Below is a compilation of things that my students feel that the general population should understand about engineering and technology. The list was compiled by an Honors Inquiry course at Utah State University.

What are engineering design flaws?

What are the dangers of nuclear technology?

How do I use the internet ?

How do I use the Microsoft Office?

Why is money is required for progress and quality?

How do I set up my home electronics?

What are a lever and fulcrum?

How do I maintain my personal computer?

Why should I read the "friendly" manual (RTFM)?

What are the limits of technology and how do I deal with them?

What are engineering design flaws?

            First of all the general public should realize that everyone is human and that no one is perfect.  This should bring to attention the fact that the things that imperfect people design are going to be imperfect.  There is no possible way to think through every scenario.  There are infinitely many possibilities of what may happen to make something fail or weaken.  It is good to have high expectations for something to always work, but the general public must realize that there is that one in a million chance that something unexpected is going to happen.  The public should be shown the statistics dealing with failure and see how slim the chances are that the product will fail.  It is kind of compared to getting struck by a bolt of lighting; not many people are. 

            People that see failures are quick to judge the person responsible without even questioning whether that person designed and tested the product to his or her fullest, but the problem lies in an undetectable flaw.  The public should know that projects with adequate funding and time go through major testing before the product goes to market.  As a matter of fact the product is tested by several different people from several different angles or maybe even several different companies.  The public should also question themselves as to whether they would be able to catch all the things that could go wrong before it actually does.  People should know that manufacturers want there product to be of good safe quality and that they strive their hardest to achieve that in every product that they produce by designing, testing, and redesigning over and over again.  People should be reminded of the vast technological improvements that have come about over the years to show them how much safer things are now compared to what they were.

Chris Hall, John Pratt, and Cody Santos

What are the dangers of nuclear technology?

            It is important for the public to understand the level of danger involved with nuclear technology.  People have watched movie after movie where the horrors of nuclear warfare or nuclear radiation have destroyed lives.  Because of this there is a large amount of propaganda against the use of nuclear technologies.  What the public does not realize however is the difference between a nuclear bomb being dropped on your house and living close to a nuclear reactor.

            The following quote is from Meyer's Encyclopedia of Environmental Analysis and Remediation "The public perceives the risk of nuclear power to be much greater than that determined by experts.  Among explanations for the discrepancy are the belief in the possibility of a disaster and the association of reactors with weapons.  Living 50 years within five miles of a nuclear power plant has been shown to be comparable in terms of risk to smoking 1.4 cigarettes during the same period."  As we can see, nuclear technology, because of heavy control and safety precautions, is relatively safe and could be of great use to mankind if we can overcome our fear of it.

Chris Hall, John Pratt, and Cody Santos

How do I use the internet ?

            There are several aspects to using the internet.  Most importantly is knowing there is a unique URL (uniform resource locater) or “address” for every site on the internet, and where to input this URL in the web browser.  Secondly, it is important to know where to look to find unknown information.  If you are searching this massive database of information for a certain tidbit of knowledge, you will most likely use a search engine.  Also, it is very important to understand the capabilities of the internet.  There are thousands upon thousands of websites containing accurate and false information, and also, there are thousands of sites running for the sole purpose of hosting files of various types.  So if you want to download programs to make your computer run better, or if you want to listen to music online, it is important to either know what sites to go to, or know how to search for them. 

            Another important skill to have while using the internet, is knowing how to PUT information on the internet.  Whether you are just giving your opinion in a forum, or designing your own website, there are several things you have to know.  Primarily, knowing basic HTML (hyper-text markup language) tags such as <b> <i> <u> <a href> <embed> <img src> to edit text, link to other sites, and imput images and other media into your page.  For all these reasons and more, it is very important for the general member of our society to understand the internet.  It has become the backbone of our commerce and communication, and if anyone is to be a productive member of out society, they will understand the internet.

Devin Minson, Jonathan Haws, and Brady Ambrose

How do I use the Microsoft Office?

            One of the most important tasks that someone in the engineering field can master, is the use of Microsoft Office or a similar program such as Open Office.  The advantages of such programs are many.  For instance, when you need to write up a technical paper or even organize your thoughts into a single place, using a computer based typing program can save you a lot of time.  If the person knows how to type, it is infinitely faster than writing things down on paper the traditional way.  Also, it becomes much neater when it is typed on a computer.  As we all know, many engineers haven't exactly mastered the fine art of penmanship, so by using a computer to type out their thoughts or findings they can alleviate this problem of communication.  Another advantage of the Office-type programs is that they also offer a myriad of other programs that can be used to great advantage by a savvy engineer.  For instance, instead of writing down specific results for an experiment with many different variables, an engineer could instead enter all the specific data into a nicely organized spreadsheet.  With proper labelling, exact data entry, and usage of the programs internal features such as charts, graphs, etc..., presentations can be greatly enhanced.  To be able to directly compare different results for different products at the same time in one single program is a great accomplishment.  It allows the engineer to decide which set of variables offer the best performance while still being practical in cost and development difficulty.  The Power Point or other similar slide-show programs can use these graphs and charts from excel to create a visually captivating presentation that salesman and company heads can use to get their products advatages across.  In summary, with proper usage of the Office suite, a knowledgable engineer can greatly improve on the old system of jotting down notes in a notebook and making rudimentary result graphs by simply learning how to utilize the Office suites many integrated tools.

Team SARS

Why is money is required for progress and quality?

            Another major concern that engineers today face is the dilemma with how much technology actually costs.  People have a never ending desire for equipment that is more technologically advanced, as well as being easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.  The trade off is that implementing these feaures into a product costs money.  In class we discussed the idea that “There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.”  This idea holds very true to the engineering field.  To achieve the quality and features that the demanding consumer wants, there simply has to be more money spent to achieve this.  You can't have state-of-the-art equipment and expect to pay bargain basement prices to get there.  There is also the dilemma over how many people will actually buy the high tech items.  For the average Joe, a TV at Walmart is more than sufficient for what they want to accomplish, but for the power consumer concerned with THX-certification, perfect black reproduction, plasma and DLP technologies, etc... these Walmart budget TVs would be a slap in the face.  The old adage of “You get what you pay for” especially holds true in engineering.  If the public want great products, they should be willing to spend a little extra to get them there.

Team SARS

How do I set up my home electronics?

            Most all electronics use three things: power, input, and output. These must be connected using the proper format cable to the correct place. Power must be plugged into a power outlet (i.e. wall socket). Some electronics use batteries. These must have batteries that are charged and put in with correct orientation.  Inputs carry information signals into a device which are processed in some way. The input usually comes from the output of a device. Never is an output hooked up to another output, or an input hooked up to another input.

            There are a few different kinds of inputs and outputs. Digital audio outputs must go to digital audio inputs. Most everything will be labeled or instructions will tell what is what. Input devices must be connected to output devices (i.e. a DVD player will hook up to a TV or speakers).

            There are different types of cables that must be used. An RCA cable cannot hook into a digital video input. The manual can help with this by telling what type of cable is needed, but it is wise to familiarize yourself with many of the most common: RCA, Coaxial, digital, S-video, and a few others.

Emily Bowen, Adam Gerth, Spencer Jackson, and Megan Leonard

What are a lever and fulcrum?

            In today’s modern world everyone should understand the concept of a lever. It is a concept most use without knowing or understanding it. Think of a see-saw: it is a board that pivots on some point. The point doesn’t have to be in the middle, it can be anywhere on the lever (theoretically it can also be off the lever.) The pivot is called the fulcrum. Also the lever “arm” doesn’t need to be straight.

There are three instances to use a lever. It can be used to apply a force in a different angle, to use a small force over a larger distance and get a large force over a small distance, and visa-versa. By moving the fulcrum closer to the object being lifted or moved, one obtains more “leverage” so a heavier object can be lifted, but one must move the other end of the lever further to move the object the same distance.  If the fulcrum is further away from the object being moved, the object will move more, but it will take more force.

Emily Bowen, Adam Gerth, Spencer Jackson, and Megan Leonard

How do I maintain my personal computer?

            Keeping your computer running as new is nothing to be scared of.  Basic knowledge of what things are and what they do is readily available for anyone who wants to know, but even that isn’t entirely necessary to be able to setup your computer and maintain it so it runs well enough for your needs.

            The first thing that is crucial and you must be aware of is that if you are using the Internet, an anti-virus program is absolutely essential.  These are programs that monitor your computer for virus-like activity (i.e. – multiple emails being sent out rapidly, changing what loads with Windows and what doesn’t, etc.).  They also can scan every file on the computer and find known viruses.  However, because new viruses come out almost daily, it is the owner of the computer’s responsibility to keep their anti-virus software up to date.  This is very easy to do now that every major anti-virus program has an update button built right into the interface.  Usually you can subscribe for updates on a yearly basis, much like a magazine subscription, which will give you access to those vital updates.

            The next piece of information that everyone should know is that in today’s personal computer world, things are pretty well color-coded with a standard color scheme.  Your keyboard has a purple end and plugs into the purple port on the back of the computer.  The mouse has a green end and goes in the green port.  However, there are those who break the color-code, but common sense will tell you that if it doesn’t fit in the port you are plugging the device into, it won’t fit if you force it either.  Each and every device will plug nicely into its designated port and have thumb-screws to tighten it in place.

Brady Ambrose, Devin Minson, and Jonathan Haws

Why should I read the "friendly" manual (RTFM)?

             The acronym RTFM stands for Read The "Friendly" Manual. The idea sounds ridiculously simple, but is too often neglected.

            Nearly every question people generally have about any technological device, no matter how seemingly simple, can easily be answered by reading the manual always accompanying the product itself.  Sadly, more often than not this metaphorical gold mine of essential information is cast aside in ignorance by the unknowing consumer.  Something must be done to avert millions of unnecessary calls for help to companies’ customer service departments, the poor kids at Convergys, and all the kind hearted friends blessed with a bounty of common sense who so often must rescue the ignorant consumer.

            Surprisingly as it may sound, these manuals are incredibly self-explanatory, but here’s how to avoid a couple stumbling blocks one might encounter.

• Open to the table of contents.  This will guide you to information regarding problem.
• Make use of the “Trouble-Shooting” section.  These outline common problems and the appropriate solutions.
• Store the book somewhere nice for later.  You never know when yet another problem might arise.

Though these are but a few simple guidelines, they’ll get you pretty far.

Devan Shields, Nick Oldham, and Eric Burnett

What are the limits of technology and how do I deal with them?

            It is unrealistic to expect all the technological advances that are possible to occur instantaneously.  At the present time, there are several limitations in all fields of engineering.  Granted some fields are moving faster than others, but none are without bounds.  Take, for instance, our current automobile situation.

• Automobiles are presently limited to running primarily on fossil fuels, since they are still the most economical fuel source for car engines.
• They are for now confined to the ground.  Flying cars in futuristic movies look super cool, but we’re a long ways out from multi-level traffic.
• Autopilot systems are not sufficiently advanced to completely control our automobiles.
• Many parts wear out in less than a lifetime and must be replaced.
• There are limitations to the degree of safety that can economically be achieved in production of cars.

Similar types of limitations must be expected in all fields of technology.  Though we can expect to overcome many limitations over time, we must understand that there will always be more limitations to our technological advancements.  As more improvements are made, old limitations are overcome and new ones, in turn, created.  We must understand that progress takes time.

Devan Shields, Nick Oldham, and Eric Burnett