The Department of Special Collections at the University of Washington has created an excellent online exhibit documenting the rise and (literal) fall of the Tacoma Narrows bridge in Washington State, an event referred to as the Pearl Harbor of engineering. The massive structure was built between 1938 and 1940 and, at the time of its completion, was the third longest suspension bridge in the world....

Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures (ISIS) is a joint program between several Canadian universities. Its work is spread across such disciplines as "civil, mechanical, materials, aerospace, and electrical engineering." The ISIS Web site has detailed information about four main research focuses, including fibre optic sensors, remote monitoring, innovative structures, and structural...

The Gateway Engineering Education Coalition consists of a group of universities that are concerned with providing high-quality educational resources in the field of engineering education. Their site contains a number of topical sections that deal with the different branches of this field. This particular section deals with educational resources in the area of materials engineering, and visitors...

The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) at Mississippi State University researches and develops "manufacturing and design means and methods for producing vehicles of superior quality with advanced features and functions at reduced costs and shorter product development times, exploiting the underlying technologies for broader industrial use." In the Alternative Power link, users can find...

The Engineering Design Challenges website is a collaborative project among NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Education Programs Department, Dryden Flight Research Center Education Programs Office, Ames Research Center, and TERC. The program is intended to connect students with "the challenges faced by NASA engineers as they design the next generation of aerospace vehicles." The carefully...

This news release from the National Academies reports on the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) awards, which "recognize three achievements that have altered the course of world history, improved the quality of life for millions, and created educational experiences that have transformed hundreds of engineers into community leaders." Those honored include the designers of a spy satellite, a...

Now an annual event, National Engineers Week was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951. In 1988, the National Engineers Week consortium expanded and now includes "more than 100 engineering, scientific, and education societies and major corporations dedicated to enhancing the public understanding of the engineering profession and to promoting pre-college interest in...

Founded in 1939, the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) is the premier contact organization responsible for identifying, developing, maintaining, and publishing technical standards "to manage information in our changing and ever-more digital environment". Their standards apply to both traditional and new technologies to the full range of information needs, such as storage,...

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Pennsylvania State University conducts research to generate new knowledge and strengthen and support undergraduate and graduate education at PSU. Its research is multidisciplinary and involves collaborations with many of the academic colleges and research centers within Penn State. Research areas include Acoustics and Vibrations,...

The mission of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at Georgia Tech is "to promote universal access to mobile wireless technologies and explore their innovative applications in addressing the needs of people with disabilities." Anticipating that wireless devices are likely to become an integral part of daily life, with applications ranging from conducting financial transactions to...