Course Reflection
AK47
hacker_ch.1_lecture.pptxEngineering, Technology, Society, and the Environment
Chapter 1 Hacker
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Section 1: Definitions
Science: A systematic study of the natural world.
Body of knowledge
Process of inquiry
Engineering: The practical application, usually a product or process, of the information acquired by science.
Body of knowledge
Set of processes and techniques
Technology: The means by which humans modify the world to address their needs and wants.
Tangible artifacts
Systems including artifacts
People, infrastructure, and processes required for longevity of artifacts
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
What is systematic? What does that mean?
What is considered to be the natural world? What is not?
What’s an application?
What is an example of a tangible artifact? System? People/infrastructure/process?
Provide example of all three using cell phones.
The cell phone is the technology.
The design of the cell phone by utilizing knowledge of electrical signals and waves, along with a bunch of other stuff, as well as the design of its manufacturing processes utilizing the knowledge of mechanical systems and materials are the engineering.
The utilized knowledge and the processes undergone to gain that knowledge is the science.
Can any of you think of any more examples of either of the three?
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Section 1: Relationships
Engineering = Science + Application
Technology = Science + Engineering
Promoted Development/Progress = Science + Technology
Game: Which one is it?
Apollo 11, Human Genome Project, Invention of Paper,
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Science
Engineering
Technology
+Application
The advancement of science is promoted by technological development.
The relationships between science, engineering, and technology creates a cycle in which the advancement of science promotes the advancement of engineering, the advancement of engineering the advancement of technology, and the advancement of technology promotes the advancement of more science.
Alright, let’s play a game. Which one is this an example of: engineering, technology, or the promoted advancement of science by technology?
Apollo 11: technology development
HGP: Technology promoting scientific discovery
Invention of paper: Engineering
Can any of you think of any more examples of the four relationships?
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Section 1 and 3: Tradeoffs
All technology has positive and negative consequences!
Examples:
Automobiles
Bicycles
What technologies are in use today to remedy negative consequences of older technologies?
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
So now that we understand a little better what technology and engineering is and how science plays in to it, lets talk in more detail.
All technology has positive and negative consequences. We refer to the interrelationship between the positive and negative as tradeoffs. To this point there has been no getting around the concept of tradeoffs with the development of technology.
What are the tradeoffs with automobiles and bicycles?
Question: Solar energy, wind energy, ocean energy.
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Section 2 and 3: Technology and History
The nature and development of technological knowledge and processes are functions of the setting.
What happened near the end of the 19th century?
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The setting: Give two examples:
Why do we have coats?
Whatever made humans develop spears and swords?
Picture:
Ask class what happened near the end of the 19th century.
It was a switch in approach to technology development. Instead of relying on technological know-how and trial and error type development, it began to rely on scientific knowledge and process of inquiry. People were developing technologies with scientific research and processes rather than being forced to by harsh circumstances.
ETSC 101 CHAPTER 1 HACKER
Section 4: Technology and Culture
Technology influences culture and culture influences technology.
Examples:
Social Media
Building aesthetics
Think of two more?
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Social media technology has affected our primary methods of communication and social norms.
Building technology is affected by cultural norms of appearance acceptance.
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Section 4: Technology and Economics
Economic Incentives:
Profits
Opportunity Costs
Customer needs
Corporate Culture
Government Subsidies and Motivation
Intellectual Property/Patents
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So in the past, technology development has been driven by the setting humans were placed in. Now that our world has shifted to revolve around money and maximizing profits, so does technology development. If the money isn’t there then the technology development isn’t worth it.
There are different economic incentives.
Profits: For opportunity costs, go to doc cam or white board. So I can go buy taco bell, or I can go buy a healthy dinner and cook at home…
Customer needs fulfilment is the center of consumer product profits. Without fulfilling them, the profits don’t roll in and customer needs are always changes. The customer is always right, right? So if customers demand sustainable technology in their toys and things, then companies will focus on sustainable design research and development. If they demand cheap products, they’ll focus on manufacturing process improvement research, etc.
Corporate culture refers to the culture of a company. Company executives, if they are good, control and manage the company’s culture to spur more efficient processes and better performance to reduce costs and sometimes risk. Company cultures can be risky environments or risk-averse environments all depending on what the executives have determined will result in the highest profits.
Sometimes there just isn’t enough profit potential for tech. development and requires a government “pat on the back” with giving private companies or universities money to do the research and development projects.
Patents give companies monopoly power over a developed technology for 17 years including the 3 year pending patent period. This is incentive because it allows the company to gain more of the target market without worrying about the competitors using the same technology.
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Section 4: Technology Development Process
Research and Development
Innovation
Diffusion
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R&D
Innovation
Diffusion
The technology development process can be visualized through what’s called an S-Curve. Fast paced companies heavily reliant on technology development use S-curves to determine which research and development projects to pursue and when to pursue them. Companies also use S-curves to determine when to adopt new technologies, when it would be most profitable for them.
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Section 5: Technology and Environment
Not just talking about global warming.
Wind farms
Nanotechnology
Little economic incentive exists for development of sustainable technologies so incentives have to be created.
Customer needs
Government regulations/motivations
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Technology very greatly affects the environment we live in just like it affects economy and culture.
Wind farms that are in operation are being reported to be the cause of 1000’s of death of certain birds and bats and environmental scientists are concerned for their possible extinction if it continues.
Nanotechnology used in various cosmetics, anti-aging creams, bandages and shoe liners, and composite materials raise great health concerns.
Can you think of other examples of technology effecting the environment?
Backups:
Waste from consumer product technologies continues to pile up and affect the ecosystems of where it is dumped or burned. The burning of a number of plastics releases toxic gases to the atmosphere and the dumping of waste into oceans interferes with aqua life.
Deforestation is performed for the sake of road paving and lumber harvesting but has led to the extinction of many animals critical to the world’s ecosystems, a reduction in biodiversity amongst many critical antibiotic producing plants, and unbalanced oxygen to carbon dioxide ratios.
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