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Socially Engaged Engineering and Computing

There are several unique factors that blend together to make Miami University’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) the right place to focus on socially engaged engineering and computing. Faculty and students, supported by all CEC constituents, working together to advance the idea of improving the general well-being of individuals and societies through integrating social and technical aspects into our pedagogical, design and scholarly endeavors as a practice and field of inquiry. We intended to accelerate the social benefits of technological innovation, by ensuring our graduates understand user/community needs and incorporate this into their future designs.

Humanitarian Engineering & Computing Minor

The Humanitarian Engineering & Computing minor is designed to graduate engineering and computing majors who are globally-aware, culturally-sensitive, and socially conscious, and who would use their knowledge to design solutions that enhance the lives of and opportunities for people on a local, national, or international level. The HE&C minor complements students’ technical education in engineering and computing with courses and experiences that expand their worldview and allow them to integrate and apply knowledge to benefit others.

Grand Challenges Scholars Program

Our nation and world face significant challenges in the broad areas of sustainability, health, vulnerability, and in improving quality of living globally. The National Academy of Engineering has identified 14 Grand Challenges in these areas and, along with the President of the United States, has called upon our nation's universities to prepare the next generation of engineers to address these problems. A result of this commitment is creation of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP). Students in the GCSP complete experiences in five areas: (1) Research or a project related to one of the grand challenges, (2) entrepreneurship, (3) global, (4) service, and (5) an interdisciplinary experience. These experiences aim to enable students to work effectively at the boundary of science/engineering and society. The GCSP also includes the GCSP Scholar in Residence Program and Colloquium that brings to campus, once each semester for approximately two day visits, individuals who possess significant experience related to a Grand Challenge. The visiting scholars engage students and faculty in small groups and social events, and help to raise awareness of the Grand Challenges by presenting a university-wide colloquium about these issues.

Miami University Center for Assistive Technology (MU CAT)

Miami University Center for Assistive Technology is a cross-disciplinary scholarly research center with a mission to identify and research socially relevant problems and develop engineering solutions for them so as to improve quality of life. MU CAT engages students and faculty at Miami University across multiple divisions and conducts externally funded interdisciplinary research projects. MU CAT currently focuses on engineering solutions to assist and enhance the lives of older adults and people with disabilities. Undergraduate and graduate students work with faculty participants, on active, multi-disciplinary research projects in the center.

The College of Engineering and Computing