Apr 17 2014
MIT Professional Education has added a new Short Programs course, Beyond Smart Cities, designed for engineering, business, and urban planning professionals worldwide who seek the MIT experience in a condensed timeframe.
The course is also designed for government leaders charged with new urban economic development, design of new cities, and urban innovation districts or zones. It will focus on developing innovative systems and solutions that improve the livability of cities while dramatically reducing resource consumption. The course will aim to provide professionals with an understanding of the complex design of sustainable smart cities to instill positive change within their organization or community.
Enrollment is now open to qualifying professionals from the U.S. and abroad through the MIT Professional Education website.
Beyond Smart Cities will be held June 16 – 18 on MIT’s campus in Cambridge, Mass. The Short Programs offering will be taught by Kent Larson, director of the Changing Places research group at the MIT Media Lab, MIT House_n Research Consortium, and the MIT Living Labs initiative in the School of Architecture and Planning and Dr. Ryan C.C. Chin, managing director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.
“This course moves beyond 'Smart Cities' by focusing on disruptive innovations in technology, design, planning, policy, and strategies that can bring dramatic improvements in urban livability and sustainability,” said Larson. “Participants will engage in critical thinking about the technological, social, cultural, and economic challenges for achieving smart sustainable cities so they can return to their community, corporation, or institution to implement positive change.”
“The Beyond Smart Cities course is designed to allow participants to absorb working knowledge fast while providing a unique opportunity to engage MIT’s world-renowned faculty in discussions about applications and the future of the field,” said Anna M. Mahr, director of Short Programs at MIT Professional Education.
MIT Professional Education provides a variety of education and professional training programs for science, engineering and technology professionals worldwide. Short Programs offer professionals more than 40 industry focused two to five-day sessions, taking place primarily in the summer. Participants learn from leading MIT faculty and gain crucial knowledge to help fuel their careers or enhance their companies in a collaborative academic setting. Upon completion, participants receive an MIT Professional Education certificate of completion, continuing education units, and access to MIT Professional Education’s expansive professional alumni network.
In addition to Beyond Smart Cities, new Short Programs for summer 2014 include Engineering Leadership for Mid-Career Professionals; Understanding and Predicting Technological Innovation: New Data and Theory; and Additive Manufacturing: From 3D Printing to the Factory Floor.
MIT Professional Education also offers national and international professionals the capability to take Short Programs courses abroad, regular MIT academic courses offered through the Advanced Study Program, online courses, or customize an educational experience for a group of employees at a company site. Students are drawn from across the U.S. and around the world, and about 30 percent are international. For more information visit. http://web.mit.edu/professional/