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Deadly Engineering Series 2 on the Science Channel

This installment of “A Bridge Moment” is letting you know about an interesting television documentary series related to engineering disasters that will be aired in September and October, 2021. Bridging Solutions’ Principal Engineer, Ralph Verrastro, PE will be one of the bridge engineering experts to be interviewed for the episode related to the Florida International University (FIU) bridge failure which will air on September 15th on the Science Channel at 9 PM (Eastern). Ralph is also scheduled to provide a presentation titled Bridge Failures – Lessons Learned at the American Public Works Association 2021 Expo in Orlando, Florida on November 4th at 2:15 PM. A portion of this presentation provides a discussion of the Florida International University (FIU) Pedestrian Bridge collapse including a summary of the findings related to the cause of the failure and recommendations for improvement to design procedures by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The following is an excerpt from the book titled, To Engineer is Human - The Role of Failure in Successful Design - Most engineering design hypothesis that are constructed do not fail, of course, but the structural success of another traditional design is no more news than the man who does not rob a bank or does not bite a dog. It is an anomaly that gets the press, and the abnormal that becomes the norm of conversation. Thus, to speak of engineering failures is indirectly to celebrate the overwhelming number of successes.

The upcoming episodes of the Deadly Engineering Series 2 will air at 9 PM (Eastern) on the Science Channel as follows:

Air France 447/Skylab on September 8th

Grenfell Tower/Florida International University Bridge on September 15th

Three Mile Island/Hydroelectric power station in Russia on September 22nd

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster/Wenzhou Train Collision on September 29th

Earthquake in Haiti/Hard Rock Hotel on October 6th