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Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series: Khalid Kadir
April 9 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Engineering Justice? Rethinking Engineering and our Positions as Engineers in Efforts to Make the World a Better Place
presented by
Khalid Kadir
Continuing Lecturer
University California, Berkeley
Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
3:00 PM
Room 1200 EECS
Passcode: 698775
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Abstract
We all want the future to be better than the present, and many of us would like to be a part of making that happen. Engineering students, researchers, and practitioners are no exception, and are increasingly turning their energies towards “doing good”. However, engineering approaches to problem solving generally treat historical, social, and political systems as unrelated to good engineering work. Such training leaves engineers unprepared to engage with issues related to social injustice, and often positions engineers as agents of dominant power structures, reinforcing the status-quo. Doing better will require engineers to change not only how we do our work, but to also consider what constitutes “good” engineering, and how we as individuals and professionals relate to the problems we are trying to address.
Bio
Khalid is a Continuing Lecturer at UC Berkeley, teaching courses in the Global Poverty & Practice program, Political Economy, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. After completing his PhD in Environmental Engineering at Berkeley, Khalid focused his research on the complex role that engineering expertise plays in the politics of international development and poverty alleviation, and his current work focuses on the intersection of poverty, expertise, and politics. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards including the Constellation Prize for Engineering Education, the American Cultures Teaching Award, and the Distinguished Teaching Award, UC Berkeley’s most prestigious honor for teaching.