Here's a little bit on the two classes I'm enrolled in this term:

• Introduction to Technology and Policy, taught by Professor Annalisa Weigel of Aerospace and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division.
  
• Engineering Systems Analysis for Design, taught by Richard de Neufville of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Engineering Systems Division.

My home department at MIT is the Engineering Systems Divison (ESD), which is a new creation here at MIT. The goal of the division is to prepare engineers to "think systematically, lead strategically, and address the complex challenges of today's world". If you have a bit of time, this monography by Professor Daniel Roos gives a detailed overview of the history and formation of ESD.

What I find most interesting about ESD is its unique structure compared to other faculties. Instead of being housed within ESD, professors must hold dual appointments with ESD and another department. This way, rather than having all of its faculty clustered together, ESD professors are scattered around the campus. What this approach looses in cohesion, it gains in breadth and diversity, making it more of a network of faculty than a siloed department.

For more information on ESD and the way it approaches complex systems and engineering, check out the Engineering Systems Learning Centre.

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