An introduction to engineering: complexity in engineered systems

Advances in technology hold promising solutions to problems that up until now have been intractable. Many of these problems are multidisciplinary encompassing engineering, science and socioeconomic aspects. Many involve systems that are multi-layered and include a large number of components making them inherently complex. Traditional undergraduate engineering education is not appropriately structured to best meet these challenges. Steps must be taken to allow for the creation of new programs and the adaptation of existing ones. Curriculum innovations should strengthen multidisciplinary aspects, emphasize the systems viewpoint, and introduce engineering problems, principles, practices and solutions early in the curriculum. Threads should exist that join courses vertically, horizontally as well as with engineering problems. Systems and control scientists and engineers are extremely well suited to shape and lead this effort in curriculum innovation. The foundation for this new approach must be laid in the first year of study. In this paper we focus on the first year and propose a new introductory course based on the theme of "complexity in engineered systems.".