FYS 101A - First-Year Seminar:

Technological Disasters and Their Causes

Matthias K. Gobbert and Ted M. Foster

Spring 2003 - Project Presentations

This page can be reached via my homepage at http://www.math.umbc.edu/~gobbert.

Program for Day 1

Tuesday, May 06, 2003, 10:00 a.m., MP 401

10:05-10:30
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge: What Happened, Why it Happened, and How to Prevent it from Happening Again
Group 1 - LaMBDa: Eric Bah, David Dalrymple, Christina Lau, and Daniel Mirchandani.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed on November 1, 1940 due to its inability to stand against the strength of the wind. In many physics textbooks, the reason for the collapse is attributed to the resonation of the bridge in the wind. Engineers have worked on the problem of why it fell and have shown that resonance is not the cause. The real cause behind the collapse is attributed to the strong winds which were pushing the bridge, causing it to undulate and ripping apart the roadway. When a suspension cable eventually snapped, the bridge crashed into the Puget Sound. New bridge building techniques have come from information learned from Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and these new techniques are evident in the bridge that replaced the original. Due to these new techniques, the aerodynamic study of bridges began and the "slimmer and sleeker is better" trend of building bridges came to an end.
Project mentor: Ted M. Foster
Word file of the report.
10:35-11:00
Nuclear Crisis at Three Mile Island: Communications Down
Group 2: Amanda Kennedy, Gregory Moore, Eric Schneider, and Gavin Tabb
In March of 1979, just ten miles south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Nuclear Power Plant at Three Mile Island Unit 2 came close to nuclear melt down. Despite standards set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the plant ran for several years prior to the accident under poor conditions. Communication certainly played a role in this near tragedy, as two engineers had foreseen the consequences, but their advice went unheeded. Although most of the economic and social impacts of this incident were minimal, this unpleasant event ended the nuclear power industry in America.
Project mentor: Matthias K. Gobbert
Word file of the report.

Program for Day 2

Thursday, May 08, 2003, 10:00 a.m., MP 401

10:05-10:35
Apollo 13: "The Successful Failure"
Group 3: Adam Grossman, Michael Armstrong, Timothy Williams, and Matthew Martin
Apollo 13 was supposed to be the third manned mission to the moon. However, due to an explosion that occurred in the spacecraft, the mission was now one for survival. Mission Control and the crew of Apollo 13 had to devise abstract solutions to enable the crew and spacecraft to safely return back to Earth. Our report covers what caused the explosion and how the crew and Mission Control overcame problems faced.
Project mentor: Ted M. Foster
Word file of the report.
10:40-11:05
The Meltdown of The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
Group 4: Nathan Harris, William Greenwood, Roger Williamson, and Stephen Robinette
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located north of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The fourth reactor exploded during a test on April 26, 1986 in the early morning hours. More than 200,000 people were forced out of their homes and the immediate body count was set at 31 people. Due to the long lasting effects of radiation, the death toll is still increasing and the environment continues to rehabilitate itself. The power plant was finally shut down in December of 2000 and it has since been turned into a memorial.
Project mentor: Matthias K. Gobbert
Word file of the report.