Imagineering – the Humanitarian Engineering Conference 2011, was successfully held at the end of November. The conference was a joint initiative of Engineers Australia and Engineers Without Borders that had been established in celebration of the 2011 Year of Humanitarian Engineering – a year that recognises the role of engineering in improving quality of life and disaster recovery. The three day Melbourne conference included technical workshops, interactive sessions and networking opportunities.
Right now 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation; one quarter of the world’s population don’t have access to electricity; and 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to water. Engineering expertise plays a significant role in working towards sustainable solutions for communities, improving quality of life and assisting with disaster recovery. The conference brought together some of engineering brightest minds who have a passion for humanitarian engineering
The conference was open to anyone with an interest in Humanitarian Engineering and it attracted over 400 engineers, technologists, NGOs and students.
The key note speakers and discussions included:
- Todd Sampson, creator of Earth Hour, on “being brave for 5 minutes longer” to create lasting change
- Sourabh Phadke, on “There is no such thing as junk, junk is an urban legend”
- Jennifer De Boer, on “teaching yourself how to learn” and “minimally intrusive” education
- Andrew Lamb, CEO of EWB UK, on “be an engineer, think big, think small, and repeat”
- Jason Clarke, from Leadership and Change, on “every psychological disorder is its own job description”
- Invigorating panel discussion
- Reconciliation Action Plans – representatives from businesses, government, indigenous groups and Reconciliation Australia
- Examples of fantastic humanitarian programs
- Jos from India’s Pitchandikulam Forest – “bringing back the future garden”
- Australian Defence Force’s Dechlan Ellis – “military engineers facilitating recovery”
- Sri Lankan School of Prosthetics and Orthotics course development
- Nepal's NEWAH and health projects
- Australian Bana Yarralji Bubu’s office and ablutions block project
- RedR deployments
- Engineers Australia Biomedical College
- Corporate Social Responsibility
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| Todd Sampson, CEO of Leo Burnett, delivers his keynote speech |
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| EWBers Julia O'Shea and Katie Blundy getting their conference on |
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| Kaj Lofgren, Imagineering Conference 2011 |
It was a great success, and EWB looks forward to Engineers Australia's 2012 Year of Regional Engineering.
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