Definition of an Engineer 26

[Ashereng]

I recently brought my little ones to my office, to see where I work.

They have only seen me "colour" my drawing, and working on my computer at home, and seem to think that engineering consists of:
1) drinking a lot of coffee (yes, I am cutting back)
2) colouring (I do a lot of back checking and review)
3) surfing the web (I do a lot of design and sizing on my computer)

However, this descripton aside, how would you describe/define engineering to a group of Grade 10s? I don't mean the specific type of engineers, like a piping engineer works on a project to bring oil from Alaska to Texas, but more generic

What does an "engineer" do?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[SomptingGuy]

An engineer is a professional problem solver.

 

[UcfSE]

Engineers drive trains.

 

[JAE]

A black star for you UcfSE...

 

[SnTMan]

Hello All, here, paraphrased (poorly) from a book or two I have read, is a description of what engineering is:

Engineering is the creation of artifacts to solve some problem or address some need of society.

This is kind of a broadest sense description, since, as we know, different types of engineers do different types of things in different fields. The context of the book(s) was partly on the difference between engineering and science, in that science is more often concerned with describing the world as it is, where as engneering is more often with changing some aspect of it.

Or, for another take (Per Dilbert)

Q: What do you do?
A: I'm an Engineer

Q: But what do you DO?
A: I'm assigned to a very important project.

Q: Yes, but WHAT do you DO?
A: That's enought about me.

Grins,

Mike

 

[GregLocock]

The difference between engineering and science:

Scientists investigate what exists.

Engineers create things that have never existed.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[UcfSE]

LMAO JAE!

What made me think of that was a girl I talked to once upon a time, a potential date. When she asked what I did, I told her I'm an engineer. Of course: "so you drive trains?" ... After hearing what I actually did and some silence, she responded, "so you have to go to college for that?"

Needless to say, we never hit it off.

 

[zdas04]

I was doing the Engineer activity pin for a group of Weblos (cub scouts in grade 5) and one asked me that question. I said "an engineer is someone who uses arithmetic to describe and modify the physical world". They all glazed over, but all of them are in engineering school this year. Coincidence? I don't think so.

David

 

[UWH]

Try the "Applied Scientist" definition and see if that gets a better reaction from grade 10s...
"Engineers apply science to real-world situations to create new or better things, systems, and processes."

or (a little more cynically) ...
"Engineers make stuff so that the marketing guys can get paid twice as much to sell it."

 

[rbcoulter]

My definition of engineering:

"Accountants of Technology"

 

[Ashereng]

"Engineers apply science to real-world situations to create new or better things, systems, and processes."

When was the last time I created anything new? Maybe I helped build a new facility. Ok.

Was it better? Naw, same as this other one. I keep hearing "Just use the (put name here) from the (old project name here) job.

"Accountants of Technology"

Now that is interesting. What does it mean?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[BJC]

An engineer is someone who can do for a dollar what anyone else can do for two.

 

[rbcoulter]

I decided on that definition in an effort to try to distinquish engineers from other related professions.
Most textbook/dictionary definitions of engineering are not specific enough to distinquish between engineers and other related professionals (for example, chemists). What really distinquishes engineers is the broad knowledge of other disciplines and math that enables one to put "technology to the test". I observed that accountants have a relationship with business professionals/owners that is analagous to the relationship between engineers and technology developers (scientists, etc.).

 

[Ashereng]

BJC,

Yeah, I've heard that too. I don't agree with it though.

I think the efficiency title belongs to daycare workers.

Daycare workers can do with $1 what anyone else can't do with less than $10.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[Jabberwocky]

'Applied Scientist' always worked for me.

Mathematicians make up numbers and relations between them.

Scientists data-mine the real world searching for patterns and predictions to be described by the aforementioned made-up-numbers.

Engineers use their enormous brains (and catalogs, codebooks, and computers) to apply said patterns to a practical effect in the actual world.

Machinists, drafters, and designers decipher the engineers' Mighty Words (and drawings and solid files) and physically manifest the design.

Any of these processes seen from a lay perspective will either appear to be impossibly difficult or ridiculously easy. But still, I think if you can't describe any given task to a 10 year old, you either don't know enough about it or need to learn more communication skills.

 

[Twoballcane]

UcfSE

I was at a social engagement and somebody asked me what I did. I said that I was a Mechanical engineer. Then the person asked me where my garage was, perplexed I said it was in my backyard. Then the person said wow you do all of your work in your back yard?

Man life is tough some times…

 

[johnsmith2]

Scientists create things that have never existed.


Engineers investigate what exists.

 

[DaveVikingPE]

What does an "engineer" do?

Usually an engineer is someone who drinks a lot of coffee, does a lot of coloring (green, yellow and red, most commonly), and surfs the web a lot.

That's certainly a descrption of a lot of engineers I know. I've cut down on the coffee in favor of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans.

On one floor of my office, the engineers are engaged in thinking up schedules, moving money from one place to another, thinking up plans for managing resources, and lots of other stuff they agonize over until the clerk-techs show them how to make a schedule and budget on the PM software. That's what engineers do.

Other engineers plan, design, build and operate things that make the world better or worse. Applying the accumulated technical knowledge of the last 12,000 years.

 

[GregLocock]

Definition of an engineer: a scientist who gets taken to court when he's wrong.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[MRM]

Good one, Greg!