writing – Page 6 – Not Your Average Engineer

November 27, 2004November 15, 2021

Dr Nelson’s Presentations

I attended two of Dr Nelson’s presentations. One over environmental sustainability which was given to the American students studying at ISLT and the other to a group of Tunisian engineering students at the MIT of Tunisia on ISO 14001 certification. The bodies of both presentations were very interesting both from a casual standpoint and engineering perspective. The most interesting thing to me was the responses from the students.

Before getting into the responses and questions from the two different audiences, I’ll go over the material in each presentation. The sustainability topic was very interesting. It focused on the disparity between living standards in the “developed” world with such countries as Japan and the United States representing the top economic dogs. The low countries on the wealth totem pole, or “developing/under developed” countries, included places such as Mali, China, and others. Through photos of “typical” families in each country, Dr Nelson demonstrated the difference in material possessions of a Mali family, surrounded by earthenware and organic products, and an American family surrounded by cars, TV’s, computers, plastics, and other non-sustainable possessions. The disparity between the American and Mali families was striking. From first blush, the Mali family leaves a much smaller impact on the planet.

Dr Nelson never really said one way or the other during the presentation if he thought that everyone should be brought up to the standard of America or down to the standard of Mali or somewhere in between. He touched on carrying capacities of the planet and resources available and waste streams and non-renewable resources (petroleum, minerals, etc), but he didn’t go in depth or get very technical. It was appropriate for the audience as I’m the only engineer and only one of two people in the class who appears to know anything about environmental science or environmental engineering practices. I liked how he brought up the point that up until now, and most likely as far into the future as humans exist, engineers will continue to innovate their way out of problems such as with the environment. He also presented us with the choice of doing it proactively or retroactively. He didn’t explicitly say which one was better, but it’s evident that the proactive approach is the best if for no other reason than economics.

Our class’s responses were anything but what I expected. Anne, Heather, and Giovanna proceeded to state their opinions on the topics he covered including such choice things as “don’t you agree that the planet has already reached its carrying capacity” and “how can we do all these things when people still don’t have clean water and children are starving” and others. Rather than asking questions to get meaningful answers, the three women tried to cram typical sound bytes and talking points put forth by some of the environmental organizations which would rather yell about how horrible everything is rather than come up with real workable solutions. I suppose that’s the difference between engineers and many other people. I see engineers as people who will figure out how to make everyone happy and for less money than they pay to not be happy. Some other people would rather complain and say the sky is falling instead of trying to reinforce the buttresses holding the sky in place.

All in all, I was very disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to ask real questions of Dr Nelson about his work and whatnot. Maybe next time.

The second presentation I attended by Dr Nelson was given to Tunisian engineering students at the top engineering college in Tunisia. The campus bears striking resemblance to CalPoly’s campus, right down to the plants and the proximity to the sea. The talk, over ISO 14001 certification, was very technical, giving a semi detailed overview of what’s entailed in an ISO 14001 certification process and the benefits for getting certified. Talking with the Tunisian students after the presentation, many of them didn’t really understand what Dr Nelson was talking about. He went fast and they didn’t have time to absorb the slides. In the future, it’d be helpful to at least give out a digital copy of the presentation.

There were several very good questions asked, such as “how does a small company do such a large certification process”. The answer is that CITET has a stripped down version of ISO 14001 designed specifically for small and medium sized businesses so that they can be environmentally friendly and be on the path to ISO 14001 long before they are required to do so by one of their customers. There were other good questions as well.

After the presentation, Kellen and I talked with the Tunisian students for a good 20 or 30 minutes. They all were asking questions about what we were studying, why we were in Tunisia, what we were going to do when we grew up, how they could move to the USA permanently, etc. It felt very good to be surrounded by such intelligent engineering students. These are definitely the best of the best in Tunisia.

All in all, I’m glad that I got to see two of Dr Nelson’s presentations in Tunisia. They both were informative and I was very interested to see the responses of the two different groups.

October 15, 2004November 15, 2021

The Water Temple, Berber Village, and Kairouan

Of all the sites seen during our trip, the most interesting was of Anne falling down a hole at the Water Temple. There have been recent excavations at the site for what appears to be a new water collection scheme installed by the local branch of the water company. Anne chose to climb into one of these holes. It’s a good thing she didn’t choose one with water at the bottom!

The temple itself is surprisingly intact for its age and its proximity to the wetness of the spring for which it was built. As is custom at many such Roman temples, I poured a bit of water on the old alter at the head of the temple. Since the water company has stopped up all places to get water from the spring, I wasn’t able to drink from its cool bubbly depths. Maybe next time.

Whoever built the temple had an interesting design for the structure. It appears that the outer reaches of the building had a tight domed ceiling. The innermost part of the temple was open, most likely with a much larger dome over it. All that remains are a few bits and pieces of the outermost ceiling.

Approaching the fortified Berber village atop a steep hill, I was impressed with the placement of the structure. Though the ground could not be tilled and only cactus will grow on the flanks of the hill, the position is certainly sublime. It makes me wonder if the Berbers didn’t always live in such nice places even before the Arab invasions. There will always be a cool breeze in the summer, anyone approaching can be seen miles away, and all of the cropland can be surveyed from above in a few minutes. Plus, think of the great workout that the people who live there get!

The style and construction of the houses and buildings reminded me of the pueblo dwellings of the American Southwest. They have a striking resemblance to the pueblos on the Hopi mesas in Arizona. Even the blue windows are similar. The cafe at the top, while overpriced, was truly wonderful. It was so peaceful that I felt like staying three days. Even with the immense cement plant in the distance, the place was serene and tranquil. The museum was even pretty good!

Unfortunately our trip to Kairouan didn’t cover all the sites of the city. We never got all the way to the Great Mosque. Instead, we saw the old water storage system built by the first Arab settlers, the mosque of Sidi Sahab, the carpet museum, and a small chunk of the medina.

The water system was very interesting; especially with some of the background reading I did prior to my trip to Tunisia. Evidently, there were as many as 14 of the larger pools and many smaller settling ponds for water coming from an aqueduct that extended quite a distance from the nearest springs. It also appears that surface runoff from a large area was captured and stored in the same system. The original builders though that the proximity of the storage tanks to the city would help cool the city in the summer. In the center of one of the tanks there was a small island of stone setup to allow the rulers to recline amid the water. Unfortunately for the townspeople, the water storage system was a constant source of mosquitoes and malaria. Also, there were probably many frogs and fish which, no doubt, some locals took advantage of. The difference between the old and the new water systems is nonexistent save for slight chlorination. The new waterworks aren’t but a stone’s throw away from the old.

At the Mosque of Sidi Sahab we got our first real taste of Islam in Tunisia. Sidi Sahab was one of the companions of the prophet. He is often called the prophet’s barber as he always carried three pieces of the prophet’s beard with him at all times – one hair under his tongue, one on his right arm, and one next to his heart. The mosaic work, cedar ceilings, and egg stucco work was very reminiscent of Moroccan Mosques and tombs. The only difference is in the quality of craftsmanship. I still believe Moroccans to be superior craftsmen in the arts of mosaic, egg stucco, and cedar ceilings. I suppose one country can’t be the best in everything though! Tunisia certainly has the market cornered on the most westernized society.

The rug museum was but a speed bump on Giovanna’s primary goal of the trip, shopping! It was good though that we went to the rug museum. We got to see all of the different styles, many very old rugs, the looms with which they weave handmade rugs, and many other interesting things. It appears to be an underutilized resource of the tourism industry in Tunisia.

At the souk, the prices were truly outrageous. Maybe it was the way Giovanna and I were dressed or maybe we just looked rich, because prices were jacked up way beyond what they normally should be. In fact, we didn’t buy anything! I had a good time playing Giovanna’s “husband” while shopping. It also was a good thing I accompanied her as she almost got run over five different times by different mopeds and scooter bikes. The people of Kairouan aren’t quite as nice in the souk as they are in Tunis. Maybe this is a result of so many tour busses disgorging into the souks and the great white whales having more time than money. Either way, I’ll be shopping in the medina in Tunis with Giovanna in the near future.

All in all, it was a good trip with lots of interesting sites.

September 26, 2004November 15, 2021

Bizerte and Lac Ichkeul

Lac Ichkeul has long been a sanctuary for birds and beasts. Back in the 13th century, it was a hunting preserve for the rulers of Tunisia. Wild boar and jackal still make their home on Jebel Ichkeul. This, of course, leaves out the main attraction of Lac Ichkeul – namely, the waterfowl. Being the largest semi-fresh water lake in North Africa, it is grand central station on the bird migration railroad from Europe to Africa. Upwards of 150 000 birds make Lac Ichkeul their main port of call between October and February. Many head further south. Many winter over. Some birds live at the lake year round such as the purple gallinule, the marbled teal, and many different raptors which prey on the less carnivorous birds. Interestingly enough, Cap Bon is the primary migration route for raptors between Europe and Africa. Still, some make their home at Lac Ichkeul.

Another interesting animal that inhabits the lake is the water buffalo. It was originally introduced by the Bey of Tunis in 1729, having been gifted a pair of buffalo by the king of Sicily. Unfortunately for the water buffalo, the American forces stationed nearby during WWII acquired a taste for water buffalo, nearly decimating the heard. Today there is a very small population which often hides from tourists. We only saw pictures in the museum.

The museum itself is a very interesting place. It has good exhibits in French and Arabic about the lake and its diverse wildlife. There’s a large section of dried plants with both the common name and Latin name present. The view from the eco museum is quite something as well. On both sides of the complex, almost the entire lake is visible. If only our driver had been a bit more adventuresome with the bus, we might have been able to drive all the way around Jebel Ichkeul.

I was very interested in the nearly flat plains surrounding the lake to the west and south. We drove across one such plain on a low-lying causeway. According to some books I’ve read, the water level has decreased significantly over the years to the point where the causeway is no longer needed, even in winter. The bus still used it though as it’s the best road. Closer to the lake, the plain periodically gets flooded by the lake, resulting in a more or less dead zone of dried out mudflats. One can observe many animal paths and tracks in the hardened mud from atop Jebel Ichkeul.

Were it not for the two dams on rivers feeding into the lake and four more planned dams, there wouldn’t be a water shortage at the lake. The declining level of water is due mostly to those two dams. As the towns around the lake grow, including Bizerte, the situation will only get worse. Due to the lake’s proximity to Lac Bizerte, which is connected to the sea, there is a large salt intrusion problem. Lac Ichkeul reaches as high as 30-40% salinity during particularly hot and dry summers. This has lead to many changes in the composition of the plant life in the lake. And, of course, that affects the birds! The whole lake was put on the UNESCO list of national parks because of its importance to all of the migratory birds of Europe. Not only are the Tunisians concerned about the lake. All of the birders of Europe are scared stiff of the salt intrusion into the lake!

The city of Bizerte is a rather dull place, primarily consisting of the new city built by the French during the colonial period. Even the original channel joining Lac Bizerte with the sea has been mostly filled in. The new canal dug by the French in the 1890’s is now the route of choice for ships heading into the lake. Only a portion of the old harbor remains. No longer do privateers and corsairs sail through the medina, past the minarets, into the lake. Still, the town has a quaint and grimy feel to it which is appealing.

The only real area of note is the remaining portions of the old harbor and the two forts guarding its entrance. We walked around the harbor and took many photos. The price of shoes in Bizerte, as Giovanna and I can report, is outrageous.