GIGO still applies

I disagree with Carter Romero's letter in the December 2004 issue of Structural Engineer. Romero said, “Part of the outsourcing problem is that you don't need to be smart anymore to be an engineer. With softw are pro g rams simplifying designs,we (engineers) have essentially worked ourselves right out of a job.” Just because structural engin eering software is getting easier to use does not mean that any untrained individual can design a safe structure. The designer has to understand all the underlying assumptions, boundary conditions, loading conditions, and combinations. The engineer does indeed have to be smart to realize if the data that the structural software spits out is correct. The old sayi n g, “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO), is true today more than ever. If your structural model does not mimic the actual structural behavior under load, then the design is indeed a huge pile of garbage.

George Watson, P.E.
via e-mail

Getting to the truth

In the October 2004 Legal Counsel Q&A, Michael Baker has some valid comments on unqualified expert witnesses and incompetent testimony. I would like to bring up two important points on the bright side of this issue. First, the National Academy of Forensic Engineers is an effective force, enhancing ethics and competence in this field.And second, the Daubert decision of the U.S. Supreme Court has helped by making judges the “gatekeepers” who are responsible for the qualification of experts and their testimony. These two facts have significantly reduced the problem, however, it does still exist. Lawyers are advocates for their clients as Baker acknowledges, but a forensic engineer never should be partial to any party. Forensic engineers should be advocates for the truth only, thereby assisting in achieving justice.

Also, most forensic engineers (including me) also are practicing engineers and should be.

Norman L. Cooper, P.E.
via e-mail

Today's reality

I work in a small company with a specialty in industrial design. Fifteen years ago, we had some competition in Germany and in Canada, but most U.S.-based jobs were designed mainly on the No rth American continent. Ten years ago, things began to change when we received German work because we were cost competitive with Germany. Today, my company's competition is in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Barbados. Yes, their costs are lower, and not long ago the quality was poor at best. However, offshore engineering is getting better every day. The better foreign firms are learning how to adapt to U.S. codes and construction standards. I have no idea how I will fit into this new way of doing business, but changes are occurring that do affect every working engineer in my company.

Anonymous