The event, held at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters on March 4, marks the beginning of a year-long campaign to put engineering efforts in the global spotlight.
| Rice University is proud to be an official partner for World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (WED) 2025, which will be held at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters on March 4, 2025. This event marks the start of a global campaign highlighting the essential role of engineering in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Proclaimed an official International Day by the UNESCO General Conference and open to everyone, WED is jointly organized by UNESCO and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO). The 2025 theme, “Shaping Our Sustainable Future Through Engineering,” underscores how engineering plays a critical role in achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The initiative will feature a range of events, films, articles, and news features, all hosted on the official World Engineering Day website. As a leading research institution, Rice University has long championed engineering innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. This year, Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of groundbreaking research and education in engineering. “For 50 years, Rice has brought together world-class engineers in an intimate environment that fosters collaboration over competition to develop pioneering solutions for both local and global challenges,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and a professor of computer science and biosciences at Rice. “Through our work focused on health and well-being, energy and sustainability, resilient communities, advanced materials, and future computing, we are proud to contribute to the mission of World Engineering Day and to inspire the next generation of engineers.” Rice University’s commitment to international research collaboration is further strengthened by the Rice Global Paris Center, which opened in 2022. As Rice’s hub in Europe, the Paris Center fosters exchange and cooperation with global partners, facilitates high-priority research collaborations, and provides immersive undergraduate and graduate experiences in France and beyond. With WFEO spanning 100 countries and representing over 30 million engineers, World Engineering Day serves as a springboard for policymakers, governments, educators, and industry leaders to elevate the visibility of engineering and its impact on sustainable development. “World Engineering Day 2025 is all about putting engineering in the global spotlight, showing how engineers are leading the way in the effort to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal targets and inspiring the next generation to explore what a career in engineering has to offer,” said Mustafa Shehu, President of the WFEO, in a statement. Rice University is honored to be part of this global movement and looks forward to advancing engineering solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future. |
