Engineering design is all around us. It has been used to create everything from the chair you may be sitting on, to the device you are using right now to read these words. And yet, despite its ubiquity and importance, this field remains little understood. So much so, that the most common question related to…
Few people are as focused, organized, and goal-oriented as project managers. The secret of their mental and emotional discipline is a series of project management habits that anyone can adopt. Be Prepared One of the main tasks of a project manager is assessing potential setbacks. Risk management allows project managers to stay on top of…
The engineering design process is a crucial concept to understand engineering and the engineering mindset. However, people doing research on the Internet may find it strange that there are different versions of this process. Some champion a brief model with as few as four steps, while others propose a 12-step process. Faced with these diverging…
While bridges are structures essential to modern life, their origins date back to antiquity. Egyptians, Minoans, and Assyrians developed techniques to build bridges. However, it was with the Romans that bridge construction reached a degree of excellence that almost defies belief. Bridges and bridge building were part and parcel of life in Ancient Rome. The…
People tend to use the terms “cement” and “concrete” interchangeably; however, they are different materials. Cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. Concrete is a mix of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel, while the paste consists of water and Portland cement. But what is Portland cement? Read on to learn more…
The Golden Gate Bridge is an achievement of civil engineering. When it opened great acclaim on May 27, 1937, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge, and still stands as an enduring symbol of the power of resilience and ingenuity., Against the Odds The builders of the Golden Gate Bridge faced all sorts of difficulties.…
Filippo Brunelleschi is one of the earliest heroes of Engineering Design. Read on to discover how he accomplished the construction of the Dome of the Florence cathedral, a formidable achievement that still amazes to this day. Brunelleschi, a True Renaissance Man Brunelleschi was a true renaissance man. Before tackling architecture, he distinguished himself as a…