Highman, Jeffrey

Final Assignment

1. In the writing, the author distinguishes between subjective and objective

material in such a way that the reader knows which he is talking about when necessary.

The objective material he states factually leaving no doubt it is true whereas the

subjective material he correctly labels and distinguishes properly. This is very important

in a technical paper because the reader is looking for understanding in the paper and the

only way to inform precisely is to differentiate between the subjective and objective

realms of the paper.

2. In the first presentation on indoor air quality I presented the material in a way

that was not very clear to the audience. My nervousness showed I was not prepared and

this was detrimental to my overall performance. However, in my next presentation, after

hours of practicing the material, my composure and confidence showed and excelled my

performance. The things that I would have liked to change would include my eye contact

with the audience in the final presentation. This is an important factor because it makes

the audience feel like you are more confident and know what you are talking about. Also

I would have liked to manage my time a little more wisely because it seemed as though I

was feeling rushed near the end of my speech. Improve these and my speech is a well-

developed presentation.

3. Businesses need to be able to communicate well with their sponsors. The

knowledge of sciences, social sciences and humanities are an imperative part of business

Highman, Jeffrey

communication and functioning efficiently. The knowledge of the social sciences allows

the businesspersons to relate to the audience in a more effective way. With the

knowledge of humanities allow them to communicate and understand the background of

the audience. The knowledge of the sciences is especially important because if the

businessperson knows the science behind the product they are selling it increases the

audience’s confidence in the product.

5. Five key elements of professional ethics of engineering would include:

a. Make sure the number one goal is to please the public and to insure safety

to them.

b. Everything you do should be done with utmost honesty and integrity.

c. Don’t work in places not designated to work in and make sure everything

is done legally. Obey the law.

d. Avoid deception it only brings inefficiency.

e. Avoid disclosing private information unless given appropriate permission.

6. This semester has taught me a lot and opened up my understanding of how

things really work. I am planning on going to the School of Engineering and becoming a

civil engineer. Before this semester I didn’t really know what I was getting into. Now that

I have finished my first semester here at UW Madison I now realize the civil engineers

value to society. The report I did on Green Buildings and the knowledge I gained from it

has taught me so much. Because of this I feel more confident about going to the School

of Engineering at UW Madison.

Highman, Jeffrey

Moral Exemplars- William LeMessurier

William LeMessurier was a structural engineer whose accomplishments saved hundreds

if not thousands of lives in the Manhattan area. In full swing of the design of the ‘skyscrapers’

William LeMessurier was hired as the structural engineer for the new Citicorp building in

Manhattan, New York. The problem was that the city block, where the building was to be built,

was already occupied by a small church on the corner of the block. After much dispute of the

issue, an agreement was made where the Citibank would be built over the church with its nine

story stilts that held the building up would be placed on the midpoints of the edges of the building

rather than at the corner where it would be most stable. During the process a tuned mass damper

was installed on the roof to counteract the swaying motion of the building and to lighten the load

on its weak points. Also, a more inexpensive technique was used that replaced the welding of

joints with bolts. Although more inexpensive this procedure turned out to be less structurally

stable. He taught a class at a university on the prevailing winds and used his building as an

example. One day a student came up to him and told him that his building wasn’t built right and

is dangerous. He immediately checked into it and found the results staggering; He had originally

not factored in the quarterly winds and was certain that these winds would pose a threat to the

structure of the building. He had to come out and tell everyone that he had made a mistake and he

expected that he would lose his career and his life. William LeMessurier came out and told them

and told them what needed to be done in order to protect the people in and around this building in

case of an emergency. The bolts needed to be welded and William LeMessurier believed that the

‘sixteen-year storm’ would be even more detrimental to the standing building. He also figured

that if the mass damper were to fail because of electricity this would increase the buildings

chances of total structural collapse. This worried him but he made more procedures such as an

evacuation plan in a ten-block radius of the building. Also an emergency generator was set up to

eliminate the threat of a power failure to the tuned mass damper. After the precautionary steps

Highman, Jeffrey

were taken the building was more structurally sound and could with stand any type of storm not

matter how strong the winds. He knew he would have to pay for the expense due to incompetence

in the design but after much dispute the final agreement suggested he pay about $ 2 million for

the damages and troubles. After all this he thought he would lose his job and his career but on the

contrary he was herald a hero for the accomplishment he had achieved! He had found the problem

and fixed it in a minimal amount of time. His insurance lowered his premiums and his life was

not ruined. The accomplishments of William LeMessurier proved to be a great success of proper

structural engineering techniques. This is a perfect an example of how engineers should be

constantly thinking critically and how they should be ready if any dangers occur.