Give Peace (Engineering) a Chance
In 2014, I covered an intriguing event at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. Cohosted with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the PeaceTech Summit brought together engineers and technologists, government officials, nongovernmental organization leaders, and civic activists to discuss the use of technology and data for “engineering durable peace.”
As then-NAE President Dan Mote said at the summit, although engineering and science have not traditionally been thought of as peacebuilding tools, they help make the enterprise “more strategic and systematic.”
“Peace engineering” was practiced long before the field had a name or conferences on the subject, but interest continues to grow as engineering and technology demonstrate conflict resolution potential to both internal and external groups. In the cover feature, former Prism editor and writer Mark Matthews notes that the US has experienced “war fatigue and the limits of military power when confronting non-state adversaries in unstable regions,” such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Political polarization and a rise in disinformation, hate crimes, and election-centered violence—culminating in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol—underscore the need for novel approaches to domestic strife as well.
Around the world, external pressures turn up the heat—sometimes literally. An October 2021 White House report on migration due to climate change warns of an “accelerating trend of global displacement” that, when combined with other “vulnerabilities …can undermine food, water, and economic security.” Cascading effects may include “loss of livelihoods, weakened governments, and in some cases political instability and conflict.” Among the report’s recommendations were improved analytics, including “investments in research, analysis, and programming to understand and address important questions about the likely evolution and consequences of climate-related migration.”
A more friendly form of competition appears in this month’s teaching feature. Prism chief correspondent Tom Grose writes about efforts to introduce fun and nuance into engineering ethics lessons through game play. Serious analysis in the first year of a National Science Foundation-funded study indicates that the games may help students better grasp the real-life dilemmas that engineers face on the job.
I wish you peace this month and throughout the rest of the year.
Eva Miller
e.miller@asee.org