The Essential Engineer

Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems

Henry Petroski

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English

Random House Inc
15 August 2011

Mathematics & Sciences; Science: general issues; Industrial applications of scientific research & technological innovation

"An eye-opening exploration of the ways in which science and engineering must work together to address our world's most pressing issues, from climate change to renewable energy. FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK. VINTAGE.

From the acclaimed author of The Pencil and To Engineer Is Human, The Essential Engineer is an eye-opening exploration of the ways in which science and engineering must work together to address our world's most pressing issues, from dealing with climate change and the prevention of natural disasters to the development of efficient automobiles and the search for renewable energy sources. While the scientist may identify problems, it falls to the engineer to solve them. It is the inherent practicality of engineering, which takes into account structural, economic, environmental, and other factors that science often does not consider, that makes engineering vital to answering our most urgent concerns.

Henry Petroski takes us inside the research, development, and debates surrounding the most critical challenges of our time, exploring the feasibility of biofuels, the progress of battery-operated cars, and the question of nuclear power. He gives us an in-depth investigation of the various options for renewable energy-among them solar, wind, tidal, and ethanol-explaining the benefits and risks of each. Will windmills soon populate our landscape the way they did in previous centuries? Will synthetic trees, said to be more efficient at absorbing harmful carbon dioxide than real trees, soon dot our prairies? Will we construct a ""sunshade"" in outer space to protect ourselves from dangerous rays? In many cases, the technology already exists. What's needed is not so much invention as engineering.

Just as the great achievements of centuries past-the steamship, the airplane, the moon landing-once seemed beyond reach, the solutions to the twenty-first century's problems await only a similar coordination of science and engineering. Eloquently reasoned and written, The Essential Engineer identifies and illuminates these problems-and, above all, sets out a course for putting ideas into action."

By: Henry Petroski
Imprint: Random House Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 264g
ISBN: 9780307473509
ISBN 10: 0307473503
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 15 August 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface 1. Ubiquitous Risk 2. Engineering Is Rocket Science 3. Doctors and Dilberts 4. Which Comes First? 5. Einstein the Inventor 6. Speed Bumps 7. Research and Development 8. Development and Research 9. Alternative Energies 10. Complex Systems 11. Two Cultures 12. Uncertain Science and Engineering 13. Great Achievements and Grand Challenges 14. Prizing Engineering Notes Illustration Credits Index

Henry Petroski is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University. The author of more than a dozen previous books, he lives in Durham, North Carolina, and Arrowsic, Maine.

Reviews for The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems

Analyzing both historical and contemporary examples, from climate change to public health, Petroski shows how science often overlooks structural, economic, environmental and aesthetic dimensions that routinely challenge engineers. Moreover, he says, sometimes science trails technology, as when engineers had to design the first moon landing vehicles before scientists learned its surface composition. Far from being hostile toward science, Petroski pleads for continued cooperation between science and engineering. When, as Petroski laments, even President Obama has sometimes omitted engineering in touting science, this book could hardly be more timely. --Publishers Weekly With customary acuity and variety, Petroski is sure to please his established readership with these interesting disquisitions on technology. --Booklist