Engineering in the iWorld: From Multidisciplinary(MD) to Interdisciplinary(ID)

to Transdisciplinary (TD)

Presented at

2010 World Engineering Education Forum

ASEE Global Colloquium

SingaporeOctober 20, 2010

By

Satish V. Kulkarni

Today's challenges

• Unprecedented economic ups and downs can result in unstable employment situations– Engineers must adapt in real-time

• Globalized economy is moving jobs across national boundaries for cost-effective operations – Pool of job seekers is bigger, diverse and more competitive

• Newer technologies are entering the marketplace at a faster pace– Current qualifications can become obsolete very quickly

• Global challenges such as global and energy security, climate change and public health often require an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach

– Engineers can no longer afford to be a one trick pony

We are all angels with only one wing, we can only fly while embracing each other.

— Luciano de Crescenzo, 20th Century Italian poet

…from Multidisciplinary to Interdisciplinary*– Innovations in S&T are frequently occurring

at the interfaces of scientific and engineering disciplines

– Case for ‘science-based’ engineering

* National Academy of Engineering Report, 2001.

The practice of engineering is changing…

Role of US national labs in lifelong learning in an interdisciplinary environment

• Many US multi-program national laboratories were created as Federally Funded R&D Centers (FFRDCs) Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) entities or University Affiliated Research Centers to rapidly assemble multidisciplinary teams to address major challenges requiring interdisciplinary R&D outside the government bureaucracy

– Defense: Los Alamos, Livermore, Sandia, MIT/Lincoln, JHU/APL– Space: JPL– Science: LBL, ORNL, etc…

• They generally operate as a ‘hybrid’ matrix

– Necessitated by political ups and downs and the resulting funding uncertainties and changes in program focus

– Result is a flexible, cross-trained workforce with no major RIFs• Only 2 in 60 years at LLNL

• The evolution of my career has been a direct function of the prevailing winds in Washington DC (Republican vs Democratic)

– But I am not complaining

US national laboratories offer multidimensional, multi-program experience in an interdisciplinary environment

Harvard Business Review, January 2003.

Mobility is key to enhancing SKAs, transferring good practices and employability

Attributes of the Engineer of 2020*-evolution from MD to ID to TD

• Strong grounding in the fundamentals and analytical skills• Creativity, practical ingenuity• Agility, flexibility• Professionalism and high ethical standards• Global competence, transnational mobility• Leadership• Understanding the principles of business and management• Lifelong learning

* National Academy of Engineering Report, 2004

Part I What the Beginner Needs to Learn at Once 3

Part II Relating Chiefly to Engineering Managers 21

Part III Professional and Personal Considerations 41

Appendix Representative Professional Codes of Ethics 61

We have some of the tools

Engineer of 2020 as a Whole Person

• SHe will have the---

ingenuity of Lillian Gilbreth (Mother of Ergonomics)

problem solving capabilities of Gordon Moore (Intel)

scientific insight of Albert Einstein

creativity of Pablo Picaso

determination of the Wright Brothers

leadership abilities of Bill Gates

conscience of Eleanor Roosevelt

vision of Martin Luther King

and the

curiosity of a child