“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 […]
Engineering education
Sustaining the commons
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 […]
What engineers should know about acceptance testing
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. […]
Choose your battles
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 […]
The value of failure
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 […]
Surprise endings
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 […]
Student learning objectives
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 […]
Adult learning
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 […]
Models help you understand how it works
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. […]
When to say, “I don’t know”
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 […]