Civilian Engineering

Abstract

Not all engineering is military engineering, and not all engineers are engaged in military work. The tradition of engineering in the civilian sector has also been important in the development of human civilization. The line between military engineering and civilian engineering is often not clear and not every engineering project or activity can readily be placed in one or the other of these categories. Nevertheless, some engineers work on projects that mostly benefit the civilian sector. The exemplars below, again listed at random, are useful in defining what we mean by civilian engineering. The stories are of two kinds – those where the engineers chose to take seriously their commitment to society, and those where other values caused them to forget or ignore the first canon of the code of ethics. What can we learn from the stories of those who took the high moral road and those who let down the profession and, ultimately, themselves?