Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 3
ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY
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ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY
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Subject: Engineering
Class: SHS 3
Term: 1st Term
Week: 8
Grade code: 3.1.1.LI.4
Strand code: 1
Sub-strand code: 1
Content standard code: 3.1.1.CS.1
Indicator code: 3.1.1.LI.4
Theme: ENGINEERING PRACTICE
Subtheme: ENGINEERING IN SOCIETY
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This lesson introduces the crucial role of engineering in solving major societal problems, both in Ghana and globally. We will explore the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for identifying the world's most pressing challenges. As future engineers, technicians, and innovators in Ghana, it is essential to understand how your skills can be directly applied to create practical, innovative, and sustainable solutions for issues like inadequate power supply ("dumsor"), water pollution from "galamsey," waste management, and food security.
Concept 1: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, are a set of 17 interconnected goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. For an engineer, the SDGs are a catalogue of the world's biggest and most important problems waiting for solutions.
Key SDGs Relevant to Ghana: SDG 2: Zero Hunger: Aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Ghanaian Context: Post-harvest losses are a major issue. Engineers can design better storage silos, solar-powered dryers for fish and produce (like tomatoes and mangoes), or efficient irrigation systems for farming during the dry season. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Ghanaian Context: The activities of illegal mining ("galamsey") have polluted major water bodies like the Pra and Ankobra rivers. Engineers are needed to design low-cost, effective water filtration systems for rural communities that rely on these rivers. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: Aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Ghanaian Context: The memory of "dumsor" (erratic power supply) is still fresh. Engineers can develop hybrid energy systems (solar and grid), design energy-efficient appliances, or create small-scale biogas digesters that turn organic waste into cooking gas. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Ghanaian Context: Managing plastic and electronic waste ("borla") in cities like Accra and Kumasi is a huge challenge. Engineers can design machines that recycle plastic bottles into construction materials (like pavement blocks) or develop safe methods for dismantling and recycling e-waste. Concept 2: The Engineering Design Process (EDP)
The EDP is a systematic, iterative method that engineers use to create solutions to problems. It is a cycle, not a straight line, meaning you often have to go back to previous steps to improve your design.