Abstract
SIR WLJAMUKROW, in his presidential address to the IWOTL of Civil Engineers on November 5, reviefltefl accomplishments of the Institution, during the past fifteen of the 128 it has been in existence. Not every will agree with Sir William's opinion that too much reliance should not be placed on theoretical knowledge. Engineering is an applied science, and therefore the provision of facilities for practical training, as distinct from practical experience, cannot receive too much attention from the Institution; but it is impossible for the engineer to have too much knowledge of the fundamentals or theoretical basis of his science. The civil engineer's record during the War when, as Sir William points out, ‘Mulberry’ and ‘Pluto’ were designed, would have been even more spectacular if fundamental knowledge, essential in dealing with new and complex problems, had been more widespread.
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Institution of Civil Engineers. Nature 158, 742 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158742d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/158742d0