Berkeley prof: ‘Mystery plumber’ may have designed the new BP containment cap

Source

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100716/bs_yblog_upshot/did-a-mystery-plumber-design-the-new-bp-containment-cap

By Brett Michael Dykes brett Michael Dykes – Fri Jul 16, 2:22 pm ET

When BP's newest spill-containment strategy in the Gulf yielded such encouraging initial results, many asked why the oil giant didn't hit on this solution earlier in the crisis.

The short answer is that the model of the well cap now in place didn't exist in the earlier stages of the spill saga. But what's more noteworthy than the timing issue is the likelihood that the device owes its origin to the same authority that any homeowner turns to in order to get a leak plugged: a professional plumber.

That, at any rate, is the theory that the Christian Science Monitor's Patrik Jonsson has floated — and the recent sequence of events leading to the plugging of the leak make it seem plausible.

Jonsson reports that six weeks ago, University of California, Berkeley, engineering professor Robert Bea received a late-night call from an anonymous plumber. According to Bea — who had formerly worked as an oil-industry executive before his present gig as an academically backed manager of engineering crises — the "mystery plumber" reached out to him because he had an idea for how to plug BP's busted well in the Gulf. The plumber provided Bea with sketches of a containment cap that upgraded some of the design flaws in the cap the oil company deployed in its unsuccessful bid to plug the leak several weeks ago.

Bea passed the plumber's sketches on to a contact at the Coast Guard and to a panel of experts who were evaluating proposed schemes to repair the leak submitted by the general public. Jonsson writes that when Bea first got a glimpse of the containment cap that has stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf, he noticed striking similarities to the designs dreamed up by the plumber.

"The idea was using the top flange on the blowout preventer as an attachment point and then employing an internal seal against that flange surface," Bea told Jonsson. "You can kind of see how a plumber thinks this way. That's how they have to plumb homes for sewage."

BP spokesman Mark Salt told Jonsson that he presently has "no way of finding out" if the well-capping crew used any of the mystery plumber's ideas. Salt added that there's "a good chance that this was already being designed" when Bea handed over the sketches.

Still, there's one way that BP's containment officials can be sure if they followed the plumber's blueprint: When he submits his three-figure-an-hour bill.

Pendidikan Lintas-Disiplin sebagai Dasar Pendidikan CSR - Cross-Discipline Education as the Foundation of CSR Education

Saat ini saya masih menemukan banyak pemberitaan seputar Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), terutama di Indonesia, yang masih memandang CSR sebagai program-program sosial kemasyarakatan daripada sebagai perilaku bisnis. Misalnya pemberitaan mengenai perusahaan-perusahaan yang menggunakan "dana CSR" untuk pemberian sapi, pemeliharaan taman, konser musik, bahkan untuk nonton bareng Piala Dunia 2010 dengan alasan "...sebagai salah satu wujud tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan...". Hal ini merupakan pendidikan publik yang menyesatkan dan tidak mencerminkan CSR sebagai perilaku bisnis yang strategis dalam memadukan aspek bisnis dan sosial untuk mencapai tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan (Sustainable Development).

CSR bukanlah hal yang baru, namun pemahaman publik - kecuali mereka yang memiliki "jaringan CSR" internasional, sangat jauh dari harapan. Saya memandang bahwa pendidikan mengenai prinsip-prinsip dan isu-isu CSR untuk tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan sangat perlu dan dapat dimulai dari jenjang perkuliahan baik dalam berbagai kurikulum ataupun program tanpa perlu menyebutkan istilah CSR itu sendiri, kecuali jika memang program tersebut khusus mengenai CSR - seperti yang dilakukan oleh Universitas Trisakti dengan membuka program MM-CSR. Saya berpendapat bahwa pendidikan lintas-disiplin yang disesuaikan dengan konteks disiplin ilmu yang ada merupakan metode yang tepat untuk menanamkan pemahaman mengenai CSR.

Pendidikan lintas-disiplin mengenai CSR dapat dirancang dengan tepat jika memperhatikan beberapa hal;

1. Prinsip-prinsip CSR dipandang tidak hanya dalam aspek etika-moralitas, tetapi juga dipandang dalam aspek pragmatis dalam konteks disiplin ilmu yang mengarah kepada tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan. Pengalaman saya di bangku kuliah di program akuntansi dan manajemen menunjukkan tidak adanya pendidikan yang cukup mengenai CSR sebagai dasar perilaku perusahaan. Bisnis dipandang sebagai usaha untuk memaksimalkan keuntungan pemegang saham tanpa melihat keberlanjutan perusahaan dalam aspek luas, yaitu dalam perspektif sosial, lingkungan, dan memperhatikan pemangku kepentingan. Pendidikan etika, sosial, budaya, dan filosofi memang diberikan dalam jenjang perkuliahan, tetapi hanya dalam aspek normatif dan terpisah dengan kenyataan di dunia bisnis.

2. Implementasi CSR memerlukan kreatifitas dalam memadukan aspek sosial-lingkungan dengan aspek bisnis dalam konteks disiplin ilmu masing-masing sehingga pendidikan mengenai CSR tidak terlepas dengan pengembangan kreatifitas. Saya memandang bahwa implementasi CSR sifatnya sangat tidak terbatas. Misalnya, program teknik mesin menekankan pada implementasi CSR melalui penelitian terus-menerus untuk menciptakan mesin yang bisa menggunakan energi alternatif, tidak menghasilkan polusi, bertenaga, relatif berbiaya murah, dan menggunakan material yang ramah lingkungan.

3. Pemahaman CSR perlu dikaitkan dengan standar atau panduan CSR internasional, baik dalam hal prinsip, isu, implementasi, dan pengukuran CSR dalam konteks disiplin ilmu masing-masing. Dengan demikian terdapat landasan pemahaman yang kuat mengenai CSR yang mendunia. Misalnya, program manajemen perbankan menggunakan Equator Principles sebagai dasar pendidikan CSR di dunia perbankan.

4. Perlu adanya cara pandang holistik untuk memahami prinsip-prinsip CSR dalam berbagai isu. Oleh sebab itu mahasiswa-mahasiswa antar program-program pendidikan dapat saling berbagi mengenai implementasi CSR. Misalnya, mahasiswa program arstektur saling berbagi mengenai konsep green achitecture dan waste & pollution management dengan mahasiswa teknik lingkungan.

Saya teringat ketika suatu waktu Ibu Maria Nindita, Direktur Program MM-CSR Universitas Trisakti mengatakan bahwa CSR harus diajarkan pada semua disiplin ilmu. Saya sangat setuju dengan beliau karena isu-isu CSR terkait dengan beragam disiplin ilmu dan pendidikan akan berguna hanya jika ditujukan bagi pembangunan keberlanjutan.

SP


In English Version


Up to now, I find many news about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), especially in Indonesia, which view CSR as a social community program rather than a business behavior. For example, news about companies who use "CSR funds" to grant cow, maintain public park, support music concert, or to arrange events related to World Cup 2010, with the reason of "...as an implementation of corporate social responsibility...". This is a misleading public education which does not reflect CSR as a strategic business behavior in combining business and social aspect towards sustainable development.

CSR is not a new thing, but public understanding - except those who posses international "CSR networking", is still far from the expectation. I see that education about CSR principles and issues towards sustainable development is needed and this can be started from college level in various curriculum or programs without mentioning about CSR terminology itself, unless such program is dedicated to CSR - just like what the Trisakti University does by opening MM-CSR program. I believe that cross-discipline education adjusted with the discipline context is the appropriate methodology to promote CSR understanding.

A cross-discipline education about CSR can be designed if we consider the following issues;

1. CSR principles should be viewed not only from ethical-morality aspects, but also from pragmatic views in discipline context towards sustainable development. My experience in college and post graduate study showed there were no sufficient education about CSR as a foundation of business behavior of a company. Business is viewed as a set of efforts to maximize shareholders' profits with no perspectives of business sustainability in larger perspectives, which are social, environment, and stakeholder interests. Ethics, social, culture and philosophy are given in schools but only from normative aspect and they are separated from reality in business world.

2. CSR implementation needs creativity in integrating social-environment issues with business aspect in each discipline context, thus, CSR education is closely related with creativity development. So far, I see that CSR implementation is unlimited. For example; Mechanical Engineering Program should encourage students to implement CSR through continuous research and development of machines that are using alternative energy, zero or low emission, powerful, low-cost, and using environmental friendly material.

3. CSR understanding should be related with international CSR guidance or standard, whether terms of principles, issues, implementations, or CSR measurements in each discipline. Hence, there is a strong foundation of global CSR understanding. For example, Banking Management Program can use Equator Principles as a reference for CSR education in banking.

4. There should be a holistic view to understand CSR principles in various issues. Hence, students from various programs can share knowledge about CSR implementations. For example students of Architecture Program can share the concept of Green Architecture and Waste & Pollution Management with the students from Environmental Engineering.

I remember when Ms.Maria Nindita, the Director Program of MM-CSR of Trisakti University, who said that CSR should be taught in all disciplines. I agree with her since CSR issues are related with various disciplines and education is useful if only dedicated to sustainable development.

SP