Engineers will be increasingly called upon to help devise solutions to the tremendous problems of poverty, inequality, and social and environmental dislocation that afflict major parts of the globe in the 21st century. Working as an engineer in this context involves negotiating highly complex social, economic, and political realities and dealing with a wide range of institutions and actors, including national and local governments, multilateral lenders such as the World Bank, diverse non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities. It also increasingly involves working in interdisciplinary teams with social scientists, public health and medical workers, humanitarian aid workers, bankers, politicians, and the like. “Sustainable” development implies a development path that is socially equitable, culturally sensitive, and environmentally appropriate over a multi-generational time frame.
The minor in Engineering for Sustainable Development exposes engineering students to some of the key issues related to development, methods of information-gathering in diverse and difficult settings, and working effectively with non-engineers on complex problems. The minor is open to undergraduates in any of the engineering disciplines in the Whiting School of Engineering. Students in Arts & Sciences may also pursue the minor with the permission of the program director.
For further information, please contact Shere Abbott at sabbott6@jhu.edu.
Program Requirements
The minor encompasses seven courses. The core course is EN.570.110 Introduction to Engineering for Sustainable Development. Six additional courses will be selected in a program devised in consultation with the minor advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course | ||
| EN.570.110 | Introduction to Engineering for Sustainable Development | 3 |
Of the Six Additional Courses:
- Three must be grouped around a specific theme, region, or within a specific discipline. Themes might include, for example, public health, environment, or economic development. Regions include Africa, Latin America, or Asia. Disciplinary concentrations might be in Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Health, or Sociology.
- Three of the courses must be at the 300-level or above.
- One of the courses must cover methods for gathering and evaluating information in a development context.
Examples include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.230.202 | Research Methods for the Social Sciences | 3 |
| AS.280.345 | Public Health Biostatistics | 4 |
| AS.280.350 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 4 |
All courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better to qualify for the minor. At least two semesters of foreign language study are strongly recommended but not required. Students who participate in a Study Abroad program for a semester can, with the minor adviser’s consent, use this experience to count in place of one of the required courses.
The value of this program will be enhanced by some form of hands-on experiential project, whether at a field site in a developing country, in support of field workers in other divisions of the university, or in distressed communities in Baltimore. This experience is not required for the minor. It might take one of the following forms:
- Fieldwork in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders.
- Providing technical support to “clients” at Johns Hopkins (for example, at the School of Public Health) who are engaged in field projects in developing countries. This might involve, for example, developing dedicated software for data management, devising robust and easy-to-use test kits for environmental toxins or medical conditions, or facilitating interactive analysis and project planning between researchers in Baltimore and the field personnel.
- Participating in programs being developed by the JHU Center for Social Concern, with its growing service-learning component. This would allow students to work on projects in Baltimore which offers an ample field for identifying and responding to social and environmental problems.