Optional Written Assignment 4. Deadline: November 15th

Write a report about a well-known accident 

(Exercise j, page 45, English for Science and Engineering)

Research and prepare a report about an accident. Describe what caused the accident (mechanical failure, electrical failure, materials failure, human error, etc.), how the accident could have been avoided, and what happened as a consequence of the accident.

Write between 170 - 270 words. 

At the end of your report, include a list of the websites you consulted (use the heading "References") and send your activity.

Here are some websites that contain accident investigation reports:

http://www.nist.gov/el/disasterstudies/

http://www.csb.gov/investigations/investigations.aspx?Type=2&F_All=y

http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/reports.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/search/?q=accident+report&x=12&y=13

Quality, Quality, Quality

• Some definitions of Total Quality Control (TQC):

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1387304/Total-Quality-Control-TQC

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/total-quality-control-TQC.html

• Using the PDCA cycle for your university studies:

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Here are some interesting images and videos related to the collapse of the original bridge and the building of the new one:

http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/collections/exhibits/tnb/collapse

Listen to the description of the collapse of the bridge in the following video. What verbs are used to describe the movements of the bridge span and its collapse? Are they the same verbs you read in your textbook?  






Some bridge terms definitions:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Communications/BridgingtheGap/Pages/BridgeTermDefinitions.aspx

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Last class we talked about PPE in industry.

Check the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Adminstration) website for more information about PPE requirements. 

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3151.html

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/


The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) offers a definition of PPE:
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesandSupplies/PersonalProtectiveEquipment/default.htm

NASA's Space Shuttles

Here you can find some more information about the 3 main components of NASA's Space Shuttles: 

• The 2 SRBs (Solid Rocket Boosters) 
• The External Tank (ET)
• The Orbiter (the crew's home)

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/vehicle/index.html

Watch this video about the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger accident:





Click here for more information about NASA's shuttle fleet: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Written Assignment 3. Deadline: October 16th

Write about your own field. 

Choose one of the following tasks and write a description of your field. Write between 170 - 270 words. Notice that parts c and d of both tasks are the same. 

1) Exercise h, page 33 of English for Science and Engineering: 

a) Include information about each of the topics below:

• general definitions and terms
• a brief history of the field
• things that are manufactured in this field
• areas of knowledge that people are required to master
• activities that people typically carry out

b) You may use the Reading and Matching Exercise below as an example for some parts of your text. 

c) Write your text using information you find on the internet (see useful websites in the previous blog entry). 

d) At the end of your written report, include a list of the websites you consulted (use the heading "References") and send your activity.

2) 

a) Read the following text about the field of Aerospace Engineering. 

b) Match each heading with the correct paragraph. 

c) Then write a similar text about your own field of study using information you find on the internet (see useful websites in the previous blog entry). 

d) At the end of your written report, include a list of the websites you consulted (use the heading "References") and send your activity.

READING: AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Read the text carefully and match each heading with the correct paragraph

Some Useful Engineering and Science Websites

Here's a list of useful and reliable websites where you can find information for your written assignments:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
- Please read only the English pages, not the Spanish ones.

http://www.efunda.com/home.cfm
- eFunda stands for engineering Fundamentals. Here you can quickly find concise, reliable and useful information, e.g. Formulas.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
- This is MIT's OpenCourseWare website. It is a free online publication of nearly all of the course materials used at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

http://www.greatachievements.org/
- This website has simplified writing. It may be useful as a reference. 


Some Scientific Journals, News Articles and Reports:

http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
- "Nature" is a prestigious British scientific journal. Short versions of articles are free here. 


http://www.sciencemag.org/
- "Science" is one of the world's top scientific journals. It's the American version of the British "Nature."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

- This is one of the most popular science news websites today. In the "Reference" column you will find useful information.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/
- Magazine intended for the educated general public. It has some free articles.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/
- Engineering magazine with general topics


http://www.nap.edu/
- National Academies of Science and Engineering. Here you may find Safety Incident Reports, e.g. the Challenger accident report. You can find free downloadable PDF Files. The listed prices are for printed copies.

http://www.nist.gov/index.html
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). You can find reports here.