Increasing the voice of engineering professionals in public policy discussions is the impetus behind a new partnership between the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and McMaster University's Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy (DCEPP).
OSPE and DCEPP will be undertaking several initiatives to support engineering professionals in expanding their abilities to engage in public policy discussions. The two groups will also provide leadership in identifying public policy priorities and developing discussion points through the OSPE's Centre of Engineering Excellence.
"Once we realized we shared the common goals of raising awareness of the engineering community and the solutions that engineers provide to a large number of societal needs, the agreement to partner came together quite naturally," said Angela Shama, P.Eng. and chief executive officer of OSPE.
Initiatives being planned by the partnership include specialty seminars, issue research, an editorial program, and an annual conference on the theme of sustainability in the Great Lakes region.
"Input from engineers and scientists in solving many of today's challenges are essential to developing sound public policy," said Gail Krantzberg, director of DCEPP. "We will be working with engineers to enhance the profession's ability to contribute to public policy discussions with the goal of realizing more effective and productive processes for implementing achievable solutions."
Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is the voice of the Engineering Profession in Ontario. Practically everything we rely on to live and work in Ontario every day is a product of Engineering -- from the water we drink to the cars we drive, to the fact that the light comes on when we flick a switch. Engineers make our society run. www.ospe.on.ca
Dofasco Centre for Engineering & Public Policy, McMaster University
The Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy provides study at the graduate level to enhance understanding of how public policy affects social, economic and ecological systems leading to sustainability. http://msep.mcmaster.ca