HUMANITIES IN ENGINEERING Engineering in Humanities Vojislav Ilic

HUMANITIES IN ENGINEERING & Engineering in Humanities Vojislav Ilic University of Western Sydney ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 1

SCOPE • Disciplines focus • Humanities underline effective communication • Engineering focuses on technical problem solving • Curriculum structure reflect discipline preoccupation • Inherent shortcomings need to be addressed • How? ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 2

PREAMBLE • Lack of proper communication is the precursor of any conflict • In technical sphere it could result in incomplete solutions through poorly understood specifications – or misunderstandings about the accomplishments • In humanities technology is often subject to myth, awe or complete rejection – because boundaries of what technology can accomplish, and the manner in which it does, have been inadequately addressed. • The place to start is at universities, where each discipline is honed into its traditional format. • Therefore, education is the answer ! ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 3

ENGINEERING CURRICULUM • Problem solving is the essence of engineering. • This task requires logical thinking – the basis for analytical approach that underlines engineering. • This implies “left brain dominance” contrasted with the “right brain dominance” that is concerned with creativity, music and language. • It is expected that the former would populate Engineering Courses while the latter would gravitate towards Humanities. • The challenge is to nurture in each individual the “lesser inherent talent” • Some universities have Liberal Arts courses that enable students to freely mix the two disciplines via selected subjects. The argument could be put that such an education does not go far enough in each discipline to be of professional merit, measured by an accreditation yardstick. • The solution to this is to introduce some measure of the “missing half” (an elective – or minor) that would not impair the delivery of the core material (or the major) ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 4

HUMANITIES CURRICULUM • Creativity without bounds in all the media. • Nurtures imagination and ideas • Provides context and tasks for technology to realize • Devoid of technology appreciation • An end in itself • Develops communication skills to a high degree yet it does not contribute artifacts like engineering does. • Is user of technology with minimal (if any) understanding of its principles • Graduates more numerous than Engineers and more likely to occupy a position where decisions are made where basic knowledge of technology would obviate often serious and expensive errors of judgment. ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 5

SOME CONSEQUENCES OF INCOMPLETE EDUCATION • Engineering graduates are recognized as traditionally poor communicators • Because of that they are mostly in a position that requires “back room activities” with a very narrow focus. • They do not promote themselves – believing that “deeds speak louder than words” • Are not among the top company executives • Arts graduates promote themselves more effectively as they are much more articulate and “worldly”, with a wider focus, and hence find themselves in company executive positions. • Because of their lack of understanding of technological principles, fall victims of charlatans selling their “inventions” – at high prices, ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 6

COMMON PITFALLS Perpetual motion machines Automobile engine power enhancers (Firepower International owned and operated by Global Fuel Technologies Ltd; Dutchman Enterprises LLC and United Community Services of America Inc. etc) Fraudulent explosives detectors (Grosvenor Scientific, Scandec Inc and Global Technical) etc ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 7

A DETAIL #1 Firepower International's main product was the Firepower Pill, advertised as being able to "lower fuel consumption, reduce emissions, [and] clean and maintain your engine". The product was claimed to work by "burning more of the heavier elements of your fuel, increasing power and fuel economy", and because more of the fuel is consumed in the combustion process, hydrocarbon and carbondioxide emissions are lowered. Inserted into a vehicle's fuel tank, a single Firepower Pill was advertised as being able to treat up to 60 litres of petrol. (Elsewhere, a larger pill was advertised, claimed to be able to treat 200 litres of petrol or diesel). ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 8

A DETAIL #2 HEAD OF ATSC 'BOMB DETECTOR' COMPANY ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF FRAUD • Simon de Bruxelles The boss of a British company that has sold million of dollars worth of “bomb detectors” to Iraq’s security forces has been arrested on suspicion of fraud. • His devices, which consist of little more than a telescopic antenna on a molded plastic handle, are said to detect explosives in the same way as a dowsing rod finds water. • Thousands of the devices are in use at military and police check points across Baghdad where they are used to search vehicles and pedestrians for explosives. In recent months hundreds of people have died after car bombers were able to penetrate the security cordon supposed to protect the centre of the Iraqi capital. Times Online January 22, 2010 ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 9

SOME PERPETUAL MOTION MACHINE PLANS • The "Overbalanced Wheel". It was thought that the metal balls on the right side would turn the wheel because of the longer lever arm, but since the left side had more balls than the right side, the torque was balanced and the perpetual movement could not be achieved. • The "Capillary Bowl". It was thought that the capillary action would keep the water flowing in the tube, but since the cohesion force that draws the liquid up the tube in the first place holds the droplet from releasing into the bowl, the flow is not perpetual. ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 10

THE “OVERBALANCED WHEEL” ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 11

BOYLE'S SELF FLOWING FLASK ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 12

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE • Introduce humanities subjects into engineering and technology appreciation in humanities’ courses. • Idea not new, but the divergence between the two disciplines more prominent than ever before: • Engineering designers creating user unfriendly devices and Arts graduates mystified by the push button technology and easy pray to fraudsters • “Technology and Society” journals, books; courses in some universities already have subjects bearing the same name. • Reform curricula ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 13

CONCLUSIONS • There is a need to widen the scope of higher education • The resulting synergy between humanities and engineering is the best outcome • This particularly concerns education of Western Professionals • Accreditors the best “enforcers”! ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 14

SOME REFERENCES • Science, Technology and Society. http: //sts. sagepub. com/ • The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society, http: //www. thenewatlantis. com/ • East Asian Science, Technology and Society: an International Journal, http: //www. springer. com/social+sciences/jou rnal/12280 ICEE 2010 Gliwice, Poland 15