High School Engineering/Introduction

Much of our modern society depends on engineered artifacts to function, but many members of modern society are not aware of the engineering techniques and practices that have developed the technology and infrastructure on which we rely. iPods, cell phones, airplanes, bridges, buildings, vehicles, computers, etc. are designed and created by engineers. This textbook introduces engineering techniques and practices to high school students. The goals of this book are to help students gain an appreciation for engineering and its role throughout human history, understand what engineers do, understand the skills and processes engineers bring to their work, and appreciate how the work of engineers shapes and is shaped by their society. The authors hope that this book may inspire students to pursue a career in engineering.

The text is written to meet draft ASEE K-12 standards for engineering. Each chapter corresponds to an outcome in the draft standard. While the standards have not yet been finalized and formally adopted, the wiki format allows the text to evolve in response to changes in the standards, so that the text's content and structure will fully support them.