Guru Madhavan Archives | Issues in Science and Technology

The Hidden Engineering That Makes New York Tick

Kimberly Quach — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

New York City is the perfect place to understand the importance of modern engineering, but the most valuable lessons won’t be found at the Empire State Building or in Central Park. To… Read More

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Living in Viele’s World

Jay Lloyd — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

For generations, New York City engineers have consulted a hand-colored map of Manhattan’s waterways from 1865, a masterwork that depicts creeks and canals, marshes and meadows in vivid shades of blue, green,… Read More

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Creative Intolerance

Jay Lloyd — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000

There is an allegory found in ancient Sanskrit texts of a swan that is often interpreted as a metaphor for spiritual progress. As the story goes, the graceful bird could separate nectar… Read More

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The Grind Challenges

Jay Lloyd — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000

When asked what form he would take if he could come back to Earth again, Othmar Hermann Ammann answered, “An eagle.” In 1964, the 85-year-old civil engineer would often stand at the… Read More

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Thinking Outside the Lab

Jay Lloyd — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Throughout history, pandemics have proven both disasters and opportunities, particularly in their role in reshaping labor markets. In 1918, a disproportionate number of influenza deaths were comprised of working-age men, with their… Read More

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The Greatest Show on Earth

Issues — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Long before Times Square blinked to light, New York City had the shimmering Crystal Palace, the centerpiece of the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, a World’s Fair that began in… Read More

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Postpandemic

Jay Lloyd — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:30:03 +0000

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Efficiency

Kimberly Quach — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 19:14:36 +0000

In engineering, efficiency is a constant quest, but it sometimes works like an energy drink, producing a fast-acting gain at the expense of longer-term distress. The seductively simple notion of wanting to… Read More

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Peer-Reviewed by Reality: What Mars and Texas Tell Us About Engineering

Kimberly Quach — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 16:17:02 +0000

An engineering triumph and tragedy occurred in jarring contrast recently amid pandemic woes. Cheers and celebration rang out when NASA delivered the $2.4 billion, snap-happy Perseverance rover—a sedan pregnant with a helicopter—for… Read More

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Making Drugs Affordable

Jay Lloyd — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 10:01:00 +0000

In “Whose Drugs Are These?” (Issues, Summer 2010), Bhaven N. Sampat provides an excellent historical tour of ways to think about the development and pricing of prescription medicines. As Making … Read More

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