2015 Issue

39 ENGINEERING SOCIETIES | continued on page 40 neers. The American Society of Civil Engineers would join in 1916. The completion of this building in 1907 was a stepping stone to a change in status of engineering. In Houston, the Houston Engineer- ing and Sciences (HESS) Club began in 1918, and local engineering societies now use the building for meetings [18]. B. Genesis of new recognition of engineering’s economic value Engineering blossomed at the onset of the 20th century. The Olds automobile plant opened in Detroit, and Marconi succeeded with his first transatlantic radio transmission in 1901. The Wright Broth- ers completed their first flight in1903. Industrial scale production of ammonia for fertilizer began in 1913. One of the most basic ideas of materials characterization is hardness testing (material strength); the Brinnel harness test was introduced in 1900 and later perfected by Rockwell and others. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914. Electrification of American cities was minimal at the onset of the 20th century and not substantially completed until 1920. Electrifica- tion of rural American was not completed until later in the century. Figure 1 During this boom period after the turn of the century, engineering societies had growing influence as best evidenced by a letter from President WoodrowWilson in early 1916 [3] to the presidents of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers and the American Chemical Society. He asked for a recommendation by each society president of a member fromeach state for “organizing themanufacturing re- sources of the country for the public service in case of emergency”. The United States enteredWorldWar I less than threemonths later. This letter demonstrates that engineering had become necessary. The period from the latter half of the 19th and the early half of the 20th century is the period duringwhichmost engineering disciplines evolved as we know them today (aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering). The dominant engineering societies were formed in a historical sequence as shown in Figure 2. C. Progression of the engineering profession to creating codes and standards and towards differentiation by technical focus One of the first widely promulgated standards for engineering was driven by public health needs, the scourge of tuberculosis, the leading domestic infectious diseases in 1900 [6]. In 1910 the Chicago Department of Health, the Chicago Public School System, and the American Society of Heating and Ventilation Engineers (now ASHRAE) began work on ventilation that resulted in a model ventilation code requiring 30 CFMper person in 1914. ASHVE con- tinued leadership in ventilation by establishing the ASHVE Bureau of Research in 1919 at the US Bureau of Mines in Pittsburg. Not only was ASHVE leading the technical aspect of public health, the lab employed one of the first American women with a mechanical engineering degree [7]. The incidence of tuberculosis dramatically declined with widespread introduction of codes for adequate ven- tilation, a major impact on mankind. In the 19th century, there were thousands of boiler explosions causing significant loss of life. In 1865, the boiler explosion on the SS Sultana killed 1800 in Memphis. However, the call to action came from the 1905 boiler explosion in the Grover Shoe Factory in Brockton, Massachusetts that killed 58 and injured many more. As a result, the concept of an ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code originated in 1911 and came into being in 1915 [8]. With today’s reliance on the autoclave in fighting Ebola, the safety provided by ASME compliant equipment is still helping solve the latest health crisis. Tens of thousands of volunteers have contributed to this code for a century, making another major impact upon mankind. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) included all self-powered vehicles, including early aviation [16]. Figure 2 D. Introduction of professional liscensure Akin to the need for standards and codes for equipment, the state of Wyoming began licensing individual engineers in 1907. Other states soon followed and formed the Council of State Boards of Engineering in 1920 (now NCEES). The National Society of Profes- sional Engineers was formed in 1934. Today this license is known as the Professional Engineer (PE). During World War II, engineering licensure was overlooked, and this practice persists in that licensure is not required for federal employees. Engineers involved in work within large corporations