The field of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) draws from a full range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities to examine how science and technology simultaneously shape and are shaped by society, including politics and culture. Although engineering educators and employers have recognized the importance of professional (nontechnical) skills for over 100 years, the instructional strategies and institutional arrangements necessary to help students develop these skills have not yet settled into a widely adopted standard. Many engineering programs have turned to STS to provide students with conceptual tool kits to think about engineering problems and solutions in more sophisticated ways. Some programs feature standalone courses on the sociocultural aspects of technology and engineering, often taught by faculty from outside the engineering school. Others incorporate STS material into traditional engineering courses, e.g., by making ethical or societal impact assessments part of capstone projects.

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