American Engineering Research Articles

“Perpetual power” from the tides in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1813–1858

From 1822 to 1858, a “perpetual power” system supplied continuous, uniform tidal power to Boston industries. A 2.4 km dam in the Charles River estuary and a shorter cross dam formed two basins. Industries drew water from a “full” basin that was replenished at high tide, passed it through breast wheels, and discharged it to a “receiving” basin that emptied at low tide. Unlike owners of conventional, intermittent tide mills, who sold services or products, the managers of this system sold energy to industrial customers, as modern utilities do. They created new opportunities for Boston’s inventors and artisans, and the roads built on their dams became important transportation links for the city. Yet the project also degraded the estuarine environment and generated complaints about pollution. When population growth and falling costs for steam power made the extensive basins and mill sites more valuable for urban development than for generating renewable energy, a novel earth-moving process filled the basins to form Boston’s prestigious Back Bay district. This little-known, unique tidal-power development overcame daunting technological challenges in a period when American civil engineering was in its infancy.

Leveraging Multiple Theories of Change to Promote Reform: An Examination of the AAU STEM Initiative

An emerging body of literature suggests that systemic efforts to change institutions are enhanced when change actors utilize multiple approaches or strategies to change that capitalize on their individual, team, or organizational assets. Given that little research in higher education has examined the ways leaders deploy multiple strategies in service of change, this study sought to fill this gap in the literature by studying an effort that deployed several strategies or theories of change. Building on emerging literature about the value of multiple theories of change, the study followed the Association of American Universities (AAU) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Initiative, which aimed to improve undergraduate teaching in STEM at research universities and utilized multiple theories to inform a complex strategy. This research shows the value of using multiple theories of change and also provides guidance on the best way to harness or use multiple change approaches.

Looking through a responsible innovation lens at uneven engagements with digital farming

This article extends social science research on big data and data platforms through a focus on agriculture, which has received relatively less attention than other sectors like health. In this paper, I use a responsible innovation framework to move attention to the social and ethical dimensions of big data “upstream,” to decision-making in the very selection of agricultural data and the building of its infrastructures. I draw on original empirical material from qualitative interviews with North American designers and engineers to make visible and analyze the normative aspects of their technical decisions. Social actors shaping innovation hold a narrow set of values about good farming and good technology and their data selection choices privilege large-scale and commodity crop farmers by focusing on agronomic crop data and data mapping unusable to organic growers. Enabling engagement among a wide variety of food system actors, not just already powerful ones, and attending to a greater diversity of values would be essential to underpin a responsible digital agricultural transition.

Modern high-speed transportation trends in the context of Ukraine’s european integration policy: problem definition

The article reveals the problem issues of development of transport communication links in the system of European integration policy of Ukraine. In today's conditions of integration development, the role of transport is constantly growing not only as a means of transportation but also as a necessary condition for the development of social, in particular, economic, relations. Ukraine is in the system of transport networks connecting Western, Central Europe with the Eastern part of it, and also historically important in the conjunctions of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea basin. Therefore, considering Ukraine in the system of European integration policy, it becomes clear that one of the important directions of development is the transport sphere itself. It is worth agreeing with the opinion of domestic experts that the sphere of transport itself plays a significant role in the economy of the country, mediating the process of exchange of goods both on the domestic and foreign markets. Modern trends in the development of vehicles, transport technologies, transport management provide an opportunity to significantly expand the geography of transportation, increase the volume of transport services and innovate approach to the development of own transport infrastructure. Innovative technologies in the field of transport contribute to radical changes not only in the views of trends in the development of advanced technologies, but also the real creation of new vehicles, or the embodiment of the ancient dreams of humanity to move on land for long distances at high speeds. One of these trends is Hyperloop - a draft of a kind of vacuum traction that was proposed by American engineers at the beginning of the 21st century. The project has already gained its commitment in many countries around the world: the USA, China, India, OAU, France, Germany, South Korea, Ukraine and other countries. On the one hand, such a project seems utopian, and on the other - its implementation will encourage new approaches in the transport system and the links between different regions and cities of the European continent in particular. It will also contribute to further deepening integration ties in Europe and the world by means of transport.

Stepan Prokofievich Timoshenko and America

AbstractIn this essay, we describe relationship of S. P. Timoshenko (1878–1972), who is often identified as “the father of American engineering mechanics” with America, where he arrived in 1922 and stayed until 1964. His autobiography appeared in 1963 in Paris in the Russian language; Timoshenko former students and colleagues at Stanford University arranged its translation into English that appeared in 1968 when Timoshenko became 90 years old. The book provides a testimony of the complex relationship that he developed towards America and Americans. Drawing from various documents in addition to his autobiography, this essay discusses in some detail various facets of his relationship. The main goal of this paper is to show that along harsh criticisms towards United States in his autobiographical book, in various documents he expressed positive views about US.

Peer Support and STEM Success for One African American Female Engineer

Peer Support and STEM Success for One African American Female Engineer

Fifty Years of Preservation: Historic American Engineering Record

On its 50th anniversary, the Historic American Engineering Record celebrates its chronicling of America’s industrial heritage while facing an uncertain future.

When the grid was the grid: the history of north america’s brief coast-to-coast interconnected machine [scanning our past

From 1967 to 1975, a single, giant, interconnecting machine linked together the vast majority of power users in North America. Called the grid , this collection of generators, transmission lines, substations, and related infrastructure operated in near-perfect synchrony to deliver electricity across the continent. Many had envisioned a coast-to-coast grid for decades, but the project was hindered by cost, competing jurisdictions, a wide array of stakeholders with nonaligned interests, and especially technological barriers. Building this machine was an engineering accomplishment of the highest order. 1 But operating the machine was another matter. Though brief within the now long history of electrification, this eight-year period marked a pinnacle of achievement for American engineers and system operators and a phase of instability for the machine itself.

"Why, If Things Are So Good, Are They So Bad?" Magnitogorsk, Stalin’s Five-Year Plan, and American Engineers, 1928–1932

"Why, If Things Are So Good, Are They So Bad?" Magnitogorsk, Stalin’s Five-Year Plan, and American Engineers, 1928–1932

Paving the Way for Victory: The Eighth Air Force Airfield Construction Program

U.S. bombers helped win World War II, but getting them off the ground took a concerted effort between American and British engineers to build dozens of airfields across England in a few short years.

Acne disparities in Native Americans

Acne disparities in Native Americans

New award honors women in science in Brazil

Three women scientists in Brazil have been recognized with the inaugural C&EN/CAS Awards for Brazil Women in Chemistry & Related Sciences. The winners are Clarissa Piccinin Frizzo of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Cristiane Aparecida Furtado Canto of Oxiteno and the State University of Campinas, and Susana Inés Córdoba de Torresi of the University of São Paulo. They were honored during a symposium and award ceremony held at the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in Brazil on Sept. 11. The awards aim to promote gender equality in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Brazil, as well as to develop a more advanced perspective in understanding the impact of diversity on scientific research and in the field of chemistry. The awards are sponsored by CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, and Chemical & Engineering News, with support from the Brazilian Chemical Society and ACS. FAPESP

Professional societies and African American engineering leaders: Paving pathways and empowering legacies

Diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a global issue. The challenging issues facing the world relating to STEM diversity cross national borders and require leveraging the talents of diverse constituents.1Active international efforts at inclusive talent development are being undertaken to empower persons from groups historically underrepresented in STEM communities.2,3The US National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) reports that in the United States, African Americans are one of the most underrepresented minority groups in engineering relative to their population. This is in spite of a great deal of progress in “growing African American scientists, engineers, and technologists since the Howard University School of Engineering opened in 1910.”4The number of African Americans in engineering at all degree levels is not representative of their percentage in the US population. Table I shows a sampling of 2016 data from a National Science Foundation (NSF) survey of doctoral recipients in engineering.5Figure 1 illustrates a snapshot of African American representation in US colleges of engineering. These statistics show that African Americans remain underrepresented relative to US demographics.6–8

Evaluación del aporte de las cooperativas agrícolas a la construcción de seis sistemas nacionales de riego durante el periodo 1926-1936

En este artículo se describe una buena parte de los procesos científicos, tecnológicos y sociales que demandó la construcción de la infraestructura arquitectónica y social de los Sistemas Nacionales de Riego durante la década que transcurre entre 1926 y 1936. Se trata de un enorme esfuerzo de innovación tecnológica y social que requirió de la participación tanto de la ingeniería norteamericana como de la nacional. En el caso de ésta última representó un reto colosal y, al mismo tiempo, una gran oportunidad para el avance en la especialización técnica. Así mismo, en este trabajo se pone de manifiesto como al lado de la imponente obra hidráulica de los Sistemas Nacionales de Riego, el gobierno federal promovió el cooperativismo agrícola como forma idónea de organización social al interior de estos sistemas con el propósito de llevar a cabo el reparto agrario y la modernización de la agricultura a nivel regional y nacional. La propuesta cooperativista que el Estado buscó aplicar en los Sistemas Nacionales de Riego, fue sustentada por un trabajo previo de legislación en la materia, que otorgó personalidad jurídica a las asociaciones cooperativas. De igual modo, fue alentada por el reconocimiento de los logros de las sociedades cooperativas en diversas regiones del país y por el acceso a información proveniente de otros países. Lamentablemente el estímulo gubernamental no tuvo continuidad en el tiempo y, a pesar de los resultados positivos obtenidos, no fue posible alcanzar la plena consolidación de estas experiencias autogestivas.

North American Engineering, Procurement, Fabrication and Construction Worker Safety Climate Perception Affected by Job Position

Understanding and implementing the results of Safety Climate surveys can assist in decreasing occupational injuries and illnesses. The following article presents findings of a cross-sectional study that assessed the relationship between safety climate perceptions and job position among engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction (EPFC) employees using a 15-item survey. Descriptive statistics (means and frequencies) and an ANACOVA (analysis of covariance) were performed on a saturated model. The study had a 62% response rate. Results indicate a statistically significant in mean safety climate scores between job position among EPFC employees when controlling for years in industry and location type (i.e., construction versus fabrication) [F (9, 603) = 5.28, p < 0.0001, adjusted R-square = 0.07]. Employee perception of safety climate differed based on the employee’s job position (i.e., laborer, foreman, etc.). Project management reported the highest safety climate scores (0.91), followed by supervisors (0.86), technical support employees and foremen (0.84) and laborers (0.81).

Engineering educators’ perceptions of the influence of professional/industry experience on their teaching practice

Abstract –This preliminary study explored engineering educators’ perceptions of the influence of industry experience on their teaching practice. Fifty American engineering educators were interviewed. There appeared to be a distinction in the extent to which influence on practice was reported, based on years of industry experience. Three themes emerged – influence on content and curriculum, influence on instructional strategies and the integration of real world components, and benefits of being a practitioner/educator. Implications and future research are discussed.

Solidifying Power Electronics [Historical

More than a century ago, in 1902, American Engineer Peter Cooper Hewitt (1861-1921) derived the mercury-arc rectifier, enclosed in a glass bulb, from his mercury-vapor lamp of the previous year. He devised its use for feeding dc motors from alternating currents. As the first rectifier for power uses (two years before John Ambrose Fleming's diode and four years before Lee de Forest's audion [1]), the mercury-arc rectifier marked the birth of power electronics. The device was used in 1905 in Schenectady, New York, for powering a dc line for incandescent lamps and, soon after, in rectifiers for battery chargers and electrochemical processes, including aluminum reduction and electroplating. Aiming for higher powers, Cooper Hewitt introduced the metal casing with water cooling in 1909.

Evidence of cultural differences between American and Japanese mainstream science and engineering contexts from analysis of classroom discourse

ABSTRACTTeaching styles in science and engineering instruction were compared by analysing corpora of transcripts of lectures delivered in English and Japanese at leading universities in the United States and Japan, respectively. Our findings were compatible with cultural differences related to power distance and field dependence, which have been reported in the literature. Teaching styles seem to simultaneously result from the cultural context as well as reinforce it. Science and engineering instruction in the Japanese educational context tends to reflect and reinforce a personalised transmission of knowledge style, while instruction in the American context tends to match and reinforce learning styles characterised by impersonal, inductive thinking.

Engineering Sustainable Aquaculture in Rural Haiti: A Case Study

Large commercial and small scale aquaculture programs have been attempted in Haiti with mixed results. This paper examines a case study where a grassroots Haitian organization worked with American engineers and university students to design and construct simple infrastructure to augment their hatchery. This small investment has also encouraged other Haitians to open up aquaculture programs, independent of international intervention, that utilize this new infrastructure. The practices and partnership exhibited in this case study can be replicated with similar outcomes for local enterprises and businesses. Aquaculture still has many obstacles but many infrastructure challenges can be overcome through such synergies.

Perspectives on the Indigenous Worldviews in Informal Science Education Conference

The chronic underrepresentation of Native and indigenous peoples in STEM fields (Fig. 1) has been a longstanding issue in the United States, despite concentrated efforts by many local and national groups, including the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) to address it. Here we report on the conference on Indigenous Worldviews in Informal Science Education (I-WISE), convened in Albuquerque, NM, on Sept. 2-5, 2015. We share what we learned on the commonalities and differences in perspectives between indigenous knowledge (IK) and Western science; summarize the role that IK is already playing in scientific fields, ranging from astrophysics to medicine to climate change; and describe how IK can help science education and research be more sustainable, inclusive, and respectful to all peoples.