Vor 2 Tagen • 41 Min.

Engineers are often seen as problem-solvers: they build bridges, design infrastructure and develop technologies that shape everyday life. But what happens when technical knowledge is treated as the only knowledge that matters? This episode of Meridian is about engineering, social responsibility and the importance of listening to the communities that technologies and infrastructures are meant to serve. It asks what makes a good engineer, and why engineering education needs to include perspectives beyond the purely technical. Eva Cheng is Professor and Head of the School for Professional Practice and Leadership in the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney. In her work, she focuses on the social dimensions of engineering and IT, and on making these fields more inclusive. She also coordinates a program in which engineering students spend several weeks in communities in the Global South, for example in Cambodia. Rather than arriving as outside experts with ready-made solutions, students are encouraged to engage with local communities, learn from their knowledge and question their own assumptions about what is needed.