Key points:
- Engineering education must evolve if it is to serve our students and future engineers
- Complexity requires an engineering skill set with technology depth and also non-technical breadth
In multidisciplinary engineering system design, we integrate. From the very start of the design process, we combine the physical system with sensors, actuators, computer control, and human interfaces to give it some intelligence and decision-making capability.
At its very heart, system complexity is synonymous with power. However, this power can be good or bad. If the complexity in any system is not tamed, the consequences can be devastating. We have witnessed some of the consequences of untamed complexity in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident, the 2008 world financial meltdown, and the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. All are examples of systems of unimaginable complexity–intended or not–that were left unmanaged without common-sense, human-centered checks and balances, which resulted in catastrophes of immense scope.
We are now surrounded by high-risk technological systems in all aspects of our lives. What systems are prone to system accidents? According to Charles Perrow in his book Normal Accidents (Princeton University Press 1999), two concepts need to be considered: interactiveness and coupling. Simple, comprehensible interactions among system components are predominate in all systems.
But as the complexity of a system increases, the probability that baffling, unintended interactions, not intended in the design, increases dramatically. Tightly-coupled systems have more time-dependent processes, the sequences are invariant, and there is little slack. The buffers, redundancies, and substitutions must be designed in; they must be thought of in advance. The world of systems can be organized in a two-variable array: loose vs. tight coupling and predictable vs. baffling interactions. There are no answers here. Engineers must manage complexity and prevent catastrophic failures.
Kevin Craig is Professor of Engineering at Hofstra University.He was a Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1989-2007) and the Greenheck Endowed Chair in Engineering Design at Marquette University (2008-2014).He is a graduate of Xavier HS in NYC, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Columbia University.
- Why AI doesn’t replace education—it demands it - October 2, 2026
- Your institution’s website should prioritize prospective students - September 30, 2026
- Stop trying to AI-proof your assignments - September 25, 2026