Chapter 3
Engineering & Engineer
Contents
What is Engineering?
What do engineers do?
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Job Classification Among Engineers
What will you be if you become an engineer?
• Top 10 benefits
• Career paths of engineering
How can you be an engineer?
• Theoretical knowledge and Experiential knowledge
What is engineering ?
For the benefit of mankind
Engineering is the application
of scientific principles to the
optimal conversion of natural
resources into：
Structures
Machines
Products
Systems
Processes
Engineering is to create,
invent, realize, make,…
Engineering is the art of applying :
1. Scientific
2. Mathematical principles
3. Experience
4. Judgment
5. Common sense
to create things that benefit people
Engineering is the process of producing:
A technical product
A system
to meet a specific need
What do engineers do ?
• Engineers: Turning Ideas into Reality
Using the principles of science and mathematics,
Engineers do
Practical design
Production work
to come up with economically viable solutions to technical
problems.
Engineers design and build
Tools
Products
Systems
Processes
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Engineering is generally broken down into five
traditional core disciplines:
Civil Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Material Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Civil Engineering 土木工程
Civil Engineers design and construct national infrastructure.
They plan, design, construct, operate and maintain:
Roads
Bridges Large Structures
Buildings Water treatment facilities
Airports Waste management facilities
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
– Chemical engineers develop large scale plants that produce
products that are used in every day life.
– They plan, design, construct, operate and maintain complex
systems that produce
Petroleum products Biochemical products
Building materials Fertilizers
Plastics and polymers Cosmetics
Oil and natural gas
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineers are involved in any electrical devices,
systems and energy.
– They plan, design, construct, operate and maintain products
that use electricity –virtually everything
Television
Communication devices:
Computers telephone, cell phone, fax
Instruments All electrical machinery
Audio devices
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Material engineering
Material engineers develop new compositions of matter that
are used in applications encompassing:
Semiconductors
Lasers
Steel
Alloys
Magnetic media in computer hard drives
Among many others
Traditional Disciplines of Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineers design, analyze, and develop, control and
maintain machines, structures, devices and mechanical systems.
– This is the broadest discipline dealing with virtually all products
Automobiles Bicycles
Jet engines Fluids (also bio-fluid)
Gas turbines Power plants
Light/Heavy machinery Space shuttle
Other engineering disciplines are:
There are also other engineering disciplines:
Aeronautical Engineering (School of Aeronautical engineering)
Nuclear Engineering (School of mechanical engineering)
Mining and Petroleum Engineering (School of chemical engineering)
Agricultural Engineering (School of agricultural engineering)
Environmental Engineering (School of environmental engineering)
Ocean Engineering/Naval Architecture (School of Ocean engineering/Naval architecture)
Telecommunication Engineering (School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering)
Electronics Engineering (School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering)
Manufacturing Engineering (School of mechanical engineering)
Biomedical Engineering (School of biomedical engineering)
Computer Engineering (School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering)
Employment distribution of engineers in U.S. ( according to United
States Department of Labor)
All other Electrical and
engineers electronics
Mining 28% 24%
1%
Nuclear
1%
Petroleum
1%
Materials
Mechanical
1%
15%
Chemical Aerospace Industrial Civil
3% 4% 9% 13%
Job Classification Among Engineers
Engineers can be classified into four types:
Design Engineer :
Concept: A new product or improvements for existing product or system
Detailed drawing
Materials
Manufacture
Disposal
Research Engineer (industrial scientist):
Applied research for
– New products
– New design
– New processes
To ensure products at leading edge
Consulting Engineer:
– Engineering services on contract basis, e.g. accident analysis
Engineering Professor (industrial scientist)
– With Ph. D
– Teach classes
– Conduct research
– Train M.S. and Ph. D. students
– Do service through consulting, professional societies and governmental and
educational boards
What will you be if you become an engineer?
Top 10 Benefits
Career paths of Engineers
Career Ladder of Engineers
Top 10 Benefits
The top 10 rewards and opportunities that an
engineering career offers
1. Job Satisfaction
With enjoyment and satisfaction:
Developing a new machine
Developing a new car, airplane, space shuttle
Top 10 Benefits
2. Varied Opportunities
An engineering degree offers a wide range of career possibilities:
Imaginative and creative
Design engineer
Persuasive or like working with people
Sales or field service engineer
Like laboratories
Test engineer.
Like to organize projects
Development engineer
Top 10 Benefits
3. Challenging Work
Problems : open-ended
To develop a solution to a problem and persuade others that
your solution is the best one.
Top 10 Benefits
4. Intellectual Development
Engineering education:
“exercise” your brain, developing your ability to think logically and to
solve problems.
Problem-solving skills developed:
valuable throughout your life:
Solving engineering problems,
Planning a vacation
Finding a job
Organizing a fund-raiser
Purchasing a house
Writing a book
…
Top 10 Benefits
5. Social Impact
Benefits society
Developing transportation systems that help people and products move
about easily
Cleaning up the environment
Finding new sources of energy
Increasing the standard of living in underdeveloped countries.
Top 10 Benefits
6. Financial Security
Well paid:
Average salary now days in Shanghai:
B.S. >￥3500 per month after tax
M.S. > ￥5500 per month after tax
Ph.D. > ￥8500 per month after tax
Top 10 Benefits
7. Prestige
A well respected profession
Developing science and technology for our nation
Providing solutions to engineering problems
Top 10 Benefits
8. Professional Environment
With respect
A certain amount of freedom (work)
Receive adequate work space and the tools you need
Receive the secretarial and technical support staff
Learn from experienced engineers
Be offered seminars and short courses to increase your
knowledge
Top 10 Benefits
9. Technological and Scientific Discovery
An engineering education can
Help you understand the world
Have a better understanding of many issues facing our society
What will we use for energy when oil runs out?
Top 10 Benefits
10. Creative Thinking
Trained in creative thinking
This world needs creativity
Career Paths of Engineer
Technical side Business side
Technical Systems Engineering Program Marketing Business
expert engineer manager manager staff development
Advanced engineering degrees Advanced business degrees
Career Ladder of Engineers in U.S.
Engineer
Senior engineer
Staff engineer Project engineer
Principal engineer Engineering manager
Fellow Technical director
Technical path Managerial path
How can you be an engineer?
You could be an engineer without formal education
of engineering:
Chapter 3.mp4
If you want to be a good engineer, you generally
have to develop both kinds of skills
Technical Skills
Professional Skills
Typical program of study
What Impact On Your Progression?
Technical skills
Engineering and science fundamentals
To apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
Design
To design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and
interpret data
Manufacturing process
Multi-disciplinary
To function on multidisciplinary teams
System perspective
To identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
To design a system, component, or process to meet desired
needs
Professional Skills
Good communication skills
An ability to communicate effectively
High ethical standards
An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
A knowledge of contemporary issues
Critical and creative thinking
An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering
tools necessary for engineering practice
Team work
Ability to work in the global work force
Theoretical and experiential knowledge
Typical programs of study in college or university
Theoretical knowledge
Lectures
Readings
Accumulating knowledge through life time learning and
experiencing
Experiential knowledge
You do, you posses
Courses mainly for theoretical knowledge
1.General education courses
Humanities
Social sciences
Fine arts
2.Preparatory courses
Mathematics (such as calculus)
Science (such as chemistry, physics, statics and dynamics)
Computer programming
3.Core courses
Mechanics and Materials
Fluid mechanics
Thermodynamics
Vibration and Controls
Computer aided design/manufacturing
4.Elective courses on specialized topics that you find particularly
interesting
Courses mainly for theoretical knowledge
Those courses usually are offered in comfortable
classrooms or labs
The knowledge learned in this way usually are
referred as “theoretical” knowledge, practical
problems can not be solved only with those
knowledge, because of:
Abstraction, simplification of a certain principle or
phenomenon for educational purposes of those knowledge
Theoretical knowledge is important, but far from
enough for an engineer
Experiential knowledge
The knowledge you get from your own involvement
with a certain field
Recognized as the most important personal qualification by
the employer
You can gain experiential knowledge from:
Universities or colleges
Lab works in university courses
Project based learning in university courses
Outside campus (real world)
Summer employment
Internships
Research projects
Study-abroad opportunities
Learning from failures
What Impact On Your Progression?
Technical and engineering matters (education
background)
Non-technical in nature (working experience)
work independently
handle work assignments
find answers to unexpected problems
solve problems even in the presence of uncertain or ambiguous data
accept additional responsibility with success
communication skills
Attitudes:
Sense of responsibility
Work with enthusiasm
Willing to face and accept challenge with perseverance
Summary
What is Engineering?
Career paths of engineering
Experiential knowledge
Attitudes
The end
