MTE4201 · Materials in a complex world 3: Impact in society

Overview

In this unit, we will move beyond the role of the engineer as a designer, and examine the role of an engineer as a strategist within a technical organisation and within society as a whole. Project management aspects covered in this unit will include enterprise & entrepreneurship, economics and markets, materials flow, the carbon economy, regulation and social responsibility. You will participate in a complex real-world engineering project and interact with key stakeholders in an area of significance for the role of materials engineering in society. The interrelationship between innovation and invention and the generation and nature of intellectual property within a business context will be covered. The unit will include a major team-based project, addressing a problem in the broad area of materials sustainability. You will apply the knowledge gained in class to propose and justify strategic actions that could be taken by your team. You will be expected to integrate technical and non-technical concepts into your team’s major project. At the end of the unit, your team will produce a strategic plan to address the problem, which will form a key part of your professional portfolio upon graduation.

Areas of study: E3001 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Specialisation: Materials engineering

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Continuous assessment: 100%

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Plan a long-term technical innovation process that appropriately accounts for societal, health, safety, legal and IP, cultural, workforce, ethical and environmental factors, and relevant industry standards.
2. Research and synthesise recent findings in fields of study relevant to a current societal problem.
3. Engage in a professional manner with teammates and with experts and/or interested external parties in areas relevant to a topic of study.
4. Appraise and negotiate design specifications and potential project scope in response to stakeholder needs.
5. Demonstrate fundamental skills in business, quality management, risk management, entrepreneurship and creative problem solving applied to a materials engineering context.
6. Holistically appraise a proposed course of action based on professional and societal standards of sustainable and socially responsible engineering.
7. Reflect on performance within a team project, and on the roles of materials engineering and other fields of expertise in addressing contemporary issues.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-4 hours of scheduled learning activities and 8-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.