Societal Impact of Engineering

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Societal Impact of Engineering I

Engineering Solutions Impact Society

What Engineers do in creating, designing, building,
implementing has an extensive impact on society.
Many impacts are desired and anticipated
Many times this impact is unanticipated

Engineers have a responsibility to:

Inform society of the positive and negative implications of
particular technological solutions
Obtain societal approval before implementing a solution

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Societal Impact of Engineering I

Examples of Engineering Solutions with Significant

Societal Impact

Power
Automobile
Airplanes
Radio
Television
Microwave oven
Computers
Internet
Video/DVD

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Societal Impact of Engineering I

Engineering Solutions that are more emerging

Cell phones

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Societal Impact of Engineering I

The Sport Utility Vehicle

Industry identified a need for a rugged
vehicle with seating space similar to
a minivan and built on a truck
chassis
Proposed Solution: SUV
Unintended Consequences
Low Fuel Efficiency
Pollution
Safety

Potential Solution: Compact

Crossover SUV
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Societal Impact of Engineering I

Examples of Engineering Solutions with

Unintended Consequences

Automobile
Internet
Cell Phones
Nuclear Power Plants
Microwaves
Power lines
Nanoparticles
Asbestos
Chlorofluorocarbons
Fossil Fuels

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Societal Impact of Engineering I

Activities to Minimize Unintended Consequences

1. Fully investigate solutions before making design decision

Carefully assess all potential solutions and their societal and environmental
impacts as well as their technical effectiveness.

2. Research standards, regulations, and laws and make sure you are
complying with them in letter and intent

Look at the history behind the regulations to better understand the problems
they are attempting to prevent.

3. Identify comparable solutions (and technologies) that have

already been implemented; examine their societal impacts
4. Employ formal design methodology throughout the process

This is especially important in testing and validation.

Consider a trial release

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Societal Impact of Engineering I

Activities (continued)
5. Examine costs versus benefits for your solution

Be sure to examine from both a companys perspective and from societys

perspective

6. Use an independent group of experts or consultants to review your

decisions and to offer ideas
7. Have non-engineers look at solution and assess impact
8. Dont just look at our society; in a global marketplace we need to
also consider impact on other societies
9. Think both short-term and long-term

Develop contingency plans how might you handle problems from

unintended consequences

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Societal Impact of Engineering I

Resources to help study similar problems, previous

solutions, and their societal impact
Internet
Technology media
Trade journals (IEEE Spectrum), newspapers (NY Times:
Science section), and other technical journals

IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology

also publishes Technology and Society Magazine

Patent office
Talk to senior engineers

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Societal Impact of Engineering I

Societal Impact Report (due 3/1/10, in class)

Write a review of a paper from IEEE Spectrum or IEEE Technology &
Society magazine that discusses a technology and its impact. Use the
following format:
Title (give the title of your paper, page numbers, and publication date)
Technology of Interest (Briefly describe the technology in your own
words. Cite any other references if you consult them to understand more
about this technology)
Problem the Technology is attempting to solve (Briefly describe the
technical problem)
Societal Impact (Discuss the impact to society by this technology)
Consequences (Discuss any intended/unintended consequences of the
technology)
Message (Describe the main message that this paper is trying to deliver)
Summary (Make a strong summary statement of 1-2 sentences).
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Societal Impact of Engineering I

Societal Impact Report

Note:
Please be organized, concise, and use your own words
Please cite and reference any additional material that
you use;
Be sure to treat any direct quotes in the proper way;

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Societal Impact of Engineering I