Bicultural Workshop in Chemical Engineering
10 May 2018
Last week saw the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering host a workshop for our 2nd Professional Year class to explore bicultural issues in chemical engineering.
The workshop was led by Dr Becky Macdonald and Michele Dyer from Beca, Associate Professor Te Maire Tau, Upoko of Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Director of the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and Dr Abby Suszko from the Office of the AVC Māori at UC. The workshop consisted of a series of case studies explaining the importance of effective engagement with Māori to address the requirements of the resource consent process. We also explored how different cultural perspectives can alter the optimal design. These case studies were supported by a discussion around the history of Tuahiwi Marae and the role of the marae in future developments in the area. The students were then given a case study of their own on which to put the ideas developed to the test. After a brief introduction to the project from Beca, the students were tasked with exploring who the key stakeholders would be for the project, what values they may hold, how to engage with them effectively, and finally some possible implications for the final design. The workshop closed with the Beca engineers discussing what happened in reality.
The workshop is part of the development of the graduate profile at the University of Canterbury (insert link here when it is available). The graduate profile is a set of five key skills all graduates of the university will have achieved by the end of their degree.
Associate Professor Daniel Holland
daniel.holland@canterbury.ac.nz
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