I was annoyed recently when I read on Google about the Observational Method in Geotechnical Engineering – that is, the engineering of the ground where everything is supported, or, the engineering of the natural environment. (Ref. 1)
I didn’t see any reference to the engineer or investigating expert getting his hands dirty and mud on his boots. (Ref. 2) Doing this while observing conditions on site and collecting data to design a structure or analyse the cause of a failure or accident.
It was the boots-on-the-ground aspect that was missing – conspicuous by its absence.
I saw lots of references to big, impressive…
