Physics & Engineering
First year seminar

Today...

• Introductions
• Meditation on the Gateshead Millenium Bridge in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• About the class

The Gateshead Millenium Bridge

A bridge almost always screams out to people "Engineering".

It is also locally known as "The blinking eye". Can you see why?

Among other things the bridge is:

A technical achievement

Responding to the needs of the human community and natural environment

For both boat and human traffic, the bridge is part of a larger transportation system.

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy advocates an approach to urban planning that reduces social and economic inequality by increasing access to transportation and services in urban areas.

DART buses in Tanzania's capital, Dar es Salaam

A work of art and architecture

In a city with a lot of bridges.

The work of a collaboration

What is unique about humans?

• Intelligence?
• Tool use?
• Language?
• Theory of mind?: The awareness that other beings have minds like I do, and the ability to imagine and take into account their awareness of me
• Moral sense?
• Ability to collaborate with non-kin?

Image credits

Laurence Short, CapturedO, Glenn Bowman, Rose Davies, Lenscop, Jatinder Dhillon, ITDP.org, All Africa