Responsible Engineering: Victor Paschkis versus Werner von Braun

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Stephen Unger <unger () cs columbia edu>
> Date: December 5, 2009 4:51:21 PM EST
> To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Responsible Engineering: Victor Paschkis versus Werner von  
> Braun

> Dave,
>
> Here is an item to consider for ip.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Steve
> ...........
>
> "'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not
> my department,' says Wernher von Braun". So go the lyrics of the Tom
> Lehrer song. They neatly capture the notion that engineers and applied
> scientists should confine themselves to solving technical problems
> assigned to them by organizational superiors. Defining the problems
> and deciding what should be done with the solutions is not something
> they should be concerned with.
>
> In contrast, Victor Paschkis, a distinguished Professor of Mechanical
> Engineering, cared very much about where the rockets came down. He
> championed the idea that engineers should feel personally responsible
> for the consequences of their work. As one of those personally
> influenced by him, I briefly sketched some of the ideas and
> achievements of this very interesting man in an essay accessible at
> http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~unger/myBlog/endsandmeansblog.html
>
> Steve
> ............
>
> Stephen H. Unger
> Professor Emeritus
> Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
> Columbia University
> ............



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