QUESTION: Will a whole new course need to be added?

No! The proposed ABET requirement shall not become too prescriptive. There are many resources that can easily be packed into existing programs.

QUESTION: What shall be taught?

The overarching goal is always for flexibility with the sole objective of providing instruction that is consistent with engineering professors’ current programs. This ABET requirement shall not become too prescriptive. There are many resources that can easily be packed into existing programs.

QUESTION: What resources can be used to meet this requirement?

There are numerous resources that can easily be packed into existing programs. Below are a few examples:

BOOKS

• To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failures in Successful Design” by Henry Petroski
• “Beyond Failure: Forensic Case Studies for Civil Engineers” by Norbert Delatte
• The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
• Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail by Matthys Levy
• Engineering Disasters: Lessons to be Learned by Hal F. Moore

VIDEOS

There are many dozens of engaging videos about engineering failures that delve into the causes, consequences and lessons learned from these incidents. Below are just a few:

• Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940) "The Collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge"
• The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (1986) "What Caused the Challenger Disaster?"
• Fukushima Nuclear Disaster (2011) "The Fukushima Disaster Explained"