Career: Global Engineers: An Ethnography of Globalization in the Education, Hiring Practices, and Problem-Solving of Engineers in the US, Europe, and Latin America

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This grant will help a young tenure-track faculty in Science and Technology Studies (STS) to develop his career in the areas of research, teaching, and service. The research topic is the impact of globalization on the education, hiring, practices, and problem-solving of engineers. The main research is a four-year ethnography which will include interviewing, participant observation, and archival research at a variety of sites in the US, Europe, and Latin America where engineers encounter images of globalization in their daily experiences. Research sites include aviation and aerospace corporations and departments at universities in Brazil, France, Germany, and the US. These institutions have agreed to host the investigator. Informants will include engineering students and faculty, and engineers at different levels of management and experience, in different design projects, with different international experience, and from different gender, race, and ethnic backgrounds. Human resource and personnel officers will also be interviewed to find out how images of globalization impact the hiring process. An outstanding group of social scientists has agreed to provide advice over the course of the award. The project also involves the development of innovative courses and course components, and the participation of minority and women engineering students as research assistants. This research will produce a book, peer-reviewed articles, curricula on globalization and engineering, and other significant activities for industry and higher education. Results can contribute significantly to the improvement of engineering education and STS scholarship on the subject of globalization in relationship to engineering careers.