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 […]
Engineering education
What is accelerated bridge construction?
According to the Federal Highway Administration, accelerated bridge construction “uses innovative planning, design, materials, and construction methods in a safe and cost-effective manner to reduce the onsite construction time that […]
Older and wiser?
As the presidential election approaches, the question of age keeps coming up: how old is too old? Certainly we can point to public figures who should have retired sooner—and commend […]
The importance of making mistakes
In my 20s I had two jobs that shaped the rest of my career. My supervisors had very different attitudes about making mistakes. The first was quick to point out […]
The post hoc fallacy
The post hoc fallacy is the logical error that because event B followed event A, A must have caused B. It comes from the Latin post hoc ergo propter hoc, […]
Think first, then do
“Plan ahead” is advice you occasionally hear from friends or see on posters. It’s not easy to get a tautology into a two-word sentence, but this is one of them. […]
ASCE Code of ethics
Several previous blogs have cited the NSPE code of ethics to set the ethical context for technical writing. Not surprisingly, the American Society of Civil Engineers also has a code […]
The scientific method
In its most basic form, the scientific method is a process that allows us to understand the physical world. Anecdotal observations lead you to formulate a hypothesis. The hypothesis may be in the […]
Writing from the reader’s point of view
As a former editor, I often find myself wondering why so many writers don’t seem to consider the reader’s point of view. It’s the editor’s job to advocate for the […]
How engineers came to understand sulfate attack
We’ve discussed the mechanisms of sulfate attack in a previous blog. Soils in the western United States and the prairie provinces of Canada often contain high concentrations of sulfates. The […]