The essential engineer: why science alone will not solve our global problems
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
2010
Language:
English
Description
From the acclaimed author of The Pencil and To Engineer Is Human, The Essential Engineer is an eye-opening exploration of the ways in which science and engineering must work together to address our world’s most pressing issues, from dealing with climate change and the prevention of natural disasters to the development of efficient automobiles and the search for renewable energy sources. While the scientist may identify problems, it falls to the engineer to solve them. It is the inherent practicality of engineering, which takes into account structural, economic, environmental, and other factors that science often does not consider, that makes engineering vital to answering our most urgent concerns.
Henry Petroski takes us inside the research, development, and debates surrounding the most critical challenges of our time, exploring the feasibility of biofuels, the progress of battery-operated cars, and the question of nuclear power. He gives us an in-depth investigation of the various options for renewable energy—among them solar, wind, tidal, and ethanol—explaining the benefits and risks of each. Will windmills soon populate our landscape the way they did in previous centuries? Will synthetic trees, said to be more efficient at absorbing harmful carbon dioxide than real trees, soon dot our prairies? Will we construct a “sunshade” in outer space to protect ourselves from dangerous rays? In many cases, the technology already exists. What’s needed is not so much invention as engineering.
Just as the great achievements of centuries past—the steamship, the airplane, the moon landing—once seemed beyond reach, the solutions to the twenty-first century’s problems await only a similar coordination of science and engineering. Eloquently reasoned and written, The Essential Engineer identifies and illuminates these problems—and, above all, sets out a course for putting ideas into action.
Henry Petroski takes us inside the research, development, and debates surrounding the most critical challenges of our time, exploring the feasibility of biofuels, the progress of battery-operated cars, and the question of nuclear power. He gives us an in-depth investigation of the various options for renewable energy—among them solar, wind, tidal, and ethanol—explaining the benefits and risks of each. Will windmills soon populate our landscape the way they did in previous centuries? Will synthetic trees, said to be more efficient at absorbing harmful carbon dioxide than real trees, soon dot our prairies? Will we construct a “sunshade” in outer space to protect ourselves from dangerous rays? In many cases, the technology already exists. What’s needed is not so much invention as engineering.
Just as the great achievements of centuries past—the steamship, the airplane, the moon landing—once seemed beyond reach, the solutions to the twenty-first century’s problems await only a similar coordination of science and engineering. Eloquently reasoned and written, The Essential Engineer identifies and illuminates these problems—and, above all, sets out a course for putting ideas into action.
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Subjects
Subjects
Engineering
Engineering -- Popular works
Nonfiction
Problem solving
Problem solving -- Popular works
Research
Research -- Popular works
Science
Science -- Popular works
Technological innovations
Technological innovations -- Popular works
Technology
Technology and civilization
Technology and civilization -- Popular works
Engineering -- Popular works
Nonfiction
Problem solving
Problem solving -- Popular works
Research
Research -- Popular works
Science
Science -- Popular works
Technological innovations
Technological innovations -- Popular works
Technology
Technology and civilization
Technology and civilization -- Popular works
More Details
ISBN:
9780307272454
9780307707338
9780307707338
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 30e60f2c-3aba-e6ad-f66f-6c48d2450d38 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | essential engineer why science alone will not solve our global problems |
Grouping Author | henry petroski |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2023-09-21 02:08:35AM |
Last Indexed | 2023-09-21 02:28:18AM |
Solr Fields
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0
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0
author
Petroski, Henry
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Petroski, Henry
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North Natomas
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North Natomas
display_description
From the acclaimed author of The Pencil and To Engineer Is Human, The Essential Engineer is an eye-opening exploration of the ways in which science and engineering must work together to address our world’s most pressing issues, from dealing with climate change and the prevention of natural disasters to the development of efficient automobiles and the search for renewable energy sources. While the scientist may identify problems, it falls to the engineer to solve them. It is the inherent practicality of engineering, which takes into account structural, economic, environmental, and other factors that science often does not consider, that makes engineering vital to answering our most urgent concerns.
Henry Petroski takes us inside the research, development, and debates surrounding the most critical challenges of our time, exploring the feasibility of biofuels, the progress of battery-operated cars, and the question of nuclear power. He gives us an in-depth investigation of the various options for renewable energy—among them solar, wind, tidal, and ethanol—explaining the benefits and risks of each. Will windmills soon populate our landscape the way they did in previous centuries? Will synthetic trees, said to be more efficient at absorbing harmful carbon dioxide than real trees, soon dot our prairies? Will we construct a “sunshade” in outer space to protect ourselves from dangerous rays? In many cases, the technology already exists. What’s needed is not so much invention as engineering.
Just as the great achievements of centuries past—the steamship, the airplane, the moon landing—once seemed beyond reach, the solutions to the twenty-first century’s problems await only a similar coordination of science and engineering. Eloquently reasoned and written, The Essential Engineer identifies and illuminates these problems—and, above all, sets out a course for putting ideas into action.
Henry Petroski takes us inside the research, development, and debates surrounding the most critical challenges of our time, exploring the feasibility of biofuels, the progress of battery-operated cars, and the question of nuclear power. He gives us an in-depth investigation of the various options for renewable energy—among them solar, wind, tidal, and ethanol—explaining the benefits and risks of each. Will windmills soon populate our landscape the way they did in previous centuries? Will synthetic trees, said to be more efficient at absorbing harmful carbon dioxide than real trees, soon dot our prairies? Will we construct a “sunshade” in outer space to protect ourselves from dangerous rays? In many cases, the technology already exists. What’s needed is not so much invention as engineering.
Just as the great achievements of centuries past—the steamship, the airplane, the moon landing—once seemed beyond reach, the solutions to the twenty-first century’s problems await only a similar coordination of science and engineering. Eloquently reasoned and written, The Essential Engineer identifies and illuminates these problems—and, above all, sets out a course for putting ideas into action.
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Book
eAudiobook
eAudiobook
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Audio Books
Books
eBook
Books
eBook
id
30e60f2c-3aba-e6ad-f66f-6c48d2450d38
isbn
9780307272454
9780307707338
9780307707338
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2023-09-21T09:28:18.992Z
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Non Fiction
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Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
620 P497 2010
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Sacramento Public Library
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North Natomas
primary_isbn
9780307272454
publishDate
2010
publisher
Alfred A. Knopf
Books on Tape
Books on Tape
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Engineering -- Popular works
Problem solving -- Popular works
Research -- Popular works
Science -- Popular works
Technological innovations -- Popular works
Technology and civilization -- Popular works
Problem solving -- Popular works
Research -- Popular works
Science -- Popular works
Technological innovations -- Popular works
Technology and civilization -- Popular works
title_display
The essential engineer : why science alone will not solve our global problems
title_full
The Essential Engineer Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems
The essential engineer : why science alone will not solve our global problems / Henry Petroski
The essential engineer : why science alone will not solve our global problems / Henry Petroski
title_short
The essential engineer
title_sub
why science alone will not solve our global problems
topic_facet
Engineering
Nonfiction
Problem solving
Research
Science
Technological innovations
Technology
Technology and civilization
Nonfiction
Problem solving
Research
Science
Technological innovations
Technology
Technology and civilization
Solr Details Tables
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overdrive:a1ab1d0f-ea65-4a54-90ed-d98997531122 | eAudiobook | Audio Books | English | Books on Tape | 2010 | |||
ils:.b20222531 | Book | Books | 1st ed | English | Alfred A. Knopf | 2010 | x, 274 p. : ill. ; 25 cm. |
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