Engineering And Society

Explaining crime by reference to abnormalities of the brain is just one example of how the human and social sciences have influenced the approach to social problems in Western societies since 1880. Focusing on applications such as penal policy, therapy, and marketing, this volume examines how these sciences have become embedded in society.

Recognizing the central role of engineering activity in modern societies, Engineering & Society explores the global and social context of contemporary engineering practice. This text breaks new ground in the way that it puts engineering into a broad social, political, economic, and philosophical context. Engineering & Society utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to explore what engineers do, the education, knowledge and skills they need, and their roles and responsibilities in society. Three ongoing themes provide continuity to this text: the nature of technology and its relationship to engineering; the nature of development and its relationship to engineering; and the role that professional engineering practice plays in the development of technology and the sustainable creation wealth. *The history of engineering and engineering design *The social and political contexts in which engineers practice *How engineers create new products, processes and systems *Engineering leadership and management *Economic development and the globalization of engineering practice *The challenges of reconciling development with ecological consequences *Ethics and future challenges in professional engi

We have long recognized technology as a driving force behind much historical and cultural change. The invention of the printing press initiated the Reformation. The development of the compass ushered in the Age of Exploration and the discovery of the New World. The cotton gin created the conditions that led to the Civil War. Now, in Beyond Engineering, science writer Robert Pool turns the question around to examine how society shapes technology. Drawing on such disparate fields as history, economics, risk analysis, management science, sociology, and psychology, Pool illuminates the complex, often fascinating interplay between machines and society, in a book that will revolutionize how we think about technology. We tend to think that reason guides technological development, that engineering expertise alone determines the final form an invention takes. But if you look closely enough at the history of any invention, says Pool, you will find that factors unrelated to engineering seem to have an almost equal impact. In his wide-ranging volume, he traces developments in nuclear energy, automobiles, light bulbs, commercial electricity, and personal computers, to reveal that the ultimate shape of a technology often has as much to do with outside and unforeseen forces. For instance, Pool explores the reasons why steam-powered cars lost out to internal combustion engines. He shows that the Stanley Steamer was in many ways superior to the Model T--it set a land speed record in 1906 of more than 127 miles per hour, it had no transmission (and no transmission headaches), and it was simpler (one Stanley engine had only twenty-two moving parts) and quieter than a gas engine--but the steamers were killed off by factors that had little or nothing to do with their engineering merits, including the Stanley twins' lack of business acumen and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. Pool illuminates other aspects of technology as well. He traces how seemingly minor decisions made early along the path of development can have profound consequences further down the road, and perhaps most important, he argues that with the increasing complexity of our technological advances--from nuclear reactors to genetic engineering--the number of things that can go wrong multiplies, making it increasingly difficult to engineer risk out of the equation. Citing such catastrophes as Bhopal, Three Mile Island, the Exxon Valdez, the Challenger, and Chernobyl, he argues that is it time to rethink our approach to technology. The days are gone when machines were solely a product of larger-than-life inventors and hard-working engineers. Increasingly, technology will be a joint effort, with its design shaped not only by engineers and executives but also psychologists, political scientists, management theorists, risk specialists, regulators and courts, and the general public. Whether discussing bovine growth hormone, molten-salt reactors, or baboon-to-human transplants, Beyond Engineering is an engaging look at modern technology and an illuminating account of how technology and the modern world shape each other.

The National Research Council's Panel on Engineering Interactions with Society was formed to examine the functioning of the engineering profession in the context of, and in relation to, American society. This document presents the findings of the panel. The panel's inquiry was twofold. First, it examined the impact that engineering and technology development has had on the nation, including the impact on societal demands, values, and perceptions on engineering. Next, the panel attempted to assess the structure and development of the engineering profession, and the adaptability of the profession in meeting current and future national needs. Chapters in the document deal with: (1) the evolution of American engineering; (2) the present era (managing change in the information age); (3) engineering and social dynamics; (4) maintaining flexibility in an age of stress and rapid change; and (5) conclusions and recommendations. Appendices include 23 references and a 16-item bibliography, along with an article prepared by Arthur L. Donovan, entitled "Engineering in an Increasingly Complex Society: Historical Perspectives on Education, Practice, and Adaptation in American Engineering." (TW)

The authors describe the skills and background knowledge the effective engineer will need and go on to describe the historical development of the engineering profession, with particular reference to the UK but also in comparison with the French and German experiences. Assignments, exercises and study questions are set at the end of each chapter.

This book presents the general objective of the REV2021 conference which is to contribute and discuss fundamentals, applications, and experiences in the field of Online and Remote Engineering, Virtual Instrumentation, and other related new technologies like Cross Reality, Data Science & Big Data, Internet of Things & Industrial Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Cyber Security, and M2M & Smart Objects. Nowadays, online technologies are the core of most fields of engineering and the whole society and are inseparably connected, for example, with Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 & Industrial Internet of Things, Cloud Technologies, Data Science, Cross & Mixed Reality, Remote Working Environments, Online & Biomedical Engineering, to name only a few. Since the first REV conference in 2004, we tried to focus on the upcoming use of the Internet for engineering tasks and the opportunities as well as challenges around it. In a globally connected world, the interest in online collaboration, teleworking, remote services, and other digital working environments is rapidly increasing. Another objective of the conference is to discuss guidelines and new concepts for engineering education in higher and vocational education institutions, including emerging technologies in learning, MOOCs & MOOLs, and Open Resources. REV2021 on "Online Engineering and Society 4.0" was the 17th in a series of annual events concerning the area of Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation. It has been organized in cooperation with the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI) as an online event from February 24 to 26, 2021.

This open access book examines how the social sciences can be integrated into the praxis of engineering and science, presenting unique perspectives on the interplay between engineering and social science. Motivated by the report by the Commission on Humanities and Social Sciences of the American Association of Arts and Sciences, which emphasizes the importance of social sciences and Humanities in technical fields, the essays and papers collected in this book were presented at the NSF-funded workshop ‘Engineering a Better Future: Interplay between Engineering, Social Sciences and Innovation’, which brought together a singular collection of people, topics and disciplines. The book is split into three parts: A. Meeting at the Middle: Challenges to educating at the boundaries covers experiments in combining engineering education and the social sciences; B. Engineers Shaping Human Affairs: Investigating the interaction between social sciences and engineering, including the cult of innovation, politics of engineering, engineering design and future of societies; and C. Engineering the Engineers: Investigates thinking about design with papers on the art and science of science and engineering practice.

Sustainable Engineering for Life Tomorrow examines the future of sustainable engineering and architecture. The contributors' analyses of sustainable solutions, such as wind and solar power, offer valuable insights for future policy-making, scholarship, and the management of energy-intensive facilities.