LAUNCH OF THE ANTHROENGINEERING NETWORK

We are delighted to launch the Anthroengineering Network to bring together people working at the interface of anthropology and engineering! This network is inclusive of all (sub)disciplines of engineering (e.g., mechanical, chemical, civil) and anthropology (e.g., design, biological, and archaeological) to integrate all those working at the interface.

MOTIVATION Anthropology and engineering have been successfully combined to solve problems within academia and industry. Despite successes, people still face problems convincing others this interdisciplinary approach is worthwhile. Battles are fought by small teams/groups or independently, and victories often occur in isolation, not receiving the attention they deserve. Lessons learned by researchers are not passed from one group to another, and the benefits seen by those in power generally remain a well-kept secret.

Some professional groups bridging anthropology and engineering already exist (e.g., Design Anthropology, EPIC, Engineers Without Borders), but none encompass all subdisciplines, limiting communication and knowledge exchange.

SOLUTION We have created the Anthroengineering Network (https://anthroeng.wixsite.com/anthroeng, set as a hyperlink for the words Anthroengineering Network) to bring together such a group of people. By making this network open to academics, professionals, and students, we hope to connect those in the field with each other, and provide resources and for students interested in combing the fields in their careers.

OUR MISSION To create a global platform to bring together people (students, professionals, academics) with interdisciplinary interests in anthropology and engineering To cultivate discussions surrounding the synthesis of anthropology and engineering theories and methods To construct human centric engineering solutions for the future of innovation and technology To provide resources about career paths, jobs, funding, and networking opportunities to those in the network

INTERESTED? Signed up for our membership mailing list to become part of our network and stay up to date with developments and activities and become part of our LinkedIn group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8631519). If you would like to be an active member of the group, please respond to this email or get in touch with Michael Berthaume or Katalin Osz at [email protected]. Various interesting posts are open, and we encourage people of all positions and backgrounds to become involved!! We are organizing our inaugural conference for summer, 2019 (location TBA). If interested, please sign up and stay tuned!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Michael A. Berthaume Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Katalin Osz School of Information Technology Halmstad University, Sweden

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