To mark World Engineering Day 2026, an online international symposium was jointly organized by UNESCO, the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC), the African Engineering Education Council (AEEC), the Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC), the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the International Center for Engineering Education (ICEE), the Africa Asia Pacific Accord (AAEC), and other international organizations. The event was held on March 5, 2026, at 9:00 PM Beijing Time, under the theme "Envisioning the Future of Engineering Education: Evolving to Digitalization and Innovation in Engineering." Dr. Xu Lihui, Assistant to Secretary-General of ICEE, was invited to attend the symposium and delivered a panel presentation titled "Innovation in Engineering Education and Teaching."

IFEES Incoming President Tania Bueno delivered the welcome remarks, followed by a keynote address titled "Envisioning the Future of Engineering Education" by Professor Yashin Brijmohan of Utah State University. The event featured a series of presentations by speakers: Rovani Sigamoney, expert from UNESCO Africa regional office, addressed the topic from a UN perspective; Dr. Melanie Diaz of the ABET, spoke on continuing professional development and the micro credentials; Dr. Ibukun Osunbunmi of Penn State University presented on AI in teaching and learning; Professor Yukio Miyashita, Vice President of Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan, and Dr. Mami Katsumi discussed engineering education for sustainable development; and Professor Funso Falade, President of AEEA, addressed African structures and accreditation. The closing remarks were delivered by Martin Manuhwa, Vice President of WFEO and Chair of Engineering Capacity Building Committee. The event was moderated by Hans Hoyer, Secretary General of IFEES and Executive Director of GEDC.

In an era of rapid and profound change, engineers play a pivotal role in infrastructure development, technological innovation, and economic growth. As AI fundamentally reshapes industries across the board, the engineering field itself continues to evolve, compelling educators and policymakers to reexamine engineering education systems from multiple dimensions. Against this backdrop, the symposium focused on the current state of transformation in engineering education, sought to assess future directions, and explored how to systematically address the challenges and opportunities presented by this new reality.

World Engineering Day Hackathon 2026

In February 2026, Dr. Xu Lihui was invited to serve as a judge for the World Engineering Day WFEO 2026 Hackathon, successfully completing the evaluation of all submitted entries. The WFEO Hackathon is a flagship celebration of World Engineering Day, bringing together engineering students and young engineers from around the world to collaboratively tackle real-world challenges. It stands as the largest international engineering student competition of its kind globally.