Day 2

Intro to Engineering

Allen Sam

6-12-18

Activity 1.6 Discover Engineering

1.    What is engineering? Based on your current perception, in a few sentences define the term “engineering”.

 I think that engineering is a field of making and building. Ideas from creative people are brought into reality and people try to solve problems with these ideas whether they are crazy ones or not. The effectiveness of something built is the most important part of engineering because the engineers want to address a certain problem. Might I say that engineering is the field of problem solving as well.

2.     Describe the four major disciplines of engineering and identify problems or projects that an engineer in each discipline might encounter.

·         Chemical engineering

 Chemical engineers use science and math to work in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, design and construction, pulp and paper, food processing, biotechnology, safety, and environmental health. Chemical engineers test certain chemicals, plan and test production methods, and direct facility operations.

·         Civil engineering

 Civil engineers create roadways, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and more. Some problems they address include disaster management, reducing traffic, managing groundwater, and building energy efficiency.

·         Electrical engineering

 Electrical engineers research, design, and oversee the development of electronic systems. Problems they address are creating new technology, designing automobiles, testing equipment, and test systems like broadcast and communication systems. Some electrical engineers work around computer hardware.

·         Mechanical engineering

 Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers use the principles of energy, materials, and mechanics to design and manufacture machines and devices. They make the processes and systems that drive technology and industries.

3.    Choose a discipline of engineering (other than chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical) that is of interest to you. Describe this engineering field and explain how it is an extension of, specialization within, or combination of one or more of the four major engineering disciplines. (Optional – create a PowerPoint slide to describe your chosen engineering discipline.)

 I am interested in environmental engineering because I do care about the wildlife and nature that surrounds us. Environmental engineers use biology and chemistry to make solutions to environmental problems. They are involved in regulating water and air pollution, recycling, waste disposal, and public heath issues. Environmental science could be considered under mechanical engineering or civil engineering because these engineers can create new structures to address conflict between humans and nature, or create new process to help mitigate or reduce the impact of water and air pollution.

4.    Describe your selected achievement in a few sentences.

 I chose electrification, and it the the connecting and usage of electricity from multiple sources. The electrification process includes mining coal, digging into oil reservoirs, and using renewable energy sources. All of these energy sources need its energy to be converted to electrical energy (mostly through turning the energy source into mechanical energy then electrical)

5.    Which major discipline of engineering do you think was most involved in the development of this achievement? Justify your answer.

 Electrification could under the mechanical engineering or mostly electrical engineering because the electrification includes creating new processes to convert the sources of energy and creating systems for electricity to be used.

6.    If you were an engineer within the discipline that you chose in number 3, which engineering grand challenge would you like to work on?

 I would like to work on making solar energy economical.

7.    Describe your selected grand challenge.

 Because fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources, there could be a demand for other sources of energy in the near future. The challenge here is to make solar solar energy commercially used. Currently, solar energy is only one percent of the total consumption of energy, most of them being fossil fuel. 

8.    Why is a solution to this challenge important to the world?

 If there was more usage of solar energy, we would not have to rely on nonrenewable sources for energy. The sun is sustainable and does not harm the environment as much as mining for fossil fuels and oil does.

9.    How could you, as an engineer in your chosen discipline, contribute to a solution to this challenge?

I could make an impact on this discipline by coming up new ways to integrate more solar energy into more electrical systems, and I could make a new solar panel that would be cheaper than normal solar panels today.

Conclusion

1.    What is it about “engineering” that is common to all disciplines of engineering?  That is, what makes an “engineer” an “engineer” regardless of the work one does?

 The main thing about all engineers is that they want to solve problems. Whether it be global or minor problems, every single engineer has the intention of providing solutions and creating ideas to help the world and its people.

2.    Why do you think engineering has been called the stealth profession? (Hint: there are many internet resources that address this question.)

 Engineering is called a stealth profession because so many people are clueless about what engineers do.

3.    How is an engineer different from a scientist?

 Usually, science studies the physical world while engineering apples knowledge to create processes, structures, or equipment. Thus, the job of a scientist is different from that of an engineer because engineering does not take influence from the natural world.

4.    What interpersonal characteristics do you think are important to the success of an engineer of any discipline?

I think that creativity is the most important aspect of an engineer's success because ideas need to be put out there so they can be tested.

Activity 1.7

1.    Choose one of the designs represented in the four images presented by your instructor (and reproduced below) as YOUR design.

Design image #1

2.    Think about the object in the image and the problem that it may solve. Answer the following questions.

·         What is it? -it is an oxygen tank

·         What problem does it solve?- it's supposed to keep air in tightly but is extremely light

·         What criteria were used to guide the design?-a standard oxygen tank was used as a model but I enhanced it

·         What are the most important features of the design? What features allow it to perform its intended purpose?-The nozzle at the end allows a limited air flow and connection to some other hose, the wheel allows you to open the entire container, and the container is super light and portable 

·         How does your product affect society and the environment?- The product will allow businesses to transport contained air and car owners to have a tank of air in case they get a deflated tire.

Conclusion

1.      Why is it important for engineers to be creative and think outside the box?

 It is important to be creative because there are many solutions to one problem. The ideas need to be created in order to assess which creative idea is most practical.

2.      What other characteristics do you believe engineers should possess in order to be successful problem solvers?

Engineers should also be open to other wild ideas, and they should be able to perform research to make their product as effective as possible.