Engineering Disaster Research Paper Assignment – Due March 4 @ 7am
Write an informative research paper on an Engineering Disaster of your choice
(note, however, the list of prohibited topics below). This is a formal research
paper and should follow the guidelines provided.
Your paper should include the following sections:
Abstract
Table of contents, list of tables and figures
Introduction
Relevant sections
Conclusion
References
Appendices (if any)
You may include figures and tables in your document, but be sure to reference
them properly.
The paper should be 12 pages double spaced (12 point font Times New
Roman or Arial) – this means content pages (Introduction to Conclusion).
Title pages, Abstracts, TOCs, References, Appendices DO NOT COUNT!
Suggested topics or points to include:
Background: description of the disaster
Investigation: describe how the accident was investigated
Findings and Recommendations: Describe what the investigation found
o Who was at fault, what caused the accident, what future precautions were
recommended?
Impact on Engineering practices:
o Were any new practices or laws or regulations instituted?
o How did the accident change engineering in general or the particular field (e.g.
Challenger disaster lead to significant policy changes at NASA and ultimately to
Whistleblower legislation.)
Be sure to focus on the engineering aspects of the disaster – How is it an
engineering disaster and how is it relevant to the study and practice of
engineering? For example, in the case of the Love Canal, inadequate and
inappropriate engineering measures were taken to properly dispose of dangerous
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chemical waste. The disaster occurred when the contaminated land was
knowingly sold to a school board for residential development and the
contaminants severely compromised residents’ health. Most information about
this disaster focuses on the ethical issues surrounding the sale of the land rather
than the engineering aspects. In the past, students writing on this subject have
done poorly because they got caught up in the ethical aspects of the disaster
and failed to demonstrate the relationship to engineering.
Prohibited Topics:
A list of prohibited topics is available in the Banned Disaster Topics link
BANNED TOPICS ARE BELOW:
1.1 List of Banned Topics
The following are the current banned topics:
No topic in which the accident occurred prior to the year 1925 (focus on modern engineering accidents)
Sinking of the Titanic
Space Shuttle Challenger
Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge
Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkways Collapse
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japan (nuclear accident in 2011 after earthquake and tsunami)
9/11 (World Trade Center collapse)
Hurricane Katrina
Love Canal
Sampoong Shopping Centre
Ford Pinto
The Concorde Crash
Quebec Bridge
East Cleveland Gas Explosion
Bhopal Gas Disaster
BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak (2010)
BP Texas City Refinery Explosion
Sinking of the Vasa
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Hindenburg Airship Explosion
MGM Grand Hotel Fire
Lac-Mégantic Train Derailment
Savar Garment Factory Collapse, Bangladesh, 2013
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