Editor’s Note

Each year the US Frontiers of Engineering (US FOE) Symposium brings together outstanding engineers, ages 30 to 45, to share ideas, network, and learn about cutting-edge research across a spectrum of topics relevant to advancing society. The competitively selected attendees come ...

As the world becomes more computerized and interconnected, computer security and privacy will continue to increase in importance. In this paper I review several computer security and privacy challenges faced by end users of the technologies we build, and considerations for designing and building ...

Cybersecurity shortfalls in medical devices trace to decisions made during early engineering and design. The industry is now paying the cybersecurity “technical debt” for this shortsightedness.

Introduction

Computer networking, wireless communication, wireless power, the Internet, and ...

Of the nearly 2,000 planets confirmed to exist outside the solar system, only a handful were detected directly rather than inferred from their interaction with the stars they orbit. The vast majority were discovered by sifting years of observations of thousands of stars for periodic changes in the ...

Since the dawn of space access in 1957 the size of spacecraft payloads and solar arrays has steadily grown. Yet the demand for larger antenna arrays and telescope mirrors and higher power on spacecraft continues to outpace availability.

Background

Large structures in space have one simple ...

Material properties are governed by the chemical composition and spatial arrangement of the constituent elements at multiple length scales. This characteristic fundamentally limits the properties with respect to each other and requires tradeoffs when selecting materials for specific applications. ...

Engineers are actively trying to mimic hard biomaterials such as mollusk shells and beaks because of their resilience and damage tolerance, which are believed to stem from hierarchical arrangements in their design. Technological advances in fabrication methods make it possible to create architected ...

Hurricanes, with their strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges, cause much damage and loss of life worldwide. Recent disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, underscore the significant vulnerability of the United ...

A significant aim of natural disaster research is to improve the science, or the hazard assessment, of risk associated with such disasters. This goal could be achieved by, for example, enhancing the accuracy of short-term extreme weather or long-term climate forecasts or by increasing the validity ...

Many people believe that wind and solar energy are essential for replacing nonrenewable fossil fuels. They also believe that wind and solar are unique in providing energy that’s carbon-free and inexhaustible. A closer look shows that such beliefs are based on illusions and wishful thinking.

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Samuel C. Florman (NAE) is a civil engineer, retired general contractor, and author.

 RON LATANISION (RML): I want to begin by saying how much we appreciate the fact that we are now finally interviewing the man who has had more to do with this column than anyone else, beginning with ...