Agricultural Engineering and Feeding the Future

Gr 5–7—The third quartet in this continuing series of introductions to engineering looks at past and present methods of sustainable agriculture and medical devices as well as how to assess surface stability and natural hazards for large structures and how materials, from ceramics to superadhesives, are studied and improved. Each volume presents a template for systematic research: defining a problem, designing and testing prototypes, and reporting on solutions (or failures). Along with quick looks at historical highlights, each author describes the training and skills required to work in associated fields, offers case studies—ongoing efforts to mechanize artichoke harvests in Sicily, for instance—and takes readers step by step through a sample design challenge. Though somewhat overdesigned, with canted or off-center photos and yellow side notes "attached" with images of push pins or even butterfly clips for that scrapbook look, overall the presentations are orderly, methodical, and (like engineering science itself) focused on practical results.