Engineering &…

Tackling an imminent nuclear threat is no easy task and often requires a delicate, multi-pronged approach. So far, both politicians and engineers are taking actions to quiet the fear of Iranian nuclear weapons development. On January 10th, Iran violated the United Nations’ Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by breaking open the seals on the nuclear facility at Natanz. This disregard for U.N. protocol prompted foreign ministers from Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — to meet yesterday and ask the IAEA to take the case of Iran’s nuclear program to the Security Council. Involving the Security Council is a last resort and will only result in increased tensions between Iran and the U.N. In an earlier Newsweek interview with Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of IAEA, ElBaradei lamented that

[W]e are coming to the litmus test in the next few weeks. Diplomacy is not just talking. Diplomacy has to be backed by pressure and, in extreme cases, by force. We have rules. We have to do everything possible to uphold the rules through conviction. If not, then you impose them. Of course, this has to be the last resort, but sometimes you have to do it.

Iran has already expressed its discontent at this new direction. Last night, the Islamic republic’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, told state television: “Reporting Iran’s dossier to the UN Security Council will be unconstructive and the end of diplomacy.” On Thursday, February 2nd, the International Atomic Energy Association will meet in Vienna and discuss a course of action that will be formally decided in March.

While the IAEA proceeds cautiously with their graduated confrontation with Iran, U.S. scientists and engineers are developing better technology to remotely detect the presence of nuclear activity. Hoping to avoid the mistakes made during the U.S. investigation of the possibility of Iraqi weapons, scientists and engineers are pursuing more effective methods of sensing nuclear traces. According to a recent article in the New York Times, the research “focuses on better detection of four basic, but inconspicuous, signatures that covert nuclear facilities and materials can emit: distinctive chemicals, sounds, electromagnetic waves and isotopes, or forms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons, a subatomic building block.” Whether Iran will respond to increased reprisal from the U.N. or attempt to circumvent these developing technologies with undetectable nuclear sites remains to be seen. Read more about what engineers and scientists are doing to diminish Iran’s nuclear threat.

The U.S. may be running its hopes of improved engineering research into the ground. Resurrected in part by the recent November elections and President Bush’s approval of an increased budget for immigration enforcement, immigration policy has come to the foreground of many political debates. Additionally, in light of the fact that Arizona and New Mexico have both declared states of emergency, policies have been proposed that would even further restrict immigration. Due to President Bush’s renewed fervor on this subject, it seems likely that there will be a comprehensive immigration bill in 2006 that will further limit the number of visas issued by the U.S.

However, it seems unfair to apply these new restrictions to foreigners with graduate degrees seeking to perform research in hi-tech areas, especially when those areas are already suffering. Between 2003 and 2004, applications from abroad to U.S. graduate engineering schools declined by 36%. This is not a statistic to be taken lightly. Without a steady stream of foreign minds, U.S. research and development will surely suffer as these bright minds turn to our competitors for work. As a counter to this trend, two innovation bills based on the Council on Competitiveness’ and National Academies’ recommendations should come up in senate within the next month. These bills aim to increase the number of visas available to highly skilled workers. But this is only part of the solution; in addition to visa complications and hassles, highly skilled workers face a less than receptive work environment once they do secure a visa, discouraging many from even applying to work in the U.S. Read more about the shortage of foreign minds in the U.S. and some of the actions engineers are taking to make life easier for those acculturating to the U.S. hi-tech sector in PRISM.

Ever since President Bush announced his flu plan on Tuesday, citizens have been in a panic about where to find a flu vaccine should an outbreak occur. In an attempt to quiet rising fears, this new $7.1 billion plan would provide enough flu vaccine for the nation and to create stockpiles of drugs to treat those who become infected. However, some of these goals will be unreachable even by 2010. Therefore, it is up to local community officials to come up with a viable supply and distribution plan of action in the even of a true emergency. Dr. Jeffrey Herrmann, a professor of mechanical engineering and member of the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland has developed free software based in Microsoft Excel to help emergency responders run effective vaccination clinics. “Should mass dispensing or mass vaccination be needed, the software can help public health officials adjust their plans to respond to the scenario that is happening,” Herrmann said. “They can quickly make important decisions that will affect how fast their citizens receive treatment.” Such streamlined processes can make or break a critical situation in a time of crisis. Planners in several counties around the nation intend to implement this new system.

After successfully completing its second launch into space, China has once again demonstrated its position as a world power by showing how its engineering educational system has paid off. More so than in the United States, a unique public consensus for investing heavily in engineering education already exists in China. Grounded in a culture that celebrates craftsmanship, the engineering profession enjoys strong patronage from the state. China has successfully retailed the idea that the very act of choosing an engineering or other scientific career is an expression of patriotism, potent incentive in a country where nationalism is as much a part of growing up as dozing through ideology sessions and mastering the brush strokes needed to be literate in a written language running to thousands of letters. “Government has promoted the notion of using science and technology to save China,” says Li Gong, 43, general manager for Sun Microsystems’ China Engineering & Research Institute. Learn more about China’s engineering schools in PRISM, ASEE’s award-winning magazine.

Weeks after the initial devastation of Hurricane Katrina, local and federal officials still question whether it is feasible to rebuild the areas of New Orleans hardest hit by the storm. While rebuilding is possible, officials cannot make firm plans until engineers have their say. They must survey damaged areas of the city to assess what can be rebuilt and how it can best be rebuilt to better withstand future hurricanes. Civil engineers have begun looking into what factors affected how floodwalls and buildings held up during the hurricaine.

When faced with the daunting problem of rebuilding an entire city, engineers look to past disasters and their solutions to formulate the best plan of action. Recently, engineers traveled along the coast of Indonesia to investigate the damage of the shocking tsunami that hit Southeast Asia last year. By using new data as well as data gathered from a large wave that struck Indonesia in 1992, engineers have designed permanent buildings that will stand up better to the destructive power of another tsunami. In turn, the data gained from Indonesia’s coast may help engineers form the blueprint for reconstruction in New Orleans. Read more about how engineers helped repair and prepare for this natural disaster in Southeast Asia in PRISM, ASEE’s award-winning magazine.