This content was originally published on The Resilience Shift website. The Resilience Shift, a 5-year programme supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and hosted by Arup, transitioned at the end of 2021 to become Resilience Rising. You can read more about The Resilience Shift’s journey and the transition to Resilience Rising here.
The latest edition of the series kicks off on 2 December 2020 before travelling virtually around the world, exploring how the engineering community can deliver a carbon-neutral and resilient society by mid-century. Join Seth on tour in your region. See ICE programme.
- East Asia on 6 January 2021
- Europe on 3 February 2021
- Middle East and North Africa on 3 March 2021
- Africa on 8 June 2021
- South Asia in September 2021
- Australasia / South East Asia in October 2021
- Americas in December 2021
The Brunel International Lecture series was established in 1999 in memory of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), one of the world’s most respected pioneering engineers. Each lecturer is appointed by The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)’s International Committee for his or her contribution to civil engineering.
The Resilience Shift is delighted to announce that Seth Schultz, its Executive Director, has been selected to present the 13th edition of the Brunel International Lecture Series, which begins on 2 December 2020.
Seth Schultz said: “I am honoured to have been appointed lecturer of the 13th Brunel International Lecture Series. Climate change, globalisation, urbanisation and technological evolution mean that engineers are operating under the stress of significant uncertainty. The lecture series will explore what is needed from the engineering community to deliver a carbon neutral and resilient society by mid-century. I look forward to working with ICE to ensure our future world is better and safer.”
While previously delivered in-person, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions the latest series will take place online, running for 12 months from 2 December 2020.
Travelling virtually around the world, through a programme of live online events, Schultz will present his lecture alongside a regional panel of key industry thought leaders. From both a global and local perspective, they will debate some of the biggest issues facing the planet and the profession, before answering audience questions.
The lecture series is a prestige event hosted by ICE. It aims to inform and influence global engineering issues, and to strengthen links between ICE and engineering institutions in the UK and around the world.
Rachel Skinner, incoming ICE President, said: “It is my pleasure to welcome Seth as our lecturer for the latest instalment of this prestigious series. As always, our aim is to engage with the ICE’s global engineering community and raise awareness of the key issues facing the industry, of which there are none more crucial than the quest for net-zero carbon.
“I look forward to discussing this topic myself during the opening lecture of the series before the series drills down into the obstacles and opportunities that exist around carbon reduction across the world over the next year.”
About this event
Entitled “21st Century Leadership is Partnership: How a Coalition of the World’s Engineers Can Change the World“, the series will explore how the engineering community can deliver a carbon-neutral and resilient society by mid-century.
The world is significantly exposed to uncertainty including climate change, globalisation, urbanisation and digitalisation. Engineers must face future challenges now or risk being left behind.
This year’s lecture series will consider what it is to be an engineer, and whether this meets the needs of a future workforce that can deliver resilient and sustainable systems. Debating whether engineers need to think differently to deal with the global uncertainty we are facing, the lecture will discuss how systems engineering and understanding is needed to bring it all together, and whether engineers are well placed to deal with the complex systemic challenges ahead of us.
The series will discuss – globally and locally – the role of engineers, the current practices, the gaps in capabilities and in the workforce, particularly thinking about the need for more women, alongside a more geopolitically diverse workforce.
The Resilience Shift is a founding partner of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, a global coalition from across the engineering, investment, city and philanthropic communities that sees engineers as a catalyst for the action needed to deliver infrastructure climate adaptation and resilience.
Lecture Series global timeline
The opening lecture will see ICE President-elect, Rachel Skinner, based in London, welcome Seth, based in New York, and attendees. The 2020-21 series will then go on to visit the following regions virtually according to the following programme (with final dates to be confirmed):
- East Asia in January 2021
- Europe in February 2021
- Middle East and North Africa in March 2021
- Africa in June 2021
- South Asia in September 2021
- Australasia / South East Asia in October 2021
- Americas in December 2021
About Seth Schultz
As Executive Director of The Resilience Shift, a global initiative focused on making the world safer through resilient infrastructure, Seth is leading work to accelerate the theory and practice of resilience for critical infrastructure systems.
He has a long track record of building consensus and initiating change in sustainable development and urban resilience. With a 20-year career as a geologist and environmental scientist, Seth has worked with leading organisations to drive change in urban sustainability and raise awareness of the role of cities in tackling climate change.
ICE Links
See announcement and the opening lecture
About the Brunel International Lecture Series
