The Role of the Engineer as a Citizen

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. This paper was prepared for the 42nd Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in Houston, Tex., Oct. 1–4, 1967. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Abstract: Opportunities for the engineer to exercise his responsibilities as a citizen are better than ever before. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the engineer became so influential that, rather than merely serving society, he found himself altering the course of society. He also found himself creating new problems in the course of solving existing ones. At the same time, the engineer has had to adapt to an enormous acceleration in the development and application of technology. For individuals and organizations this has meant that change has become a way of life. Today's engineer adapts to change and serves society better by solving problems through systems engineering. Systems may be industrial — transportation, for example, or geographic, such as a large urban complex. A new problem of the urban system is environmental pollution, and it is a problem susceptible of solution by a systems engineering approach. Pollution from the internal combustion engine, a significant part of the problem, may ultimately be eliminated through application of a systems approach involving both fuel and engine. A number of oil and automotive companies are involved in programs to accomplish this purpose. These programs are prime examples of opportunities for the engineer to practice good citizenship.