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Government Perspectives on Engineering Systems

Moderator: Granger Morgan
Mortimer Downey Pao Chuen Lui Joseph Bordogna SM '60 Mary Good: March 29, 2004; Running Time: 1:48:21

About the Lecture

About the Lecture

Panelists share their diverse experiences, enthusiasm, and occasional frustrations involving complex, government-based engineering projects. Mortimer Downey outlines several expensive, new undertakings – from air traffic control modernization to a total revamping of the Coast Guard – in which an “ESD approach could bring a sense of the possible…how to look for solutions from the perspective that the job can be done.” Pao Chuen (PC) Lui describes Singapore’s amazing feat of land reclamation – literally growing the country by 22% since the 1960s. The nation’s tiny size challenged economic growth and national security so Singapore found unique solutions, including networking its shipping and port business and integrating intelligence command and control for defense, police and fire. Joseph Bordogna tells us, “In considering large-scale, technologically enabled engineered systems, you need to exercise the same vision. From power grids to the web, you need to understand humans and their institutions.” A recent National Science Foundation initiative involved earthquake simulations and building designs that minimize loss of life. Mary Good stresses the importance of shared, up-to-date standards. After the Oklahoma City bombing, “federal officers were on one end of the street and sheriff and locals on the other. The way they communicated was by sending runners. It was back to the Olympics,” because each group had its own telecom equipment. Different government branches duplicate each other’s work, often using competing systems. Good also encourages the “trickle down” of manufacturing design systems from large to small manufacturers, to boost profitability.

Lecture Details

Location: Wong Auditorium

“In considering large-scale, technologically enabled engineered systems, you need to exercise the same vision. From power grids to the web, you need to understand humans and their institutions”

Joseph Bordogna

About the Speakers

Moderator: Granger Morgan

Lord University Professor and Department Head, Engineering and Public Policy; Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Heinz School of Public Policy and Management
College of Engineering

Much of Granger Morgan’s work has involved the development and demonstration of methods to characterize and analyze uncertainty. He has addressed issues in the integrated assessment of climate change impacts and policy. He explores problems such as distributed resources, carbon management, and basic technology research to support clean energy. He has worked extensively in risk analysis, communication and ranking.

Morgan received a B.A. in Physics from Harvard College, an M.S. in Astronomy and Space Science from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics and Information Science from the University of California, San Diego.

He joined Carnegie Mellon University in 1974 and became the head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy in 1977. From 1986 to 1995, he served as the Director of the Carnegie Mellon Program in International Peace and Security.

Mortimer Downey

President of PB Consult Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation

Pao Chuen Lui

Chief Defense Scientist, Ministry of Defense, Singapore
Chairman, Temasek Defense Systems Institute Chairman, Temasek Defense Systems Institute

Joseph Bordogna SM '60

Deputy Director, National Science Foundation

Mary Good

Donaghey University Professor and Dean of the College of Information Science and Systems Engineering
University of Arkansas Former Under Secretary of Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce