engineering

‘Stalin-esque’ attitudes hold back engineering powerhouse Ukraine, says American aerospace student in Kyiv

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Ukraine could be a space technology superpower but the country is held back by “Stalin-esque” attitudes that treat experts like peasants, says American aerospace engineering student Aaron Harford who chose Ukrainian capital Kyiv for his Ph.D. studies four years ago.  A mid-life divorce prompted Harford, at that time a math professor at Henderson State University … Read more

The Culture of Engineering Overlooks the People It’s Supposed to Serve

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“Is data objective or subjective?” In my last year at Rice University, I enrolled in a data science ethics course. It was my first engineering course focused on the societal impacts of emerging technologies. Until this point, my work in social justice was largely separate from my technical work as a student of materials science … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope: The engineering behind a ‘first light machine’ that is not allowed to fail

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Randy Kimble will never forget the days in August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey battered Texas. As a project scientist for integration, test and commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), he had no option to hide at home. The giant telescope, at that time already 10 years behind schedule and considerably over budget, was … Read more