TABLE OF CONTENTS The period of engineering interest in this chapter is taken to have begun about ten years ago and, in an approximation, extends to the near future of perhaps five to ten years. An examination of evolutionary changes in engineering over such a short and contemporary time interval and which may relate meaningfully to the near future presents many uncertainties because the intrinsic developmental noise may mask or distort important emerging patterns. For this reason and as an effective starting point, we choose to be guided by the recent and evident changes associated with the several influences directly affecting engineering E( t) of (7.9); that is, the relations of interest is given by the process content of the dash-enclosed rectangle of Fig. 8.1.
Our objective is now to examine each of the indicated influences suggested by the arrows in this figure:
Fractional changes of most non-renewable resources of importance to engineering have been modest with two important exceptions: liquid-hydrocarbon petroleums continue to be locally depleted at a significant rate; mining, extraction, and processing continue to contribute to toxic and non-toxic waste production and accumulation though at a reduced rate and more of it now in sequestered form.
Engineering educational programs and design recursion have experienced continuing development; to be noted is an expanded emphasis on device reliability and adaptability, mathematical simulation analysis, sensitivity to public preferences, and expanded consideration of environmental impact.
