Olympics of Engineering was held from 20-22 November 2019 in Melbourne.
World Engineers Convention (WEC) 2019 was held from 20-22 November 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. This international convention is known as the ‘Olympics of Engineering’ which is held every 4 years and attracted more than 1300 global participants from over 70 countries.
The overarching theme for WEC 2019 was “Engineering a Sustainable World: The Next 100 Years”. The convention program featured six themes as follows.
1. How new technology and innovations are reshaping engineering
2. Engineering for humanity: responsive design for greater liveability
3. Fostering diversity and inclusion
4. Preparing the next generation of engineers
5. Engineering leadership, governance and influence
6. Our changing climate: mitigation, resilience and adaptation
The above themes aligned to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which are the following.
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
An integrated approach is required to solve many of the problems that the world is facing under the above categories and a significant engineering contribution is required to overcome the challenges.
The President of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka participated in the convention and made a presentation on ‘Boxing Day, earthquake of 2004 – impact on Sri Lanka’.