Professor Olivier de Weck recently participated in a symposium at the Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM) in Yokohama, Japan, marking the release of the Japanese edition of "Engineering Systems: Meeting Human Needs in a Complex Technological World." This translation is published by Keio University Press under license from MIT Press.
Engineering Systems, by de Weck, Daniel Roos and Christopher Magee, was released by MIT Press in October 2011 as part of the MIT Press Engineering Systems Book Series. It was the top-selling book at the MIT Press Bookstore in 2012. The book introduces concepts that offer a framework for examining complex, sociotechnical systems in the context of the emerging field of engineering systems.
More than 80 individuals from academia, industry and government attended the half-day event. Keio University’s founding dean Professor Yoshiaki Ohkami and current dean Professor Takashi Maeno opened the ceremony. Professor Shinichiro Haruyama, the leader of the translation team, and de Weck gave an overview of the book, followed by a panel session, which included Tomoyo Nonaka, former news anchor at NHK and CEO of Sanyo Electric Co. and current chair of the Gaia Initiative. The event concluded with a book signing and traditional Japanese konshinkai (get-together).
“In 2011, when Engineering Systems was released, Japan was dealing with the aftermath of Fukushima,” de Weck says. “The event put devastating pressure on global resources and the environment and put the spotlight on energy delivery in Japan. Now, Japan is rebuilding for the future and using systems thinking for a more comprehensive look at how an integrated, technological approach can help deliver more effective services and protect the population.”
