Engineers Make a Difference - What Do Engineers Do?

Engineers are modern day superheroes and as such, must be ready for anything in an increasingly technology-dependent world. Using math, science, knowledge, and ingenuity in practical ways, they design, invent, create and concoct the most remarkable physical achievements and significant advancements in quality of life known to humanity. They are some of the most creative people on earth. Engineers make the stuff of our lives better, easier, cheaper, more efficient and more fun by solving everyday problems.

Engineers are practical inventors. Through the work of engineers, we are able to have camera phones, wireless computers, satellite TV, airplanes, wind farms, digital music, underwater robots, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, cosmetics, titanium knee and hip replacements. The list goes on and on.

Almost everything you touch has been influenced or designed by an engineer directly or indirectly. It is impossible to think of a major technical development that hasn’t included the work of engineers. Many internationally famous companies such as Hewlett Packard, Intel and Apple Computers wouldn’t exist if one or more practical inventors (engineers!) hadn’t gotten together and made it happen. Solidly rooted in engineering, these companies have grown into giants.

Engineering is a way to make life better. Many problems are solved by applying math principles, but math is just one tool in the engineer’s toolbox. Inspiration, experimentation, vision, analytical ability, creativity, imagination, energy, passion and communication skills are also extremely important.

If you know a student who wants to reduce pollution, end world hunger, become president of the United States (three presidents were engineers), improve the environment, invent exciting technology, become an astronaut, design race cars, solve complex problems, or be on the cutting edge in a dynamic career, then engineering may be an excellent fit.

Engineers are Creative?
Most people don’t describe engineers as creative – in fact, only 3 percent of U.S. adults perceive engineering as a creative career (Harris Interactive, 2004). When you think about engineers being creative, think about it from the standpoint of creative applications. Many people equate the word “creative” with being an artist or writer. Engineers are just like an artist except with a practical twist. They see a problem and apply creativity to find a solution. For example, millions of people all over the world dislike housework. The majority of people would rather be spending time with their friends or family instead of cleaning house. Engineers have addressed and fixed or at least alleviated with a little creativity some of the more time consuming chores.

Engineers are the concept people and often the idea people too. Because consumers decided vacuuming was a problem, now we have the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner that automatically vacuums or mops floors while they do something more enjoyable. New homes often have vacuuming systems already installed in the walls, and Dyson engineers are forever designing a better vacuum cleaner. In fact, a look at the advanced cleaning systems over the last 10 years further indicate just how frequently engineers are employed to find better solutions. Scrubbing Bubbles self-cleans your bathtub daily, the Swifter wants to mop your kitchen, and portable power-washers allow the average consumer to clean the exterior of their home and property without any other special equipment. Without engineers, so many day-to-day chores would be much harder.

On other technology fronts, engineers are the ones who figure out how to make a roller coaster careen forward at 120 M.P.H. in four seconds without killing you. They are the ones who figure out how to make cars that can run on electricity or fuel cell technology to keep

In the spirit of developing problem-solving skills, many of the engineering student competitions can also be seen as creative. The American Society of Civil Engineers sponsors a “Concrete Canoe” competition for undergraduate students. The canoe must be made entirely out of concrete; it must float and even race against other concrete canoes created by students at other institutions. In the Trash to Treasures competition, students design something useful out of recycled materials and in TOYchallenge, a national toy design challenge for fifth to eighth graders, teams of imaginative kids create a new toy or game. Curiosity, creativity, engagement and dreams are certainly essential elements in each of these competitions.

Problem-solving has been the path by which some of the most amazing inventions and technologies have arrived in the market today. They exist because one engineer had an idea.

Look back at old pictures of the bicycle. People wanted the bicycle to go faster, to go up and down mountains and be more comfortable. The difference now is due to engineering. So that bikes could go off-road and through trails, engineers designed lightweight and stronger frames, along with forks and wheels to take the punishment of off-road riding. When the cost of gas rose so much that more people wanted to ride bikes to work or school, engineers created a lightweight folding bicycle that could be carried into an office and unobtrusively stored away or put into a school locker. When Lance Armstrong needed a faster bike to win the Tour de France, engineers designed that too. Each year, engineers have gone back to the drawing board and made bicycles better. What will bicycles look like in another ten years? It’s up to today’s students and their imagination to tell us. Today’s students will make the world a better place where people are safer, have more fun and can do more.