducted into the matter.

Working with an NPO in the pursuit of the $10,000 Nilom Grant has been a great learning experience and put emphasis on the importance of the matters of the lectures and has given a meaningful aspect to the group work throughout the semester.

By Benjamin H.

This course offered a platform for both learning and discussion of engineering areas and its former, current, and future impacts on the global society. A wide array of engineering topics have been covered, each as important to discuss as the last. I have realized from this course that engineering is more than just equations with problems and solutions. Outside of the classroom, in the real world, some of those solutions prove to be the source of a problem in a separate area. And who is to say what problem is more pressing? Engineers have the knowledge and education to structure areas of society and because of this, engineers have the responsibility to learn everything about a specific area before making a change or invention that will cause an impact. This semester we focused on studying unintended consequences of our actions. And as engineers, we have the role of both creating and mitigating those consequences if they are deemed detrimental in a certain area. With the increased rate of new products and the complexity of these new products, the unintended consequences seem to have increased as well. New inventions or methods will always bring about a change that the developer had not foreseen, but by learning everything about the people and environment we are impacting we can lessen the more harmful effects we may have. We also discussed a good deal about philanthropy due to course project revolving around that topic. There is a widening educational and economical gap in the global society and people on the more favorable side of that gap have the responsibility to support areas in need. Instead of profit being a top goal for an engineer, it should be the beneficial impact that person will have on a struggling area. Overall this course teaches the up and coming engineer about the weight that their work may have to the world and it should not be taken lightly.

By Jason H.

As engineering students, we often get so caught up in the technical aspects of engineering that we forget about the impact that we are having on the society around us. In an environment that throws as many formulas as possible at you in a short time, students often forget to question why they are doing this or what effect this concept will have on people. That is why it is so critical for all engineering students to take this Engineering for Social Change class. Of all the engineering courses at the University of Maryland, this is the only course that implores you to take a step back and think about what impact you might be having on society. If all engineers had taken this course to prepare them for their careers, perhaps we would not be facing the incredibly overwhelming environmental and social challenges that we are today.

Throughout the semester, lecturers from wide-ranging career disciplines came to educate our class on certain topics such as waste, ethics, and social media, all of which had some relation to engineering. These lectures were eye-opening to an undergraduate engineer, and they certainly instilled a new driving force to dedicate a career towards creating positive social change. In particular, Virginia Tech’s PhD student Siddhartha Roy’s lecture on the “Flint Michigan Water Crisis” is a great example of a lecture that focused on the impact of ethics in the workplace. For that crisis to happen, many different engineers and workers had to turn a blind eye to the mistreatment of the Flint water supply, and if any of them had spoken up, perhaps that crisis could have been avoided. Overall, these lectures provided the entire class with both warnings from previous engineers mistakes and things that we should be mindful of as we progress in our careers.

The other aspect of the class that drove home the importance of understanding our impact was the selection of a non profit which specialized in mitigating some form of waste. The whole process was difficult, yet I believe that it will have a great impact on how many students of the class view the importance of nonprofits. Gaining the knowledge of selecting a non profit and being able to identify them as a well-run non profit rather than one that is solely in business for financial gain is a key tool for anyone who is looking to become a philanthropist. Also, seeing the impact that the Neilom Foundation’s donation will have on a local non profit is a great influence on students to become involved in philanthropy. In conclusion, Engineering for Social Change provided incredibly engaging and unseen insights into the social aspect of the engineering world and I highly recommend that every student engineer should partake in this class.

By Sarp H.

Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” This is the mindset that I had while registering for this class. This was my first semester at the University of Maryland, so I had no idea what to expect. I came from Cecil College, a small local community college where the maximum class size was about 20 students. I never heard of engineering elective before then, so I was excited for what was in store for the semester.

During the first day of class, I had no idea what to expect. I did little research before scheduling this class, I decided to just go for it. When Mr. Hazelwood stated that we will donating $10,000 to the non-profit organization that wins, I thought it was a joke at first. But as the class went on, I realized he was not making this up. During the second day of class, we started to talk about philanthropists throughout history and how important philanthropy is. That is when I made the connection of how important this class is. As a class, we are going to be able to make an impact on a non-profit organization so they can spread their efforts in to reducing a type of trash/pollution in the United States. Philanthropic efforts can cause a positive chain reaction that can impact not just the area the non-profit organization is working with, but other areas that are influenced by the problem.

Another part of Engineering for a Social Change that stood out to me was the long-term grant making process. This grant making process was definitely new to me. Interacting with a non-profit organization really opens your eyes and makes you realize that there are people willing to devote their whole career towards their non-profits goals. In some ways, it makes you want to join them and work for them because of how passionate they are, but then you have to realize that this is only a school project, so you will do the best you can to make them win the $10,000 cash prize.

This class is very important to engineering students. The engineering curriculum is basically just technical classes, where you learn a new topic, get homework on the new topic for practice, and once you practice enough, you get tested on this topic. This class is different compared to the core classes you take for your major. It introduces the social aspect of engineering and how it can impact the community you live in. This class also teaches about not only the positive impacts engineering has on the world, but the negative impacts that engineering has on the world as well. All engineering students should be required to take this class because as technology rapidly increases, the demand for the new technology will also increase. So, where does that put the old technology created in the past? Ending up in a landfill somewhere? Sitting in a drawer at home? Left broken so toxic chemicals can leech into the environment? We need to prepare our youth to make sure they are prepared that if they create a certain technology, they need to be prepared for the unintended consequences that come with it.

Overall, my experience with this class was very impactful. I learned a variety of concepts that I had no idea about or I didn’t even think of before this class. From unintended consequences to the purpose of non-profit organizations, every engineer should know these concepts before entering into workforce. The engineers need to be knowledgeable of these topics so they are able to make a reasonable decision when coming to designing a project. Even though my non-profit organization did not receive the $10,000, this class was a life-changing experience and I hope whoever takes this class in the future feels the same way.

By Megan G.

Engineers have been the force behind social change for centuries; however, often engineers are ignorant of this fact until there are negative repercussions. During the education of an engineer, mathematics, physics, and technology courses are taught consistently. Non-tech classes are not highlighted in many engineering programs, so engineers seem to lose their ability to have a wide variety of knowledge.

Engineering for Social Change hopes to establish a connection between engineering students and the societal consequences they produce. As a future engineer, I have learned that there are consequences to every decision I make. During the Flint Michigan water crisis, many individuals, engineers included, turned a blind eye to the issues at hand and decided not to fix the problem. By the time the lead in the water was addressed, it had caused unquantifiable damage to the community. Disease was only one of the symptoms, but many prolonged symptoms, such as government distrust, have ensued. According to the ASME’s Code of Ethics, the first fundamental canon is to “hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public”; therefore, an in depth study of current and potential unintended consequences is something we as engineers must do to protect the public.

Throughout my semester taking ENME467, I have learned that though consequences will undeniably occur, I can prevent some and mitigate other. A major issue that has been on my horizons for quite some time is the plastic pollution in our oceans. The plastic that we litter on the streets will be able to find its way to a river and ultimately the ocean. This plastic is endangering the aquatic ecosystem, which in turn will damage the lives of all humans living on this earth. During this course, I was able to be paired with other engineering student who were also passionate about find a solution to plastic waste. By contacting local nonprofits, we were able to make a connection with the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. Together, we created a project that took littered plastics off the street and transformed them into recycled moldable material for different purposes. With a grant on the line, the Waterfront Partnership and my team were able to assemble a plan of action for executing our project. While ultimately, the nonprofit did not achieve the grant, they now have a reasonable start to begin looking for other funds.

Overall, integrating a direct connection to engineering and social change through the grant process allowed me to understand the change a single person can produce. Engineers are taught to see problems and address them. I will continue to do that in the future, but I will also attempt to anticipate the impact of my solution. Many of the problems in the world are cause by engineers lacking foresight, and the future of engineering will be devoted to finding better solutions.

By Marissa G.

The idea of social change is common. Now a class about engineering for social change is an unique experience that brought my passions to light and showed me different perspectives on the limitless possibilities to make an impact on society. Here, I do not specify “positive” impact as we have learned that the advancement of technology has come with many unintended consequences. This is where the term “unintended” is debatable. My aspiration from a young age was to “make a positive impact on our local community and someday for the world.”

I learned that unintended consequences can have a positive or a negative outcome. Regardless of the outcome, these consequences were not the original intent or purpose. Yet whether the outcome has a positive or negative affect is based on perspective. This course does not focus on the harmful effects of these outcomes, but addresses potential ways of viewing how to approach unintended consequences. Shining this light on it is a great opportunity to learn from mistakes. One of my favorite Ted Talks, by Historian Edward Tenner, supports this system. However, I have been interested on the other side of the meaning of “unintended;” the side that states unintended is a form of ignorance. Yet, this is just my current personal take.

This course is unique from the required engineering coursework because we can form our own opinion on what we each believe in. I did not realize how many styles of philanthropy and nonprofits that exist. My personal preference or style of philanthropy is a hands-on approach to analyze the root cause of problems. Yet, I was not sure how to relate engineering to the concept of philanthropy and social change. The opportunity this course provides is invaluable. Encouraging us to reach out to nonprofits, research, and explore has opened my mind to the endless possibilities for social change to blossom. Learning to understand that nature of nonprofits and the grantmaking process has enabled me to see how these connect to technical solutions. This course does not only teach us that we have the ability to help engineer for social change, but it also demonstrates the importance for engineers to to learn about the connections to social change.

We all know engineers solve problems. But gaining insight to the social problems it can solve is key to moving into the future. Engineers of the past have caused societal and environmental harm to today’s societies. I believe it is up to the next generation to build a sustainable future. This course enhances the “standard” engineering education.

By Arnold G.

When I first saw the saying on the front of the book “Engineering is not just engineering”. I was not sure what to make of it. Now that the semester is over, I know exactly what this means and how important saying is. I am glad to say that I have learned a lot during this class and am really pleased I took this class.

At the beginning of this class, it reminded me of the ethics class, ENEE200, I took a while back. We started talking about ethics and we had a wonderful presenter the first day. It was clear that this class form the first day that it was not going to be a typical class. The following presenter were also very good, some more than others, but everyone had always something interesting to teach. Some of the most interesting topic, in my opinion, were unintended consequences, philanthropy, and the impact of engineering on society. These topics were remarkable because each taught me something essential.

Working with the nonprofit organization also helped me realized that a lot is being done to help others but it is certainly not enough. Which is why I think taking this class was really fulfilling and learning all those topics, aided me understand what is the better thing to do when faced with an idea/project at hand designed to help others. There is so much more thought that needs to be put towards this idea other than just good intentions. Engineering is a significant key that affects all of society in one way or another.

In conclusion, I believe this class is really important for engineer students to make sure they learn how important their actions are and teach them their responsibilities.