SCHOOL FOR WONKS

ASEE Prism, Feb 2004 by Creighton, Linda

BROADER PERSPECTIVE

Being able to work not only as individuals but as members of multidisciplinary teams, understand professional and ethical responsibilities, understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context, and have a knowledge of contemporary issues are not only criteria for ABET, Denny says, but are critical to the future of engineering.

Denny says his course is designed to overcome the tendency of engineering education to be one-dimensional. The course calls upon students to not only learn to solve problems and use math and science, but to connect their work to broader societal concerns. The students are discovering that becoming active at the state, local, or federal level in policy decisions can provide professional rewards as well as improve the quality of life in their society. "Some issues, like environmental issues, are prominent in all three levels of government," Denny says. "Our society is becoming more technologically challenged and more environmentally sophisticated, and engineers have to stay current in what's happening on all of those levels."

As issues become more complex, Denny says, engineers have to prepare themselves for a more far-reaching work environment, incorporating knowledge of many fields into their area. "One example is the global warming issue, which involves the whole planet," Denny says. That point was driven home to the class in their discussions of not only the science involved but the international accords, different countries' positions, and the United States' role. "If you're an engineer working in one of the energy fields or for an auto company, understanding the terminology and the landscape is invaluable," he explains.

The course at McNeese draws on Denny's experience with the Edison Electric Institute, where he served as a consultant for governmental affairs activities. Denny says he quickly realized that "as an engineer you deal with public policy all the time, whether you know it or not," by either trying to comply with laws and regulations or trying to influence a company's strategy for public-policy development.

Denny says adding a public-policy dimension to his teaching when he became an associate professor eight years ago gave his electrical engineering course a little zip. "I would bring in bits and pieces of energy policy, and the students were really interested," Denny recalls. "The more I thought about it, the more I thought it could be a course in and of itself, dealing with the public-policy process and how to influence the process in things the engineering organizations do."

Students' communication skills are honed in role playingbecoming a spokesperson for an industry faced with both friendly and opposing audiences on specific issues. In one exercise on global wanning, half the class represented the interests of an environmental group such as the Sierra Club or Friends of the Earth and the other General Motors.

"We worked across the whole public-policy spectrum," Denny says. "We developed a media campaign and a message for the public, decided how to lobby Congress, and put together an in-depth corporate policy, complete with a communications plan to take to managers within the company."