Resumen

PENA - REYES, José Ismael. Major challenges in engineering and its role in society. Ing. Investig. [online]. 2011, vol.31, suppl.1, pp.100-111. ISSN 0120-5609.

Engineering has a long historical tradition; it began as a discipline in the sixteenth century and reached maturity during the twentieth century. However, the twentyfirst century's features strongly differentiate it from earlier times; when referring to this period, we speak of globalisation, knowledge society and national innovation systems. This is a period marked by contradictions. Technological developments and social and political changes have improved human beings' quality of life. New technologies have provided the context for its opening decade: nanotechnology, microelectronics and nanoelectronics, photonics, materials science, biotechnology, information and communications technology, logistics, medical engineering and renewable and clean energy. Technologies feed each other and off each other, offering endless possibilities for development. This is a time where the doors of political democratisation, art and culture have opened; however, it is also a world facing political, financial and environmental crisis. Colombia, particularly, is a country encountering problems regarding its competitiveness, having crippling levels of corruption and impunity, problems related to education, health and infrastructure. Colombia needs more engineers who can contribute towards resolving complex problems. Such engineers must have had excellent technical and humanistic training; they must be creative, able to work as a team, have become leaders who can listen and communicate and help develop a world to ensure that humans and other living species on earth can flourish with a uniform, durable level regarding their quality of life. Work must thus be done on critical engineering education and the present work presents some characteristics concerning what these engineers training/education should be.

Palabras clave : engineering and society; engineer-training; engineering-challenges in the 21^stcentury.

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