The Sue and Harry Bovay Lecture on the History and Ethics of Engineering is an annual event that brings distinguished speakers to Cornell to provoke thought and conversation around social and ethical issues in engineering.
The 2024 Bovay Lecture was delivered by Jon Leydens, Professor of Engineering Education Research in the Division of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Leydens’ research interests are in three areas of engineering education: sociotechnical thinking, communication, and social justice. He is co-author of Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (2010), which among other foci accentuated the need for engineers working in community development projects to listen to local community members’ needs and perspectives. His edited collection, Sociotechnical Communication in Engineering (2014), looks at how sociotechnical communication disrupts commonly held myths about engineering communication. His most recent book, Engineering Justice: Transforming Engineering Education and Practice (2018, Wiley-IEEE Press, with co-author Juan Lucena), fills a gap in our understanding of how engineering and social justice can align in and outside the engineering curriculum.
This event is hosted by the Bovay Program in the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering.