Abstract
Civil engineering, like nearly all engineering, must act in a way that incorporates both savvy technical design and societal responsibility, being shaped by both performance requirements and also ethical standards. The aim of this research is to determine how engineers define “good” and “responsible” practice in ever shifting societal expectations. As infrastructure, materials, and construction methods continue to evolve, expectations surrounding safety, sustainability, efficiency, and accountability do as well. This thesis tackles that problem from both a technical and sociotechnical perspective, analyzing how engineering decisions are influenced by shifting moral responsibilities and how those values are expressed in real world designs. The technical aspect of this thesis revolves around the development of a proof of concept injection mold system for the construction of a concrete canoe for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) concrete canoe competition. Past work methods rely heavily on hand placement of concrete on a male or female mold. This leads to issues such as inconsistencies in material distribution, increased labor demands, and inefficient production. This project proposes using a custom concrete pump to more precisely place concrete within an injection mold. The goal of the design is to improve uniformity, reduce material waste, increase constructability and enhance the quality of the finish. A series of prototyping and testing evaluates the feasibility of controlled concrete placement, with broader implications for improving fabrication techniques in similar small scale construction contexts. The STS research component of this paper compliments the technical thesis by examining how ethics of past engineering have shifted from those of the 20th century to present day. Moving beyond a historical focus on structural performance and technical innovation the field has increasingly incorporated elements such as environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and worker safety into design metrics. Drawing on Actor Network Theory (ANT), particularly the work of Bruno Latour, the paper defines engineering practice as the product of interactions between both human and non-human actors, including engineers, materials, tools, and institutional structures such as government and media. By examining modern engineering practices within this network the STS paper explores how decisions, particularly within the lens of competition, are influenced by complex networks of social, material, and ethical factors.
