Technology and Engineering

An increasing number of researchers and educators in the field of engineering wish to integrate considerations of social justice into their work and practice. In this volume, an international team of authors, from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, invite scholars to think and teach in new ways that acknowledge the social, as well as technical, impact engineering can have on our world and that open possibilities for social justice movements to help shape engineering/technology. The book examines three areas of an engineering academic’s professional role: teaching, research, and community engagement. Some of the authors have created classes to help students think through their roles as engineering practitioners in a changing society, and present case studies here. They also explore questions of access to engineering education. Other contributors are focusing their research on improving the lives of the marginalized and powerless. Yet others are engaging local groups and exploring ways in which universities might serve their communities and in which academic institutions can themselves be more socially just. The contributors take a broad social and ecological justice perspective to critique existing practices and explore alternatives. The result is a handbook for all scholars of engineering who think beyond the technical elements of their field, and an essential reader for anyone who believes in the transformative power of the discipline. The frontmatter including Table of Contents, can be downloaded as PDF here. You can also watch an interview about the book with editor, Alice Pawley, broadcast on WBAA Public Radio on February 5, 2012.

Designed for junior- and senior-level courses in Plant and Facilities Planning and Manufacturing Systems and Procedures, this textbook is also suitable for graduate-level and two-year college courses. The book takes a practical, hands-on, project-oriented approach to exploring the techniques and procedures for developing an efficient facility layout. It also introduces state-of-the-art tools including computer simulation. Access to Layout-iQ workspace planning software is included for purchasers of the book. Theoretical concepts are clearly explained and then rapidly applied to a practical setting through a detailed case study at the end of the volume. The book systematically leads students through the collection, analysis, and development of information to produce a quality functional plant layout for a lean manufacturing environment. All aspects of facility design, from receiving to shipping, are covered. In the fifth edition of this successful book, previously published by Prentice Hall, numerous updates and corrections have been made. Also, rather than including brief “case-in-point” examples at the end of each chapter, a single, detailed case study is provided that better exposes students to the multiple considerations that need to be taken into account when improving efficiency in a real manufacturing facility. The textbook has enjoyed substantial international adoptions and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese.  

From the age of ten, looking up at the stars, Jerry Ross knew that he wanted to journey into space. This autobiography tells the story of how he came not only to achieve that goal, but to become the most-launched astronaut in history, as well as a NASA veteran whose career spanned the entire US Space Shuttle program. From his childhood in rural Indiana, through education at Purdue University, and a career in the US Air Force, Ross charted a path to NASA after overcoming many setbacks—from failing to qualify for Air Force pilot training because of “bad” eyesight, to an initial failure to be selected into the astronaut program.   The majority of the book is an insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, including the unforgettable experience of launch, the delights of weightless living, and the challenges of constructing the International Space Station. Ross is a uniquely qualified narrator. During seven spaceflights, he spent 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes on nine space walks. Life on the ground is also described, including the devastating experiences of the Challenger and Columbia disasters.   For readers who have followed the space program from Mercury through the International Space Station and wonder what comes next, this book provides fascination; for young people interested in space exploration and reaching for their dreams, whatever they might be, this book provides inspiration. Full of stories of spaceflight that few humans have ever experienced, told with humor and honesty, Spacewalker presents a unique perspective on the hard work, determination, and faith necessary to travel beyond this world.   Key Points: An insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, from before its first launch through the final landing, and the building of the International Space Station. A firsthand account of life in space from the first human to fly seven missions. An inspirational story of a personal journey from rural Indiana to outer space, powered by a deep Christian faith.   Digital versions available: Enhanced versions of this book are available as e-books through the Apple iBookstore, Kobo bookstore, and Nook bookstore. They contain almost 30 videos and over 50 still images, most with commentary by Jerry L. Ross. An iPad App is also available in the Apple App and iTunes Store. Non-enhanced versions are available for e-readers that don't support imbedded video including the Amazon Kindle. Plain e-Pub and e-PDF versions can be purchased directly through our website. These are essentially facsimiles of the print book optimized for electronic delivery.

Established as a Jewish settlement in 1909 and dedicated a year later, Tel Aviv has grown over the last century to become Israel’s financial center and the country’s second largest city. This book examines a major period in the city’s establishment when Jewish architects moved from Europe, including Alexander Levy of Berlin, and attempted to establish a new style of Zionist urbanism in the years after World War I.   The author explores the interplay of an ambitious architectural program and the pragmatic needs that drove its chaotic implementation during a period of dramatic population growth. He explores the intense debate among the Zionist leaders in Berlin in regard to future Jewish settlement in the land of Israel after World War I, and the difficulty in imposing a town plan and architectural style based on European concepts in an environment where they clashed with desires for Jewish revival and self-identity. While “modern” values advocated universality, Zionist ideas struggled with the conflict between the concept of “New Order” and traditional and historical motifs.   As well as being the first detailed study of the formative period in Tel Aviv’s development, this book presents a valuable case study in nation-building and the history of Zionism. Meticulously researched, it is also illustrated with hundreds of plans and photographs that show how much of the fabric of early twentieth century Tel Aviv persists in the modern city.  

This coffee-table book uses color photographs and captions to tell the story of the first one hundred years of the Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering. Formed four years after a chemical engineering curriculum was established at the University, the School grew rapidly in size and reputation. It was a leader in encouraging women and minority students to become engineers, and it produced many substantial scientific contributions. The School continues to provide expertise and solutions to the “grand challenge” problems that the world faces today, whether in energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, health care, or advanced materials. Among its thirty faculty members, five are members of the National Academy of Engineering.

As the built environment ages, demolition has become a rapidly growing industry offering major employment opportunities. During the 1990s the number of contractors grew by nearly 60 percent and there are now over 800 US companies focused on demolition, as well as many more offering this service as part of their portfolio. It has also become an increasingly complex business, requiring a unique combination of project management skills, legal and contractual knowledge, and engineering skills from its practitioners.   Created in partnership with the National Demolition Association, Demolition: Practices, Technology, and Management is written specifically with students of construction management and engineering in mind, although it will also be an invaluable reference resource for anyone involved in demolition projects. Since demolition has become such a central part of construction management, this audience includes practicing architects and engineers, general contractors, building and manufacturing facility owners, as well as government officials and regulators.   Covered in the book is the full range of technical and management issues encountered by the demolition contractor and those who hire demolition contractors. These include modern demolition practices, the impact of different construction types, demolition regulations, estimating demolition work, demolition contracts, safety on the demolition project, typical demolition equipment, debris handling and recycling, use of explosives, demolition contractors' participation in disaster response, and demolition project management.

Engineering in a Land-Grant Context is volume of well-crafted essays considers the federal government's first foray into higher education by examining engineering education at the nation's land-grant universities over the past 140 years. The authors demonstrate how that history has framed the present and suggest how it is likely to influence the foreseeable future. The expert contributors, all of whom have studied and written prominently on the history of engineering education, concentrate on revealing the critical trends and major events of this 140 year history. Treating their essays as symptomatic and symbolic of the larger issues, they create a volume accessible to engineers, historians and the interested lay readers. Three central themes and important topics are outlined and explored. Each is locked in time. The first, integration of engineers and engineering education within the newly created and not yet defined land-grant colleges, was particularly important in the initial half-century of land-grant university development; while the second, the forces external to the college and the state that help direct the course of engineering education, is especially appropriate in the half century after World War I. The third, the conscious reformulation of the land-grant ideal, stands as testimony to the introspection and assessment of the last several decades.

Author of six earlier books about United States railroads, John F. Stover packs this narrative history with careful scholarship and colorful description which will appeal to the railroad buff and the professional historian, as well as to any reader who wishes to travel with the "Mother of Railroads" through an exciting period in United States history.

The book describes, and where possible illustrates, historic mechanical engineering landmarks, representing the accomplishments of mechanical engineers over the past 250 years-from the steam engine of Thomas Newcomen (1712), which launched the Industrial Revolution, to the Saturn V rocket (1967). Some of them are recognizable to us all, such as Xerography, Sikorsky's helicopter, and Disneyland's monorail. Others work behind the scenes or have been superseded, such as the Owens "AR" bottle machine and the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower. The landmarks are grouped into such categories as mechanical power production, power transmission, minerals extraction and refining, food processing, environmental control, transportation, biomedical engineering, and communications and data processing. Each section is introduced by an essay that helps place each landmark into the context of technical and general history. While some of these landmarks have not survived intact, others can be visited, and travel information is provided. The machines that shape our society help educate us about an important facet of human history and how technology has influenced it. ASME International's landmarks program identifies and recognizes artifacts of significance before they disappear. This roster of landmarks tells a magnificent story of people and places and of innovation and discovery. NOTE: As of July 2011 the rights in this book have been reverted to ASME Press. The Purdue University Press edition has been declared "out of print" but copies may still be available from ASME Press (www.asme.org).

Purdue University has played a leading role in providing the engineers who designed, built, tested, and flew the many aircraft and spacecraft that so changed human progress during the 20th century. It is estimated that Purdue has awarded 6% of all BS degrees in aerospace engineering, and 7% of all PhDs in the United States during the past 65 years. The University’s alumni have led significant advances in research and devel­opment of aerospace technology, have headed major aerospace corporations and government agencies, and have established an amazing record for exploration of space. More than one third of all US manned space flights have had at least one crew member who was a Purdue engineering grad­uate (including the first and last men to step foot on the moon). The School of Aeronautics & Astronautics was founded as a separate school within the College of Engineering at Purdue University in 1945. The first edition of this book was published in 1995, at the time of the School’s 50th anniversary. This corrected and expanded second edition brings the School’s illustrious history up-to-date, and looks to Purdue’s future in the sky and in space.