Abstract: “Engineering Challenges for The New Millennium ~Opportunities for International Cooperation~” Professor Calestous Juma

Engineering has been the driving force behind all civilizations. Its contributions have been so integrated into our daily lives that they hardly stand out. Early metallurgists gave the world a wide range of products that expanded human adaptive capabilities. Shipbuilders reduced distances between the world’s peoples and promoted international trade. The growth in civilization in turn contributed to advances in the tools applied agriculture, industry and services. The entry of mechanical clocks and the printing press would later have far-reaching implications for social organization. The cumulative impact of the products of engineering changed societies and so did social needs influence the direction of engineering itself.

But recent decades have seen the growing disenchantment with the engineering, especially as attention has turned to social and ecological concerns arising from rapid economic transformation. This disenchantment is reflected in the rise of social movements that question the role of science and innovation in society. There are, however, large parts of the developing world that have not benefited significantly from advances in engineering. These countries are unlikely to improve ability to meet their basis needs, compete in the global economy and improve environmental quality without significant use of the results of advances in the engineering sciences.

This lecture argues that global challenges related to meeting human needs, enhancing international trade and managing the environment cannot be effectively addressed without significant investment in engineering sciences. The lecture will outline the major challenges facing humanity, identify key engineering applications that can be used to solve them, and lay out policy options on how to manage rapid technological innovation. It will use examples from fields such as solar energy, carbon sequestration, nitrogen cycle management, access to clean water, improvement of urban infrastructure and health information to illustrate the importance of engineering in meeting emerging global challenges.

In the decades to come, a new generation of engineering will be needed to find ways to put technical knowledge into practice to meet emerging global challenges. Using the rules of reason and scientific findings they will need to offer a positive outlook on the convergence between engineering, ecology and society. Engineers of the future will have to develop a deeper understanding of what is needed to enhance the capacity of the planet to support life. They will need to use the principles of ecology itself and apply it to the design of new technological systems. It is only when engineering principles and practices are reconciled with social expectation and ecological parameters can we hope for to see technological innovation become widely embraced and celebrated as positive forces in human welfare.

The lecture will conclude with suggestions on how Japan could play a leadership role in placing international cooperation on engineering at core of its foreign policy, especially in regard to its interactions with development countries. The lecture will draw from recent studies carried out by engineering academies around the world as well as from the speaker’s research and practical experience.

About the speaker: Dr. Calestous Juma, a Kenyan national, is a former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Founding Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi. Professor Juma is Special Advisor to the International Whaling Commission and co-chair of the African High-Level Panel on Modern Biotechnology of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). He has been elected to several scientific academies including the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), the UK Royal Academy of Engineering and the African Academy of Sciences. He holds a PhD in science and technology policy studies. He is editor of the International Journal of Technology and Globalization and the International Journal of Biotechnology.

Abstract: “Innovation for Development” Professor Kiyoshi Kurokawa

In this new century of globalization of ‘flattening’ world, we face new challenges of the global magnitude which we never imagined nor experienced. Nobel Peace Prizes in 2006 and 2007 may highlight, in a very timely manner, the fundamental issues we face. What is the globalization, what has changed out way of life and how and when new paradigm of economic growth have occurred and where our Common Future would be? We all live in a very exciting, but complicated era and you may wonder what you should and could do to enhance your ability and social role for the years to come. We will discuss these issues and engage in attempt to find paths for our Common Journey.

Suggested readings and references
Books: ‘The World is Flat’ by Thomas Friedman; ‘Guns, Germs, and Steel’ by Jared Diamond; ‘Collapse’ by Jared Diamond;
Websites: <www.kiyoshikurokawa.com> and begin from there.

About the speaker: Dr. Kurokawa is well known both nationally and internationally in his professional community of medicine and more recently in science policy through his leadership as President of Science Council of Japan. Because of his highly unique and unusual professional careers which span over 15 years each in both Japan and USA, he has been recognized as a leader and an advocate for many academic and professional activities as well as various reform policies in Japan. He is currently serving as Commissioner, WHO Commission for Social Determinants of Health, and Chairman, Health Policy Institute, Japan.