Engineering, The Future, Digitalization and Globalization

How do we begin to solve some of the world’s biggest problems like supply chain disruption, water and food insecurity? Dr. Gregory Abowd, Dean of the College of Engineering at Northeastern, recently explained how the systems approach to engineering can help. Looking forward to the upcoming launch of the Master of Science in Information Systems program at Northeastern’s Toronto campus, Dr. Abowd discussed how Northeastern trains engineers to build systems that can respond effectively to the problems that we face in an increasingly digitized, globalized world.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your history at Northeastern and your vision for the College of Engineering?

I’ve been the Dean of the College of Engineering at Northeastern since March of 2021. Prior to coming to Northeastern, I was at Georgia Tech in the College of Computing for 26 years. I was trained as a computer scientist, but I do a lot of work that intersects with engineering fields. One of the reasons I came to Northeastern is because this is a place that thinks in bold and innovative ways about what the university of the future can be.

Northeastern’s Toronto Campus will be launching the Master of Science in Information Systems in January 2022, what makes this program timely and exciting for students considering graduate study?

Whether it’s healthcare, finance, retail, or manufacturing, all of these industries are all becoming increasingly reliant on digital solutions in conjunction with other kinds of systems. What’s more, as these industries become more globalized, they need solutions that are digitized, automated and networked.

In this increasingly connected global economy there is an insatiable need for information system engineers who can understand and transform business processes so that they are more amenable to automation, networking, and digitization. Take the supply chain for example: there are lots of complex systems that have to work together in a coordinated fashion in order to be successful.

The Master of Science in Information Systems is a huge opportunity for students aspiring to find innovative solutions to challenges that face almost every industry today.

Can you say more about what the systems approach to engineering involves, and why this approach to engineering is important?

The best way to describe this is to look at what makes a transformative engineer.

A good engineer is trained to solve complex problems. And what makes a problem complex is that it’s a collection of interacting systems.  You need to understand the details of each of those systems in order for their interaction to work effectively. Engineers are taught to think about problems in terms of systems of interacting complex components.

In the Master of Science in Information Systems program, we are not just trying to create good engineers. We’re trying to create great, transformative engineers. Transformative engineers don’t just solve problems; they look into the world to understand where the opportunities are for an engineering problem-solving mindset. For example, looking at insecurity issues like water, food and healthcare, these are complex combinations of global systems that need to be understood in order to create more efficient overall complex systems.

And I think that’s really at the heart of our engineering mission in educating; it is to get people not just to think about systems thinking to solve a problem, but putting them in the context of the real world and where opportunities exist.

What makes Toronto the right place for students to pursue a program like the Master of Science in Information Systems?

Toronto is a global hub for innovation and talent. Tech companies in Toronto contribute more than $8 billion in annual employee wages and employ more than 90,000 people. You’ve got lots of companies that have significant presence in Toronto, like Bell, Cisco, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Rogers. This makes Toronto one of the top three North American cities in terms of the strength of its technology market and one of the fastest growing.

Students in the program can tap into this dynamic market, apply their knowledge and tackle real-world challenges with a co-op placement. By building relationships within the community, exploring their own career passions, and working with complex problems with diverse stakeholders, students become dynamic engineers who are prepared to apply a transformative engineering mindset to problem solving.

How are graduates of the Master of Science in Information Systems program positioned to compete and succeed?

From a concept perspective, we’re giving our students fundamental technical skills and expertise. We’re also preparing them to think critically and creatively about how to use that expertise to design ethical, secure, scalable, and efficient solutions to some of these very complex business and social problems. We’re blending IT management with business understanding and software engineering.

From a context perspective, we’re giving them the skills to identify when these problems emerge, both in the classroom, and through their co-op experience with a company that helps them to see those problems firsthand.

It’s a win-win for everyone! Graduates are extremely well-positioned when it comes time to look of a job and employers can be confident that they are hiring the best people to help build their systems.

How does the expansion to Toronto help the College of Engineering advance its research mission?

Suppose I want to do research or education in health systems. Northeastern now has a significant presence in the United States, Canada and in England; and those countries have three very different health systems. We now have the opportunity to educate and understand in the context of three very different systems, looking at what does and doesn’t work in all three.

I think this is compelling from an educational perspective. But it is also compelling from a research perspective. For example, Northeastern’s global footprint helps us gain access to electronic health records or different populations to explore the role that technology might play in continuous assessment of chronic conditions and doing that in a variety of different places around the world.

What does diversity mean for the College of Engineering?

For the College of Engineering, diversity means a number of things. We are a global university with campuses in a variety of different places in this world. If we want to solve problems that have real impact in the world, then we need to understand our reach in the context of population and representation.  We cannot thrive as an organization if we don’t embrace the diversity of our global campuses. This diversity reaches to our students, faculty and staff.

My own personal experience is around the topic I will call neurodiversity. It’s inspired by the fact that I have raised two young adults on the autism spectrum; and I’ve seen a population of people who are, for want of a better term, wired differently. They experience the world differently and think about the world differently. They control their bodies in ways that are different than what I’ll call neurotypical people do, but they’re very talented and bring different perspectives about the world.  I am a better person and parent because of the experiences I’ve had with my two sons.

So that’s my own personal take on why diversity and inclusion matter from a neurodiverse perspective. But it’s true along a number of different dimensions, whether you’re thinking about sexual orientation, racial cultural identity, gender identity, all these things matter. We as a society need to realize that it’s not that we have to tolerate differences, it’s that we have to embrace differences because these differences will enrich us as people and in solving the important problems of the world. Different perspectives on the same problem often lead to unique and better solutions.

What excites you the most about the future of the College of Engineering?

Northeastern is a place that is always open to all kinds of endless new possibilities and is not afraid to act quickly. I’m always about looking at what unfair advantages we have as an organization and trying to build off that. And Northeastern has lots of unfair advantages. We have a global campus, and perhaps the world’s strongest Co-op program. These things give us opportunities that are hard for others to replicate.

Learn more about the Master of Science in Information Systems program and how to get started on a pathway to build your IT leadership skills.