Tag Archives: EWB

Some reflections from the check-in on Friday morning

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I could not capture what everyone said…

Andres: I love this community. So much energy.

Dani: Get so much more out of this conf than others.

Lizzie: Want to work with Oz faculty about incorporating SJ themes.

Juan: I have invited Lizzie to come Colorado and talk to us. Also exited about this exercise about privilege.

Jen: Exited about all the interesting people.

Jon: Grateful, I’ve learned so much in these days. Sad when it will be over.

Mathew: Feeling practical. Wondering how themes from conversations here can be integrated to the wider engineering stream.

Dean: Not looking forward to going back and plug in the normal academic routine. This is the best conference.

Caroline: Sad to see all my friends going. Hopeful to see what we can do at a distance. Exited about that we are doing this exercise.

Session Panel session service learning – in the service of social justice

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Thursday, August 5, 2010 ESJP Conference, London Typed by Lisa McLoughlin Panel session service learning: in the service of social justice

Dean Nieusma: Public participation in engineering design practice

We are all going together where my abstract points.

I am inviting you all to participate in the participatory action research project which was framed at this conference last year: the questions, approaches, and answers all evolve together and change together—the idea is to frame a bigger ambitios project and anyone who wants to participate can take ownership and contribute.

The abstract is a piece of the project I have taken ownership for and I am ask you to participate.’’

The 3 facets of organization: Research, taking care of the group, practice <<<<<(?) 4 areas from last year 1)skills inventory 2) past-current research of yours central to SJP work 3) questions you would like answered about ESJP work 4) main approaches to ESJP you employ----how and where you do ESJP work- compiling these gets an interesting concept In conversations yesterday a 5th item came up: in the spirit of the bibliography, a clearinghouse list of people who are doing work in this area already. For me this would be bounded by people who are explicitly attending to social power. Feel free to email me about any of the above. I agree to coordinate the ongoing research project which will change from year to year. Neiusma at rpi.edu My research (see the abstract) I am interested in expertise as a concept mostly because when we use expertise we have in our mind a muddled mix of specialized knowledge and institutional authority. Lots of people have specialized knowledge that we do not automatically assume as expert---people who are not recognized as experts legitimately are not entitled to speak. Decisions that impact your life should have your input, but often these people are not allowed to speak (e.g. a village in Shri

Q&A for Session 1 (Thursday)

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Heather started off the discussion by asking Dean about experts. Dean argued that relationships determine who gets called an expert and who doesn't. For example, a local community NGO in Sri Lanka is treated as the "community" by their

World Bank partner, but when that NGO goes into the community, they are considered experts.

Juan pointed to how Lizzie was included in the ESJP discussion and why she was included but not a rep from Proctor & Gamble. Donna replied that it's Lizzie's willingness to critique EWB-Oz as opposed to P&G. Donna added that she's conflicted about EWB, particularly the EWB-USA chapter she's had some experience with. Caroline added that she, too, was conflicted about her "Waste for Life" project but she's sick of just talking about justice and not doing something about it.
Juan asked the group if we're willing to engage corporate/industry folks if they self-critique. Caroline/Donna said absolutely. Eric countered by pointing out how industry can't sell critique and if ESJP engages with industry on this level, we will compromise our principles of critique. He further asked the audience if it is possible for corporate/industry to ever care about social justice?
Dean added that a person situated in a corporation who's interested in social justice and can self-critique can come to ESJP but as a person not as a representative of the corporation.
Caroline added that ESJP can serve as a place for critiques/discussion of development work. Lizzie mentioned that she might have misframed her presentation. However, audience members countered that there are ways to work with justice within certain constraints/boundaries and outside them as well (but both are important).
Parting question of the session: can the state engage with social justice as well?

Session 1 (Thursday)

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Dean started off the session by talking about the ESJP Research project which aims to develop:

1. Skills inventory of ESJP members
2. List of past/current research of central to SJP work
3. Questions you would like answered about ESJP 
4. A databse of approaches to ESJP
Dean, himself, is interested in expertise and the "problem of expertise" in social justice work.
Craig followed up Dean's presentation by talking about understandings of ethics among engineering students and how students don't understand the social impacts of engineered systems. He pointed to a "human-centered" design process developed at EPICS Purdue that uses authentic examples of engineering systems in social contexts to connect students with socially just engineering.
Arias from EWB-Columbia spoke about some questioning the EWB Columbia is doing such as:
  • Why don't EWB chapters from the North work in the North? Why do EWB chapters from the South work in the North?
  • What is the difference between intervention or education / intervention through education / education through intervention?
  • Is the product more important or the process?
  • What is the difference in projects/process in rural vs. urban environments?
  • How do we deal with institutional support or intolerance?
Lizzie from EWB-Australia talked about the "EWB Journey". EWB-Oz works with communities through two-way sharing of knowledge. They also work with schools, universities, and engineering companies to connect engineering learning with social justice. EWB-OZ attempts to create a new engineering culture that is community-centered, encourages cross-cultural understanding, critical thinking and builds leaders of social change. They currently don't use the "social justice" articulation but their vision does match up nicely.