Conference Session

The Role of Engineering in Public Policy

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bruce Harding, Purdue University; Paul McPherson, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

, http://www.us-standards-strategy.org.(ASME) http://asme.org/Codes/.(ASTM) http://astm.org.ConclusionsStandards are a critical but often overlooked aspect of an engineering education, many timesdiscovered only after graduation. Regardless, no practitioner can afford to ignore standards,domestically or internationally. It has been said that standards are the bridge between marketsand technology and that whomever controls the bridge controls the future. As the late PeterDrucker, business theorist, noted,” The best way to predict the future is to have a hand in shapingit.” We as engineering and technology educators hold the future (our students) in our hands. Wemust strive to teach them how to become the experts of our public policy on standards.1

Conference Session

The Role of Engineering in Public Policy

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melissa Lott, University of Texas, Austin; Carey King, University of Texas, Austin; Michael Webber, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

Power Simulator was designed at the University of Texas at Austinto communicate key lessons concerning the tradeoffs of electricity generation methods in TexasThe key target audiences for this project include college students, high school students, statelegislators and their staff, as well as the general public. The Texas Interactive Power Simulatoraccomplishes the project goals by allowing the user to manipulate the electricity generation mixin the state of Texas and immediately view the economic and environmental impacts of thesechanges. This manuscript extends upon previous publications that described the backendcomponents and user interface design of the basic version of the Texas Interactive PowerSimulator.1 In particular, this manuscript

Conference Session

The Role of Engineering in Public Policy

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

engineering represents a legitimate career field than arethose who have not been exposed to such images. We seek to engage three sectors critical to thetesting of our hypothesis – writers, directors, and producers—in order to lay the foundation forthe conduct of a proper large-scale experiment. The potential broader impacts are increasedpublic attention to, interest in, and support of engineering as a profession in general and as acareer choice in particular.IntroductionAlthough engineers help to address basic human needs as well as broader societal objectives likeimproved health, quality of life, economy, and security, the general public has a distortedperception of engineers and the work they perform [1]. This distorted view exists despiteexpensive