Making Gentle the Life of the World

A design project, the compassion and peace practicum, is described. The practicum has evolved over the years and now focuses upon promoting peace and/or justice in the world through some concrete action. Engineering and non-engineering students have successfully completed their projects. The topics and teams are self-selected. A formal engineering design methodology is employed. For engineering students, this serves as a broadening of their understanding of the role and impact of engineering and technology. For non-engineering students, the project serves as an introduction to the technical world and develops an appreciation for the skills and talents of engineers. The concepts of compassion and promoting peace are considered and ideas are offered for integrating such ideas into the context of an engineering design project