Lessons amid the Rubble : An Introduction to Post-Disaster Engineering and Ethics

by Pfatteicher, Sarah K. A.

• ISBN13: 9780801897207
• ISBN10: 0801897203
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

The aftermath of September 11, 2001, brought the subject of engineering-failure forensics to public attention as had no previous catastrophe. In keeping with the engineering profession's long tradition of building a positive future out of disasters, Lessons amid the Rubble uses the collapse of the World Trade Center towers to explore the nature and future of engineering education in the United States.Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher draws on historical and current practice in engineering design, construction, and curricula to discuss how engineers should conceive, organize, and execute a search for the reasons behind the failure of man-made structures. Her survey traces the analytical journey engineers take after a disaster and discusses the technical, social, and moral implications of their work. After providing an overview of the investigations into the collapse of the Twin Towers, Pfatteicher explores six related events to reveal deceptively simple lessons about the engineering enterprise, each of which embodies an ethical dilemma at the heart of the profession. In tying these themes together, Pfatteicher highlights issues of professionalism and professional identity infused in engineering education and encourages an explicit, direct conversation about their meaning.Sophisticated and engagingly written, this volume combines history, engineering, ethics, and philosophy to provoke a deep discussion about the symbolic meaning of buildings and other structures and the nature of engineering.

Author Biography

Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher is a research professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and an assistant dean in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Table of Contents

Introduction Why?	p. 1
ôA Very Imperfect Processö Engineering Problem-Solving 101	p. 10
ôFinding Hope in the Ruinsö A Short History of Engineering Disasters	p. 36
ôA New Eraö The Limits of Engineering Expertise in a Post-9/11 World	p. 62
ôSafe from Every Possible Eventö How to Strive for the Impossible	p. 82
ôArchitectural Terrorismö Why Moderation Matters	p. 100
ôThese Material Thingsö Passion and Power in Engineering	p. 115
Conclusion ôMore Time for the Dreamingö: Engineering Curricula for the Twenty-First Century	p. 135
Acknowledgments	p. 141
Notes	p. 145
Recommended Reading	p. 177
Index	p. 181
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