letters...
Alfredo Guenzani
Buenos Aires
To the Editor: Hello, my name is Alfredo Guenzani. I'm
from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and some days ago I was reading your old
article about the tango and Internet (March 2000), when I discovered your
magazine. (It is fantastic.)
Sorry for my English. I learned it in the milongas, dancing tango with
European girls. I'm a student of industrial engineering, in the
fourth year, because I like the physics, thermodynamics, hydraulics, and
all of these, but that isn't important.
The important thing is to read about technology and tango at the same
time, and to see the concepts of the two mixed. The true sense of this
life of ours perhaps will be this: The mechanical, a passion to discover
and know all, and the tango, a travel in the most beautiful dream, closing
the eyes, feeling the body and the soul of your partner and the music
around you.
Nurturing Ability
D. Yogi Goswami, P.E.
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
ASME
To the Editor: Over the past several months, ME magazine has published
a number of letters on promoting diversity and inclusiveness within ASME
International's membership. After having read the most recent of
these, "On Ability Alone" in the February issue, I felt
compelled to respond.
ASME International is the premier technical organization for mechanical
engineers. As such, the Society needs to reflect the characteristics of
all those involved with mechanical engineering. This target population
is extremely diverse, including persons of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities,
perspectives, and technical expertise within the mechanical engineering
profession.
Unfortunately, the society we live in does not encourage young persons,
especially women, in considering engineering as educational and career
choices. Our K-12 school systems routinely give subtle and sometimes direct
messages that discourage girls from going into engineering. Thus, it falls
to us as engineers to provide the encouragement, nurturing, and mentoring
necessary to attract the best and brightest from all backgrounds into
the engineering community.
After all, engineering is a diverse profession, offering a wide variety
of opportunities for talented individuals to contribute value, be it in
the laboratory, the classroom, the production floor, the corporate boardroom,
or on congressionally appointed commissions that impact the future of
engineering.
By promoting an increasingly diverse membership, ASME will bring together
talented people with different perspectives who can constantly challenge
each other's thinking, as well as the status quo. By including
talents and ideas that cross cultural, ethnic, or gender boundaries, ASME
will create a positive environment that fosters both individual and organizational
growth.
St. Cloud, Minn.
To the Editor: I am a student at St. Cloud State University.
I am a secondary education major in hopes of obtaining my degree in technology
education. I recently read "Changing Old Stereotypes" (Editorial,
February 2002). I felt that the article was very informative and deals
with an issue that plagues this country on a daily basis.
I agree wholeheartedly that stereotypes prohibit many people from doing
things that they wish to do with their lives. This is very evident in
the field of technology. Take a look at an average technology class in
a high school and you will find predominantly white males.
I feel that it is important that schools make it a priority to make curriculums
in technological areas more accessible and friendly to women and minorities.
The most important objective is that faculty of schools impress upon the
students the importance of technology in society. Organizations such as
ASME can also help by sponsoring programs through schools to encourage
students to consider careers in technology.
Andrew H. Warren
New York
To the Editor: I am very grateful to you for your editorial about the epic effort to prove Fermat's Last Theorem (February). The editorial put this matter in fair and balanced light and in a very interesting perspective. Most important, it let the public know about my struggle to get my work understood, evaluated, and recognized. I will continue.
Eric P. Krieg, P.E.
Mount Prospect, Ill.
I agree that there is much evidence that the Earth's climate is warming. I agree that CO2 levels are historically high and rising. And I agree that it appears that man is a chief culprit.
Where I disagree is that the evidence shows a link between CO2 levels and climate change. We simply don't know one way or the other. I also disagree that the evidence suggests that global warming is in any way bad.
Look at a map of the world, look at the land mass available in Russia and Canada, and think about a world where these countries can increase their farming yields because of global warming.
The real fallacy in Wojcik's argument is when he says that "doing something" about global warming will "do no harm." This is known as "the precautionary principle." It ignores what economists call the "opportunity cost" of doing something.
For example, if we all convert over to diesel engines, that cost means that we can't do something else with the money.
We need to keep in mind that global warming will have the greatest impact on the poor. Rich nations like the United States can more easily adapt to climate change. Thus, perhaps the best way to help the poor to adapt is to make them richer. Addressing problems other than global warming and, in fact, ignoring climate change, may be a better option.
This is a topic that should concern all engineers, and I hope to continue to see it hashed out on the pages of Mechanical Engineering.
Quentin Hilpert
York, Ariz.
To the Editor: I am a mining engineer, welding engineer,
and hobby machinist. I find the use of computer-aided drawings invaluable.
I use three-dimensional wire frames instead of solid modeling. I cannot
imagine giving the design over to a CAD operator other than myself, or
getting so separated from the design process that someone could make a
change that I hadn't thought about.
Using the three-dimensional capabilities of a wire frame allows me to
see if things are going to fit and if there will be interference from
other parts. I also develop a good idea of just how the thing is going
to look when it is finally built (i.e., does anything look too small or
too big for the job?).
This last may hardly seem to be engineering. However, it is easy to transpose
or skip a decimal point in calculations. The look of a part in respect
to others will help the engineer to discover such goofs.
A person separated from the engineer, such as a "CAD jockey,"
may not recognize a fault or may change something that shouldn't
be changed. They could make something fit that shouldn't be made
to fit instead of calling for the engineer. It may cost the company extra
time and money finding or training an engineer who knows CAD or solid
modeling. However, the returns will probably far offset such expenses.
Frederic A. Lyman, P.E.
Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering
Syracuse University
Syracuse, N.Y.
To the Editor: I found much of interest in the November
2002 issue, but one item concerns me: the letter from Noah Manring. It's
fine with me if he and his house privately believe the literal creation
accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 and their interpretation by proponents of
Intelligent Design. I also don't mind his expressing his views
in print.
But his remark that he tries to convert his graduate students to these
doctrines gives me pause. It is inappropriate and verges on the unethical
for teachers and research advisers, especially those at nonsectarian universities,
to proselytize their students. Students seeking graduate degrees are apt
to be very susceptible to the views of their advisers, whose approval
they need.
Teachers and research advisers should avoid promoting their private religious
beliefs in carrying out their academic and professional duties. Unfortunately,
this idea does not seem to have occurred to some of the more zealous proponents
of Intelligent Design.
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