Jennifer Atchison

Climate justice acknowledges that the impacts of climate change are not uniformly experienced across different cultures, societies, and countries. It highlights that low-income and BIPOC communities, who have contributed least to the climate crisis, bear a disproportionate burden. Addressing climate change solutions requires considering the cultural and socioeconomic contexts of these communities and designing interventions and technologies that address the root causes of climate change.

In my role as a design educator in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, I focus on integrating principles of Value Sensitive Design, Design Justice, and human-centered design into my curriculum. As the coordinator for Senior Design in MEM and ECE, and through teaching junior design, CAD, and freshman design, I emphasize the importance of context in design projects. I guide students to comprehensively define their projects, considering both intended and unintended consequences, and recognize how their values influence and are influenced by their designs.

I am a contributor to Engineering for One Planet, which promotes sustainable and empathetic engineering practices. I believe that empathy leads to better design outcomes, and the Value Sensitive Design framework encourages students to consider the broader impacts of their work, including future reuse or disposal. To further support this, I aim to develop tools and courses that enhance students' ability to translate these considerations into practical specifications and impact statements, and design a new course focused on climate change mitigation strategies, including infrastructure resiliency and stakeholder involvement.