Humanitarian Engineering
Encyclopedia
Humanitarian engineering may be defined as 'research and design under constraints to directly improve the wellbeing of marginalized communities'. What is most distinctive about this type of engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 is its targeted audience - those that might be classified as 'marginalized, or under-served'. Humanitarian engineering places strong emphasis on the cultural context of engaging in engineering activities which impact the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and those that lack the means to address pressing problems. As such, training for one who participates in humanitarian engineering incorporates history, politics, economics, sociology, language, as well as rigorous engineering basics. Several universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 focus efforts on Humanitarian Engineering: Penn State University integrates engineering design and research with a strong social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...

 thrust http://www.engr.psu.edu/hese. Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

 offers a minor in Humanitarian Engineering. Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

 offers a 3-course humanitarian engineering/entrepreneurship capstone as a part of the GlobalResolve program.

Programs


Journals


See also

  • Engineers Without Borders
    Engineers Without Borders
    Engineers Without Borders – International is an international association of some national EWB/ISF groups, whose mission is to facilitate collaboration, exchange of information, and assistance among its member groups that have applied to become part of the association...

  • Engineers for a Sustainable World
    Engineers for a Sustainable World
    Engineers for a Sustainable World is a national not-for-profit based in Merced, California. ESW is an umbrella organization with chapters established at twenty-seven colleges and universities located primarily in the United States. ESW chapters work on technical engineering projects that have a...

  • Appropriate technology
    Appropriate technology
    Appropriate technology is an ideological movement originally articulated as "intermediate technology" by the economist Dr...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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