Smart design for a safer world

This archival photograph offers a look into Engineering and Public Policy’s early curriculum and foundational approach to interdisciplinary education.

At the chalkboard, Alvin S. Weinstein teaches a class on product safety, while Henry Piehler is seated in the front row, facing the class. Both faculty members held joint appointments that exemplified EPP’s integrative model: Weinstein was jointly appointed with Mechanical Engineering, while Piehler held a joint appointment with Materials Science and Engineering.

EPP was founded on a core objective to broaden traditional engineering design criteria beyond purely technical specifications. Faculty across engineering disciplines developed coursework that introduced students to broader societal, legal, and safety considerations. Weinstein and Piehler were instrumental in this effort, developing courses focused on product liability and consumer product safety. They trained engineers to consider regulatory context alongside structural and functional requirements.

Since its founding, EPP courses have reflected the department's enduring mission to embed real-world policy context into a traditional engineering education.