Yesterday's Flashpoint, Today's Accepted Wisdom [Editorial]

The U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NEA) recently held a workshop in Washington D.C. on the topic "Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development." The event was convened by the NEA's Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society, and brought together practicing engineers, academics, and government officials to discuss ongoing projects, educational issues, and plans to implement new initiatives. The meeting was lively and informative, and most of the discussions centered around the kinds of ideas typically found in the pages of IEEE Technology & Society Magazine. We discovered that the invitees included at least four past and present T&S editors, and one board member of our sponsoring society, IEEE SSIT.