Issues at the Intersection of Engineering and Human Rights: Proceedings of a Symposium (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
Proceedings of a Symposium
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International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-99323-4
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/29141
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Issues at the Intersection of Engineering and Human Rights: Proceedings of a Symposium. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/29141.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON ISSUES AT THE INTERSECTION OF ENGINEERING AND HUMAN RIGHTS—A SYMPOSIUM
CHARLES F. BOLDEN, JR. (NAE)1 (Co-Chair), The Charles F. Bolden Group, LLC
COLLEEN (BETSY) ELISABETH POPKEN (Co-Chair), University of California Berkeley School of Law
DAVIS CHACÓN-HURTADO, University of Connecticut
GLEN T. DAIGGER (NAE), University of Michigan and One Water Solutions, LLC
WESLEY L. HARRIS (NAE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
DEB A. NIEMEIER (NAE), University of Maryland, College Park
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff
DAVID A. BUTLER, J. Herbert Hollomon Scholar and Director, Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering Program, NAE
REBECCA EVERLY, Director, Committee on Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
ANA DEROS, Associate Program Officer, Committee on Human Rights of the NAS, NAE, and NAM
CASEY GIBSON, Associate Program Officer, NAE
HOANG-NAM VU, Senior Program Assistant, NAS
CHESSIE BRIGGS, Program Coordinator, NAE
GURU MADHAVAN, Norman R. Augustine Senior Scholar and Senior Director of Programs, NAE
Consultant
JOE ALPER, Science writer
___________________
1 NAE, National Academy of Engineering
Reviewers
This Proceedings of a Symposium was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:
JILL GAY, J Gay Associates, LLC
JONATHAN K. LAZAR, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland
TINA KEMPIN REUTER, Institute for Human Rights, University of Alabama at Birmingham
JOHN THARAKAN, Department of Chemical Engineering, Howard University
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by ROBERT F. SPROULL, Oracle Labs (retired). He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.
Acknowledgments
This Proceedings of a Symposium has been prepared by the rapporteurs as a factual summary of what occurred at the symposium. Statements, recommendations, and opinions expressed are those of individual presenters and participants and are not necessarily endorsed or verified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and they should not be construed as reflecting any group consensus.
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Contents
ORGANIZATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS
2 Bridging Human Rights and Engineering
EXCHANGES BETWEEN HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTITIONERS AND ENGINEERS
HOW DO WE BRIDGE ENGINEERING AND HUMAN RIGHTS?
3 Human Rights and Engineering Education
FORCED DISPLACEMENT AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION
PRACTICAL INSIGHTS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENGINEERING
4 Engineering to Promote Climate Justice
5 Addressing Inequalities in Public Infrastructure
ADDRESSING WATER INEQUITIES IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF GLOBAL HEALTH EQUITY
A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO ENGINEERING
6 A Human Rights-Based Approach to Engineering and Inclusive Transportation
REPORTS FROM THE BREAKOUT GROUPS
8 Participation and Inclusion in Engineering Decision Making
9 Seeking Justice and Remediating Human Rights Harms
THE ROLE OF HUMANS RIGHTS ASSESSMENTS IN IDENTIFYING AND REMEDIATING HUMAN RIGHTS HARMS
TECHNOLOGY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND HARM REDUCTION
AN EXPERIMENT AT THE INTERSECTION OF ENGINEERING AND HUMAN RIGHTS
SCIENCE SUPPORTING SAFETY AS A HUMAN RIGHT
10 Integrating Human Rights Principles into Systems and Product Design
FINDING PLACE: INTERSECTIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENGINEERING
CISCO’S RESPONSIBLE AI JOURNEY
SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS AND HOMOPHILY
11 How to Conduct a Human Rights Assessment of Artificial Intelligence
A BRIEF REVIEW OF HUMAN RIGHTS
AN OVERVIEW OF HUMAN RIGHTS ASSESSMENTS
Boxes, Figures, and Table
BOXES
6-1 A Human Rights-Based Approach to Engineering and Inclusive Transportation Case Study Context
6-2 A Human Rights-Based Approach to Engineering and Inclusive Transportation Case Study Questions
11-1 “Long List of Human Rights”
FIGURES
2-1 A proposed framework for engineering for human rights
3-1 A framework for conflict-sensitive engineering design
5-1 Electric vehicle life-cycle stages and human rights concerns
8-1 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
8-2 The MIT D-Lab design process
TABLE
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
| AAAS | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| AI | artificial intelligence |
| CESER | Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering |
| CHR | Committee on Human Rights |
| CRPD | Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities |
| EPA | (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency |
| EU | European Union |
| LLM | large language model |
| MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| NAE | National Academy of Engineering |
| NASEM | National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (also abbreviated as “National Academies”) |
| SDWA | Safe Drinking Water Act |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNGP | UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
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