Since I am an ICEX student, my country-based research project is focused on Malta and more specifically focused on the Archaeological Knowledge about Cisterns and Water Management. My research started out online reading through papers that I found on Google Scholar about water management and irrigation techniques in Malta. Most of these papers were about current events in the last 100 years and only a very brief sentence or two about the history of the water crisis. A reference in one of the papers led to me to library to skim through the book The Building of Malta 1530-1795 by Quentin Hughes. This book covers the architecture of Malta and the history of how the country was built. It also contains some history about cisterns. There were other books that I stumbled across that contained more information about the cisterns and other means of water management in Malta during the early development of the country. (Refer to the references of the names and authors of these books). I would definitely recommend my ICEX peers to check these books out due to the extensive knowledge in all areas about Malta. It was however difficult to find extensive research on cisterns and the development of them. Most of the books and essays that I read just mentioned that they were used and also mentioned the popular ones that were discovered.
A little history on Malta’s water crisis starts as far back as history records human activity on the island. This is estimated to be around 3,000 BC. I found that recordings state that Malta had a higher percentage of fresh water during this time, but about this time is when the supply of fresh water began to disintegrate due to the habitation of humans. Basically, humans began to remove vegetation in order to build communities. This change in terrain slowly caused the movement of soil during the rainy season, which is from August till March, creating a rockier landscape. With a rockier terrain, water was not easily absorbed by the earth and resulted in run-offs into the ocean versus absorption of the fresh water in the earth to fill up springs and natural underwater wells. It was about this time that the Maltese began to collect water through cisterns or tanks.
One of the popular discoveries of water supplies was the Misqa Tanks. These tanks were found to be about 200 meters inland from the Mnajdra temples. In the book The Building of Malta 1530-1795 by Quentin Hughes, it states that these tanks are a system of dug out water cisterns used to capture rainwater and transport it underground to the Mnajdra temples by solely using gravity. It is unknown when these cisterns were built because their construction is unlike other cisterns that fall in the categories Bronze Age, Roman, medieval, or modern. These tanks were designed to fill quickly by surface run-off during the raining season (Trump 1972).
Other cisterns have been found on the island of Malta and are described to be bell-shaped. Specifically, a series of cisterns in Luqu village were found and measured up to 3.4 meters in diameter and 4 meters deep. Two of the series of cisterns found contained Bronze Age pottery and Malta’s prehistoric vegetation (Trump 1972). Another example of how cisterns were used to manage the water crisis was a discovery of tanks that were found in the basement of houses. Each of these houses had a special channel that directed water from the roof to an underground cistern (Hughes 1956).
References
D. H. Trump (1972). Malta: An Archaeological Guide (Archaeological Guides).
London: Faber and Faber
Hughes J. Quentin (1956). The building of Malta during the period of the
knights of St. John of Jerusalem 1530-1795. London: Alec Tiranti Ltd.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Research Progress Report #1 - Egypt
For this country-based research project, I wanted to look into Egypt. First, I had wanted to take a look at the social standing of the engineers in Egypt but then I thought the history would be more interesting to look at. It would be interesting to see the effects that the history had on the current.
So far my research about Egypt has shown me that there is influence from the French and the British, This is demonstrated in “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”. This to me was interesting because as we learned in class and through the readings, France and Britain have different views when it comes to what engineering means, who is an engineer and the qualifications are also different. I have read one article on this topic and I’m actually pretty excited to see how the construction of engineering is today and how these two different countries together helped shape engineering in Egypt. The article also explains how after World War II nationalism also affected Egypt and the control of the British in Egypt. The article also goes on to explain why the British were there. They did not want to fully lose control of Egypt because then they would lose access to the Suez Canal (20). Even though they were not willing to part with that control they allowed Egypt to establish it as an “independent monarchy “ but they were still involved in Egypt. They allowed the monarchy because they saw the “… nationalist unrest of the 191 Revolution” (20) I also want to see how the Suez canal was involved in the Britain’s interest in Egypt. This also makes me winder if there were any other underlying motivations and what were the motivations of the French. I also want to investigate and understand why there was a Nationalist Revolution in 1919 and what acts led to it.
While researching the history of Egypt I also came across a lot of article the spoke of political protests in colleges and they involved mechanical engineers professors. That surprised me and I would be interested to see how the history of Egypt helped shape that as well. At the same time, I want to look into engineering before the French and the British became involved. The beginning of the article, “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”, the beginning of the article begins with,” modern engineering education in Egypt…” (18) To me the raises the question what is pre modern engineering education in Egypt? Also, what makes the education “not modern”? These questions support my thesis question and will help me in my research. Did these views affect how the Egyptians saw themselves and their history?
Something that I would also like to look into would how the French and British impacted the culture. It is through education that the minds of the young people are impacted. Did this create a different generation with different ideas? How did this affect the community? The people of Egypt may have protested to the control of the British in Egypt and how all of these ideas tie into the history if engineering the Egypt.
Works Cited:
El-Sayed, O.L., J. Lucena, and G. Downey. "Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt." IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 25.2 (2006): 18-25. Print.
So far my research about Egypt has shown me that there is influence from the French and the British, This is demonstrated in “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”. This to me was interesting because as we learned in class and through the readings, France and Britain have different views when it comes to what engineering means, who is an engineer and the qualifications are also different. I have read one article on this topic and I’m actually pretty excited to see how the construction of engineering is today and how these two different countries together helped shape engineering in Egypt. The article also explains how after World War II nationalism also affected Egypt and the control of the British in Egypt. The article also goes on to explain why the British were there. They did not want to fully lose control of Egypt because then they would lose access to the Suez Canal (20). Even though they were not willing to part with that control they allowed Egypt to establish it as an “independent monarchy “ but they were still involved in Egypt. They allowed the monarchy because they saw the “… nationalist unrest of the 191 Revolution” (20) I also want to see how the Suez canal was involved in the Britain’s interest in Egypt. This also makes me winder if there were any other underlying motivations and what were the motivations of the French. I also want to investigate and understand why there was a Nationalist Revolution in 1919 and what acts led to it.
While researching the history of Egypt I also came across a lot of article the spoke of political protests in colleges and they involved mechanical engineers professors. That surprised me and I would be interested to see how the history of Egypt helped shape that as well. At the same time, I want to look into engineering before the French and the British became involved. The beginning of the article, “Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt”, the beginning of the article begins with,” modern engineering education in Egypt…” (18) To me the raises the question what is pre modern engineering education in Egypt? Also, what makes the education “not modern”? These questions support my thesis question and will help me in my research. Did these views affect how the Egyptians saw themselves and their history?
Something that I would also like to look into would how the French and British impacted the culture. It is through education that the minds of the young people are impacted. Did this create a different generation with different ideas? How did this affect the community? The people of Egypt may have protested to the control of the British in Egypt and how all of these ideas tie into the history if engineering the Egypt.
Works Cited:
El-Sayed, O.L., J. Lucena, and G. Downey. "Engineering and Engineering Education in Egypt." IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 25.2 (2006): 18-25. Print.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Research Progress Report #1 - Joseph White: Gender & Racial Differences in Malta
I will be researching the areas of gender and race differences in Malta. This will focus on positions of these demographics in both professional and households fields as well as in, specifically, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. One note: in the household environment, I have found that domestic violence is exceedingly prevalent. It seems that this fact may give a sign as to where the rest of these topics currently lie. These topics will also include historical as well as contemporary patterns of these statuses.
I am currently focused on various papers which include topics such as slavery (historical) and SAIL, a multicultural engineering project initiative (contemporary) to name just a couple. Other papers I have found do not focus directly on these topics, but I hope to find useful information within them such as specific breakdowns by year of things including population, or gender and age of political offices. This data is given for many consecutive years; therefore, I hope to see some kind of pattern or maybe see a drastic change in women’s or other civil rights as time progresses, possibly even correlating with times of other civil rights movements around the world. Interestingly, Malta did not grant women suffrage until the late 1940’s (compare this to the 1921 granting of women’s suffrage in the US). Women also did not have equal right in family law until the 1990s. It will be interesting to see how these comparatively late movements for women play into their current place in the professional fields. In regards to this, I have found that at the very least, women are extremely under-represented in management positions.
It is a bit difficult to find data due to a small amount of research done on these topics in Malta. Another challenge is looking specifically for STEM areas of interest when they concern women or people of color. This is due to the fact that most papers or sources of information simply talk about the field and the research done, rather than who is performing the research: making it difficult to identify how significant a role women and people of color played in these fields.
Concepts and themes I am focusing on include whether or not there is a significant segregation in the workforce based upon gender or ethnicity (especially in STEM fields). The approach I have found (and believe will be) most successful is not to look for articles relating to STEM and see if they touch on the subjects I am focused on: this is unrealistic. But rather look for articles focusing on women and people of color in Malta, and STEM fields will be a bonus.
I have also found a prevalence of contemporary articles as opposed to historical articles. This, I believe is for 2 reasons. One, research from Malta is somewhat rare and most research has occurred in the recent past. Second, there is more of a focus now than ever on STEM fields which promotes further publications of such topics.
I hope to narrow down my searching and specify what I should be concentrating on based on knowledge I gain from some of the articles I have. A lot of the (somewhat) historical data has given me a better idea of what to look for in regards to these topics.
Research Progress Report #1 Engineering in Turkey
For my country based research project I am going to take an in depth look at how the history of Turkey and its attempt at assimilation into the culture of Europe, has influenced the formation of engineering practices.
In large part the formation of Turkey's engineering education was in response to the Ottoman Empire's loss of power as the nations of Europe rose in world power in the 17th and 18th centuries. The French model of engineering highly influenced the blueprint of Turkish engineering, for example French became a required language in the military schools! After World War I the Ottoman lands were divided among the nations of Europe, increasing Europe's influence on Turkey. However soon after Turkey fought for its Independence and became the first republic in the Middle East in 1923. Quickly moving through its history, after World War II, the number of engineering students in Turkey continued to grow and therefore more and more universities were being established. One specific term I will be discussing in this project in the concept of liberalization. In the 1970's Turkey experienced one of its worst economic crisis, which included high inflation and unemployment rates. However what occurred consequently benefited the country exponentially. The government began a process of liberalizing the economy, which meant the economic focus became exporting instead of importing. The results of this shift in focus included, modernization in infrastructure (bridges, roads, etc. which calls for more engineers!) and an explosion of universities. These historical events play a prominent role in the development of engineering education. Turkey was prompted by Europe to engage in advancement for its engineers, but was also highly influenced by European methods, especially the French.
Another unique characteristic of engineering practices in Turkey is the inclusion of women in the engineering work force. After the establishment of the Republic, the government installed a series of legislation to "modernize" Turkey and the head of the country thought that reforms which gave women more rights was crucial. This not only paved the way for women in engineering but, began with a series of legislation to give women social rights. By 1930 women were given full political rights.
The European influence on Turkey has led the country to apply for acceptance into the European Union. Turkey's history as a former territory of the multiethnic Ottoman Empire sets it apart from the rest of its primary Islamic neighbors and its possible assimilation into the European Union would set it apart even more. I would like to examine how Europe influenced Turkey's engineering practices and how its movement towards European practices affects society as well. Turkey is a unique case because its engineering history includes the progressive notion of advancement of women in the field of engineering, which sets it a part from the engineering model of Europe. In an article by IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 2006, they examine "how the emergence of the engineering profession in different locations in the world tends to depend upon local ideas of societal development and progress…Because distinct images of progress are taken up within different countries, becoming key features of national identities, the emergence of the engineering profession becomes a key constituent feature of emerging nation states" (9). Therefore in this report I will look at how the engineering practices of Turkey have been formed by a conglomeration of ideas from Turkish society but also those of European societies. I will look into the question of whether this mix of engineering practices has addressed the needs of the Turkish people or whether it was simply a replication of that which was done in Europe.
Tantekin-Ersolmaz, S. Birgul and Ekinci Ekrem. "Engineering and Education Practices in Turkey" IEEE Society and Technology Magazine. Summer 2006: 26-35.
Research Project Report #1: Alana Snelling - Asian Engineering Education
Some of the fastest growing economies, educational systems, and expansion of new ideas have been emerging from Asian countries. To be honest, everything that we buy now comes from an Asian country and is shipped to the United States. Much of their infrastructure is being rebuilt so that they can use the land available to it’s highest potential. The only way to get the highest potential out of the small amount of land available to them, is to use highly skilled engineers that are able to compete amongst others all around the world. This type of skill requires a high status educational system and that is what I plan to study more in depth. My project will be the types of education needed in Asia to become an engineer, what being an engineer means, and how race and social status effect the possibilities of becoming an engineer.
I have read some studies informing me that many of the Asian countries do not have a formal style of engineering accreditation, yet many are moving in the direction of a more formalized western style education. I would like to find out why this is and the specific steps that Asia is taking in this new move. For China specifically, the growth of education for engineering is linked specifically with the growth of China’s economy. Another article claimed that China has the largest amount of students graduating from college than any other country in the world. My interest is in the number of students that graduate from engineering fields. Korea for example is trying to create accredited programs that allow for the students who graduate to become global competitors in the engineering world rather than specifying in techniques that apply only to Korea.
Engineering accreditation within all of the Asian countries seemed to differ slightly depending on many different factors. I believe that this differentiation is due to how education is dealt with in the Asian cultures. In my international political economy class, I learned that children’s education is the most prioritized thing of the family/house in Japan and China. The mother stays home to learn the information that their children are learning so that when the child comes home from school, the mother can then teach their children even more. Privatized after school programs were also put into place that help prepare students at age 5 for a test that will eventually be take at the age of 17. This test then is the ultimate deciding factor of what college they will attend and more importantly the life they they will lead. Another important factor to the level of education for engineering in Asian countries is the religion that the country associates itself with. Some countries may relate their religious ideas to Buddhism or Hinduism. More interestingly is the close connections with religion and political involvement. Many of these countries are regulated by the government who then have the final say in what is accepted and what is not in education. In some countries education may be on lock down by the government, while others lack in any sort of structure. I believe that all of these subjects have very strong impacts on the way Asian Engineering education is formed and how it has been shaped over time. I plan on researching how these cultural and social topics impact engineering education in more depth to grasp a deeper understanding of the engineering education system put into place in Asia.
Reasearch Progress Report 1: Thailand & Technological Development
Research Progress Report #1
For this report, I am planning to focus on the effect of engineering (and specifically, “appropriate technology”) in Thailand. I traveled abroad with the Cal Poly program and did an independent study project with a partner to develop a means of cleaning up the drinking water filtration system. Many Thai citizens collect the water they drink for the entire year during their rainy season from March-June. The water is collected off their roofs, and many currently have it flow directly into the storage tank. This poses a problem because the debris that is now present in the tank can take hours to settle. Our engineering challenge was to develop a means of making a purification system that would not be overly bulky, it had to hold enough water to effectively get the debris out (estimated to take the first 60 liters), and it had to be of reasonably low cost. After deliberating on a solution, we came up with a tank that the water (and debris) would flow into initially. Once the water filled to the top of this initial tank, it would automatically divert into the storage tank, and be safe for immediate drinking. Having worked with the people to see what they needed, we were able to effectively work for a solution, while also working with the current filtration system they had, which consisted of a mesh net to catch the larger debris before it flowed into the main storage tank.
In this report, I would like to focus on the types of engineering projects going on in Thailand. I’d like to investigate engineering practices mainly in the smaller villages. I have researched projects done by Engineers Without Borders (EWB), and I am looking to do more research on Thai-company based engineering work. My proposed thesis I am focusing on is: How is the western world looking to the eastern world with respect to engineering and technology, and how can they help foster a more effective and appropriate engineering style for the systems already in place in the other country? If anyone has suggestions on how I can improve or better focus my thesis, I would love to hear them!
My goal in this paper will be to show how engineering done in the western world (mostly relating to the US), is not directly applicable to the life of a Thai person. Having lived there, I have experienced how the day to day interactions of Thais are very different in comparison to those we have here in the United States. My goal is to expose these differences, and hopefully determine an approach to engineering education and its ability to expand its focus to a more global outlook. From the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal titled Civil Engineering, there is acknowledgment for the need to alter our view of engineering and how we apply it: “As the trend toward a more global and more knowledge-based society continues, the practice of engineering must be changed, and this change must be accomplished through engineering education reform.” As professional societies like EWB and ASCE move toward a more applicable style of engineering, we may be able to see a heightened value of global engineering and alternatives to expensive building.
I am mainly going to journals found on the Cal Poly Library website, and the aforementioned society pages. I will also be looking into the anti-globalization arguments against the application of appropriate technology. If anyone has more suggestions on where to look, I’d be happy to hear them!
Patricia D. Galloway, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, “The 21st-Century Engineer: A Proposal For Engineering Education Reform”. Engineering Education Reform, Civil Engineering. ASCE. November 2007, Pages: 46-47
Progress Report 1: A Revolution?
Is Latin America’s dependency on the United States a result of technology? It can be hard for people to comprehend the notion that technological advancements are not always beneficial but, unfortunately, countless scholars are proving that the development of underdeveloped countries, like Mexico, is due to the United States technological advancements.
Of course, no one can disregard the benefits technology has brought, especially, to the medical field. And the daily chores of the average American have definitely become much less strenuous, or not strenuous at all. However, the majority of the people in underdeveloped worlds, like Latin America, are currently working in worse conditions than if the United States hadn’t had an Industrial Revolution and ignited the movement towards technological advancement because “education, training, science, and technology are all very unevenly distributed through the world” (Arocena 18).
Although, advancements in the medical field have, of course, proven to help people in both developed and under-developed countries, the terrible work conditions in factories and the lack of means for an education are just hitting the surface of reasons why it doesn’t balance out in the end. The life of a factory worker in Mexico is, without a doubt, an undesired life and education is the most promising way to a satisfying life. Technology in Mexico, therefore, hurts the people more than helps them.
So what exactly is appropriate technology in the United States during the 21st century? If the United States has such an overwhelmingly wealth of knowledge within the technical field shouldn’t they be expected to use only technology that benefits the world? Organizations such as, National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) have the right intentions. Their goals entail using new technology to benefit less fortunate people, with culture and environment, always in mind. With that, this introduces the main problem society faces in the field of technology: greed.
The misuse of technology is due to greed. The wealthy business man who only cares about how to turn one dollar in to two dollars is disheartening. The people are forgotten. In Mexico, the people’s culture is not even considered. It is because of greed and so many American’s established independent way of thinking that explains why so many underdeveloped countries are currently stuck in a vicious cycle. For example, “genetic engineering is being used to increase poor people’s dependence on the corporate sector for seeds, agricultural inputs, and produce,reinforcing farmers’ dependence on chemical herbicides and fertilizers” (Arocena 24). When practices, such as this, become installed in to the society it becomes very hard to change and it prevents room for innovation and or small farmer success. Native born American’s do not understand or comprehend other countries more “family” way of thinking.
In my opinion, it is, hands down, the development of technology that led to the “development of the underdeveloped” countries, such as those in Latin America. Frank’s idea “reproduces Baran’s thesis that the extraction of surplus from the periphery by the center limits the for- mer’s ability to grow” (Vernango 555). Suggesting that there was a determined man or woman to end the circle of dependency how would he or she accomplish it? Theotônio dos Santos concluded in his dependency analysis that only “a revolution—would allow a break in the circle of dependency and permit true development in the periphery” (Vernango 555).
Works Cited
Technology, Finance, and Dependency: Latin American Radical Political Economy in Retrospect
Matias Vernengo
Review of Radical Political Economics, Fall 2006; vol. 38: pp. 551-568
Technology, Inequality, and Underdevelopment: The Case of Latin America
Rodrigo Arocena and Peter Senker
Science, Technology & Human Values, January 2003; vol. 28: pp. 15-33
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