Activity 1.7 Discover Engineering Introduction What is engineering? Many people have difficulty answering this question. In fact, engineering is a diverse field there are many disciplines within engineering that – can involve the application of a very different body of knowledge and skills. Nearly everything that is not “natural” (i.e., created by Mother Nature) most likely was designed and created with input from engineers. The shampoo you used this morning to wash your hair, the technology that cleans the water you drink, the buildings in which you live, work, and attend school, and the iPhone you use to communicate all involved the expertise of engineers in the initial design, building and testing, and final production. All engineers are problems solvers. The differences among engineers in varying disciplines are dependent on the types of problems that they solve. In general there are four major disciplines within the engineering field: chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical. Many other engineering disciplines are derived as an extension of or specialization within one of these major disciplines. For example, environmental engineering is a subcategory of civil engineering. Other engineering disciplines have resulted from the combination of aspects of two or more of the major disciplines. Mechatronics is a relatively new branch of engineering that incorporates both mechanical and electrical engineering principles. In this activity you will investigate the four major disciplines of engineering and consider their impact on you and the world. Equipment Engineering notebook Pencil Computer with internet access Procedure What is engineering? Based on your current perception, in a few sentences define the term “engineering”. Now investigate the engineering profession. Some websites that may be helpful in your research include the following. Discover Engineering.
Activity 1.7 Discover Engineering Introduction What is engineering? Many people have difficulty answering this question. In fact, engineering is a diverse field – there are many disciplines within engineering that can involve the application of a very different body of knowledge and skills. Nearly everything that is not “natural” (i.e., created by Mother Nature) most likely was designed and created with input from engineers. The shampoo you used this morning to wash your hair, the technology that cleans the water you drink, the buildings in which you live, work, and attend school, and the iPhone you use to communicate all involved the expertise of engineers in the initial design, building and testing, and final production. All engineers are problems solvers. The differences among engineers in varying disciplines are dependent on the types of problems that they solve. In general there are four major disciplines within the engineering field: chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical. Many other engineering disciplines are derived as an extension of or specialization within one of these major disciplines. For example, environmental engineering is a subcategory of civil engineering. Other engineering disciplines have resulted from the combination of aspects of two or more of the major disciplines. Mechatronics is a relatively new branch of engineering that incorporates both mechanical and electrical engineering principles. In this activity you will investigate the four major disciplines of engineering and consider their impact on you and the world. Equipment Engineering notebook Pencil Computer with internet access Procedure What is engineering? Based on your current perception, in a few sentences define the term “engineering”. Now investigate the engineering profession. Some websites that may be helpful in your research include the following. Discover Engineering.
A1_7_DiscoverEngineering.docx