Introducing Complex Sociotechnical Systems to First-and Second-Year Students

Retention of undergraduate engineering students remains a key challenge faced across the globe; in particular, the first two years of the required curriculum is often cited as a significant hurdle. Many students are attracted to engineering in order to solve important real-world problems. However, in the first two years, the majority of students find themselves in classes focused on the fundamentals of math and science, with little or no apparent connection to the real-world issues they care deeply about. Furthermore, most students traditionally develop a deep understanding in a specific engineering discipline, with limited opportunity to consider or analyze complex, sociotechnical systems (e.g. energy systems, transportation networks, healthcare) – systems that are the focus of critical engineering challenges. Although the subject of large-scale, sociotechnical systems has been successfully integrated into the realm of graduate education, it has seen limited attention in undergraduate studies where it has the potential to inspire and help retain the next generation of engineers. This paper describes the development and implementation of a novel course, intended for freshmen and sophomores, that has been designed to address some of the needs of a new generation of students who are passionate and more engaged than ever before in understanding and impacting contemporary problems. The new course centers around the theme of Critical Contemporary Issues (CCI) – important and difficult problems pertinent to our present times on topics of sustainability, mobility, energy and the environment, healthcare, communication, the internet etc. In this course, we weave introductory instruction in system dynamics, networks and uncertainty with teams working on different semester-long projects. Through this approach, we enable students to engage in and understand the issues at play in a problem of their interest, appreciate the scope of the sociotechnical complexities in CCIs, and gain an introduction to analytical tools that can help in addressing some of these issues. This paper discusses the overall philosophy and motivation for establishing the course, the design of the curriculum, and the approach, execution, and integration of team-based projects

Industry 4.0 and the human factor : A systems framework and analysis methodology for successful development

The fourth industrial revolution we currently witness changes the role of humans in operations systems. Although automation and assistance technologies are becoming more prevalent in production and logistics, there is consensus that humans will remain an essential part of operations systems. Nevertheless, human factors are still underrepresented in this research stream resulting in an important research and application gap. This article first exposes this gap by presenting the results of a focused content analysis of earlier research on Industry 4.0. To contribute to closing this gap, it then develops a conceptual framework that integrates several key concepts from the human factors engineering discipline that are important in the context of Industry 4.0 and that should thus be considered in future research in this area. The framework can be used in research and development to systematically consider human factors in Industry 4.0 designs and implementations. This enables the analysis of changing demands for humans in Industry 4.0 environments and contributes towards a successful digital transformation that avoid the pitfalls of innovation performed without attention to human factors. The paper concludes with highlighting future research directions on human factors in Industry 4.0 as well as managerial implications for successful applications in practice

European governance challenges in bio-engineering : making perfect life : bio-engineering (in) the 21st century : final report

In the STOA project Making Perfect Life four fields were studied of 21st century bio-engineering: engineering of living artefacts, engineering of the body, engineering of the brain, and engineering of intelligent artefacts. This report describes the main results of the project. It shows how developments in the four fields of bio-engineering are shaped by two megatrends: "biology becoming technology" and "technology becoming biology". These developments result in a broadening of the bio-engineering debate in our society. The report addresses the long term views that are inspiring this debate and discusses a multitude of ethical, legal and social issues that arise from bio-engineering developments in the fields described. Against this background four specific developments are studied in more detail: the rise of human genome sequencing, the market introduction of neurodevices, the capturing by information technology of the psychological and physiological states of users, and the pursuit of standardisation in synthetic biology. These developments are taken in this report as a starting point for an analysis of some of the main European governance challenges in 21st century bio-engineering

European governance challenges in bio-engineering : making perfect life : bio-engineering (in) the 21st century : final report

In the STOA project Making Perfect Life four fields were studied of 21st century bio-engineering: engineering of living artefacts, engineering of the body, engineering of the brain, and engineering of intelligent artefacts. This report describes the main results of the project. It shows how developments in the four fields of bio-engineering are shaped by two megatrends: "biology becoming technology" and "technology becoming biology". These developments result in a broadening of the bio-engineering debate in our society. The report addresses the long term views that are inspiring this debate and discusses a multitude of ethical, legal and social issues that arise from bio-engineering developments in the fields described. Against this background four specific developments are studied in more detail: the rise of human genome sequencing, the market introduction of neurodevices, the capturing by information technology of the psychological and physiological states of users, and the pursuit of standardisation in synthetic biology. These developments are taken in this report as a starting point for an analysis of some of the main European governance challenges in 21st century bio-engineering

Complex Socio-technical Problems for Engineers: Pedagogical Motivation and Experience at the Undergraduate Level

Engineering courses, focused on complex, large-scale, sociotechnical systems, at the undergraduate level, have been rare. Traditionally, most students develop a deep technical understanding in a specific engineering discipline, but get little opportunity to analyze engineered complex systems, where both technical and social issues need to be well understood for devising long lasting solutions. The development of analytical skills for studying interdisciplinary problems has so far been largely limited at the graduate-level. In this paper we describe the motivation, design, and learning outcomes of an introductory course on Engineering Systems that has been developed and offered to primarily first and second year engineering students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The course has been centered around the theme of critical contemporary issues (CCIs) including energy, mobility, sustainability etc. The aim of the course is to expose undergraduates to quantitative tools that are available for rigorously and methodically analyzing some of our most complex contemporary engineering challenges. The course consists of introductory lectures on system dynamics, networks and uncertainty, along with semester-long team-based projects. The projects focus on different topics related to CCIs and the students work in small teams on a project of their interest throughout the term. For the first pilot offering of the class (in Spring semester 2011), the students gave an average rating of 5.9/7.0 regarding how likely they were to recommend this class to others (with 7 being absolutely certain). There was also evidence (however based on limited and anecdotal data) of continued student interest (outside of class) in engaging with the complex socio-technical problems they worked on during the term

Knock on (Engineered) Wood: Pathways to Increased Deployment of Cross-Laminated Timber

Significant negative environmental impacts are attributed to the building sector. To complement operational building efficiency, mitigation strategies could further decrease these environmental impacts. One mitigation strategy is increased use of low-carbon and bio based building materials. The objective of this research is to support such sustainable transitions within the complex building sector of Sweden, via identification of barriers and drivers for a specific bio and low-carbon building material called cross-laminated timber (CLT). Results from literature review and questionnaire responses were used to form recommendations for increasing deployment of CLT in Sweden, via specific leverage points and instruments. Increased deployment of CLT in Sweden is also linked with several factors unique to Sweden. For example, environmental targets of the building sector, demand for housing, timber trends, development of a bio based and circular economy, and resource efficiency. To further validate and enhance results, global examples of successful CLT manufacturing practices, sustainable innovation transitions, and CLT support instruments were also examined. Results were also analysed using multilevel perspective, technology innovation system, and innovation diffusion frameworks. These tools were used to gain an interdisciplinary, comprehensive perspective and strengthen understanding of the building sector using systems thinking. Results showed main barriers as lack of knowledge or skills, negative perceptions, perceived costs or risks, misalignment with regulations, and technological path dependencies within the Swedish building sector. Main drivers were CLT’s carbon sequestration, low embodied carbon, renewability, efficient manufacturing and construction, cost competitiveness, and prefabrication. Key actors included building project owners, contractors, architects, engineers, the national housing authority (Boverket), and municipal building companies. Recommendations included education, skill building, green procurement, stronger materials focus in certifications, environmental evaluations of materials, environmental material requirements embedded in contracts and tenders, material carbon tax, stronger focus on building lifecycle impacts, and increased political focus on building materials. Recommendations are categorised and prioritised in the conclusion for clarity

Resilience in Sociotechnical Systems: The Perspectives of Multiple Stakeholders

Abstract We often design sociotechnical systems with the explicit intention that they will exhibit “resilience” in the face of unpredictable change. But there is often great uncertainty about how to de ne resilience—or achieve it. This article explores what design can learn about resilience by eliciting, combining, and contrasting multiple stakeholder perspectives within a single sociotechnical system. During one-on-one interviews, we asked participants to structure their ideas about resilience into a map of the overall system they work within. The maps were then used to analyze the system according to three key resilience characteristics. We found that the nature of their viewpoints was in uenced by their ideas about the sys- tem’s boundaries, purpose, and timescale. Our ndings give rise to a better understanding of the nature of change in sociotechnical systems and how to design for their resilience

Technological advances, human performance, and the operation of nuclear facilities

2017 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Many unfortunate and unintended adverse industrial incidents occur across the United States each year, and the nuclear industry is no exception. Depending on their severity, these incidents can be problematic for people, the facilities, and surrounding environments. Human error is a contributing factor in many such incidents. This dissertation first explored the hypothesis that technological changes that affect how operators interact within the systems of the nuclear facilities exacerbate the cost of incidents caused by human error. I conducted a review of nuclear incidents in the United States from 1955 through 2010 that reached Level 3 (serious incident) or higher on the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES). The cost of each incident at facilities that had recently undergone technological changes affecting plant operators' jobs was compared to the cost of events at facilities that had not undergone changes. A t-test determined a statistically significant difference between the two groups, confirming the hypothesis. Next, I conducted a follow-on study to determine the impact of the incorporation of new technologies into nuclear facilities. The data indicated that spending more money on upgrades increased the facility's capacity as well as the number of incidents reported, but the incident severity was minor. Finally, I discuss the impact of human error on plant operations and the impact of evolving technology on the 21st-century operator, proposing a methodology to overcome these challenges by applying the systems engineering process

Trust in engineering

Engineers are traditionally regarded as trustworthy professionals who meet exacting standards. In this chapter I begin by explicating our trust relationship towards engineers, arguing that it is a linear but indirect relationship in which engineers “stand behind” the artifacts and technological systems that we rely on directly. The chapter goes on to explain how this relationship has become more complex as engineers have taken on two additional aims: the aim of social engineering to create and steer trust between people, and the aim of creating automated systems that take over human tasks and are meant to invite the trust of those who rely on and interact with them

Modeling forward base camps as complex adaptive sociotechnical systems

Work for this thesis focuses on managing complexity within complex adaptive sociotechnical systems by using model based systems engineering and virtual engineering tools. The hypothesis of the work is that integrated virtual models can be used to increase the understanding of these complex adaptive sociotechnical systems, resulting in a reduction in the perceived complexity. This was tested by the use of a two factor survey given to experts of a system (the customer and members of the model design team) and to a target user-group. This group received a demonstration and had hands on experience with a preliminary model of the same system. Results of the survey show that new system designers using an integrated virtual modeling tool view the system as less complex than experts involved with designing the same system without using a tool. Further data is required to support this conclusion, and a plan for gathering more data is described. The application of this method to an emergency response system is then discussed to show how it can be applied to other complex sociotechnical systems and guidelines for applying this methodology are proposed