Preface 1. Introduction 2 . Technology Takes Off 2.1 From Practical Art to Technology 2.2 Construction Becomes Mathematical 2.3 Experimenting with Machines 2.4 Science and Chemical Industries 2.5 Power and Communication 3. Engineering for Information 3.1 From Microelectronics to Nanotechnology 3.2 Computer Hardware and Software 3.3 Wireless, Satellites, and the Internet 4. Engineering in Society 4.1 Social Ascent and Images of Engineers 4.2 Partnership in Research and Development 4.3 Contributions to Sectors of the Economy 5. Innovation by Design 5.1 Inventive Thinking in Negative Feedback 5.2 Design Processes in Systems Engineering 5.3 "Working Together" in Aircraft Development 5.4 From Onboard Computers to Door Hinges 6. Sciences of Useful Systems 6.1 Mathematics in Engineering and Science 6.2 Information and Control Theories 6.3 Wind Tunnels and Internet Simulation 6.4 Integrative Materials Engineering 6.5 Biological Engineering Frontiers 7. Leaders Who Are Engineers 7.1 Business Leaders in the Car Industry 7.2 Public Policies and Nuclear Power 7.3 Managing Technological Risks Appendix A. Statistical Profiles of Engineers Appendix B. U.S. Research and Development Notes Index
I am impressed by the scope of Engineering - An Endless Frontier, and fascinated by Sunny Auyang's comprehensive knowledge of the subject. This is just the kind of book the National Academy of Engineering has been encouraging to promote the importance of engineering to the public. It will have a long shelf-life in that it pulls together material that is not readily accessible, and will serve as a reference for anyone interested in engineering as a profession. Engineering needs this book! -- John Hutchinson, Harvard University Engineering - An Endless Frontier is extraordinary in scope. Sunny Auyang describes the different kinds of contemporary engineering practices and productions, attempts to provide historical background, explains the scientific basis for engineering innovation in different fields, and addresses the broad, systems level managerial, entrepreneurial, and design activities of professionals. It's rare to find a single author who can grasp and explain the essential features of modern technologies across such an array of industrial sectors and engineering disciplines and explain how they work, why they work the way they do, and what is required for their innovation, development and, yes, even maintenance. -- Louis L. Bucciarelli, Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Technology Studies, MIT
Sunny Y. Auyang, who has worked as a research scientist at Hewlett-Packard and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the author of, most recently, Mind in Everyday Life and Cognitive Science.
Once natural scientists sought to discover what was not known and
engineers tried to create what did not exist: Engineering—An
Endless Frontier charts the drawing together of the two
disciplines, showing that modern engineering has drawn on par with
science in its emerging technologies and achievements.
*Bookwatch*
[Auyang’s] book is a concise yet comprehensive overview of how
modern engineers in various fields have conducted scientific
research, designed products, and managed enterprises. Indeed, we
can learn a lot from her careful and detailed investigations of
engineering practice, which, from my point of view, has been
considerably understudied. Nevertheless, the more important value
of Auyang’s book lies not in the information it provides, but in
the questions it raises.
*IEEE Technology and Society*
As we wrestle today with the now traditional disparities between
disciplines, it is refreshing to read an account that places the
natural and engineering sciences as mutually interdependent
intellectual peers, which is just as it should be.
*Physics World*
Engineering—An Endless Frontier is extraordinary in scope. Sunny
Auyang describes the different kinds of contemporary engineering
practices and productions, attempts to provide historical
background, explains the scientific basis for engineering
innovation in different fields, and addresses the broad, systems
level managerial, entrepreneurial, and design activities of
professionals. It’s rare to find a single author who can grasp and
explain the essential features of modern technologies across such
an array of industrial sectors and engineering disciplines and
explain how they work, why they work the way they do, and what is
required for their innovation, development and, yes, even
maintenance.
*Louis L. Bucciarelli, Professor Emeritus of Engineering and
Technology Studies, MIT*
I am impressed by the scope of Engineering—An Endless Frontier, and
fascinated by Sunny Auyang’s comprehensive knowledge of the
subject. This is just the kind of book the National Academy of
Engineering has been encouraging to promote the importance of
engineering to the public. It will have a long shelf-life in that
it pulls together material that is not readily accessible, and will
serve as a reference for anyone interested in engineering as a
profession. Engineering needs this book!
*John Hutchinson, Harvard University*
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