A Point of Conflict in
Engineering
A lot of conflict arises when it
comes down to inspections. Just like a
college student during cleaning checks, there can be a lot of tension when an
inspector comes to visit a large power plant.
Even small imperfections in some equipment can be costly. However, some of these imperfections, if left
unchecked, can be catastrophic. Thus,
the conflict is between money and level of risk.
Topics of Invention in Engineering
Imagine a small power plant
company, called EnergyGive, has a monthly safety inspection performed by one of
their engineers, Bob. EnergyGive has
been struggling financially the past year, so it has implemented budget cuts. Bob is performing one of his inspections one
day when he observes some small cracks forming in the base to one of the power
generators. These cracks will cost a lot
to repair. He may say something to this
extent to his superiors:
“We
have been under compliance for the past several inspections. This month I have observed possible issues
that can impede future success. There
are small foundational cracks forming at the base of Generator D. In order to remain under compliance, these
cracks need to be addressed as soon as possible. If nothing is done, these cracks can
propagate and cause equipment failure. I
have investigated the reparation costs, and it would be prudent to address this
issue in a timely manner before those costs increase.”
Analysis:
Bob made sure that his superiors
understood the advantages of repairing the cracks. In this context, it was crucial that he
present himself in a deliberative
manner to help encourage action. He emphasized
the future problems that could arise using an antecedent/ consequence common topic of invention. Additionally, he refers to compliance, which
is following prescribed standards set by governmental agencies, in connotation
to law.
I loved your reference to cleaning checks as I was a resident assistant for the freshman my first year here at BYU. I never thought in terms of rhetoric or topics of invention at that time, but thinking back I now see that the analysis you did here was similar to my situation as an RA.
ReplyDeleteComparing the inspection to a BYU cleaning check really made the scenario relateable. I think it would have been difficult to describe with out your use of metaphor. Nice work.
ReplyDelete