“Good enough” is best
Advertising for luxury cars and watches would lead you to believe that a never-ending quest for perfection is a good thing. But in real life, perfectionism can only lead to […]
Advertising for luxury cars and watches would lead you to believe that a never-ending quest for perfection is a good thing. But in real life, perfectionism can only lead to […]
We’ve discussed the tragedy of the commons, an economic theory that dates back to Aristotle: “What is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.” It […]
At the ACI spring convention, the Hot Topic session focused on acceptance testing of concrete. Someone pointed out that we’ve been having the same discussion for the last 40 years. […]
For 19 years I had an orange tabby, known formally as Fridtjof den dristige*, who defended our territory as only an orange tabby can. Orange tabbies have a reputation as […]
A few weeks ago I met with a student team to coach them on their final report for their senior design project. The students were discouraged because they’d spent two […]
As a fan of detective stories, I see plenty of surprise endings and plot twists. They can make good entertainment, but they don’t belong in technical writing. Recently I read […]
When developing a curriculum, one should have an eye to accreditation. In the US, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits STEM curricula at universities. Graduation from an […]
After I got my master’s degree, I spent about a year working on the design of an oil exploration structure for the North Slope of Alaska. That project led to […]
In teaching engineering, I’ve come to realize that it’s essential to help students intuitively understand how it works. A lot of engineering instruction revolves around using formulas to calculate things. […]
We’ve discussed the “safety, health, and welfare” aspect of the NSPE Code of Ethics in several previous blogs. That’s the first fundamental canon of the engineer’s code of ethics. The […]