An Ethical Argument

When you think of civil engineering there can be various topics of ethical dilemmas that can occur but the most up and coming dilemma is female engineers coming into the field and how they are treated. Civil engineers have a code of ethics that they follow so ethical dilemmas are cut down drastically knowing they have rules set, but moral and stereotypical dilemmas still surface. 40 years ago it was very easy for people to make comments negatively towards a woman, because of how people would see women as being inferior to a man. I have always heard numerous situations where you hear a women being criticized when they come into a job field that is mainly dominated by men. This has been cut down extremely now that almost every job is getting more diverse with women and men working together.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers there are seven “Canons” or codes of ethics.

1.     Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties. 

2.     Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence. 

3.     Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. 

4.     Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest. 

5.     Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others. 

6.     Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession and shall act with zero tolerance for bribery, fraud, and corruption.

7.      Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision. 

Now there are two sides to this dilemma and the most talked about is when women come into a job field that is mostly dominated by men and somehow become subject to comments or being treated poorly just because they are in fact a women. This ethical dilemma has been around since women and men started working together and women weren’t supposed to work, that was only a man’s job. Since those ages things have gotten better but still in every job field there is a dilemma and in civil engineering the dilemma is at its highest point. This is all because engineers are becoming more diverse and more women are becoming engineers. That can be scary to some males knowing they will be fighting for a job against a female. Now this is also a dilemma when males and females have these roles in the work place.

The side I agree with on this dilemma is the side that female and males can both be apart of a field like civil engineering and can flourish working together.  In almost everyone’s mind this is the way they think about it but when they are put into that situation that’s when they act unethical and wrong. Having men and women work together based on their knowledge and experience, rather then judging on their sex, will help any field of work succeed, especially the field of civil engineering.

Cites:

http://www.asce.org/code-of-ethics

http://www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/people-working-together.jpg

A News Analysis: Twisted Nanofibers

Nanofibers could be taking over many military defense applications and military airplanes.  Researchers at the University of Texas found out when they twisted nanofibers just like you would twist wires together the material becomes 10 times stronger than a hydrogen bond, which is considered the strongest bond between molecules. Dr. Minary says that his new twisted nanofibers can stretch up to seven times its original length and can be stronger than Kevlar (Kevlar is used for bulletproof vests). Researchers tested the coils and yarn to see the max it could stretch and how much energy the material can absorb before failure. Dr. Minary says, “Our experiment is proof of the concept that our structures can absorb more energy before failure than the materials conventionally used in bulletproof armors," Minary said. "We believe, modeled after the human bone, that this flexibility and strength comes from the electricity that occurs when these nanofibers are twisted.” The issue Dr. Minary is dealing with right now is, figuring out how to make this material into a larger structure out of the yarn and coils and not just a small sample.

By twisting the nanofibers it will make structures much more stable and able to absorb more energy before failing. This invention will make each and every structure safer for the public. If this material is made into larger structures it can be used for military airplanes, while helping the military feel more secure knowing their airplanes will be made of a material that has been tested to out perform bullet proof vests. This impact will be huge and the thought of something stronger and more flexible then Kevlar is amazing. Knowing we will have a much safer and more reliable material in the workplace and our military is every country strives for.

The next step like Dr. Minary said is to put this into larger structures and make equipment especially for military and defense applications. This material Dr. Minary said can be used into military airplanes because of the lightweight and flexibility it has and also the durability and strength. They want this nanofiber material to mimic collagen fibers, like the fibers found in our bones in hopes to creating a high performance material that can self repair itself to a certain extent.

This new nanofibers development can be a huge impact in the military world. The possibility of having a material so strong and reliable will bring comfort to our troops or even policemen, knowing they’re safer in dangerous scenarios. Also having such material will bring comfort back home for the family’s that have loved ones with dangerous jobs. The impact the material will have tremendous affect on how much we will trust the equipment because of how strong and flexible it has shown when tested. This will all happen if the development is ever put to full scale.

It affects our field and the people apart of it because we have a great invention but have not found a way to make it useable in a larger scale. With the nanofibers in a larger material these hopes of using twisted nanofibers will become very useful for military and defense applications. If the material transfers all its quality’s when put into a larger scale it will thrive in many ways because of the many enhancements it will provide to every day life. The main issue this material has is that it hasn’t been put into a large scale and could have more issues trying to do so.

Cites:

http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2015/03/nanofibers-twisted-together-to-create-structures-tougher-than-bullet-proof-vests-2988330.html

http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=39562.php

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150326112338.htm

A Review: Engineered Cement Composites

The recent technological development made in my field of Civil Engineering I will be discussing is engineered cement composites (ECC). When it comes to being a Civil Engineer, concrete plays a huge role in the development of many structures. These structures are bridges, houses, buildings, skyscrapers and roads. Civil and environmental engineering professor, Victor Li, invented this technological development. From the article "His Flexible Concrete Bends But Doesn't Break" Li quotes, "Concrete is a great construction material, one of the most successful ones man has ever made. That explains its popularity. It is a very good material for constructing bridges, roads, and buildings and many of the things we depend on in our daily life."

Even though concrete is a great invention, it has the negative aspect of being a weaker material when it comes to bending or tension when compared to ECC. This enhanced engineered cement composites is like regular concrete but with enhanced properties, for example, bending without breaking. Instead of ECC cracking or breaking with weather damage or when weight is applied, micro cracks appear that are self-controlled and won’t breakdown like regular concrete. Overall concrete becomes brittle and overtime will need maintenance more frequently then ECC. ECC has a longer life expectancy, because it is made to be flexible and does not break down as concrete would. This technology has changed the field of engineering in many ways and helps my field operate with more productivity. For a civil engineer, if they can get the same job done and have this structure last longer with less maintenance needed in the future, this will increase their work productivity greatly. The durability of engineered cement composites is more reliable then regular concrete. In the article “Engineered Cement Composites: Bendable Concrete” it states, “The 40% lighter ECC is also 500 times more resistant to cracking, 37% less expensive, consumes 40% less energy, and produces 39% less carbon dioxide than regular concrete.” 

This new material has been used in the core of many high-rise buildings. The ECC core is so durable it is used in tall buildings in areas with high risk for earthquakes. (The purpose of this core is to help absorb the energy made from these earthquakes.) Another way ECC has helped my field operate is the safety this material insures when used. Everything a civil engineer builds will be used daily by a human, and our main goal is to build a useable and safe structure. When using ECC there is no new equipment necessary when applying it to the construction site. You would apply ECC as you would regular concrete with the same equipment, therefore the operating cost are the same. Another aspect to look at with this development that changes how my field operates, are the future planned enhancements to ECC. Professor Li has been working on adding to ECC a self-healing function that heals its self after it has been damaged. He also plans on adding a "smart function" where the ECC knows when it has been damaged, and alerts a monitoring system. It’s a civil engineers dream to work with a material that doesn’t crack, break, and requires minimum maintenance. The field of civil engineering is unbelievable and there is always something new being developed. This invention of engineered cement composites discovered by a civil engineer is an amazing technological development. Why wouldn’t you choose a material more durable, safer, cheaper and that requires minimum future maintenance?

An Explanation of my Field: Civil Engineering

In this blog I am going to inform you about my field, Civil Engineering. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the field of Civil Engineering as "Civil engineers design, construct, supervise, operate, and maintain large construction projects and systems, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment." The people who become an engineer are humble and hard working for their job and for the greater good of the people. 

The field of Civil Engineering is very broad, a civil engineer can decide from their interests what they want to specialize in when it comes to their career. There are five sub-field in civil engineering and one may decide to focus on one or even more of the sub-fields. 

The five sub-fields include: 

• Water resources
• Environmental
• Transportation 
• Geotechnical
• Structural Engineering. 

You can learn more about each of these sub-fields in detail on the NDSU: Civil Engineering website. 

Civil Engineering is my field, but I am going to focus on informing you on the sub-field Structural Engineering. Structural Engineering is the field I am most interested in because it has always been a dream of mine to build and be apart of building the most amazing bridge in the world. A Structural Engineer is interested in the design and structure of buildings, bridges, towers, and dams. 

These are the most common structures a Structural Engineer will work on. My main interest is the construction of bridges like I’ve stated earlier because its what drives me to become a Civil Engineer. Building the most memorable and up to date bridge would be a great accomplishment to me and many engineers. Civil Engineers are interested in making the world a better place and ensuring the safety of lives around the world. I know that sounds clique but what every engineers dream is to build or keep the environment clean and operating at the highest it can. We as engineers are interested in making roads flow better, making dams that will help with electricity and many more examples that mostly lead back to the well being of the people. The purpose my field serves for the general population is overall making the world go round everyday. Civil Engineers are behind almost any project from skyscrapers to roads and bridges like mentioned before, and other projects can also help with electricity and water resources for many towns and countries.  Without Civil Engineers or any engineers in that fact we would not be as advanced as we are today and wouldn’t have as many jobs in the world. Civil Engineers create jobs and advancement in the world with their projects and new ways of thinking.  Overall I’m glad I picked the major of Civil Engineering because of the many opportunities it presents and all the different areas I can help change the world. How my field serves the world at large is, you can look at any building, bridge, structure, and think how much that helps or improves the world we live in. For example dams help with electricity and skyscrapers create jobs and room for companies in tight places. Civil Engineering is a very tough but yet rewarding career.