Using history of technology to promote an understanding of the impact of engineering solutions among practitioners at the university level

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the primary accreditation organization for post-secondary engineering and technology departments in the United States, requires that all engineering curriculum include courses that teach students about the relationship between engineering practice and society. This paper first argues that many engineering schools are having difficulty meeting this requirement in a meaningful way. This paper then argues that history offers a wonderful stage on which to illustrate the engineering-society relationships. This paper then goes to present the results of the IEEE History Center's efforts to develop history of technology courses for engineering students.