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CUE 2007
Herbst Program of Humanities for Engineers:
New Certificate Program to Explore Engineering, Science, Society

Associate Professor Diane Sieber teaches a Herbst seminar in the new ATLAS building this spring.

While retaining its traditional commitment to small seminars that focus on seminal works of literature, art, and philosophy, the Herbst Program is seeking new ways to integrate the humanities into the engineering curriculum. The humanistic question of how engineering impacts society and our quality of life is one of the fundamental considerations faced by engineers throughout time, and it is as poignant now as it has ever been.

At a time when technological innovation is rapidly approaching the capacity to modify the species itself and when unplanned consequences of other innovations could lead to biohazards of substantial proportions, it is essential for students of engineering to understand the potential dangers as well as the ample blessings associated with the technology they will help to develop.

With issues like these in mind, the Herbst Program has partnered with the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at CU-Boulder in proposing an undergraduate certificate program that will explore the nexus between technology, science, and society, and bring together the social sciences, the humanities, and engineering.

This Certificate in Engineering, Science, and Society will help undergraduates select related courses that will fulfill their humanities and social sciences electives in a way that is a natural counterpart to their technical studies. New courses, such as one focusing on the societal implications of information technology, co-taught in 2006 by Diane Sieber of Herbst and John Bennett of computer science, will be part of the expanded offerings.

The Herbst Program also promotes the humanities through trips to the opera, poetry contests, a film series, museum tours, and study abroad.  In 2006, the program offered its second academic trip to Rome, Italy, and supported trips to the CU Opera in spring and fall by more than 500 students, faculty, and staff of the college.

For more information visit: http://engineering.colorado.edu/herbst