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In the developing world, philanthropic engineers offer rescue by wizardry, their bag of marvels filled with technical tricks like off-the-grid electricity fueled by scrub brush and washing machines powered by bicycles. Technological quick-fixes are a powerful lure, but the results will not meet the promise until technology bows to the larger context, according to a recent study co-authored by Rensselaer professor Dean Nieusma.
The current model of “engineering for development” development with technology at the core promotes engineers as unilateral leaders, concluded Nieusma and co-author Donna Riley of Smith College, in the most recent edition of Engineering Studies. A better model, they said, would embed engineers into a larger team focused on policy, local context, and education. Full Article
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