Liberal Arts Engineering Education: Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future

Engineers have been and continue to be challenged by the complexity of delivering solutions that meet the everchanging societal needs. This volatility and complexity calls for engineers to embody agility and versatility in their personal and professional practice. Just as an exemplar Renaissance engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, demonstrated skill as an inventor, artist, architect, scientist, musician, writer, historian, and engineer, so must the engineers of modern time demonstrate such curiosity and adaptability. This special session will explore the value of an engaged liberal arts education in undergraduate engineering education. The goals of the session are to collaboratively (1) reflect on the current state of liberal arts engineering education, (2) define the benefits of an engaged liberal arts engineering education, and (2) envision exemplar curricular experiences that leverage the uniqueness of a liberal arts engineering education.