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2024-2025 Graduate Academic Catalog
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Applying the Normative Design Approach to Civil Engineering
Get PDFIn 1986, the book Responsible Technology [1] was published as an important compilation from a number of thoughtful Christians engaged in technology and engineering in that era. In many ways, this book and those involved with it laid the foundation for what has become the Christian Engineering Society. A particularly valuable aspect of this work was that it laid out a biblically normative framework for doing engineering based on Herman Dooyeweerd’s modal aspects [2], fleshing out how the higher aspects such as faith, ethics, and justice should play an integral role in engineering development, even though we often have a tendency to think of engineering as “neutral” when it comes to these areas. Over the years, this normative design approach has been used heavily in certain Christian engineering programs, has been referenced in many conference presentations, has been wonderfully unpacked and applied specifically to digital technology [3], and has been recently updated and refreshed [4].
One challenge of applying this framework broadly to all engineering design is that it seems to have been developed with a primary focus on mechanical and electrical design; thus its initial application and much of the subsequent unpacking has been geared toward prototype-style design, i.e. “gadget development,” if you will. As civil engineering programs have been developed and are flourishing at a number of Christian universities, attempts to apply this normative approach to civil projects such as infrastructure development that are more code-based and specification-driven have often felt lacking. However, as a long-time civil engineering educator and licensed professional engineer in civil engineering, I believe these frustrations are not reflective of a lacking framework. Rather, I think there simply has not been much attention given to applying the normative approach to these types of projects. In this paper, I plan to increase the body of work in this area by exploring the design norms through the particular lens of civil engineering with an eye toward code-based infrastructure development. This work will re-examine each of the norms through a civil engineering lens and will likely flesh out particular applications and case studies that should be valuable both for civil engineering students and educators as well as practicing professionals in civil engineering
The Sustainability as Stewardship Framework: A Biblical Model for Addressing Environmental and Social Issues in Engineering Education
Get PDFThe Engineering One Planet (EOP) Framework is a proposed approach for comprehensive sustainability education for engineering programs. It has recently become very popular with and has been heavily supported by ASEE. However, when the authors evaluated this framework for potential implementation in the engineering programs at [Blanked] University, they quickly concluded that (1) there were far too many proposed student outcomes and they were generally far too complex to be reasonably adapted into an existing program, and (2) some components of the framework were either indifferent toward or in conflict with a Biblically based Christian worldview.
The Sustainability as Stewardship (SaS) Framework was developed as a heavy adaptation of the EOP Framework. The most significant adaptation is the restructuring of the framework around the Biblically supported core principle that producing sustainable engineering and technology solutions is a faithful application of the concept of stewarding well the resources God has given us as human beings and designers. Additional adaptations also include simplifications of the categories and a reduction in the number of targeted outcomes in order to better accommodate both ABET expectations and the incorporation of the framework into an existing engineering curriculum. In addition to developing the SaS framework, the authors also built a series of fourteen curriculum modules in order to integrate the framework throughout a civil engineering program’s curriculum, with each module consisting of a single class lecture and follow-up assignments.
Producing sustainable designs ultimately requires an understanding of how design decisions are interrelated with environmental, economic, and societal contexts as well as their impacts on all of society through the global context (modules 2-5, respectively). Through additional modules, students are introduced to the topics of systems thinking, design, and communication & teamwork that are specific and relevant to their field of study. This framework also provided an opportunity to introduce a discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion principles within the context of God-honoring sustainable design. Several modules were developed for each of these topics relevant to the field of civil engineering as a part of this first application of the SaS framework.
The framework and the curriculum modules have been completed and are being offered for the first time during the 2023-24 school year. This paper will present the Biblical basis and overall structure of the framework, as well as a sampling of how the framework could be applied to address some challenging topics related to the environmental design context and design considerations related to the social issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Design in Nature: Observing and Voicing God’s Glory within an Engineering Vocation
Get PDF“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” [Gen. 1:1] The Bible starts with the most colossal, grandiose and formidable engineering feat ever. Without debating the literacy of the account, the Genesis creation story presents a prudent engineering critical path flowchart for filling the earth – making sure all the biological needs of each species are in place before it is called into being, and placement in a setting where arbitrary and unrelated constants of physics are amazingly and inscrutably fine-tuned to the narrow, precise values needed to sustain life. [1] The complexities of the process of creation and its life-sustaining environment is a dramatic engineering feat, much less the intricacy of design embedded in each individual plant, animal, insect, bird or fish. Our universe has all the fingerprints of a designer, whether you look with the naked eye, with a high-powered telescope or a high-powered microscope - from the far-flung galaxies to the microscopic details.
By observing how specific and exact the interworking’s of creation are, its intricacies and precision, one can concede that there must be a Designer. This is acknowledged even by the secular world. Albert Einstein, though not a believer, expressed “I’m not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. … We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.” [2] An agnostic Cambridge University astrophysicist, Fred Hoyle, upon realizing a how narrowly precise a physical parameter had to be to support life, concluded “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.” [3]
As Christians, the forethought and design found in the created world points us directly to God. John Glenn, observing the heavens and the earth from his spacecraft window exclaimed To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.” [4] The Bible tells us that God is revealed in the created world. “For [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” [Romans 1:20 ESV] C.S. Lewis, the legendary scholar and Christian apologist, devoted several pages of his book The Four Loves to the Christian’s relationship with nature. [5] He points out that nature also gives language and meaning to our faith. “Many people – I am one myself – would never, but for what nature does to us, have any content to put into the words we must use in confessing our faith. … If nature had never awakened certain longings in me, huge areas of what I can now mean by the “love” of God would never, so far as I can see, have existed.” The mystery and awe of nature can be a deeply spiritual, emotional experience that evokes divine worship, similar to profoundly moving music, and causes us to recognize and extol the goodness and glory of God. The natural world is a reflection of God’s glory and gives “content to put into the words we must use in confessing our faith.
Next Generation Computing and the Quest for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): A Critical Examination from a Theological Perspective
Get PDFThis paper delves into both the hope and the hype surrounding next generation computing research as a critical pathway for creating true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a quest that has garnered substantial interest and investment from global entities ranging from governments to major corporations. At the heart of this excitement lies the potential of emerging technologies such as neuromorphic computing and spiking neural networks (SNNs) which promise a leap forward in computational power efficiency, miniaturization, and achieving human-level cognition. Neuromorphic computing refers to the design of computer systems inspired by the human brain\u27s structure and function, while Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) are a type of artificial neural network that purportedly mimics the way neurons spike and communicate in biological brains. Research into these technologies is grounded on the assumptions that our current understanding of brain functionality is correct, and that consciousness and cognition are emergent properties resulting from the complex interactions of the physical and chemical processes of the human brain. Many believe that these next generation computing technologies hold the key for bridging the gap between human-level cognitive capabilities and true AGI.
The discussion critically examines the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of these assumptions, focusing on the extent of our understanding of the brain and the implications of viewing the mind as a bi-product or emergent property of the brain’s physical and chemical processes. The paper then explores how these basic assumptions align with a materialistic worldview and contrasts this with a Christian perspective which posits a distinction between mind and body. Furthermore, the paper discusses the role of the Church and Christian higher education in contributing to this field, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that integrates faith perspectives with scientific advancements and expectations. The paper concludes with the emphasis on the crucial role that the Church, in partnership with Christian higher education, plays in ensuring it has a relevant voice regarding the future of AI as our post-modern culture navigates the ethical and philosophical implications of emerging technologies that push the boundaries of our understanding of both artificial and human intelligence
The Calling of the Christian Engineer
Get PDFEngineering faculty at Christian universities have the freedom, opportunity, and responsibility to teach not only the technical knowledge future engineers need but also to delve into the theological aspects and implications of engineering. This work explores the fundamental question, what is the calling of the Christian engineer in Kingdom work? Answering this question equips engineering faculty at Christian universities to deepen the integration of faith and engineering in our teaching. This paper explores the calling of the Christian engineer, beginning with the great commandment from Matthew 22:37 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Recognizing that humankind’s ultimate purpose is to glorify God, this paper examines the calling of the engineer to: reflect the attributes God displays during creation, subdue for God’s glory and participate in the act of creation as a “prophet” of the natural revelation
