An Ethical and Sociological View on Women Engineers : The role interdisciplinary courses can play attracting young people and women to engineering education

How to attract more young people in engineering and technology studies? How to attract more women and therefore improve the balance between male and female engineers in society? These are the two questions this conference intends to address. Among the solutions, the organizers of Helena conference chose to make a focus on engineering education as a means to solve two "problems" i.e. the underrepresentation of women in engineering, and the lack of interest of young people for science and technology - and the shortage of graduate engineers for business companies in the future. The hypothesis proposed for those two days of exchange and discussions is that more interdisciplinary trainings in engineering education might be an answer because it would be more appealing for young people, and especially for women. The aim of the conference is to share best practices in education, evaluate their effectiveness, gather students' experiences and discuss other ways to attract women. This communication will be developed in four parts. In the first one, I'll discuss the question of social injustice in relation with the underrepresentation of women in engineering. In the second part, I'll discuss the problem of the lack of interest for science and technology of young people and the lack of engineers in the world. I will try to question those problems both ethically and sociologically and explain why the problem of the rate of women in engineering and the young people's professional orientation need to be studied separately. In the third part of my presentation, I'll question ethically the role of interdisciplinary teachings in engineering education. In my conclusion, I'll go back to the question of the need for engineers in the World. Rather than following the complaint about the "shortage of engineers" expressed regularly in the media by business companies, professional associations and engineering schools deans, I'll present my insight on the role engineers could and should (morally) have to achieve the United Nation Millenium development goals