An educational research study found out that, “both adults and teens strongly connect engineering to mathematics and science skills but do not as readily associate engineering with problem-solving, creativity, or having a positive impact on the world.” The public perceives engineers to be less engaged with societal and community concerns and to play a lesser role in saving lives. After coming across this research, l was so heartbroken that l had flown for about 24 hours from Zimbabwe, to earn an MSU engineering degree that had no positive impact in the world at all, as many people thought. I did not want to believe it and my instincts turned out to be right when l attended the MSU Engineers Without Borders(EWB-MSU) 's general meeting.
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| Engineers Without Borders -MSU mission statement as shown on the website. |
During the meeting, students discussed how they were working towards building a rainwater collection system on a new school being constructed in Tanzania. The aim was to provide safe drinking water for children. I learnt that many communities in Tanzania lack the infrastructure necessary to maintain a steady supply of water. Rainfall occurs, but the water may quickly run off. Rainwater harvesting was an economically feasible way to quickly improve the water supply. I was amazed at how the members were so excited to use their technical skills to serve the Tanzanian community. They also mentioned the El Salvador project where the EWB-MSU members built 33 composting latrines in a community that suffered from health-related issues that were attributed to improper sanitation. The one-hour session got me thinking about public perception versus the truth about engineering.
EWB-MSU proved to me that engineers were innovators and society leaders. It opened my eyes to engineering not as the profession but as a collection of technical knowledge and diverse educational experience: a link between technology and society.
Panashe, M-
Sources
"Public (Mis)Understanding of Engineering." News Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
It's interesting to see how the ideas people have about engineers don't always match the reality of the situation. I think it's very important that we communicate more facts about each one of our majors so that we can help to break down some of the stereotypes people might have.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Davis