Appendix B: Petroski
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““TheThe wordword sciencescience waswas prominentprominent inin PresidentPresident--electelect BarackBarack ObamaObama’’ss announcementannouncement ofof hishis choiceschoices toto taketake onon leadingleading rolesroles inin thethe areasareas ofof energyenergy andand thethe environment.environment. Unfortunately,Unfortunately, thethe wordword engineeringengineering waswas absentabsent fromfrom hishis remarks.remarks.”” first draft, December 10, 2008 ““.. .. .. WeWe willwill buildbuild thethe roadsroads andand bridges,bridges, thethe electricelectric gridsgrids andand thethe digitaldigital lineslines thatthat feedfeed ourour commercecommerce andand bindbind usus together.together. ““WeWe willwill restorerestore sciencescience toto itsits rightfulrightful place,place, andand wieldwield technologytechnology’’ss wonderswonders toto raiseraise healthhealth carecare’’ss qualityquality andand lowerlower itsits cost.cost. WeWe willwill harnessharness thethe sunsun andand thethe windswinds andand thethe soilsoil toto fuelfuel ourour carscars andand runrun ourour factories.factories.”” ——InauguralInaugural AddressAddress JanuaryJanuary 20,20, 20200909 “‘“‘WeWe willwill restorerestore sciencescience toto itsits rightfulrightful place,place,’’ PresidentPresident ObamaObama declareddeclared inin hishis inauguralinaugural address.address. ThatThat certainlycertainly soundssounds likelike aa worthyworthy goal.goal. ButBut frankly,frankly, itit hashas meme worried.worried. IfIf wewe wantwant toto ‘‘harnessharness thethe sunsun andand thethe windswinds andand thethe soilsoil toto fuelfuel ourour carscars andand runrun ourour factories,factories,’’ asas ObamaObama decreeddecreed thatthat wewe will,will, wewe shouldn'tshouldn't looklook toto science.science. WhatWhat wewe needneed isis engineering.engineering. as published January 25, 2009 WhatWhat isis science?science? (What(What isis theoreticaltheoretical andand appliedapplied mechanics?)mechanics?) WhatWhat isis engineering?engineering? NISTNIST NationalNational InstituteInstitute ofof StandardsStandards andand TechnologyTechnology OfficeOffice ofof TechnologyTechnology PartnershipsPartnerships TechnologyTechnology TransferTransfer SeminarSeminar SeriesSeries MayMay 1,1, 20082008 WasWas therethere aa hiddenhidden agenda?agenda? EngineeringEngineering InventionInvention ScienceScience InventionInvention TheodoreTheodore vonvon KKáármrmáánn (1881(1881--1963)1963) TheodoreTheodore vonvon KKáármrmáán,n, Scientist,Scientist, Engineer,Engineer, oror Inventor?Inventor? EducatedEducated asas engineerengineer IdentifiedIdentified onon stampstamp selvageselvage asas engineerengineer IdentifiedIdentified onon stampstamp properproper asas scientistscientist KnownKnown asas aerodynamicistaerodynamicist ReceivedReceived patentspatents asas inventorinventor ScientistsScientists seekseek toto understandunderstand whatwhat is;is; EngineersEngineers seekseek toto createcreate whatwhat nevernever was.was. ——TheodoreTheodore vonvon KKáármrmáánn ScientistScientist DealsDeals withwith existingexisting thingsthings andand phenomenaphenomena SeeksSeeks understandingunderstanding FramesFrames hypotheseshypotheses TestsTests hypotheseshypotheses PresentsPresents resultsresults WritesWrites reportsreports PublishesPublishes paperspapers EschewsEschews invention?invention? IsIs creatingcreating aa scientificscientific hypothesishypothesis doingdoing sciencescience oror engineering?engineering? BeforeBefore beingbeing stated,stated, aa hypothesishypothesis doesdoes notnot existexist inin thethe formform ofof aa hypothesishypothesis CreatingCreating aa newnew hypothesishypothesis isis akinakin toto inventinginventing aa newnew thingthing TestingTesting aa hypothesishypothesis isis anan applicationapplication ofof thethe scientificscientific method,method, whichwhich typicallytypically involvesinvolves inventinginventing anan experimentexperiment PublishingPublishing isis likelike patentingpatenting ScienceScience seeksseeks toto understandunderstand whatwhat is;is; EngineeringEngineering seeksseeks toto createcreate whatwhat nevernever was.was. ——TheodoreTheodore vonvon KKáármrmáánn EngineeringEngineering DealsDeals withwith thingsthings thatthat diddid notnot previouslypreviously existexist SeeksSeeks toto createcreate newnew thingsthings CloselyClosely linkedlinked toto inventioninvention HasHas anan elementelement ofof artart toto it,it, butbut isis notnot artart forfor artart’’ss sakesake HasHas anan elementelement ofof sciencescience toto it,it, butbut isis notnot simplysimply appliedapplied sciencescience InventionsInventions andand designsdesigns mightmight bebe consideredconsidered hypotheseshypotheses toto bebe testedtested byby makingmaking andand buildingbuilding thethe thingsthings EngineeringEngineering isis notnot science,science, nornor isis itit simplysimply appliedapplied science.science. SteamSteam engineengine precededpreceded thermodynamicsthermodynamics PoweredPowered flightflight precededpreceded aa completecomplete sciencescience ofof aerodynamicsaerodynamics RocketsRockets precededpreceded rocketrocket sciencescience MoonMoon landinglanding precededpreceded knowledgeknowledge ofof thethe lunarlunar surfacesurface AreAre engineersengineers andand scientistsscientists defineddefined byby theirtheir educationeducation oror byby theirtheir work?work? CanCan anan engineerengineer behavebehave likelike aa scientist,scientist, oror aa scientistscientist likelike anan engineer?engineer? CanCan aa scientistscientist bebe consideredconsidered anan engineer,engineer, oror anan engineerengineer aa scientist?scientist? NAENAE MembershipMembership OneOne ofof fourfour inin ClassClass ofof 20062006 hadhad nono engineeringengineering degreedegree MoreMore thanthan halfhalf holdhold patentspatents Averaging almost 20 each AlmostAlmost 77 percentpercent ofof NAENAE membersmembers areare alsoalso membersmembers ofof NASNAS (and(and vicevice versa)versa) 2626 NAENAE membersmembers alsoalso membersmembers ofof IOMIOM 66 membersmembers ofof NAS,NAS, NAE,NAE, andand IOMIOM AlbertAlbert EinsteinEinstein (1879(1879--1955)1955) AlbertAlbert EinsteinEinstein SonSon ofof anan engineerengineer FamiliarFamiliar withwith familyfamily manufacturingmanufacturing businessbusiness PolytechnicPolytechnic educationeducation inin mathematicalmathematical physicsphysics TeacherTeacher’’ss degreedegree PatentPatent examinerexaminer ScientistScientist InventorInventor PatentPatent holderholder Multiple patents Several with Leo Szilard for refrigeration systems EinsteinEinstein atat SwissSwiss PatentPatent Office,Office, 19051905 ““TheThe readingreading andand analysisanalysis ofof patentpatent claimsclaims andand drawingsdrawings seemsseems toto havehave cultivatedcultivated notnot onlyonly hishis visualvisual imaginationimagination butbut alsoalso hishis knowledgeknowledge ofof thethe physicalphysical principlesprinciples thatthat underlayunderlay inventorsinventors’’ practicalpractical devices.devices.”” ——ThomasThomas P.P. HughesHughes onon EinsteinEinstein EinsteinEinstein’’ss AnnusAnnus MirabilisMirabilis PapersPapers LightLight quantaquanta BrownianBrownian motionmotion SpecialSpecial relativityrelativity EquivalenceEquivalence ofof mattermatter andand energyenergy ““TheThe formulationformulation ofof patentpatent statementsstatements waswas aa blessing.blessing. ItIt gavegave meme thethe opportunityopportunity toto thinkthink aboutabout physics.physics.”” ——EinsteinEinstein onon ““thethe influenceinfluence ofof hishis experienceexperience asas aa patentpatent examinerexaminer onon hishis intellectualintellectual developmentdevelopment”” ““Moreover,Moreover, aa practicalpractical professionprofession isis aa salvationsalvation forfor aa manman ofof mymy type;type; anan academicacademic careercareer compelscompels aa youngyoung manman toto scientificscientific production,production, andand onlyonly strongstrong characterscharacters cancan resistresist thethe temptationtemptation ofof superficialsuperficial analysis.analysis.”” ——EinsteinEinstein atat 7070 ““HeHe waswas challengedchallenged andand amused,amused, notnot primarilyprimarily byby practicalpractical utility,utility, butbut byby whatwhat hehe calledcalled thethe funfun ofof inventing.inventing.”” ——AdAd MaasMaas onon ““EinsteinEinstein asas EngineerEngineer”” EinsteinEinstein’’ss ““littlelittle machinemachine”” (Maschinchen)(Maschinchen) NeededNeeded toto confirmconfirm theorytheory ofof BrownianBrownian motionmotion ConceivedConceived asas electrostaticelectrostatic inductioninduction machinemachine inin 19031903 AA devicedevice toto measuremeasure ““immeasurablyimmeasurably”” smallsmall voltagesvoltages (0.0005( volts) SoughtSought collaboratorscollaborators withwith mechanicalmechanical skillskill toto makemake devicedevice (Paul(Paul HabichtHabicht camecame toto hishis aid)aid) PrototypePrototype successfullysuccessfully testedtested inin 19101910 DevicesDevices commerciallycommercially availableavailable inin 19121912 EinsteinEinstein’’ss littlelittle machinemachine waswas reconstructedreconstructed aa centurycentury later.later. SomeSome ofof EinsteinEinstein’’ss PatentsPatents RefrigerationRefrigeration systemsystem andand apparatusapparatus ElectromagneticElectromagnetic pumppump ElectromagneticElectromagnetic soundsound reproductionreproduction apparatusapparatus LightLight intensityintensity selfself--adjustingadjusting cameracamera AlbertAlbert EinsteinEinstein andand LeoLeo SzilardSzilard LeoLeo SzilardSzilard (1898(1898--1964)1964) 1898—Born the son