#BigBeacon Twitter Chat – Engineering is… – March 11

Did you know that March is National Engineering Month?  It’s Canada’s biggest celebration of engineering and technology, its people and its effects on society.

For the first time ever, National Engineering Month 2015 will include a completely virtual event.  Intended to facilitate a conversation amongst engineering students, engineering technology students, educators and professionals, the #EngCulture online event will consist of an online ‘hangout’ and a live chat on twitter.

On March 11th 2015, at 7:30 pm, we will kick off our introductory conversation.  Our host, Erica Lee Garcia, P.Eng. @engineeryrlife will be facilitating the conversation and gathering perspectives from various members of the engineering and technology community on what we care about, what that says about us and where we’re going in the future.

ENGINEERING IS…  :  FILL IN YOUR ANSWER

By answering the prompt ‘Engineering is…’ you can contribute your perspective too!   Get involved by watching twitter on #engculture.

More about the Show:

Well, why should we in engineering talk about culture?, you might ask.  Why should we care?  Culture refers to the collective, and often un-articulated ‘rules’ that we all play by.  They govern our behaviour, our decisions, and the ways we interact with each other, even when we are unaware.  If we change the culture in a given institution, company or group of people, we change the outcomes.  Though we are logical, analytical people, engineering students and engineers too are guided and influenced by culture.

Culture was named one of the most important words of 2014.  We often refer to a culture to name underlying root causes of negative phenomenon we see (culture of fear, online culture, culture of poverty, culture of misogyny), it is also often associated with positive things:  culture of safety, culture of trust or respect, culture of co-operation.

How can we understand our culture as it exists now – within our engineering schools, companies and within the minds and hearts of the members of the engineering community?  How can we understand the way our culture has created the status quo?  And, most exciting and promising of all, how can we deliberately shape it to lead to more of the outcomes we want in the future of engineering education and the engineering profession?

Look for contributions from diverse corners of the engineering community, as well as outside the community, as we explore this rich topic.  Have your say!

Please email ericaleegarcia@ewb.ca if you have an idea for a show or want to expand your thoughts beyond 140 characters.  Mark your calendar now for Wednesday, March 11th, and Wednesday, May 13th  at 8 pm ET, and come find us on #EngCulture!

How to Twitter Chat