CHOOSE ONE TOPIC FROM THE TECHNICAL REPORT TOPICS WHICH IS IN THE ATTACHED FILES AND MAKE THE OUTLINE AND REFERENCES

Possible Engineering 1201 Technical Paper Topics

Your technical paper for ENGR 1201 is write about a famous engineer or historical machine, event or engineering marvel that has had or will have significant impact on today’s society. You must include all nine of the engineering constraints in your supporting your position: economic, environmental, sustainability, manufacturability, ethical, health and safety, social, political, and technical. You must submit your Outline, with your topic identified, by 4 October 2021.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

1. Engineering ethics and the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalk.

2. Is the nuclear power industry poised for a revival?

3. Boeing, Lockheed, Martin and Douglas: the past, present, and future of the US airliner industry (note "airliner," not "airline").

4. Why are there no Super Sonic Transports (SSTs) flying today?

5. Does the American automobile industry have a future?

6. Xerox and Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC): how did Xerox PARC invent many of the features of the modern PC (graphical user interface operating system, mouse) but fail to capitalize on its inventions?

7. The rise and fall of Atari.

8. Sarnoff, Armstrong, and the battle for FM.

9. The future of the US television industry (not broadcast television--the design and manufacture of television equipment in the US).

10. Is the coal power industry poised for a revival?

11. Is analog broadcasting dead? Why digital broadcasting is better?

12. Construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) what is expected from this new particle accelerator? How engineers were involved on this development.

13. Hydrogen Fuels Cells, are they a good alternative?

14. Will semiconductors hit a physical limit?

15. Was it structural mechanisms that led to the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center? This should include a detailed description of the role heat transfer played in the reducing the structural integrity of the buildings. How can the engineers improve the integrity of this structure and the safety of future occupants?

16. Engineering ethics and Apple’s trademark battle over the iPhone mark.

17. Was there a design flaw in the I-35 bridge collapse or lack of maintenance? Did the engineers do their job?

18. Is the Corps of Engineers at fault with the collapse of the levees in New Orleans? Should we be rebuilding the levees at all?

19. Should people or corporations be allowed to own the water under their land and do whatever they want, including selling to people in other states, just was they can with oil and other mineral rights?

20. Should Texas have recycling programs equivalent to New York or New Jersey?

21. Wind power and the invasive use of turbine (windmills) across the U.S., are they a good alternative?

22. The reuse, reclamation and recycling of water from wastewater treatment effluent directly into societal use (irrigation – residential or agriculture, source water for drinking water treatment) is this a alternative useful in reduced water availability times or for drought conditions?