Engineering360: "20 years after Columbine, work continues to engineer safer schools"

Not to minimize the tragedies that have occurred, but this is not an "epidemic".

Improving school safety is a good idea, but the enhancements really need to be balanced against the risks and those risks are going to vary from school to school, community to community.

Our schools should not become prisons. Even if that's what "WE" thought when "WE" were kids.

You can not "engineer " anyone to be satisfied with anything. Engineering cannot solve a "subjective people problem". Engineering can not make people like/accept engineering. You're missing the big picture here.

Hi Dennis--I wonder if you could elaborate on your comment a bit. I'm interested in better understanding your thought.

It's a bit philosophical. And, a lot of people don't like philosophy. I'll try to keep it short.

First, I have to point out the phenomenon about people "talking past" each other. It happens a lot. And sometimes, it even seems to be on purpose to redirect the conversation. But, even that gets past some people. Next, I have to point out that even tho we (should) all know that the Earth revolves around the Sun, It still seems like the world revolves around each person in existence. That "self centeredness" is a manifestation of the ownership of one's own consciousness ("it's my life, not yours").

Engineering can only solve technical problems. It cannot solve problems about people's place/out-of-place in world, or the subjective evaluation that people have about the world. And, that is what most people complain/rebel about. It's more about "the world according to ***", than it is about technical functionalities (even tho that can be a big part of it).

Instead of wasting millions on engineered solutions, maybe, just maybe, they could make firearms harder to access. You dont see mass school shootings in other countries with tighter gun laws do you?

If you need computer program to tell you doorways, sharp corners and stairways are choke points you are a pretty piss-poor architect.

If you need a computer program to tell you a building outside of town or the main flow of traffic is isolated from rapid response..... site planner.

And, if you need a computer to control a panicking crowd of any sort you are in serious trouble, because computer models, programs, and plans just can't do Pysche 101.