Abstract
Engineering projects are much more than just technical calculations. They depend on systems of people, timelines, and decisions working together toward a shared goal. This connection became clear through both my technical capstone project and my STS research paper. My technical project focused on developing a project execution plan and risk assessment strategy for the University of Virginia McIntire School expansion, while my STS research examined the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse through Actor-Network Theory (ANT). Although one project focused on successful construction planning and the other examined engineering failure, both ultimately explore the same idea: how engineering outcomes depend on the stability of sociotechnical networks.
In my technical project, my team and I developed a construction execution plan for the McIntire School expansion and renovation: a complex project involving historic renovation, new structural construction, underpinning, utility coordination, tunnel sequencing, site logistics, and risk management. The project required evaluating support-of-excavation systems and selecting a secant pile wall system based on site constraints, groundwater conditions, and constructability. Beyond structural design, we created phased site logistics plans and a risk register with proactive mitigation strategies to manage schedule, cost, and safety. This work shows that successful construction depends on far more than the technical engineering calculations. It requires coordination between contractors, designers, subcontractors, university stakeholders, and physical site constraints working together as one interconnected system.
My STS research paper examined the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse and argued that moral responsibility for the collapse should be understood as distributed across a failing network rather than assigned to one individual. Using Actor-Network Theory and distributed responsibility theory, I analyzed how engineers, contractors, design documents, and even visible structural cracking functioned as actors within the network. My argument showed that the collapse resulted not only from design errors but from a larger system that reinforced false confidence, misinterpreted warning signs, and failed to act to protect public safety.
Working on these projects together strengthened my understanding of engineering practice. My technical project showed me what it takes to build and coordinate a stable construction network, while my STS research showed me what happens when that network fails. The STS project made me reflect on the importance of good communication, accountability, and decision-making in my technical work. At the same time, my technical work helped me better understand the complexity of real engineering systems, making the FIU collapse feel less like a simple design failure and more like a systems failure. Together, these projects reinforced that successful engineering is not just about technical accuracy but about managing the relationships, responsibilities, and communication that hold complex projects together.
