Previous Fora / 2013
DURRANI, Tariq
Vice President, the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Tariq Durrani is Vice President (International) for the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s national academy of science and letters. Prior to that he was Vice President (Natural Sciences) for the RSE.
He is currently Research Professor at the University of Strathclyde. He has been Deputy Principal at the University (2000-06). He has authored over 350 publications including 6 books, and has supervised over 40 PhD theses.
Currently he is Director of UK National Commission for UNESCO since 2011.
He currently holds external/visiting appointments at Princeton, University of Southern California, Stirling and UESTC Chengdu, China. He as been an Advisor on research and higher education to the governments of The Netherlands, Portugal, China, India, and UAE.
Professor Durrani is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the IEEE and IET. He was awarded the OBE in December 2002 for services to higher education and research.
ABSTRACT
11:00-12:30 26 NOVEMBER
PLENARY SESSION V. “SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION”
Science and Engineering Education for Sustainability
The Title of the World Science Forum: “Science for Global Sustainable Development” is particularly apt; specially following on from the Rio 20+ Summit, reflecting the move towards defining Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve Sustainable Development, there is a need to embed ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ in the core curricula of Science and Engineering Education. 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO initiative on the subject, and while some gains have been made, more needs to be accomplished.The US National Academy of Engineering had identified a multiplicity of Grand Challenges to improve the quality of life worldwide through developments that rely on innovations in Engineering. These goals manifestly rely on and reflect the need for sustainable development.This brief presentation will develop the links between new trends in science and engineering education and the embedding of sustainable development goals in university curricula, including the development of the T-shaped engineer to meet the 21st Century challenges.The presentation will highlight examples of good practice in universities and educational establishments, particularly in the United Kingdom ranging from programmes in Cambridge, University College London, Exeter University’s ‘One Planet Sustainability Challenge’; to the most recent establishment in Scotland of the Learning for Sustainability Scotland: Scotland's Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, that weaves together the three fields of Sustainable Development Education, Global Citizenship and Outdoor Learning. Specific to Electrical Engineering Education there is a need to understand, improve and implement products, processes and services that are more sustainable in the long run. Engineering Curriculum should address topics including: Alternative Energy, Transportation Electrification, Smart Grid, Sustainable Electronics, Quality of life improvement.