Petroski: Engineering essential for innovation

In his latest book, Henry Petroski aims to show how engineering fuels innovation.

Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering, stresses the importance of engineering in the development of new technologies in, “The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems.” He said the linked fields of science and engineering serve distinct purposes, with separate aims and objectives.

“There is a difference between science and engineering,” Petroski said. “The simple dichotomy is that science seeks to understand what is, and engineering seeks to create what never was.”

“There has been a lot of talk in Washington about trying to get the country back to being more innovative,” Petroski said. “Very often, innovation is linked with science. When I hear that, I say, ‘But wait, you’re leaving out an important link in the chain between science and innovation, and that’s engineering.’”

Petroski’s book cites flight and the development of the steam engine as examples of how science and engineering have interacted to produce results. He said he uses history to illustrate how the conventional wisdom—which dictates that purely scientific research leads to innovation—is not always true.

“The linear theory of research and development says that you have scientists doing research and producing scientific results, and then that leads to inventions and innovations and engineering products,” Petroski explained. “It really doesn’t work that way. Very few innovations came from pure scientific ideas.”

Tom Katsouleas, dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, said he believes the University is lucky to have Petroski, who teaches several courses at the University.

“We are very fortunate in the Duke community to have a national treasure like Henry Petroski in our own backyard,” Katsouleas said. “What Henry helps us see is that there is an artistry and a human side to engineering. It is something that both engineers and non-engineers alike can relate to, and that is a unique ability.”

Aiman Kuzmar, one of Petroski’s former doctoral students, said Petroski’s ideas have made an impact in classrooms at other universities across the nation.

“The book elegantly explains why scientists and engineers compliment each other to serve the society,” Kuzmar wrote in an e-mail. “The relationship between science and engineering is very complex, to say the least, but this book explains this interaction between science and engineering in a very practical way.”