Society looks to engineers to design and build all kinds of things that support daily life – from the basic provision of shelter, water and safety, to the entire urban infrastructure that keeps society moving.

Yet, Professor Mark Dyer says engineering education rarely equips people to see engineering in those broad terms.

The Dean of Engineering at the University of Waikato will discuss how engineering education in changing to better support the community as part of the Tauranga Public Lecture Series on Monday, July 2.

The lecture ‘STEAM – Without the Hot Air' will challenge the fashionable concept of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, which injects art into the sciences and technology in the hope of generating creativity.

He will also discuss his own career, which has seen him promote creativity and innovation alongside the traditional technical engineering disciplines.

Mark says there is a need for a more holistic framework for engineering that encompasses design, craft, physical sciences and human sciences.

'With the advent of the digital age, the redesign of education for engineers becomes even more important,” says Mark.

'We need to educate engineers to be coders, gamers and thinkers, not passive learners.”

Registration for this free lecture is essential. For more information about the Tauranga Public Lecture Series or to be added to the University's events list in Tauranga contact [email protected]