The Wicked Engineer: Centering Intercultural Competency and Equity (Resource Exchange)

Wicked problems are complex issues without clear boundaries, such as climate change, food security, access to clean water, and growing inequality. This course encouraged high school students to become wicked engineers who can tackle grand challenges. Participants examined multicultural circumstances outside of their lived experiences, and explored how engineering intersects with the sustainability concepts involving the environment, human health and welfare, and social justice. This course also introduced the field of Humanitarian Engineering, which emphasizes the societal dimensions of contemporary engineering. Students engaged in self-reflection and dialogue about intercultural considerations and explored potential STEM career paths that address disparate effects on minoritized or underserved communities.