Reliability education: A historical perspective

The authors provides a historical overview of the development of reliability in the USA: where have we been? where are we today? and where are we heading? He presents the beginnings and the current status of: undergraduate and graduate courses being taught; graduate degree programs; short courses; institutes; training courses; symposia and their transactions; texts and other publications; newsletters; societies involved; videotapes; televised courses; and movies. It is stressed that textbooks of not too highly mathematical nature, emphasizing practical applications, are needed, as well as university courses in the product assurance technologies. Professional engineering societies should sponsor more sessions of papers; more courses in the product assurance technologies should be videotapes; and more such movies produced. More courses should be beamed live to local industry and government organizations. Summer institutes for college teachers sponsored by the National Science Foundation and other groups should be revived.