Engineering Principles

The word "Engineering" comes from the Latin root "ingeniare" meaning "to build". Ingenious solutions to practical problems have created all sorts of things, good and bad, from machines of war and instruments of torture, to water distribution systems, roads, and modern conveniences. Engineers do so many different tasks today that we divide the field of engineering into dozens of subfields, including electrical, civil, mechanical, structural, chemical, automotive, aeronautical, nuclear, acoustic, environmental, mining, railway, aerospace, medical, and software engineering.Course Syllabus and Expectations (pdf)

Resource Text: Engineering, A Very Short Introduction by David Blockley.

I looked at a lot of (expensive) engineering books for this course that didn't fit our needs. Most engineering books have a chapter or two about engineering, and the rest of the text is a summary of lots of scientific principles -- with little explanation or context. Blockley's book provides a great overview of the engineering profession and it hints at the breadth and depth of scientific knowledge and practical construction experience needed to be an engineer. We'll read a few chapters during the semester.