Mario Rodriguez likes to talk about the word “sawubona”—the Zulu greeting that translates to “I see you.” Engineers, he asserts, just want to be seen for the good work they do.
“We work in a thankless career,” says the executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority in an amusedly rueful voice. “Nobody thanks us for doing an excellent job. Yet if we make a mistake, our name is mud. Think of the thousands of aircraft that land safely on runways that don’t crumble; the trucks and cars that go over bridges and the highway system, and buildings that stand up for years.”