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Visiting Professors' Scheme
Visiting Professors in Engineering Design for Sustainable Development: Background
This scheme was
started in 1998, as a follow on to the
Visiting Professors in Principles of
Engineering Design.
It is clear that there
is no universally held understanding of what
‘sustainable development’ means, even in the
field of engineering, and so it is not easy
to find a broadly acceptable way of
incorporating the requirements for it into
engineering education.
The Academy accepts
the Brundtland definition (‘development that
meets the needs of the present generation,
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs’), and
sees that the challenge for engineers is to
provide engineering solutions which will
achieve such an aim.
In line with the
multi-disciplinary philosophy that underlies
all Academy activities, we believe that the
requirements of sustainable development
should eventually come to underlie the way
in which all engineering is taught.
Sustainable development should not be
considered as a separate issue to be
addressed by special courses. In the same
way that The Academy has promoted design as
‘a thread running through all of the normal
degree courses’, so it believes that the
needs of sustainable development should
become embedded in the thought processes and
methodologies of all practising engineers
and engineering designers.
Amongst practising
engineers and teachers, there are
differences in opinion about the extent to
which current theory and practice will be
able to cope with future sustainable
development scenarios. The Academy believes
that a body of well-researched case studies
is one of the best ways to highlight the
relevant issues and to show how engineering
principles and practice can be used to
address those issues. From such a body of
case studies, it is to be expected that some
high level ‘Principles for Design for
Sustainable Development’ could be
elucidated.
The Visiting Professors scheme
The purpose of this
scheme is to develop teaching materials,
based on case studies, which will enhance
both the understanding and the practice of
teaching of Sustainable Development. The
general approach to be adopted is one which
will lead to sustainable development being
embedded in the teaching and learning
culture.
During five academic years
1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03 and 2003/04, The Academy sponsored a total of 26
universities to develop such teaching
material (see list of appointments (50KB) ).
It is a condition of The Academy's support
that any material developed will be made
widely available to universities throughout
the UK.
Convincing case
studies can only be developed by
leading-edge industrial practitioners
working as Visiting Professors in unison
with experienced teachers, making this
scheme a very close partnership between
industry and academia. The Academy
recognises that the development of
good-quality teaching material will be
resource intensive. It is anticipated that
about one day per week of effort will be
required from the Visiting Professor, with
additional support from academic colleagues.
Further Information is
available from the scheme manager Dr Mark Bambury
at the Academy's address.
[E-mail Dr Mark Bambury]
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