1. Exploring Engineering
Chapter 1
What Engineers Do

2. In This Course You Will Study
The role of engineers and engineering technologists
Force, motion, energy, fuels, and engines
Logic and computing systems
The elements of engineering design
Engineering economics
And much, much more!
Exploring Engineering

3. What Is Engineering?
Engineers can be classified according to the kind of work they do—administration, construction, consulting, design, development, teaching, planning, production, research, sales, service, and test engineers. Because engineering deals with the world around us, the number of engineering disciplines is very large. The table below lists some of the many engineering fields.
Aerospace
Ceramic
Electrical
Mechanical
Petroleum
Agricultural
Chemical
Environmental
Metallurgical
Sanitary
Architectural
Civil
Geological
Mining
Systems
Automotive
Computer
Manufacturing
Nuclear
Textile
Biomedical
Ecological
Marine
Ocean
Transportation
Exploring Engineering

4. What Is Engineering Technology?
Engineering technology is the profession in which a knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences gained by higher education, experience, and practice is devoted primarily to the implementation and extension of existing technology for the benefit of humanity.
Engineering technologists work closely with engineers in coordinating people, material, and machinery to achieve the specific goals of a particular project. The engineering technologist is often responsible for design and development.
Exploring Engineering

5. What Makes A “GOOD” 21st Century Engineer?
The 21st century will be characterized by the convergence of many technologies and engineering systems. The products of today and tomorrow will be “smarter” in which computers, sensors, controls, modern alloys, and plastics are as important as continuing expertise in the traditional engineering disciplines.
Exploring Engineering

6. Personal Ethics
Personal ethics are the standards of human behavior that individuals of different cultures have constructed to make moral judgments about personal or group situations.
Naturally, they vary over time and from culture to culture, resulting in conflict when what is acceptable in one culture is not in another. For example, the notion of privacy in U.S. culture is very strong, and a desk is considered an extension of that privacy, whereas in another culture, such as Japan, office space is open and one’s desk would be considered public domain.
Exploring Engineering

7. Professional Ethics
Having a code of ethics enables an engineer to resist the pressure to produce substandard work by saying, “As a professional, I cannot ethically put business concerns ahead of professional ethics.” It also enables the engineer to similarly resist pressure to allow concerns such as personal desires, greed, ideology, religion, or politics to override professional ethics.
As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineers perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.
Exploring Engineering

8. National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics
Fundamental canons
Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall
• Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
• Perform services only in areas of their competence.
• Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
• Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
• Avoid deceptive acts.
• Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.
Exploring Engineering

9. Engineering Ethics Decision Matrix
Options →
NSPE Canons 
Go along with the decision
Appeal to higher management
Quit your job
Write your state representative
Call a newspaper reporter
Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public
Perform services only in the area of your competence
Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner
Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees
Avoid deceptive acts
Conduct themselves honorably
Exploring Engineering

10. Keys to YOUR Success Study skills Time management Writing skills
Math skills
Attemding class
Completing homework assignments
Ask them how much time they spent in HS
Amount of time spent outside of class: about 15 hours per class per week
The purpose of class time: not always to present new material for the first time but to to clarify concepts presented in reading and activities outside class.
Critical thinking: will be asked to apply concepts to new situations.
Going to school is a full time job.
Not all material will be covered in class.
You will not do well if you don’t do assignments, attend class, and come to class prepared.
Are responsible for making up missed material.
Not all material will be on the WEB.
Exploring Engineering

11. Where to Find Information
Your Instructors
Your fellow team members
Other students
Campus resources
Point out the importance of checking the course web site.
Go to the WEB site and look at what is there
They are responsible for making sure they know when things are due
Suggest they keep a date book.
Point out objectives
Point out their responsibility in helping meet the objectives
I encourage students to discuss assignments. Talk about not just copying.
Exploring Engineering

12. Engineering Design Is:
Synthesis – putting things together
Analysis – taking things apart
Exploring Engineering

13. Example - Buying a Car A car salesperson might say:
a) “This car was driven by an older person
who never exceeded the speed limit.”
and
b) “It has great power, excellent fuel efficiency, and low pollution.”
What would an engineer say to part a)?
Example problem. Instructor answers part a), students volunteer answers to part b).
Exploring Engineering

14. Design Criteria For part a) an engineer might say:
“It was driven by a human about 1.7 meters high and 2 billion seconds old who never drove it faster than about 70 meters per second.”
Variable Unit Number
Height meters 1.7
Age seconds 2x109
Speed m/s 70
This is an example of how to specify design criteria
Exploring Engineering

15. Design Criteria
In part b) when the salesperson says “It has great power, excellent fuel efficiency, and low pollution.” An engineer might say: “(You fill in this part and define the variables, units, and numerical values)” Variable Unit Number
The students should fill in these numbers during class discussion
Typical values are:
Power = 100 kW (Hp = ?)
Acceleration = 9 m/s2
Fuel economy = 13 km/kg (MPG = ?)
Automobile emission requirements are usually given in grams/mile of pollutant. We should probably use grams/km.
NOx = 0.2 gm/mile = 0.13 gm/km
CO2 = 3.4 gm/mile = 2 gm/km
Exploring Engineering

16. National Academy of Engineering Top 20 Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century
Highways
Spacecraft
Internet
Imaging
Household Appliances
Health Technologies
Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
Laser and Fiber Optics
Nuclear Technologies
High-performance Materials
Electrification
Automobile
Airplane
Water Supply and Distribution
Electronics
Radio and Television
Agricultural Mechanization
Computers
Telephone
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Exploring Engineering

17. The National Academy of Engineering List of the Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century.
Engineer better medicines
Reverse-engineer the brain
Prevent nuclear terror
Secure cyberspace
Enhance virtual reality
Advance personalized learning
Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
Make solar energy economical
Provide energy from fusion
Develop carbon sequestration methods
Manage the nitrogen cycle
Provide access to clean water
Restore and improve urban infrastructure
Advance health informatics
Exploring Engineering

18. Do you agree with this list of challenges?
Exploring Engineering