Category Archives: Engineering
How Building a Platform as a Product Empowered Software Engineers – InfoQ.com
Platform engineering is about accelerating and empowering developers to deliver more product value faster over time. According to Jessica Andersson, most companies dont invest in platform engineering until they reach a certain size. At QCon London she presented how their startup adopted platform engineering, what strategy they took, and what they have done to gain platform adoption from developers.
Andersson mentioned that they launched their platform engineering team when the company was two years old and already had software running in production. As soon as you have software in production, you have an implicit platform, regardless if you know it or not, she said. This implicit platform is built in bits and pieces to solve whatever need the teams have at the moment and once it works well enough, whoever built it goes back to building the product, she added.
Starting out with platform engineering they first identified their implicit platform and then started to turn it into an intentional platform:
Basically we took existing things and streamlined, upgraded, and secured them. Its important here to acknowledge that the implicit platform was built with the best knowledge available at the time and to remember that this was not the main focus for those building it.
Its important to avoid replacing all tools just because they would not have been your first choice; replace the ones that are insecure or hinder your platform, Andersson said.
The main goal of the platform engineering team is to increase the ability to deliver product value, Andersson said. You can do this through removing bottlenecks and reducing pain points and time sinks:
Some indicators we look for in order to identify where we need to spend more effort are:
There are always trade offs you need to make; being a small team we definitely cant take on everything, Andersson said, but we aim to solve the most common and urgent needs.
Treating your platform as a product means building it like you would any other software product. The platform has users, problems that it solves, and a lifespan throughout which you need to take care of both the software and your users, as Andersson explained:
I often see platform teams forgetting about the users when it comes to migrations or switching to new tools, and they deprecate the old thing without providing a seamless transition to the new thing.
Andersson mentioned that you need to keep a focus on what your product is. Working with a product manager in the team is important to maintain that focus:
I try to focus a lot on solving the right problems as well. As a platform engineering team in a cloud native environment there are infinitely interesting problems you can work on; the question is whether you should. So finding out what are the right problems for your organisation and your users is important in order to spend time on those problems.
Platform engineering aims to improve the developers experience, Andersson said. Internal developer platforms can help you build a good foundation for good developer experience, helping your teams focus on building excellent products, she concluded.
InfoQ interviewed Jessica Andersson about platform adoption and building trust.
InfoQ: What have you done to gain platform adoption from developers?
Jessica Andersson: Some activities weve seen that build trust and thus encourage adoption from our teams are:
InfoQ: What role does trust play in supporting a platform?
Andersson: Trust is important as everything builds on it. Adoptions, information, communication: it all comes back to trust.
I believe that as a platform team its very important to build a high level of trust with the product teams as it will determine how successful your platform will be.
Follow this link:
How Building a Platform as a Product Empowered Software Engineers - InfoQ.com
Humanoid robot learns to dance, high-five, hug to work with humans – Interesting Engineering
Aiming to reshape public perception of robots, a group of engineers have trained a humanoid to learn and execute a variety of expressive actions.
The University of California researchers taught the robot how to perform basic dancing moves and hand motions, including waving, high-fiving, and hugging, while keeping a steady stride over various surfaces.
According to the team, the enhanced expressiveness and agility of this humanoid robot open new avenues for improving human-robot interactions in various settings.
These include factory assembly lines, hospitals, and homes, where robots could safely work alongside humans or replace them in hazardous environments like laboratories or disaster sites.
Through expressive and more human-like body motions, we aim to build trust and showcase the potential for robots to co-exist in harmony with humans, said Xiaolong Wang, a professor at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, in a statement.
The objective of the study was to enable humanoid robots to generate rich, diverse, and expressive motions in the real world. The proposal involves learning a whole-body control policy for a human-sized robot to mimic human motions as realistically as possible.
To train the robot, researchers use large-scale human motion capture data in a reinforcement learning framework. However, directly applying this data to the robot doesnt work due to differences in movement abilities.
The teams Expressive Whole-Body Control (ExBody) solves this by making the robots upper body imitate human motions while allowing its legs to simply follow a given speed.
According to researchers, the humanoid robots expressiveness comes from its training in a wide range of human body movements, allowing it to effortlessly mimic and generalize new motions. Similar to a quick-learning dance student, the robot swiftly learns new routines and gestures.
The team trained the robot using an extensive collection of motion capture data and dance videos. Their unique technique trained the robots upper and lower body separately.
According to the team, the robots upper body was trained to replicate various reference motions, such as dancing and high-fiving, while its legs focused on maintaining balance and navigating different terrains with a steady stepping motion.
The main goal here is to show the ability of the robot to do different things while its walking from place to place without falling, said Wang.
The robots whole structure is governed by a single policy, even though its upper and bottom bodies were trained separately. The coordinated policy guarantees the robots ability to walk steadily on surfaces such as grass, gravel, dirt, wood chips, and sloping concrete roads while also enabling it to execute intricate upper-body movements.
A virtual humanoid robot was used for simulations before being moved to a real robot. The robot showed that it could perform both novel and trained actions in practical settings.
At the moment, a gaming controller used by a human operator controls the robots speed, direction, and certain maneuvers. In the future, the team plans to add a camera to a later model so that the robot can operate independently and navigate different types of terrain.
They are also now concentrating on refining the robots design to handle more intricate and detailed tasks. By extending the capabilities of the upper body, we can expand the range of motions and gestures the robot can perform, said Wang.
According to the study abstract, the team believes their method paves the way for the development of reliable and versatile humanoid robots, capable of performing multiple functions effectively.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
Jijo Malayil Jijo is an automotive and business journalist based in India. Armed with a BA in History (Honors) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, and a PG diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi, he has worked for news agencies, national newspapers, and automotive magazines. In his spare time, he likes to go off-roading, engage in political discourse, travel, and teach languages.
Continue reading here:
Humanoid robot learns to dance, high-five, hug to work with humans - Interesting Engineering
NASA calculates how much faster time moves on the lunar surface – Interesting Engineering
With all eyes on upcoming crewed missions to the moon for the first time in decades, NASA engineers are finally getting around to figuring out how much faster time moves up there.
If that sounds strange, its because it is, but that doesnt make it any less real. According to general relativity, the passage of time can be different within two different gravitational contexts. Specifically, the more powerful the gravity, the slower time moves, and vice versa.
That means that the relatively wide difference in mass between the Earth and its natural satellite does mean that time moves slower here on Earth. Before now, weve never really needed to actually calculate that time difference, but with more crewed missions and the prospect of permanent settlement on the lunar surface, all sorts of communication and navigation systems going between the two will need to be synchronized to account for this difference.
Back in April, the US Office of Science and Technology Policy set a 2026 deadline for establishing a Lunar Coordinated Time (LTC), similar to how we measure Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) here on Earth.
Now, a new paper posted to the pre-print Arxiv server, a team from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech worked out the math to establish a more precise measure of how much faster time is moving on the moon relative to Earth. Their result, that time on the moon moves 0.0000575 seconds (57.50 microseconds) faster, is a key step toward establishing a standardized LTC that engineers and other researchers can use to coordinate activity on the moon.
One of the keys to calculating the difference in time between the Earth and moon is to also take the differences in time between the Earth, moon, and the solar systems barycenterthe gravitational center around which the entire solar system orbits (including the sun).
By establishing a synchronized frame of reference between the Earth and the barycenter, the research team then performed a number of mathematical transforms to refine the time difference between the Earth and the moon beyond what had already by estimated to come to our most precise result yet.
With this new figure established, future lunar missions will hopefully go much more smoothly than they otherwise would, ensuring the safety of everyone involved.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
John Loeffler John is a writer and programmer living in New York City. He writes about computers, gadgetry, gaming, VR/AR, and related consumer technologies. You can find him on Twitter @thisdotjohn
See the article here:
NASA calculates how much faster time moves on the lunar surface - Interesting Engineering
Engineering and architecture institutions preparing graduates for international careers – Study International
Engineers and architects are at the forefront of creating eco-friendly solutions, from designing energy-efficient buildings to developing renewable energy systems. For instance, the Bullitt Center in Seattle, often hailed as the greenest commercial building in the world, showcases the innovative work of architects and engineers in creating a self-sustaining structure that significantly reduces its environmental impact.
These professioanls are also instrumental in large-scale projects like the Belt and Road Initiative, which spans continents and aims to enhance global trade and economic development. Such tasks require a deep understanding of diverse engineering practices and architectural styles.
However, whether one chooses to pursue engineering or architecture, each path offers unique opportunities to make a significant impact. Engineers might focus on creating advanced technologies that solve critical problems, such as developing clean energy solutions or improving transportation infrastructure. Architects, on the other hand, might concentrate on designing spaces that enhance community well-being and promote sustainability.
Each discipline, while distinct, contributes in essential ways to building a better world. Here are three universities that excel in both areas:
The Department of Engineering and Architecture is a scientific and educational division of the Universit di Parma. Source: Universit di Parma
Founded in 962 AD, the Universit di Parma is one of Europes oldest universities. Today, it is home to over 32,000 students and 960 faculty members. Its picturesque location in Parma, a city renowned for its cultural richness, is an instant draw that keeps these numbers growing. Beyond its artistic and culinary delights, Parma thrives on music and drama. Apart from boasting association with famed opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, it prides itself on having the highest number of quality-protected food products in Italy.
Its also an apt location for students drawn to future-focused topics. Universit di Parmas Science and Technology Campus serves as a hub for innovation, accommodating five departments one of which is dedicated to Engineering and Architecture. Programmes span architecture and city sustainability, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical and electric vehicle engineering, and more.
The MS in Communication Engineering stands out for its competitive pricing (around 2,000 Euros annually). The best part? It is just as comprehensive as it is affordable. Delivered entirely in English by internationally renowned professors, it covers digital, wireless, and optical communications, networking, information theory, antennas, photonic devices, the Internet of Things, network security, and various other Information and Communication Technology topics.
This combination ensures students gain expertise in designing and managing complex telecom systems such as cellular networks 4G/LTE and emerging 5G and fibre-optic infrastructure critical to the Internets backbone. At the same time, they relish insights from the universitys cutting-edge research.
Such exposure explains why upon completing their studies, graduates are highly sought-after by research centres across Europe, including Nokia Bell Labs France and the European Space Agency. Dr. Matteo Lonardi, a 2016 graduate, is a prime example. He is currently working as a research scientist and product manager specialising in advanced analytics at Nokia Bell Labs. Learn more about following in his footsteps.
Chalmers University of Technologys Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering aims to address global challenges for the built environment in innovative and responsible ways. Source: Chalmers University of Technology/Facebook
Chalmers University of Technology, with roots dating back to 1829, houses a forward-thinking Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering. It develops future architects and engineers by combining education and research across engineering, social sciences, architecture, and humanities.
To produce sustainable solutions for a thriving society, the department offers specialised programmes through comprehensive curricula at the Bachelors, Masters, and postgraduate levels. For architects, the focus is on responsible resource use and creating high-quality living spaces, from urban planning to intricate building details. Programmes integrate artistic methods, technical research, and socio-cultural considerations to cultivate a design-thinking mindset in students.
Civil Engineering programmes explore the vast spectrum of engineering disciplines crucial for sustainable community development. Recognising the building sectors profound impact on society, the department equips students with the knowledge to navigate the entire construction process, from planning and development to operation, while prioritising human needs, environmental impact, energy efficiency, and economic viability.
Masters programmes delve even deeper. Specialisations include Architecture and Urban Design, Planning Beyond Sustainability, Design and Construction Management, Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering, and more. Students benefit from the expertise of instructors who are actively engaged in both research and industry, ensuring cutting-edge knowledge.
Extensive experimental activities form the backbone of the departments approach, with cutting-edge labs like acoustics, building materials, geomechanics, and structures labs providing a hands-on environment that fuels both research and teaching.
The UCD School of Civil Engineering is home to a community of staff and students engaged in researching, teaching, and learning the various aspects of the built environment. Source: University College Dublin/Facebook
University College Dublin, Irelands global university with over 160 years of experience, is a leader in pursuing a sustainable and equitable future. This commitment is especially evident in the School of Civil Engineering, where the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are embedded into the curriculum.
The school fosters a vibrant community dedicated to research, teaching, and learning across the entire spectrum of the designed environment. From buildings and urban spaces to rural environments, transportation systems, water management, and historical preservation, their expertise is as diverse as it is impactful.
The school offers a comprehensive range of programmes, including Civil Engineering, Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, Water, Waste & Environmental Engineering, and Structural Engineering. The best part? Regardless of the programme chosen, UCD graduates are empowered to pursue professional engineering careers globally thanks to international recognition of their degrees through agreements with Engineers Ireland. This recognition allows graduates to practise in numerous countries within the EU and those adhering to the Washington Accord.
Whats more, the school is a hub of impactful research, with nearly 60 PhD and research Masters students actively engaged in diverse fields. In recent years, significant investments have been made to modernise research capabilities across various sub-disciplines and establish world-class facilities. These include laboratories for structural testing, material analysis, hydraulics, and water treatment, alongside advanced computing resources and an engineering workshop. This infrastructure allows them to translate theoretical knowledge into practical solutions that shape a more sustainable future.
*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International
Read the original here:
World-first: EVs give power back to grid during outage in Australia – Interesting Engineering
The development of electric vehicles was primarily driven by the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and lower the impact of climate change. However, a major benefit of EVs was unexplored until a fleet of electric cars supplied power to a grid during a blackout in Canberra.
The power supply to tens of thousands of homes was interrupted during a major storm in Canberra. Then, the power was supplied from vehicles batteries to an Australian electricity grid.
Its the first time in the world this type of vehicle-to-grid response to an emergency has been demonstrated, said lead author of the study, Senior Research Fellow Dr Bjorn Sturmberg from the Australian National University.
It shows electric vehicles can provide the backup we need in an emergency like this.
Sturmberg maintained that the team has a fleet of 51 EVs across Canberra that monitor the grid whenever theyre plugged in and can quickly inject short bursts of power to rebalance the system if the national grid rapidly loses power. Theyre essentially big batteries on wheels.
During the blackout, 16 EVs were plugged in at properties across Canberra.
The researcher claimed that immediately after the blackout, these vehicles started discharging power into the grid, as theyve been programmed to do.
In total, they provided 107 kilowatts of support to the national grid, added Sturmberg.
To put that in perspective, 105,000 vehicles responding in this way would fully cover the backup required for the whole of the ACT and NSW.For context, there were just under 100,000 EVs sold in Australia last year.
The event, which took place in February, was first real-world test of our vehicles and chargers, according to the researcher.
The team believes theres a lot to be done to balance increased EVs being charged with grid security. Also, EV owners charging their vehicles at the same time in evening when they come back could put additional burden on grid.
Sturmberg highlighted that in the case of the February emergency, once the vehicles had provided power for ten minutes some resumed charging by default. There would be little cost or inconvenience in delaying charging for an hour or two in this kind of situation.
Electric Vehicle Council energy and infrastructure head Ross De Rango said vehicle-to-grid technology was a huge opportunity for Australia which could put downward pressure on power bills and help enable coal and gas-fired power stations to be closed sooner, according to ABC.
We dont see a future where anyone is able to draw energy out of a consumers car without their consent. This level of consumer protection is actually baked in at a very basic level because its the driver that decides if the car is plugged in or not, he told ABC.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.
Read the original:
World-first: EVs give power back to grid during outage in Australia - Interesting Engineering
Scientists discover new hormone in breastfeeding women that helps heal bones faster – Interesting Engineering
Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and UC Davis discovered a hormone that keeps breastfeeding womens bones strong, and it could help heal fractures, too.
The new study sought to solve the mystery of how womens bones remain unaffected even though they lose calcium to produce milk. Though estrogen levels are low, osteoporosis and bone fractures are much rarer, as per a press release, suggesting that something other than estrogen is at play.
And they found it: a new hormone named CCN3.
Previously, senior author Dr. Holly Ingraham and collaborators, in studying female mice, blocked an estrogen receptor in neurons in a small area of the brain, and their bone mass increased. They thought that strong bones were linked to a hormone in the blood, but they couldnt find it.
After an exhaustive search, they finally identified CCN3, a hormone that behaved differently than others that neurons secrete.
The notion that a hormone can be secreted directly from the brain is a new concept in the field of endocrinology. Our findings leave us wondering if other hormones are secreted from the so-called windows of the brain in response to changing physiological demands, such as lactation.
As per the press release, they were able to locate CCN3 in the same brain region in lactating female mice, but not the receptor, as of yet.
In the absence of this hormone, lactating female mice lost bone mass, and the babies lost weight as well. This confirmed how vital this hormone is, so they named it the Maternal Brain Hormone (MBH).
In increasing the levels of CCN3 in female and male mice, their bone mass and strength improved in weeks, and dramatically. Remarkably, CCN3 doubled the amount of bone mass in very old female mice and those lacking estrogen.
Further testing proved just how strong the bones were.
Dr. Thomas Ambrosi, a project collaborator, went on to say that highly mineralized bones arent always better as they can become weaker and break more easily. However, when we tested these bones, they turned out to be much stronger than usual.
When he examined the stem cells in the bones, responsible for regeneration, he found that when exposed to CCN3, they supported the production of new bone cells. Thus, they concluded that CCN3 could possibly assist in bone healing.
They created a hydrogel patch and attached it to the bone fracture, so they could slowly release CCN3 for two weeks. Normally, bone fractures in older mice dont heal easily or well, but the CCN3 patch actually helped to regenerate the bone. The healing of their fracture was even described as youthful.
They essentially repair at the rate of young two-month-old male mice, researchers told IE.
Weve never been able to achieve this kind of mineralization and healing outcome with any other strategy, Ambrosi said. Were really excited to follow it up and potentially apply CCN3 in the context of other problems, such as regrowing cartilage.
Now, researchers intend to continue studying the molecular mechanisms of CCN3 in breastfeeding women, and its potential to treat bone conditions. No side effects have been found yet, as researchers told IE. However, once they identify the receptor for CCN3, they can survey which tissues and cell type might be affected by this hormone.
With osteoporosis impacting more than 200 million people worldwide, which is classified as a weakened bone structure, thus making them susceptible to fracturing, women, after menopause, are at a particularly high risk.
A decrease in estrogen levels was thought to be the cause, which is true. However, whilebreastfeeding, researchers found this loophole, as they dont lose any bone mass. So, they found the hormone that they can now apply to help women later in life.
But this study also stands to support breast cancer survivors, as they have to take hormone blockers, female athletes, and older men who statistically have a lower survival rate after a hip fracture than women.
It would be incredibly exciting if CCN3 could increase bone mass in all these scenarios., Ingraham said.
Lastly, interestingly enough, one of the remarkable things about these findings, Dr. Ingraham said in the press release, is that female mice arent used in biomedical research, which is why the hormone had never been discovered.
It underscores just how important it is to look at both male and female animals across the lifespan to get a full understanding of biology.
The study was published in Nature.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.
Maria Mocerino Originally from LA, Maria Mocerino has been published in Business Insider, The Irish Examiner, The Rogue Mag, Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, and now Interesting Engineering.
Read the rest here:
Air Force engineer charged with cover up in Marine KC-130 crash that killed 16 – Task & Purpose
A catastrophic propeller failure that ripped apart a Marine Corps KC-130T during a 2017 flight, killing 15 Marines and one sailor on board, was more than just a mechanical failure, federal prosecutors say. The deadly crash traces back, officials say, to faulty inspections half-a-decade earlier which an Air Force civilian engineer approved and then covered up.
Federal prosecutors charged James Michael Fisher, a former Air Force civilian engineer at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia, this week with obstructing justice and making false statements to crash investigators. Fisher, prosecutors say, lied about and then tried to cover up his role in signing off on inspections that should have detected cracking in a propeller blade before it disintegrated mid-flight, dooming the flight known as Yanky 72, all 16 service members on board.
The federal investigation found that Fisher, who served as the C-130 lead propulsion system engineer at the complex from 2011 to 2022, had signed off on a waiver of a time-consuming inspection method and continued to recommend that technicians use a less reliable way to inspect propeller blades, according to an indictment against Fisher in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Fisher, 67, is also accused of trying to thwart efforts by federal agents to learn about his decisions regarding propeller blade inspections.
The federal charges are the latest chapter in a series of escalating investigations around the crash. An initial military-led investigation found that as the planes propeller broke apart 20,000 feet over Mississippi, spinning pieces of the blades cut the fuselage in half, dooming all onboard. Military investigators whose review focused on the physical cause of the crash blamed technicians at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, finding that technicians and supervisors there had been negligent in a series of inspections on the planes propellers six years earlier. But while the militarys findings established the cause of the crash, the question of criminal misconduct whether the shoddy inspections and efforts to cover them up amounted to a crime fell to the Department of Justice to decide.
Task & Purpose obtained through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, or PACER.
Fisher attempted to obstruct the criminal investigation by intentionally withholding documents showing that he played a crucial role in removing the critical inspection procedure and providing false statements to federal agents in order to cover up his role in removing the critical inspection procedure, the indictment says.
He also admitted to federal agents that the inspection that was not performed would have found the cracking in the faulty propeller blade that caused the KC-130T to crash, but he claimed others had approved using a different type of inspection for C-130 propeller blades, according to the indictment.
Fisher has been charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice, according to the Justice Department. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, if convicted.
When reached by Task & Purpose on Thursday, Fishers attorney declined to comment for this story.
Fifteen Marines and one sailor were killed when the KC-130T with the call sign Yanky 72 crashed on July 10, 2017 in Mississippi. Seven of the Marines killed were with the 2nd Raider Battalion.
Subscribe to Task & Purpose today. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.
The crash was caused when a corroded propeller blade broke apart in flight. The blade, identified as PB24 Corroded Propeller Blade, had arrived at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in August 2011 for an inspection and overhaul. It was later determined that the blade had corrosion and about three inches of cracking in an area at the base of the blade known as the taper bore, that was neither detected nor fixed at the complex, the indictment says.
The inspection and overhaul process lasted until Sept. 12, 2011 and the propeller blade went back into the Navys C-130 fleet, according to the indictment. It is unclear what tests were performed on the blade because all work documents were destroyed per Air Force policy.
The charges against Fisher stem from how his technicians looked for corrosion and cracking in taper bores.
One method for inspecting propeller blades known as penetrant inspections involved immersing or spraying the blades with a fluorescent dyeand then using a black light to see where the dye had seeped through cracks in the taper bore.
The other method is called an eddy current inspection: Maintenance technicians move an electromagnetic probe over the surface of the taper bore. The probe sends a signal to a monitor if it detects any cracks or corrosion.
Of the two methods, using the fluorescent dye took the most time. Prior to Aug. 22, 2011, maintenance technicians were required to perform the penetrant inspections on all Air Force and navy C-130 propeller blade taper bores. They were also required to conduct eddy current inspections as a backup test if the penetrant inspections found cracks or corrosion.
But the technicians knew that there were problems with the eddy current inspections, according to the indictment.
Robins only had one set of eddy current testing probes for the Navy and Air Force, even though the Tech Manuals had different probe requirements, the indictment says. Before August 22, 2011, maintenance technicians had repeatedly reported to their supervisors and other engineers at Robins that the eddy current probes being used were unreliable.
Despite these shortcomings, a maintenance technician supervisor sent Fisher an email on Aug. 19, 2011 asking permission to stop conducting the penetrant inspections because they were very time consuming, the indictment says.
Fisher quickly wrote back, I have no problem with removing the requirement for dye penetrant, and added his rationale for approving the request.
On Aug. 22, 2011, another maintenance technician supervisor submitted a request known as a Blanket Form 202 requesting permission to stop conducting the penetrant inspections. Such forms were required for any chances in how the Navy and Air Force technical manuals called for inspecting propeller blades. The Blanket Form 202 was approved that day.
The request contained the notation ATTN: MIKE FISHER and contained the same language from Fishers email, stating the rationale for removing the request was PER MIKE FISHER C-130 PROPULSION SYSTEM ENGINEER, the indictment says.
Neither Fisher nor the engineers with the System Program Office, which oversees how C-130s are inspected and overhauled, consulted with the specialists known as Level 3 engineers, who were experts on the penetrant and eddy current inspections, according to the indictment.
The Level 3 engineers had the training and the expertise to determine whether removing the penetrant inspections was advisable, the indictment says.
As a result, maintenance technicians did not conduct any penetrant inspections at the complex between Aug. 11 2011 and Dec. 13, 2013. Fisher was the engineer assigned to three additional Blanket Form 202s during that time that recommended using solely eddy current inspections.
The supervising engineer tried to talk to Fisher between April and September 2012. That September.
In late 2011, a Level 3 supervising engineer ordered an evaluation to look into the effectiveness of eddy current inspections based on concerns from maintenance technicians, the indictment says. The report came out in February 2012 and found that the probes used for the eddy current inspections were not reliable. Fisher did not immediately respond to the report.
Finally, in September 2012, Fisher responded to the supervising engineer since we are already using penetrant I would be happy with just eliminating the use of probes even though penetrant inspections were not being performed after August 22, 2011, the indictment says.
In December 2013, the System Program Office engineers approved going back to penetrant inspections and stopping the use of eddy current inspections. The unreliable eddy current probes were taken out of service. Technicians at the complex did not perform any eddy current inspections on taper bores until after the Yanky 72 crash.
When military investigators looked into the crash, they were not provided with any of the Blanket Form 202s, according to the indictment. They were also led to believe that they could not speak with any of the technicians who performed the inspection on the faulty propeller blade that caused the crash, nor were they told about the technicians concerns about eddy current inspections or that an engineer had found in 2012 that the eddy current probes were unreliable.
They believed that the technicians who had inspected the blade had followed the Navy technical manual, which calls for penetrant inspections.
In sum, the JAGMAN [Jude Advocate General Manual investigation] Report primarily blamed maintenance technicians for the crash, stating they were grossly negligent and primarily responsible for the mishap, the indictment says. Fisher and the System Program Office avoided scrutiny.
But when federal agents launched an investigation in 2020 into whose gross negligence was responsible for the crash, maintenance technicians told investigators that their supervisors in 2011 cared more about production than safety, and they had disregarded technicians concerns about inadequate inspections, the indictment says. They also told federal agents that their supervisors used Blanket Form 202s to work around any problems they had identified, such as insufficient equipment.
Several technicians provided investigators with the Blanket 202 Forms about stopping penetrant inspections and other documents that showed technicians had raised concerns about the eddy current probes in 2011.
The technicians believed that their supervisors focus on production and productivity and the east with which Blanket Form 202s could be obtained caused the corrosion of the P2B4 Corroded Propeller Blade to go undetected.
During the investigation, federal agents determined that Fisher could not be trusted, according to the indictment. He initially did not tell investigators about the Blanket Form 202 that ended penetrant inspections. He later falsely told federal agents that there were no Form 202s approved in 2011 and 2012 for Navy aircraft and only seven in 2013.
When federal agents met with Fisher in July 2021 to ask about the Form 202s they had found, he gave them the form from August 2011 about penetrant inspections.
Fisher admitted to the agents that the August 22 Form 202 was a new revelation that changed the root cause conclusion as to why maintenance technicians missed the cracking of the propeller blade that caused the Yanky 72 crash, the indictment says. Fisher, whose name was on the Form 202, denied knowing about its existence and denied approving it. Specifically, Fisher stated that he would not have approved removal of penetrant inspections because deviating from penetrant inspections would result in corrosion going undetected.
He stated that a penetrant inspection would have detected the corrosion and pitting in the taper bore that led to the intergranular crack that caused the PB24 corroded propeller grade to fail, according to the indictment. Fisher stated that he could not understand why his System Program Office colleagues would approve such a Form 202. Fisher further claimed that he never would have approved the August 22 Form 202 because in 2011 there were problems with the reliability of eddy current probes.
Federal agents later found Fishers email saying he had no problem with ending the penetrant inspections, the indictment says. Fisher also falsely told investigators that the waiver for penetrant inspections had expired in February 2012. Ultimately, the federal agents determined that Fisher was the primary decisionmaker in resuming penetrant inspections in 2013, more than a year after being told that eddy current inspection probes were unreliable.
When talking to investigators in December 2021, Fisher again denied that he knew about any of the Blanket Form 202s before that July. He denied approving the August 2011 Blanket 202 Form, he said he could not understand why his colleagues approved it, and he said the Level 3 technicians were not helpful at the time because they didnt respond to his request for assistance.
Federal agents finally confronted Fisher with his August 19, 2011 email, the indictment says. Fisher denied remembering the email and stated that, regardless, his colleagues should not have approved the Blanket Form 202 without doing their own research. The next day, on or about December 3, 2021, Fisher sent federal agents a follow-up email. In that email, Fisher again placed blame on the System Program Office engineers who approved the August 22 Form 202.
UPDATE: 07/11/2024; this story was updated after James Michael Fisher declined to comment.
Read this article:
Air Force engineer charged with cover up in Marine KC-130 crash that killed 16 - Task & Purpose
Festival celebrates the engineers helping to solve some of the worlds greatest challenges | UCL News – UCL – University College London
An action-packed programme of free interactive events for the whole family will showcase how UCL engineers are creating the future, in fields such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, robotics and medicine.
Launching on UN World Youth Skills Day, the first UCL Festival of Engineering will run from 15-20 July 2024 at sites across several London boroughs, from the main UCL campus in Bloomsbury to the UCL East and Here East campuses at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.
The Festival celebrates 150 years of pioneering engineering education at UCL that spans traditional disciplines, saw the introduction of the first engineering teaching laboratory in the UK, and has reimagined how engineering is taught globally.
The programme built around the four themes of climate, healthcare, data and inequality has been designed to be highly interactive, with opportunities to do rather than just see. An augmented reality app, which festivalgoers can access on a smartphone or tablet, will help to bring the environment to life.
The main family days will be on 19 and 20 July in Bloomsbury, with an industry showcase on 18 July. Activities for young people, schools and community groups will take place throughout the week, including at Here East on 15 July and UCL East on 16 July. Events will also take place at UCL PEARL, a unique facility to explore how people interact with their environment, in Dagenham on 17 July.
The Festival will feature over 80 demonstrations and workshops, 22 spotlight events, and 20 labs will be open to school groups.
Some of the highlights of the Festival include:
Alongside the interactive events will be a series of talks aimed at the general public, from big questions like Can Engineers Save the World? to quickfire presentations by current UCL students on their area of research.
Professor Clare Elwell, co-organiser of the Festival from UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, said: Engineering at UCL is all about solving real-world problems. We are led by the challenges that need to be met, whether they be in medicine, sustainability or computing. It goes way beyond what people may see as the traditional engineering disciplines, really it covers all of life.
We are delivering the Festival to engage a range of audiences with how engineers are creating future worlds, both physical and digital. We want people to see that engineering is fundamentally collaborative. Its about working with end users to create new solutions for the most pressing issues facing humanity.
The Festival is about the engineers of the future in more ways than one. There will be sessions on the recently launched Foundation Year in Engineering and on apprenticeships. Both of these initiatives are designed to provide multiple entry points into engineering, particularly for communities underserved by further and higher education.
Professor Elpida Makrygianni MBE, Head of Education Engagement at UCL Engineering, said: Were delighted to welcome young people, teachers and families to the Festival to experience a fully interactive programme of events built around creating a happier, greener and fairer society.
We invite young people to discover modern engineering and navigate through the wealth of fascinating, diverse and wide-ranging career pathways. We hope that the festival gives them a better understanding of what it is that engineers do and their significance to society and our planet, in solving global challenges. We want to inspire young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to want make a difference through engineering.
Across the week, the Festival will engage a wide range of groups who influence and are influenced by engineering. There will be a launch event on Monday 15 July for policymakers and industry celebrating UCL Engineerings role in innovation and impact.
E: m.midgley [at] ucl.ac.uk
See the article here:
How We Tell Stories | Department of Mechanical Engineering – UMD Mechanical Engineering
As we tell inspiring, real-world stories of research and educational initiatives, our purpose is to show impact. How is our work shaping a field? What applications will it support? How could it aid a business or industry in developing new products? Does it support public sector priorities, such as reining in environmental hazards and ensuring a sustainable future? Does it meet the national need for a highly skilled STEM workforce? Does it build opportunities, including for students who may come from disadvantaged backgrounds? Most importantly, how will it benefit peoplethat is, improve health, well-being, safety, and quality of life? We keep questions like these in the forefront as we communicate our news.
That includes, for example, examining the ways our faculty and researchers are responding to the clean energy challenge by providing a framework for the safe use of hydrogen energy. Or pointing to soft robotics research that could yield minimally invasive options for eye or brain surgery. Or showcasing new technologies developed through the Maryland Industrial Partnership Program. Or highlighting our GOALKits program, which has provided thousands of young people in Maryland and Washington, D.C., with experiential learning activities that teach engineering fundamentals. Across areas ranging from AI and robotics to quantum and nanotech, the world looks to our department for pioneering research and education.
Finally, we share stories of the aspirations and achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students. As they progress in their careers, whether as engineers or as consultants, executives, policymakers, or thought leaders, we bring them back to speak to the professional values that they learned while students in our department and showcase their continued engagement, including philanthropic support of scholarships, team-based design experiences, and career development.
You can engage with our stories through multiple channels: news articles and features on our website; our electronic newsletter, ME News; our social media platforms; and our annual print magazine, Metrics. We look forward to learning of your story!
Robert Herschbach Communications Manager Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Maryland
Read the original post:
How We Tell Stories | Department of Mechanical Engineering - UMD Mechanical Engineering
Software Engineering, Startup Thinking – InformationWeek
Faster, iterative software development means getting faster feedback from end-users, instead of spending more time in search of developing the perfect piece of software. The reality is that most software that is created is ultimately never used, so the key is to avoid making software that isnt used.
Software developers have a better chance of achieving this if the software they are creating has been tested often by end-users and tailored to be as engaging and valuable as possible.
Benjamin Brial, founder of Cycloid.io, explains that for any large organization, developing a startup approach to innovation is about people, tools and culture. Only by challenging accepted patterns in these areas can they then start to think about changing their mindsets, he says in an email interview.
This first requires breaking down the silos that exist and forming agile relationships between development and operations teams that can accelerate delivery of software to support business operations and improve customer experience.
Second, its about attracting the best people by showing them that the developer experience in the organization is both rewarding and liberating and ensuring that they are empowered to do the best job they were hired to do.
Related:What IT Leaders Can Learn From Shadow IT
Thirdly, as with any work culture -- remote or hybrid -- its about knowing where to find what you need and how to collaborate with other teams in the organization, he says.
From Brial's perspective, tooling is a great place to start, so organizing them in a way that helps with the culture is a huge step forward. In a multi-cloud, multi-vendor environment, there isnt going to be one tool that does it all so the key is to allow teams to use the tools they love and automate as much as possible to remove the repetitive tasks, he says.
Kirsten Paust, senior vice president at Fortive Business System Office, says that an emphasis on the importance of iterative development, where continuous feedback loops support to refine and improve products and processes over time, is also critical.
Its central to how we bring new innovations to market, not only as a means of efficiency but as a core strategy for delivering impactful outcomes in software development and innovation, she explains in an email interview.
She admits driving any kind of innovation within established companies can be a challenge. I think of fostering a startup mentality as a requirement in cultivating a successful innovation-first strategy," she says.
This type of lean mentality emphasizes agility, risk-taking, and rapid iteration -- all key components of thinking outside the box and bringing creativity to the forefront.
Related:NY Tech Week Talks Software Development and the New Era of AI
Brial says the challenge for organizations trying to adopt a more agile approach is that there are often simply too many silos, not enough skilled people, and a saturated technology market with too many tools.
Turning around a culture like this that prohibits scale is time-consuming and takes on average, three years to achieve, he says.
Given that the end goal of developing a more agile approach is to generate untrammeled innovation across an organization, getting the culture right is critical.
He explains that developers need an environment where they have the confidence to innovate and contribute back to their community, help grow the business, improve their skill sets and further their careers without being limited by the people, practices and tools around them.
Paust notes that often, the emphasis on standardized processes can stifle creativity and lead to an aversion to risk.
Established companies should aim to harness the creative capacity for people and embrace change as a means to achieve better outcomes, she says. "Understanding and managing change is critical."
Related:Can Your Developers Benefit from Platform Engineering?
By providing a systematic approach to continuous improvement and a framework to guide their teams through each stage of software development, from idea generation to delivery, its possible to inspire teams to continuously improve and create great outcomes no matter the scale.
Paust says another best practice is to implement internal programs to create ideas and test and deliver solutions, as these are crucial for balancing agility with quality and scalability.
She points toprograms like Fortives hackathons and their partnership with Pioneer Square Labs in Seattle are critical to bringing employees together for intensive problem-solving activities and in environments where there is no hierarchy, just a focus on unlocking new value.
I believe these practices can help leaders, teams and the entire company embrace change, she says.
Brial says he recommends fostering an environment where cross-functional teams bring together individuals from different departments like development, operations and security, to work collaboratively toward a common goal.
This requires cross-training, where team members can gather knowledge and skills in areas beyond their core expertise.
Developers learn about infrastructure and operations, while operations engineers gain insights into software development practices.
This cross-pollination of skills builds an understanding and sense of empathy between teams, he says.
Brial says every layer of an IT department should be moving toward everything as code, noting provisioning and deploying (and then managing) any type of software is costly, time-consuming and complex.
Everything as code applies the same principles of version control, testing, and deployment to enhance maintainability and scalability of all aspects of the development lifecycle, including networking infrastructure, documentation, and configuration.
This increases speed and scale exponentially since machines can execute code far faster than humans can perform tasks, and if done right, it can also eliminate human error and repetitive work, he says.
Read the original: