Today in History- January 15, 1955 – first solar-heated and radiation-cooled house in the United States. Respect for the powers of the sun has been a critical part of building design since humans first built shelters for protection from the environment. I grew up in the American Southwest and recall that adobe buildings were designed to cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter through appropriate use of thermal mass, windows and passive air circulation systems. Solar water heating was used in Florida, California, and the Southwest as early as the 1920s but never took off as a viable commercial industry.

Raymond W. Bliss (6 Oct 1915 – 7 Nov 2004) is credited with building the first integrated solar heating and radiation cooling house in Tucson, Arizona in 1955. Built at a cost of approxiamately $4,000 for labor and materials, the house used a large slanted slab of steel and glass that captured heat from the sun, which was ducted into the house. Summer cooling used the same ducts and associated fans and controls.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on solar energy, green and sustainable building design and architectural engineering. Curricular resources can be found on the Architectural Engineering Education Community site.

Today in History – March 31, 1889 – Eiffel Tower opens. The 300m Eiffel Tower was commissioned to commemorate the French Revolution. Amazingly, all of the elements were prepared in Gustav Eiffel’s factory located at Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. There were 18,000 pieces used to construct the Tower. Each piece was designed and produced with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre. The construction crew of 150 to 300 workers assembled the tower on site like a gigantic erector set. The foundation work began in January 1887 and was completed in five months. The tower was assembled twenty-one months later on March 31, 1889. Eiffel received his decoration from the Legion of Honour on the narrow platform at the top.”

Eiffel’s accomplishments over a century ago are amazing considering the technology of his time. Yet there is still a lesson for us today in the benefits of lean construction techniques, an approach that maximizes value to the customer and minimizes waste.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on the Eiffel Tower and Construction Engineering. For related educational resources, visit the Civil Engineering Education, Construction Engineering Education, or Architectural Engineering Education community sites.

Also today in 1966, the U.S.S.R. launches first lunar orbiter.

Today in History- January 15, 1955 – first solar-heated and radiation-cooled house in the United States. Respect for the powers of the sun has been a critical part of building design since humans first built shelters for protection from the environment. I grew up in the American Southwest and recall that adobe buildings were designed to cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter through appropriate use of thermal mass, windows and passive air circulation systems. Solar water heating was used in Florida, California, and the Southwest as early as the 1920s but never took off as a viable commercial industry.

Raymond W. Bliss (6 Oct 1915 – 7 Nov 2004) is credited with building the first integrated solar heating and radiation cooling house in Tucson, Arizona in 1955. Built at a cost of approxiamately $4,000 for labor and materials, the house used a large slanted slab of steel and glass that captured heat from the sun, which was ducted into the house. Summer cooling used the same ducts and associated fans and controls.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on solar energy, green and sustainable building design and architectural engineering. Curricular resources can be found on the Architectural Engineering Education Community site.

Today in History – January 12, 2010 – 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake in Haiti. The earthquake struck a highly populated region of this impoverished Caribbean island approximately 17 km from the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of thousands died,  many more injured, many buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged, infrastructures collapsed and millions became homeless and without food.

The Haiti earthquake created a level of human tragedy that makes it difficult to examine, but it is imperative that we learn everything we can from this disaster. What lessons will engineers find in the ruins? What role will engineers have in restoring the country? Can engineers limit the structural and societal damages of similar, future catastrophes around the world?

Another critical question is: How can engineering technology be applied to solve current and future problems in Haiti? As the news unfolded about the Haiti earthquake on the evening of January 12th, I was horrified by the thought that one of my doctoral students was there, along with another UC Berkeley student, to work on one of her socially-responsible design projects. Their goal of their project was to transform carbonized agricultural waste into charcoal briquettes that could  be used for cooking fuel. This kind of fuel would reduce deforestation in wood-fuel dependent areas such as Haiti as well as providing a business opportunity for this impoverished nation. I cried in relief when we were able to get hold of her by cell phone and internet. She and her colleague decided to stay as long as they could at the request of the United Nations to help build human-powered ambulances based on another one of her designs in Zambia.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on earthquakes and seismic hazards. For related educational resources, visit the Civil Engineering Education, Geological Engineering Education, Construction Engineering Education, or Architectural Engineering Education community sites.

Also on this date the Space Shuttle Columbia carries the first Hispanic astronaut into space.

Today in History – November 5, 1895 – George B. Selden files the first U.S. patent for an automobile. Although Ford, Daimler, Duryea, Cugnot are all names that people associate with the invention of the automobile, it was actually patent attorney George Selden of Rochester, New York who first filed a patent on the “Road Engine”. His patent was originally upheld and almost all of the manufacturers of automobiles took out licenses from Selden, or from the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM), to whom he sold the patent. One holdout was Henry Ford, who eventually prevailed after the courts declared that the Selden patent only applied to cars powered by the Brayton-type external-compression two-stroke engine described in the patent, which was not being used by automobiles at the time.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources in automotive engineering and design or visit the Mechanical Engineering Education Community site.

Also on this day in history, the American Society of Civil Engineers founded in 1852.

Today in History – October 23-24 – TRON Legacy Exhibit at the National Science & Engineering Festival.

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has teamed up with Walt Disney Studios to co-create an interactive exhibit in Tent 102 at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo, which will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. each day.  The hands-on experience blends themes from the upcoming major motion picture TRON: Legacy with the NAE’s Grand Challenges for Engineering.

Exhibit-goers will be transported into the digital world of TRON: Legacy and examine where movie fantasy and reality intersect.  Visitors can try 3-D scanning and see how it’s bringing the real and virtual worlds closer together.  They’ll get a chance to do brain surgery on a computer-generated replica of a real brain, and experience a trip into the TRON: Legacy digital grid through an incredible 3-D light painting activity created especially for this exhibit. The NAE worked with Disney Imagineering research scientist Lanny Smoot (upper right photo) to develop the interactive demo.

TRON: Legacy is the stand-alone sequel to the 1982 motion picture TRON.  Both star Jeff Bridges as software engineer and video game developer Kevin Flynn, who was digitized by a laser and transported into a world of computer games in the original film.  In TRON: Legacy, Flynn’s son Sam finds himself in the digital realm where his father has lived for the past two decades.  The film, in theaters nationwide on Dec. 17, 2010, involved cutting-edge movie technologies, including one that allows Bridges to act as his younger self.

“Engineering is woven into the very fabric of TRON: Legacy. The story is rich with themes about technology and its evolving relationship with humanity in an increasingly digital world,” said co-producer Justin Springer.  “The line between science and art is blurring more than ever.  And some of the most talented artists in modern film making are engineers, mathematicians, architects, and computer programmers.”

An international committee of some of today’s most accomplished engineers and scientists determined the NAE’s Grand Challenges for Engineering.  They identified 14 potentially “game changing” goals for helping people and the planet thrive in the 21^st century that include enhancing virtual reality; engineering better medicines; advancing personalized learning; engineering the tools of scientific discovery; and reverse engineering the brain.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway’s resources on the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival and the NAE Grand Challenges. For related educational resources, visit the engineering education and the computer graphics & visualization disciplinary communities.

Also on this date on October 23, 1819, the first boat passed through the Erie Canal. On October 24, 1861 the transcontinental telegraph line was completed.

Today in History- October 21, 1824 – Portland cement is patented by Joseph Aspdin, a stone mason in Yorkshire, England (UK patent No. 5022). He made it by burning finely pulverized lime and clay at high temperatures in kilns and grinding the mixture into a powder. This hydraulic cement would then harden with the addition of water. The result was a manufactured counterpart to ancient (27 BC) Roman cement made from lime and volcanic ash. He named his invention “Portland cement” as it resembled the high quality building  stone quarried on the Isle of Portland off the British coast.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on Portland cement and concrete or visit the Civil Engineering Education, Construction Engineering Education or the Architectural Engineering Education community sites.

Today in History – March 31, 1889 – Eiffel Tower opens. The 300m Eiffel Tower was commissioned to commemorate the French Revolution. Amazingly, all of the elements were prepared in Gustav Eiffel’s factory located at Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. There were 18,000 pieces used to construct the Tower. Each piece was designed and produced with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre. The construction crew of 150 to 300 workers assembled the tower on site like a gigantic erector set. The foundation work began in January 1887 and was completed in five months. The tower was assembled twenty-one months later on March 31, 1889. Eiffel received his decoration from the Legion of Honour on the narrow platform at the top.”

Eiffel’s accomplishments over a century ago are amazing considering the technology of his time. Yet there is still a lesson for us today in the benefits of lean construction techniques, an approach that maximizes value to the customer and minimizes waste.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on the Eiffel Tower and Construction Engineering. For related educational resources, visit the Civil Engineering Education, Construction Engineering Education, or Architectural Engineering Education community sites.

Also today in 1966, the U.S.S.R. launches first lunar orbiter.

Today in History – March 14, 1927 – First female engineer in ASCE. Elsie Eaves was the first woman in the US to be elected as a full member to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

When ASCE was founded in 1852, its membership was restricted to men, a policy which eventually led to a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed in 1916 by Nora Stanton Blatch DeForest, the granddaughter of women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton. DeForest was an engineering graduate of Cornell University and was admitted to junior membership in ASCE in 1905. In 1915, when she no longer qualified as a junior member as she had surpassed the legal age limit per the ASCE bylaws, DeForest applied for associate membership. ASCE turned down her request for an associate membership and terminated her membership. DeForest filed a lawsuit. The case was tried in the New York Supreme Court, but the court ruled in favor of the Society, citing its status as a private organization. it would be another 11 years later, in 1927, Elsie Eaves became the first woman to be admitted as a regular member of ASCE.

It would be yet another 76 more years before a woman was elected president of ASCE – me. Becoming an engineer was not easy then and still has its obstacles today. While excited as a teen about the prospects of becoming an engineer, the same obstacles that I faced then, still face young women today and typically appear from those young women consult: guidance counselors – “no aptitude for engineering”; math teacher – “you’ll flunk out”; and parents/teachers – “isn’t that a man’s job?” Despite these negative responses which I expect girls may continue to receive, remembering the words of my mother, “You can do anything and don’t accept that it can’t be done”, led me to fulfill my dream and become the first woman President of ASCE in its 152-year history. I want to stress that discouragements only mean opportunities for you to show the world what you can really do.

It was my personal story that led to another dream – to have a book published that would tell the stories of past and present women engineers which could serve as role models to young girls. The ASCE Task Force Committee on Women in Civil Engineering that I chaired in 1999, worked diligently for two years researching names of over 150 prominent women engineers. But it was not until I became ASCE President five years later, that I had the opportunity to discuss the task committee’s work with other major Engineering society Presidents – who for the first time in history were all women. These discussions led to the “birth” of the Extra Ordinary Women’s Project Coalition. The Coalition began work on this book and other tools that will inow in print informs girls, guidance counselors, teachers and parents as to why engineering is an exciting career. The project is communicating to the public the benefits of engineering and the role that engineers serve in improving the quality of life. I hope that you enjoy reading the stories in this book as much as I have and that it will inspire you or someone you know to choose engineering as a rewarding career. Phase 2 of the project is now underway with a large coalition looking at how to assemble and create resources to address the problem. Information about the program can be viewed at www.engineeryoulife.org website. The Engineer section is hosted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). As we move forward to shatter the glass ceilings, I we cannot venture alone and that we must build on the foundations that others have built. As I am reminded by what Sir Issac Newton once said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on women in engineering. For curricular resources, visit the Civil Engineering community sites.

Also on this day in 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. The story of the invention of the cotton gin is intriguing as some have claimed that the original idea came from African American slaves who could not patent at the time. And major features of the design were suggested by his sponsor and land lady, Catherine Greene at a time when women were not allowed to patent either.

The 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake in Haiti struck a highly populated region of this impoverished Caribbean island approximately 17 km from the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of thousands died,  many more injured, many buildings were  destroyed or seriously damaged, infrastructures collapsed and millions became homeless and without food and water.

The Haiti earthquake created a level of human tragedy that makes it difficult to examine, but it is imperative that we learn everything we can from this disaster. What lessons will engineers find in the ruins? What role will engineers have in restoring the country? Can engineers limit the structural and societal damages of similar, future catastrophes around the world?

Two weeks after the Haiti earthquake, Eduardo Fierro, president of Bertero, Fierro, Perry, Engineering, Inc., gave a talk at the University of California at  Berkeley with a summary of his engineering team’s analysis of the quality of the construction. He was funded by the UC Berkeley’s Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. He cited structural damage to a combination of lack of education and sound infrastructure policies in Haiti. “Many of the buildings were broken down …” he said. “The smell was getting to be really bad from decaying bodies … The part that really got to me was that humans were in the street, bloated, like animals.”   “You can learn what worked and what didn’t work,” he said. Fierro said the combination of lack of attention to detail, poor building materials, lack of reinforcement and the density of construction are what brought down the Haitian capitol of Port-Au-Prince. In some cases people built on soft soil, using mud and sand for construction. As Fierro pointed out, “This was not an earthquake disaster, [This] was caused by people that didn’t know how to use codes . . . These were the people that caused the tragedy.” Fiero cites poor detailing, lack of rebar, poorly constructed columns, bad concrete and inappropriate buildings on soft soil.

I expect more details of sloppy construction and poor policies will emerge from the evaluation of the rubble from the Haiti earthquake. The preliminary results also raise questions about Engineering ethics on the part of construction companies involved in the severely damaged buildings.

Another critical question is: How can engineering technology be applied to solve current and future problems in Haiti? As the news unfolded about the Haiti earthquake on the evening of January 12th, I was horrified by the thought that one of my doctoral students was there, Jessica Vechakal, along with another UC Berkeley student, Ryan Stanley, to work on an extension of a community-based service learning design project they had developed originally for Africa. Their goal was to transform carbonized agricultural waste into charcoal briquettes that could  be used for cooking fuel. This kind of fuel would reduce deforestation in wood-fuel dependent areas such as Haiti as well as providing a business opportunity for this impoverished nation. I cried in relief when we were able to get hold of Jessica  by cell phone and internet. She and Ryan decided to stay as long as they could at the request of the United Nations to help build human-powered ambulances based on another one of Jessica’s designs in Zambia. Other examples of technology to the rescue are the solar suitcase devices designed to provide hospitals with solar energy and emergency housing from cargo containers. Jessica has agreed to work with my senior product design class this year on the sustainable emergency housing using cargo containers this semester in a joint project with Clemson University. I hope this will be a good example of a community-based service learning design project for the class.

For more information, see the Engineering Pathway‘s resources on earthquakes and seismic hazards. For related educational resources, visit the Civil Engineering Education, Geological Engineering Education, Construction Engineering Education, or Architectural Engineering Education community sites.