Our Interdisciplinary Engineering for Sustainability and Innovation | How to Change the World (Winter Term 2022) course brought together interdisciplinary teams of students spanning four universities, and connected them with experts from around the world as they tackled the complex sustainability challenges faced by real communities and people.

You can view or download the syllabus for the course here:

Syllabus for Interdisciplinary Engineering for Sustainability & Innovation (Winter Term 2022).pdf

Please note the syllabus will be updated for future versions of the course based on feedback and lessons learned during Winter Term 2022.

4 University Partners:

100 Participants

Our fully virtual Winter 2022 course brought together 100 students from across our four partner universities, and representing the full spectrum of engineering disciplines. Even with such a diverse group of individuals, the common mindset and shared sense of purpose was apparent. This aligns with our foundational belief, captured by the Margaret Mead quote:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

50+ Local Stakeholders and Mentors

**More than 50 experienced professionals – spanning local stakeholders and sustainability & innovation mentors – provided invaluable advice and insights to participants to help them understand key areas of their challenges and proposed solutions. They provided critical guidance enabling participants to take their ideas to new heights.**

10+ Teaching Staff

Our wonderful teaching staff included educators from our partner universities, along with How to Change the World program alumni. Their role was critical in creating a nurturing environment that empowered all others to effectively collaborate during our winter semester course.

Two Global Sustainability Challenges

All of our challenges begin with a global approach influenced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With independent research, we identify geographic regions of focus and begin establishing strong relationships with local stakeholders.

Through these connections, we explore and understand the local context, which shape our challenge briefs. Our Winter 2022 course presented the opportunity for participants to tackle the following challenges:

Challenge 1: SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities) and SDG #13 (Climate Action) in Scarborough, Canada

Challenge 2: SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities) and SDG #13 (Climate Action) in City of Batac, Philippines

24 Teams & 24 Unique Solutions

We invite you to look at all the amazing work that was accomplished by students, all of which is visible in the Interdisciplinary Engineering for Sustainability and Innovation | How to Change the World (Winter Term 2022) Showcase. We truly believe you will be amazed by how varied and robust these solutions are.