Synopses & Reviews
Review
"In this smart, insightful, and fascinating book, Madhavan shows how engineers turn problems into opportunities. The engineering mind-set is something we should all study and embrace. It applies to every aspect of life." Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators and Steve Jobs
Review
"Guru Madhavan not only dispels any hint of darkness concerning how engineers think, his delightful book explains how the designed world of machines and systems interacts with the social world in which we use the tools that engineers give us." Jon Gertner Wall Street Journal
Review
"The engineering mind-set is a transformational mind-set. In deftly revealing some of its organizing principles, this book reminds us that behind today's global challenges are solutions and opportunities waiting to be realized." Alvin Roth, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and author of Who Gets What--and Why
Review
"This thoroughly engaging book demonstrates that engineering thinking is truly multidisciplinary, multinational, and multicultural. Through its diverse cast of engineers and wide-ranging examples of their achievements, leaves little doubt that our world is a better place because of the engineers who inhabit it." Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman, World Economic Forum
Review
"Guru Madhavan offers a compelling explanation of the engineering perspective. With potent stories that are heartwarming and at times heartrending, is an enjoyable and instructive read." Vinton Cerf, chief internet evangelist, Google; Presidential Medal of Freedom laureate; and winner of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
Review
"[] can proudly take its place alongside other esteemed works on engineering such as Samuel C. Florman's and Henry Petroski's .... A delightful book that will appeal to readers interested in human innovations. Expect to be convinced by the author's thesis that an engineering mind set can be helpful to anyone." Library Journal
Review
"Madhavan's work will help readers move from the common understanding of engineering as a set of technical skills for building objects to the realization that engineering is a way of looking at and solving problems, and is not limited to situations involving science and math." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Engineers are titans of real-world problem-solving, yet are strangely invisible, notes biomedical engineer Guru Madhavan. In this riveting study of how they think, he puts behind-the-scenes geniuses such as Margaret Hutchinson, who designed the first penicillin-production plant, centre stage." Nature
Review
"Engaging...[and] insightful." Sybil Derrible
Review
"The heroes of Guru Madhavan's compact book about the logical habits of engineers are not the usual suspects of the iPhone era. With barely a mention of Wozniak or Jobs, the author takes us back to an earlier time so that we can witness the solving of problems that have long since gone away." Science
Synopsis
A look inside the minds of engineers, and a primer on designing efficient and innovative solutions for work and everyday life.
Synopsis
Dubai's Burj Khalifa the world s tallest building looks nothing like Microsoft s Office Suite, and digital surround sound doesn t work like a citywide telecommunication grid. Yet these engineering feats have much in common.
Applied Minds explores the unique visions and mental tools of engineers to reveal the enormous and often understated influence they wield in transforming problems into opportunities. The resulting account pairs the innovators of modern history Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs with everything from ATMs and the ZIP code system to the disposable diaper.
An engineer himself, Guru Madhavan introduces a flexible intellectual tool kit called modular systems thinking as he explains the discipline's penchant for seeing structure where there is none. The creations that result from this process express the engineer's answers to the fundamental questions of design: usefulness, functionality, reliability, and user friendliness.
Through narratives and case studies spanning the brilliant history of engineering, Madhavan shows how the concepts of prototyping, efficiency, reliability, standards, optimization, and feedback are put to use in fields as diverse as transportation, retail, health care, and entertainment.
Equal parts personal, practical, and profound, Applied Minds charts a path to a future where we apply strategies borrowed from engineering to create useful and inspired solutions to our most pressing challenges.
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Synopsis
A journey inside the minds that build our world.
About the Author
Guru Madhavan is a biomedical engineer and senior policy adviser. He conducts research at the National Academy of Sciences and has been named a distinguished young scientist by the World Economic Forum. He lives in Washington, DC.