PROMOTING PEACE BY EDUCATING GLOBALLY COMPETENT ENGINEERS

Engineering education focuses on finding solutions to societal challenges. The phenomenon of globalization continues to relax the societal boundaries. Communication technologies have shrunk the distances through increased connectivity. Flow of information around the globe is almost instant. The world has essentially become a global village. The concept of society and societal challenges continue to evolve. Engineers frequently find themselves working in multinational projects and multinational teams. Understanding and respecting various cultures must of an integral part of training engineers to be effective in such environments. It is, therefore, essential to produce engineers with global competencies which include respect for diversity, difference of opinions, ethics, and multicultural social skills. When put in practice, these aspects bring tranquility, lead to social justice, and eventually to a peaceful world. This paper discusses a process to produce globally competent engineers with skills to promote peace. The paper includes curricular changes necessary to impart global competencies.