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| Objective: A series of reports, which purpose is to make educationally relevant topics known to decision makers. Teaching Engineering in the 21st Century: 4 Key Themes The WEEF & GEDC 2023 conference, a world-renowned event for engineering schools around the globe, brought together deans from different countries to discuss topics related to the improvement of engineering education and its current challenges, such as the adversities of including Artificial Intelligence in the curricula, the benefits and disadvantages of different levels of transdisciplinary engineering education, the role of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas and the importance of forming links between industry and engineering schools. Likewise, the forum focused on discussing engineering solutions for some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), establishing that engineering education should aim to graduate students capable of “thinking creatively, improving their skills in emerging technologies, processes and systems, while meeting the daily demands of their jobs”. |
| Objetivo: Una serie de informes cuyo propósito es dar a conocer temas educativos relevantes a los responsables de la toma de decisiones. Formación en ingeniería en el siglo XXI: cuatro temas claveLa conferencia WEEF & GEDC 2023, un evento de prestigio mundial para escuelas de ingenierías en todo el mundo, reunió a decanos de diferentes países para discutir temas relacionados con la mejora de la educación en ingeniería y sus retos actuales, como son las adversidades que supone incluir la inteligencia artificial en los planes de estudio, las ventajas y desventajas de diferentes niveles de interdisciplinariedad en la educación, el papel de las mujeres en las áreas STEM (ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas) y la importancia de formar enlaces entre la industria y las escuelas de ingeniería.Asimismo, el foro se centró en discutir soluciones de ingeniería para algunos de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de la ONU, estableciendo que la educación en ingeniería debe tener como objetivo egresar estudiantes capaces de “pensar de forma creativa, mejorar sus habilidades en tecnologías, procesos y sistemas emergentes, al tiempo que satisfacen las exigencias diarias de sus trabajos”. |
| About The Presenters |
 Dr. Natacha De Paola earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela, an MS from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering/Medical Physics from Harvard Medical School-MIT. Before joining the Illinois Institute of Technology, she held academic positions at Columbia, Northwestern, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).As Dean of Engineering, DePaola focuses on technology-driven education with a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and ethical engineering. Her research explores how physical mechanisms affect cellular behavior, aiding in disease understanding, therapy development, and tissue engineering. She has published over 90 highly cited papers, co-invented several patented technologies, and co-founded TermoMechanica, Inc.DePaola is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a member of several professional societies. She has served on numerous advisory committees, including those at MIT, RPI, Purdue, ASEE, NIPTE, and UNESCO. |
 Dr. Jaime Bonilla Rios has built a distinguished academic and administrative career at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he currently serves as Associate Dean for Continuing Education, Consulting, and International Affairs at the National School of Engineering and Sciences.Previously, he held key roles, including Dean of the School of Engineering and IT at Campus Monterrey (2009-2015) and National Director of Academic Experience (2015-2017). He also led initiatives such as creating personalized and merged learning courses and launching the Innovaction GymTM and Capstone Projects. He has served as president of the Latin American Global Engineering Deans Council and the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions.Dr. Bonilla has collaborated with major companies and universities in Mexico and the U.S. His educational background includes a B.S. in Chemistry from ITESM, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Texas A&M University. |
 Dr. José Escamilla de los Santos is the Associate Director of the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE), whose purpose is to generate, transfer and disseminate applicable knowledge on educational innovation, connecting, inspiring, and accompanying those seeking disruptive solutions for the future of higher education and lifelong learning. He is president of the Global Higher Education and Research (GHEAR) Global Challenge Steering Group of the Worldwide Universities Network. In addition, he is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Institute for Ethical AI in Education, the Digital Credentials Leadership Council and the Coursera Council. He was Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Director of Educational Innovation. He is a Computer Systems Engineer from Tecnológico de Monterrey and has a Master’s and Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence from the Grenoble Polytechnic Institute. |
 Dr. Julio Noriega Velasco is the Dean of Strategy and Regional Coordination and Interim Dean Central-South Region of the School of Engineering and Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He spent seven years as a researcher at the Institute for Innovation Research at the same university. He is also a senior ontological coach for Newfiled Consulting, MI, USA, and he holds an MBA from Monterrey Tech. He has taught courses on innovation, markets and technology development, as well as engineering of products and services. He is also a founder of the company “El BuenSitio.com”. He graduated as a Computer Systems Engineer from the same institution. He has a doctorate in management of technological innovation at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. |
 Dr. Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dolley Professor of Chemical Engineering and has been Dean of USC Viterbi School of Engineering since 2005, holding the Dean’s Zohrab Kaprielian Chair. He earned his BS from the National Technical University of Athens and his MS and Ph.D. from Caltech, all in chemical engineering.Yortsos was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2008, the Academy of Athens in 2013, and the Indian Academy of Engineering in 2024. He co-founded the NAE Grand Challenges Scholars Program in 2009, which has expanded to nearly 100 schools globally and won the 2022 Gordon Prize from NAE. He also received several honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2014), ASEE President’s Award (2017), a Los Angeles Emmy (2022), HENAAC Chairman’s Award (2023), and ABET’s Claire Felbinger Award (2024).A Fellow of the AAAS and AIChE, Yortsos is the Editor-in-Chief of PNAS Nexus since 2022. He has played leadership roles in diversity initiatives, including leading ASEE’s Diversity Initiative in 2015 and achieving gender parity in USC Viterbi’s entering engineering class for six consecutive years starting in 2019 |
The IFEES-GEDC global webinar series are supported by Dr. Krishna Vedula, Brent-Felder, the below Partners & Sponsors.
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