<p>This is due December 1st, just thought I'd get some last minute advice.</p>
<p>Write about an engineering advance or innovation that you feel has had an important impact on society. Your essay should describe the advance/innovation and discuss its implications for society and the field of engineering.</p>
<p>The splitting of the atom changed everything. It rocked society, transformed history, and reshaped the field of engineering. The concept of converting mass to energy was revolutionary. The atom bomb is only one of many advances brought on by the discovery of nuclear technology. However, these advance came at a price, the atom bomb could eradicate the entire human race. Ever since the bomb was first conceived, the threat of nuclear annihilation has loomed over the world.
The ever-present threat of human extinction has had an extremely important, although dark, impact on society. The Unites States won World War II because of the use of the bomb. Without nuclear technology, Hiroshima and Nagasaki would still be here, and there would be two fewer smoking piles of rubble in the world. War has had a new meaning ever since the bombs were dropped upon those two Japanese cities. No longer a danger to be suffered only by soldiers, war suddenly held the prospect of affecting everyone, everywhere.
When the USSR developed their own atomic bomb, they became locked in an arms race with the United States. Brinkmanship, it was called; the state of being on the brink of a global nuclear war. Paranoia gripped the nation. It seemed as if no one was safe. The most powerful nations of the world now stockpile this deadly technology, while hoping they wont be the ones that have to use it. Fear of the bomb has faded since the Cold War, but the threat it poses lingers on.
Nuclear technology has the potential to be our doom, but also our savior. The positive applications of this technology are virtually limitless. It is possible to harness the energy of an atom bomb into usable electricity. Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of energy available today, and requires very little resources to produce. Certain nuclear isotopes are also invaluable in the field of medicine. Imaging technologies such as CAT Scans and MRIs rely on nuclear isotopes to give the images contrast. Without these isotopes, doctors wouldnt be able to diagnose diseases with as much accuracy as they are able to today. Cancer patients also benefit from radiation, for it can eradicate cancerous cells in the body. Nuclear technology may be able to save thousands of lives, but was its creation worth the risk?
All this was made possible by scientists and engineers, for they were the ones to realize what their ancestors hadnt dreamt possible. They created a force so overwhelming, it had the potential to wipe out all life on earth. They are just as responsible as the ones who pressed the big red button. Their folly made the great thinkers of the world hesitate, they realized that it was their responsibility to keep themselves in check. Once the atom bomb had been made, it could never be unmade. Engineers have the power to create, to make something out of nothing, but they must make sure that never again do they let their scientific pursuits lead them to places they will ultimately regret going.</p>
<p>Any advice would be helpful, thanks.</p>