The second keynote on day one of the conference was given by Lord Browne of Maddingley. It hadn't a title, which may have been because it didn't have much of a focus. This was a keynote that could have been given to any engineering conference. It was hugely disappointing. It was also short, at about 20 minutes in an hour-long slot, which left a lot of time for questions. But these weren't much better.
He did talk about the key attributes that engineers need; one of these was the ability to communicate and work with communities, which is not something that Cuadrilla, an outfit that Browne is involved with, seem to be much good at. But he did plug his new book: The seven elements that changed the world, whose title is a nod to the output of the majesterial Henry Hobhouse.
Meanwhile, the first two parallel session that I went to were hugely informative. I split my time between Curriculum development and Teaching and learning and listened to inputs from across Europe, and from Canada. These re-confirmed my view that engineers continue to innovate in their work with students around sustainability, and are some of the most interesting folk to listen to, particularly when it comes to curriculum and pedagogy.
One thing to note was that whenever ESD was mentioned – which was not often – it meant 'engineering for sustainable development'. No one in my hearing mentioned the other ESD.
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