The recent hurricane damage in the southern United States is yet another reminder that when natural disaster strikes, it is engineers who will be asked to rebuild the infrastructure that has been swept away by storm or flood.
As with the tsunami in Asia, the technical know-how of the world’s engineers will deliver the goods.
We are often called an unappreciated profession, but not in cases such as these.
Later, of course, when the work has been done and life has resumed its normal pattern, the population in general will go back to regarding pop stars, sportsmen and other rather less useful people as the role models to which they aspire.
Perhaps we need a Nobel prize for engineering to recognise the work done by our colleagues around the world.
If anyone has any contacts at the UN, perhaps they could put in a good word for the idea.
Name and address supplied
Nanogenerator consumes CO2 to generate electricity
Whoopee, they've solved how to keep a light on but not a lot else.