Appropriate Technology: Engineering For The 21st Century

According to the ABET Engineering Criteria 2000, engineering graduates of the 21st century must demonstrate eleven important attributes of an engineer. This paper deals with one of them: "the broad education necessary to understand the impact of the engineering solutions in a global/societal context"[1]. The engineer of the 21st century must be an appropriate technologist /engineer to succeed in the global environment, whether it be in a city in the Western World or a Third World rural area. Several specific examples will be given to demonstrate what appropriate technologists/engineers do to meet the needs of the global village. These examples are taken from two Appropriate Technology courses, one which fulfills part of the General Education requirements under the Science, Technology, and the World framework for non-technical majors, and the other is an engineering major elective.