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.
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