Concepts of
Engineering and Technology
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Introduction to Engineering
Fundamentals and Civilization
Part 3 – Technology and Society
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Twentieth Century
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The rate of innovation accelerated.
The Industrial Revolution began in about 1750,
but there were more agricultural workers than
industrial workers until 1907.
Important developments include:
Electrification, Automobile, Airplane, Water Supply and
Distribution, Electronics, Radio and Television,
Mechanized Agriculture, Computers, Telephone, Air
Conditioning and Refrigeration, Highways, Spacecraft,
Internet
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Requirements for a shift from
agriculture to industry:
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A large supply of workers
Adequate food and shelter for those workers
An abundant energy source
An efficient transportation system
Large amounts of capital to invest
The countries that had the best
combination of these resources
became dominant.
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The Information Age
• A shift from industrialization to an
economy based on information
• Characterized by the ability of individuals
to transfer information freely
• Instant access to knowledge
• A key skill, the ability to assess and
evaluate content
• Late 1970s to early 2000s
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• Technology is continuing to change, and
the rate of change is increasing.
• Technological innovations affect, and are
affected by, a society's cultural traditions.
• How did military applications influence
technology development?
• Do humans have the ability to continue to
adapt to the rate of technology change?
• What non-technologies have had the
greatest influence on history?
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4 categories of technical effects:
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1 - Expected and Desired
2 - Expected and Undesired
3 - Unexpected but Desired
4 - Unexpected and Undesired
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Ethics
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Sustainable design
Waste prevention
Recycling
Conservation and Efficiency
Clean energy
Renewable energy
We do not inherit the earth from our
parents, we borrow it from our children.
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• When the nineteenth century drew to a
close and the twentieth century began, there
had been a series of significant structural
failures, including some spectacular bridge
failures.
• Most American state licensure laws require
a bachelor of science degree for licensure.
• The U.S. model has generally been only to
require those practicing independently (i.e.,
consulting engineers) to be licensed.
• Engineers working in industry, education,
and sometimes government need not be
licensed.
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Fundamental Canons
• Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of
sustainable development in the performance of their professional
duties.
• Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their
competence.
• Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and
truthful manner.
• Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or
client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of
interest.
• Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of
their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.
• Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance
the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession and
shall act with zero-tolerance for bribery, fraud, and corruption.
• Engineers shall continue their professional development
throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the
professional development of those engineers under their
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supervision."
Where are we now?
• We now have a virtual communications network
in a globalized society.
• Virtual networks allow us to transcend space
and time with our interactions.
• Despite the fact we’re more connected than
ever, we’re becoming more isolated than ever.
• The tools which make communication so easy
encourage and promote less meaningful
communication.
• Technology seems to have taken control of
human interactions.
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• A wide range of activities - economic,
dating, work, educational, financial, and so
on - are increasingly affected by the new
forms of interaction and communication
that technologies themselves make
possible.
• The culture of technology is no longer
defined by information and information
processing. It's defined by connectivity,
relations, and communication
• Are these intended or unintended
consequences?
Further information found at:
http://www.gravity7.com/articles_whitepapers.html
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Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved.
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Engineering and Technology, 1st ed. Hacker
et al. Delmar Cengage Learning (2010).
Engineering Design: An Introduction, 1st ed.
Karsnitz, O’Brian, Hutchinson. Delmar
Cengage Learning (2008).
Engineering Your Future, 2nd ed. Gomez,
Oakes, Leone. Great Lakes Press (2008).
Gateway To Engineering, 1st ed. Rogers,
Wright, Yates. Delmar Cengage Learning (2010).
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