HSCI-218A: The Science Behind Disaster

Human error and design flaws are the leading causes of some of the most devastating engineering disasters in history. This course will introduce students to a variety of materials science topics and their relevance to design through case studies of engineering disasters, including historical events such as the sinking of the Titanic, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, and the devastating environmental effects of Teflon production. While this course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of materials properties and limitations leading to these catastrophic failures, the design flaws which ultimately enabled these disasters to occur, as well as potential ethical lapses, will be discussed.