TECHNICAL PAPERS
Feb 1, 2000

Case for Undergraduate Study of Disasters

Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 14, Issue 1

Abstract

Literature on disasters provides the focus for student-based learning exercises in civil and architectural engineering at Queen's University, Belfast, which have been ongoing since 1994. Incorporating these studies in the early part of the curriculum helps students to reorientate from their previous mainly science-based study by gaining some knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, priorities, and work practices of engineers in a way that would not be possible through lectures. In view of the influence of disasters on engineering thinking and work practice, they should have a much larger influence than they currently do on curriculum development.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

1.
Baer, R. J. (1996). Guest editorial: “Are civil engineering graduates adequately informed on failure? A practitioner's view.”J. Perf. Constr. Fac., ASCE, 10(2), 46.
2.
Bignell, V., Peters, G., and Pym, C. (1977). Catastrophic failures. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, U.K.
3.
Bosela, P. A. (1993). “Failure of engineered facilities: Academia responds to the challenge.”J. Perf. Constr. Fac., ASCE, 7(2), 140–144.
4.
Carper, K. L. ( 1990). “Engineering pathology: Case studies in the classroom.” Education and continuing development for the civil engineer—setting the agenda for the 90's and beyond, ASCE, New York, 908–913.
5.
Feld, J., and Carper, K. L. (1997). Construction failure, 2nd Ed., Wiley, New York.
6.
Ferguson, E. S. (1992). Engineering and the mind's eye. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
7.
Frieman, F., and Schlager, N. (1995). Failed technology. (2 Vols.), UXL, New York.
8.
Jennings, A. (1995). “Disasters and their role in engineering education.” The Struct. Engr., London, 73, 297–300.
9.
Jennings, A., and Ferguson, D. (1995). “Focusing of communication skills in engineering education.” Studies in Higher Educ., 20, 305–314.
10.
Jennings, A., and Ferguson, D. (1996). “Integrating communication skills into civil engineering education.” Proc., Inst. Civ. Engrs., 114, 73–80.
11.
Jennings, A., and Mackinnon, P. (1997a). “Disaster awareness—a necessary ingredient to engineering thinking.” Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Teaching Sci. for Technol. at Tertiary Level, KTH, Stockholm.
12.
Jennings, A., and Mackinnon, P. ( 1997b). “Student-centred investigation of hazards.” Innovation in civil and construction engineering, M. B. Leeming and B. H. V. Topping, eds., Saxe-Coburg Publishers and Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, U.K., 335–342.
13.
Kaminetsky, D. (1977). Design and construction failures. McGraw-Hill, New York.
14.
Lancaster, J. (1996). Engineering catastrophes: Causes and effects of major accidents. Abington Publishing, Cambridge.
15.
Levy, M., and Salvadori, M. (1992). Why buildings fall down: How structures fail. W. W. Norton, New York.
16.
Petroski, H. (1985). To engineer is human: The role of failure in successful design. St. Martin Press, New York.
17.
Rendon-Herrero, O. (1993). “Too many failures: What can education do?”J. Perf. of Constr. Fac., ASCE, 7(2), 133–139.
18.
Ross, S. S. (1984). Construction disasters. McGraw-Hill, New York.
19.
Schlager, N., ed. (1994). When technology fails. Gale Research Inc., Detroit.
20.
Schlager, N. (1995). Breakdown, deadly technological disasters. Visible Ink Press, Detroit.
21.
Shepherd, R., and Frost, J. D., eds. (1995). Failures in civil engineering: Structural, foundation and geoenvironmental case studies. ASCE, New York.
22.
Smith, R. (1992). Catastrophes and disasters, Chambers, Edinburgh, U.K.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 14Issue 1February 2000
Pages: 38 - 41

History

Received: Apr 26, 1999
Published online: Feb 1, 2000
Published in print: Feb 2000

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Prof. Emeritus, School of Civ. Engrg., Queen's Univ., Belfast BT7 1NN, U.K.
Lect., Civ. Engrg., School of Civ. Engrg., Queen's Univ., Belfast BT7 1NN, U.K.

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share