Michigan: Proposal 1 2015

In the state of Michigan, the economy hasn’t been too great, and their roads, schools, and local governments are paying for it. There is a new proposition for the state that could turn this around. Now, keep in mind, I am not from Michigan and I’ve never been there before. I don’t have any personal experience with the economy and infrastructure in Michigan. I had to do some research and read several articles about this particular issue.

The proposal is just mentioned is Proposal 1 of Michigan, to be voted on by the people of Michigan on May 5^th, 2015. The proposal, if passed, would accomplish several things:

o   It would raise the sales tax one percent (from six percent to seven percent).

o   It would raise the gas tax (possibly doubling the tax over time)

o   It would raise vehicle registration fees and get rid of special vehicle registration discounts.

o   It would raise the earned income tax credit for low income families.

o   The revenue (a projected $2 billion) would fund mostly the state’s transportation by building new roads and restoring existing roads (Figure 1).

Figure 1
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/04/michigan_roads_proposal_1_foru.html

o   The revenue would also fund the School Aid Fund.

o   Community colleges and tech schools would be able to use the School Aid Fund.

o   The state would introduce competitive bidding on road projects.

With all of these points to consider, there are those who are opposed to Proposal 1. Those who are against the proposal claim that 40% of the additional $2 billion per year would go to the state’s special interests. The average impact on each household per year would be from $450 to $500 in additional costs. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is in debt, and those against the proposal fear all their money will just go toward the MDOT debt. Raising taxes could negatively impact tourism. Many other bills are connected to the proposal, which is also a lot to consider. One impact that would be made, not specified in Proposal 1, but in a connected bill would create an unelected Authority to handle the extra revenue. Those opposed do not feel safe having an unelected Authority conducting their tax dollars.

Those who are for Proposal 1 have their reasons as well. Those who want to vote yes on the proposal think that the benefits outweigh the costs. The extra revenue would improve their roads and fund schools so their children get a better education. Low-income families would be compensated through tax credit for the additional strain on money. Also, a portion of the funding would go to local governments and help pay for the salaries of policemen and firefighters. Raising the tax by only one percent isn’t too much for those for the tax, and they think it’s a great way to improve their future.

After looking at both sides of the issue, as a civil engineer (in training) I believe it is in Michigan’s best interest to vote yes on Proposal 1. It’s true that a significant chunk of the extra revenue would not go to roads, but that 40% includes the School Aid Fund and other good causes. The average impact on each household might seem large, but spread through out a whole year makes the impact only $37.50 to $41.67 more each month. For some families this might make things tight, so the proposal also raises the earned income tax credit for those low income families. This would help compensate for the additional $40 a month. There’s a lot of good that could come from this proposal for raising the cost of a few things (tax, gas, and vehicle registration). The additional $2 billion will go a long way in improving the future and infrastructure of Michigan. Engineers always try to look for a brighter future for the public.

Raising the Bar

In the past few years, the field of civil engineering has introduced a new movement. This movement is called Raise the Bar. This initiative is meant to promote state licensure laws to change so that future civil engineers can better serve the public and protect the public’s safety and welfare. This movement is backed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (Figure 1), the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

Figure 1:  ASCE supports Raise the Bar

The goal of this movement is to create higher standards for civil engineers when they apply for their engineering license so that civil engineers will be better prepared to protect the public and more equipped to handle future challenges. Currently, to be licensed as a civil engineer, you need to have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from an accredited college. Raise the Bar urges state licensure laws to require, in addition to the bachelor’s degree, either a master’s degree in engineering, or an additional 30 credits of graduate or upper level undergraduate classes.

Those who support Raise the Bar have several reasons for wanting states to require higher standards. The field of engineering is growing rapidly. There are more subfields of civil engineering than there were when the state licensure laws were made. There is also much deeper knowledge in these subfields than there used to be. A growing society, with old infrastructure creates many challenges that future engineers will have to face. Society requires engineers to improve and restore our infrastructure. Engineers have to maintain our infrastructure in several ways, including repairing and trying to avoid underground pipe damage. New challenges that could be appearing in the near future include making transportation more efficient, create aesthetically pleasing structures, and inventing new sewage systems for new cities. Another challenge for future civil engineers is to decide when to just repair a system or when to completely replace it. All of these challenges will affect the public and it’s the duty of civil engineers to keep the public safe and healthy (Figure 2).

Figure 2
Source: wonderfulengineering.com

These new challenges in addition to old knowledge are considered to be too much to possibly learn within four years. Because civil engineers directly impact the public’s welfare, society also expects more from them. Further education would help civil engineers to be more capable of protecting the public. In addition to greater knowledge, extended education would also lead to better developed leadership skills so engineers could direct teams more efficiently on a project.

The Raise the Bar movement indicates that in the future, prospective engineers might be required to become masters of planning, designing, construction, sustainability, integrating and inventing new technology, managing risk, and leading in public policy. The impact of this initiative may be longer schooling and more money spent by future civil engineers. A longer education is reasonable, given the direct impact on the public. In comparison, becoming a doctor takes many years of schooling because the public wants their doctors to have vast knowledge to ensure society’s safety. Civil engineering has a similar effect, just not as noticeable by the public. Raise the Bar ultimately leads to safer communities.

Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes, though not discovered recently, are still being explored after its initial discovery (1950-1990).  For this reason, I still consider carbon nanotubes as new technology or a new discovery. Carbon nanotubes have so many attributes, which I will get to later. First, I will give you a description of what they are. Second, I will provide some of the many applications of carbon nanotubes. Thirdly, I will list the pros and cons of carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes are man- made cylindrical carbon molecules. Refer to Figure 1 below. Carbon nanotubes can be up to several millimeters long, but their diameter is measured in just a few nanometers. To put that in perspective, the width of a carbon nanotube is about 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Carbon nanotubes can be categorized as either single walled carbon nanotubes or multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes have exceptional strength, absorbing capabilities, heat conductors, and unique electrical properties. Carbon nanotubes for structural purposes are also extremely expensive. They cost about $20/ gram whereas the cost of steel is about $0.0004/ gram.

Figure 1
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotube#Discovery

 

Because of carbon nanotubes’ many attributes, they can be used in multiple ways in several different fields of work. Due to their absorption properties, carbon nanotubes could potentially be used to clean up oil spills. The strength of carbon nanotubes can be used in multiple ways. Carbon nanotubes can be spun into a thread that can then be made into bullet proof shirts. Carbon nanotubes could act as scaffolding for bone growth in the health care field. In the field of civil engineering, I’m most intrigued by carbon nanotubes being able to fill cracks that occur in conventional concrete. Recently, carbon nanotubes have been put into paint that is then applied to concrete to prevent or repair cracks. This serves to reinforce the strength of the concrete and make the concrete more durable.

Carbon nanotubes have great potential. Their many uses create enormous potential. Carbon nanotubes have a tensile strength 100 times stronger than steel. They can work to reinforce concrete and steel. Carbon nanotubes can also store electricity, possibly leading to more efficient batteries in the future. Their strong absorption abilities could lead to cleaning up oil spills. Although, strong absorption capabilities could lead to trouble if humans came into contact with them, posing as a serious health risk. Carbon nanotubes could cause a serious environmental risk due to the lack of research on the effects of carbon nanotubes. There are a lot of ways to create carbon nanotubes, but there hasn’t really been a way to mass produce carbon nanotubes. Thus the price is extremely unreasonable. Also, any defect in a carbon nanotube can decrease its strength by up to 85%. This could lead to unpredictability strength wise.

In conclusion, carbon nanotubes maybe an enormous part of the future, but at this point there is not enough research for them to be safe to use. Further research could lead to the specialization of this nanotechnology for each of its specific purposes. A mass production technique needs to be designed to lessen the cost of nanotubes as well. In the field of civil engineering, as interesting as carbon nanotubes are, they’re not economically efficient. In comparison, steel is strong enough and very cheap. Carbon nanotubes are simply unnecessary and unrealistic at this point in time. Through further development though, carbon nanotubes could play a huge role in our future.

The field of Civil Engineering has several different subfields. These include structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, water resources, and environmental engineering.

Structural engineering is exactly what it sounds like. That area of engineering concerns load bearing structures such as bridges, buildings, and other large and necessary structures.

Geotechnical engineering is has a lot to do with the foundations of large structures. Knowing how easily soil will crumple or compact is extremely important when both building and designing structures.

Transportation engineering is concerned with any movement of people and goods. This includes, but is not limited to roads, railroads, subways, airports, and pipelines.

Water resources engineering tries to minimize water demands and maximize available water. Demands of water are becoming greater and greater while our water supplies are only decreasing. Water resources engineering also works with nanotechnology to clean water and make it safe for drinking.

Environmental engineering works with water resources engineering a lot as environmental engineers try to minimize humans’ impact on the earth. Environmental engineers help with construction oversight, project management, site investigation and sampling, and system operation and management.

Materials engineering is a common part of all of these subfields of civil engineering (as illustrated in Figure 1). Materials engineering tests and makes regulations for all materials used in engineering. This includes concrete, steel, timber, soils, and polymers (plastics). Material engineers make sure materials are durable and long lasting. They also invent new materials that better suit the needs of humans.

Figure 1

 

So! Now that you know a little more about the different subfields of civil engineering, what makes a good civil engineer? Civil engineers are expected to have many skills that can be applied to a variety of projects. Engineers have to be good at math, know general physics laws, and be able to communicate effectively. Since civil engineers will be designing systems and structures, they have to know how to organize and create plans, drawings, blueprints, and other specs.

In addition to this, an engineer is never done learning. Because technological advancements are being made all the time, civil engineers have to make sure they stay up to date with all of the technology and updated regulations of materials and processes. Civil engineers also have to be knowledgeable of building and construction processes. It wouldn’t make sense for a civil engineer to be telling construction workers what to build, when the civil engineers haven’t the faintest idea of how to build it. That would surely lead to mistakes and failures.

In the civil engineering world, mistakes have dire consequences and can be very dangerous. Civil engineers pride themselves on working as a team to carry out a project. Civil engineers check each other’s work, once, twice, three times. Calculations are verified and verified again. Civil engineers put together huge portfolios (I’m talking inches thick) spelling out every minute detail of a project. Thus, civil engineers have to have leadership skills, be active listeners, be able to work as a team, and be complex problem solvers.

Civil engineers expect great things of themselves and of their colleagues, and I am so excited to be a part of it all.