So every university has some kind of publication it uses to connect with alumni to say, “Look at all this cool stuff we’re doing, don’t you want to give us money in memory of the cool stuff we did when you were here?” My alma mater keeps sending me such publications; I’m starting to find the publications that Purdue puts out for similar purposes.

However. This seems to be actually a pretty cool thing: Purdue Engineering has a magazine called Engineering Impact, where, while we could make jokes about making bombs hit their target better, they are instead using impact to point out engineers can make people’s lives better.

In particular, they have an “On the Radio” feature, which, at the moment, is featuring sustainability as an issue engineers really need to know about, and help accomplish. There looks to be a series of these radio features focused on the NAE Grand Challenges.

It’s hosted by Barbara Bogaev (of Weekend America), and I completely don’t understand why Purdue isn’t, as my husband delicately put it, shouting it from the rooftops.

So. Let me say: I think it is cool that Purdue Engineering is pointing out how serious climate change and other environmental issues are, and that engineers can really help make a difference in improving the world.

Now we just have to work out how to educate future engineers to be completely fluent in sustainable design, when most engineering faculty at the moment have never given much thought to issues of sustainability (let alone have had any education in/on it) in comparison to economic cost.