Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (Synthesis Lectures on Engineers, Technology, & Society)

This book presents an overview of engineering as it relates to humanitarian engineering, service-learning engineering, peace engineering, or engineering for community-led development, programs that are often grouped under Engineering for Good or Engineering for Change. By placing “community” at the center of these endeavors, this book invites readers and practitioners to strive for sustainable community development (SCD). This 2^nd edition is centered on new concepts of community-led development and includes topics on the history of engineers and development, the problems of using industry-based practices when designing for communities, how engineers can prepare to work with communities, and listening in community development. Two case studies are provided to highlight the book’s concepts using first-hand experiences of engineers engaged with communities—one of engineers developing a windmill for a community in India, and a second of an engineer mapping communities in Honduras for improved water management. The book concludes with student perspectives and experiences from a curricular model focused on engineering for sustainable community development. Overall, the text invites engineers to reflect and prepare themselves for global careers that involve international development in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. This 2^nd edition places community-led practices at the heart of these endeavors. 

The book is for engineering faculty, students and practicing engineers, involved in current or future community collaborations. The authors wrote this book with a goal to help readers critically reflect on their own practices and perceptions. Readers learn to question past, current, and future frameworks in the project of development, and are encouraged to adopt practices of community-led development. 

This 2^nd edition is aimed at engineering students who, as future global engineers, are faced with opportunities and challenges when working with communities. As funding for renewable energy, “green jobs,” and community-based initiatives continue to increase, engineers will need to rely on the social and historical concepts presented in this book.

Juan Lucena is Director of Humanitarian Engineering Undergraduate Programs and Outreach and Professor of Engineering Studies in the Department of Engineering, Design and Society at the Colorado School of Mines. Juan’s scholarship and teaching focuses on placing social justice at the center of engineering education and practice, inviting engineers to serve communities that have been historically underserved by STEM fields. Juan obtained a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from Virginia Tech and two BS in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jen Schneider is Associate Dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University, where she co-leads campuswide initiatives connected to emerging technologies, social change, and digital futures. Jen’s research addresses challenges in the public communication of scientific and environmental controversies, with a particular focus on energy industry rhetoric, climate change movements, discourses of technical expertise, and the politicization of science. Jen received a PhD in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University.

Jon A. Leydens is a Professor in the Department of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Colorado School of Mines. An engineering education researcher, his scholarship explores crucial challenges in integrating sociotechnical thinking, broader issues of social justice, and sustainable community development into engineering curricula. Jon teaches courses in intercultural communication, risk communication, and more, and his Ph.D. is in Education.

Samantha Temple is a postdoctoral fellow in the Humanitarian Engineering and Sciences program at the Colorado School of Mines. As a researcher, she studies relationships between NGOs, donors, and communities to better understand factors related to community-led development. Samantha teaches courses in nonprofit management, international development, and public administration. Samantha received a Ph.D. in Public Affairs and an MPA from the University of Colorado Denver and has a B.A. in International Relations from Knox College.