Intermixing Engineering with Liberal Arts Makes a Strong Design Statement
Todd Herman, Student
Mechanical Engineering Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308
Advisor
Ashraf Ghaly, Ph.D., P.E., Professor
Engineering Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308
Artistic Engineering is a course designed to bridge the gap between the Liberal Arts and the Engineering programs at Union College. The objective of the course is to show the technical and non-technical aspects of structures that are prevalent in serving the society. Engineers have the ability to design and create massive structures, however in reality these technical designs face other layers of challenges where they must pass the scrutiny and gain the acceptance of a diverse public. Some of the most complicated structures ever built were presented as examples in the courses. Each presentation showed the technical aspects considered in the design of the structure and how they were impacted by various non-technical political, economical, environmental, and budgetary factors. The ability to find a common ground regarding highly contested issues when building massive structures is a skill that is as important as the design itself. The presented structures were split into parts that, if put together, would make up the assembly of the completed structure.
The course included weekly assignments that were an integral training component. They were planned around the theme of the week where students were given the ability to make a choice based on their interests, provided that the selected structure is prominent in terms of its technical design and non-technical aspects. In addition to detailed drawings, it was a requirement that all features of the structure were thoroughly researched and reported in the weekly paper. The political and economical aspects related to a structure can sometimes be as complex as the engineering and architectural designs. To reinforce these principles, the final project was designed to give the students the opportunity to research a structure in society with outstanding design characteristics that has also involved significant non-technical wrangling. The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona was selected as the subject of the final project. This stadium embodies a state-of-the-art engineering design intermixed with a seamless incorporation of a wide spectrum of non-engineering factors that heightened an already challenging design task. The final design was a product that showcased the impact of society on engineering, and the flexibility of engineering to accommodate societal requirements.