Preparing Next Generation of Software Engineers for Future Societal Challenges and Opportunities

Paper in proceeding, 2015

As a global community we are facing number of existential challenges like global warming, deficit of basic commodities, environmental degradation and other threats to life on earth, as well as possible unintended consequences of AI, nano-technology, biotechnology, and similar. Among world-wide responses to those challenges the framework programme for European research and technological development, Horizon 2020, have formulated the Science with and for Society Work Programme, based on Responsible Research and Innovation with a goal to support research contributing to the progress of humanity and preventing catastrophic events and their consequences. This goal may only be reached if we educate responsible researchers and engineers with both deep technical knowledge and broad disciplinary and social competence. From the perspective of experiences at two Swedish Universities, this paper argues for the benefits of teaching professional ethics and sustainable development to engineering students.