Global Engineering for a Small Planet: A Vision of

SuccessBernard Amadei

Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities

University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

“Do today’s engineering graduates and engineers have the skills and tools to address the global problems that our planet and humans are facing today, or will be facing within the next 20 years?”

Peace/Conflict, Climate Change, Poverty Reduction, Water, Energy, Shelter, Communication, Etc.

0.78 billion lack clean water 2.5 billion lack adequate sanitation 2.4 billion are at risk for malaria 2.0 billion with no access to low cost

essential medicines

Why engineering for the developing world?

1.2 billion lack adequate housing 1.6 billion have no access to electricity 1.3 billion are illiterate 1.8 billion live in conflict zones, in transition,

or in situations of permanent instability

How can all humans have fulfilling lives, meet their basic needs, and live with dignity and at peace?

Different ChallengesIn the developed world, the challenge is to consume less and more intelligently and be respectful of natural and human systems

In emerging markets, the challenge is to grow economically while respecting human and natural systems

In the developing world, the challenge is to ensure that proposed economic solutions address the basic needs of people and are good to the environment

http://www.gapminder.org

One type of poverty

Poverty is unnecessary pain:

Precarious livelihoodIsolationPhysical weaknessGender relationshipPsychological weaknessWeak state institutions and communitiesLimited assets and high vulnerability

Another type of poverty

$1.75 x 1012 /365/24/60/60 = $55,492 per second!

Developing a New Generation of Engineers for the 21st Century

Engineers are called to be change-makers, peace-makers, social entrepreneurs, and facilitators of sustainable human development

Population Benefitted

Engineering Focus

0%

100% GAPWater & Sanitation

EnergyShelterHealth

EducationResiliency To Crises

10%90%

“The majority of the world’s designers focus all their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10% of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%.” Dr. Paul Polak, International Development Enterprises

Doing Well by Doing Good

Market for joint ventures between private and citizen sectors in the low-income world worth:• $202 billion in health care, • $424 billion in low-cost housing, • $553 billion in energy, • $36 trillion in agricultural products and food.

Drayton and Budinich (2010)

Attributes of the Global Engineer of 2020

Strong analytical skills Practical ingenuity Creativity Good communication Business & management skills Leadership High ethical standards Resilience & flexibility Lifelong learners

• Global Awareness• Personal Awareness

• Teamwork• Experience &

Application

Solutions:• With a Human Face

• Appropriate• Done right and rightly

done

Partners with disadvantaged communities toimprove quality of lifeImplements environmentally and economicallysustainable engineering projectsDevelops internationally responsible engineersand engineering studentsInvolves 14,000 members, 325 chapters, 400+projects in 45 countries, 200+ projects completed.

Engineers Without Borders - USA

TMTM

Systems Approach

Eng/Tech

Public Policy/ Governance

Security/Vulnerability

Business/Economics

Public Health SCD

Depth

Breadth

Depth

Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities

Appropriate & Sustainable Technology

Adapted from ITDG

Innovation in emerging markets• Frugal or constraint-driven innovation• Disruptive innovation (GE)• Hand-held ECG: $800; cost: $1 per patient• Tata Swach (Clean) water filter: $22 initial

investment, 3,000 liters, 200 days, for a family of 5

• The drinkable book (from Waterislife): Each page kills bacteria (last up to a month each, treats 100 l of water)

Affordability, accessibility, availability, sustainability, scalability, reliability

• 650 M with disabilities in the world

• 520 M in developing world• 200 M are children

4,000-20,000 amputees in Haiti

Assistive technology

Car Recycling Project

Car has reached the end of its life-cycle as a car…>> Cradle-to Grave

… but car systems can be re-used for different purposes>> Cradle-to-Cradle

Added value:- Provides solutions to

local problems- Creates local jobs- Helps clean the

environment

SUST 2800 Semester Project

Engineering for the other 90% is about…

Disrupting poverty and its pathological dysfunctionsContext, participation, systems, multi-disciplinaryDelivery of solutions that are done right (correct) and rightly done (correctly done)Solutions with a human faceSolutions that are appropriateAn adaptive approach instead of blueprintSolutions that emphasize affordability, accessibility, availability, sustainability, scalability, and reliability

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

Albert Einstein

Contact: amadei@colorado.edu

Education of the Global Citizen Engineer

Poverty

Climate Change Peace