1. The Engineer and the Method
EGR 1310
Introduction to Engineering

2. What is Engineering?
“The profession in which knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is applied with judgment to develop ways to use, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.”
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)

3. What is Engineering? What is the difference between…
a scientist and an engineer?
a mechanical engineer and a mechanic?
an electrical engineer and an electrician?
Engineering vs. Engineering technology

4. Why Study Engineering? To become a
Professional engineer
Business consultant for a prestigious consulting firm
Lawyer
Physician
To use my God-given gifts and talents to serve others in the best possible way
“Vocation”
God’s calling for me. I’m willing to talk to anytime.

5. The Engineering Disciplines
The three big disciplines (a large majority of all engineers)
Civil Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Additional disciplines
Chemical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

6. Civil Engineering
Oldest engineering discipline

7. Civil Engineering
Origins back to ~4000BC

8. Mechanical Engineering
Developed after civil engineering
Concerned with the design of mechanical and thermal systems
Many final products, such as cars & airplanes
Most equipment that makes other products
Heating and air conditioning systems

9. Mechanical Engineering
Thermal flow

10. Mechanical Engineering
Left = Finite element analysis

11. Alumna Profile Karen Davis, BSME, 2009
Propulsion test engineer and test conductor
SpaceX, McGregor, Texas
“I work on the in-space team, so I work with second stage engines and Draco thrusters for the cargo carrying capsule (the Dragon).  As a TE/TC, I am responsible for controlling the many different systems on our test stand that make testing the Draco possible.  I will also be doing some design work to expand the test stand for a module of Draco's (five thrusters in flight configuration) and helping to develop a test plan for that series of testing.”
Karen in Rwanda with Engineers with a Mission
Space X Falcon 9 Engines

12. Alumna Profile Jonathan Crabtree, BSME 2009
Level 1 Mechanical Engineer
Black and Veatch, Kansas City, KA
“I work in the energy division and retrofit projects for older power plants (coal, gas, and combined cycle). Retrofits include emission control equipment (scrubbers for SO2 reduction, SCR for NOx reduction, etc.) and fuel conversion projects. I work on detailed designs, studies, proposals, and also the cost estimate for a new solar thermal power plant that will be the biggest of its kind. I feels that my Baylor education trained me well. Besides starting work, I am getting married in October. Woowho!!”
Jonathan and Katie on the Waco Suspension Bridge
A Solar Thermal Power Plant

13. Electrical and Computer Engineering
Design of electrical systems
Very large engineering discipline as all industries will need some electrical engineers
Computer portion of this discipline is much newer, having developed since the 1960’s
Primarily concerned with information and/or power

14. Electrical and Computer Engineering
Connect mechanical and electrical thru wind turbine.

15. Electrical and Computer Engineering

16. Large and Small Wind Turbines
Alumna Profile
Amy Bowen, BSECE, 2006
Engineer, National Wind Technology Center
NREL, Boulder, CO
“I have been a field test engineer for small turbine independent testing at the National Wind Technology Center since September I am involved in duration, power performance, and safety and function testing for small wind turbines. I am also currently involved in software development for small turbine testing, blade testing, LabVIEW programming, data acquisition, and data analysis.”
Amy visiting wind farm
Large and Small Wind Turbines

17. Alumni Profile Chris Matcek, BSECE 2006, ME/MBA 2008
Engineering Management Trainee
Raytheon, San Diego, CA
“I am member of the Rotational Engineering Leadership Development Program (RELDP). I rotate between three assignments around the USA for 2 years, experiencing different areas of the company. Then I move into management upon graduation. I am currently working on organizational strategy and business continuity for the company.”
Chris with MBA students in Washington DC
Raytheon’s KillerBee UAV

18. What is an Engineer? An Engineer is not defined by her product
Nano-robots
Airplanes
Suspension bridges
An engineer is defined by her method
Finding the best change
Using available resources
In an environment of uncertainty
Give students a BREAK.

19. “To Engineer”
The clergy in Iran engineered the firing of the president.
The chessmaster engineered a perfect countermove.
The general engineered a coup d'état without the loss of life.

20. Why is Engineering Such a Mystery?
The Scientific Method
Well-understood, even by the layperson.
“Science is theory corrected by experiment.”
All variables held constant except one.
“Answer in the back of the book.”
Extensively analyzed by philosophers
None of these are true for the Engineering Method
Although engineers often employ science and scientific reasoning

21. Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems:
Change: the situation requires a change.
Best: the best change is desired...
Resources: using the available resources.
Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete and sometimes inconsistent

22. Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems:
Change: the situation requires a change.
Best: the best change is desired...
Resources: using the available resources.
Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete and sometimes inconsistent

23. Change A
Measure of Change B
time

24. Change Four practical difficulties in getting from A to B:
Engineer lacks complete knowledge of the world at A
The exact final state, B, is unknown and cannot be anticipated
There is no single path from A to B
Engineering goals can change during the process (the location of B floats!)
Bridge building example.

25. Change Is all change caused by engineers good?
What about unintended consequences?
Aswan High Dam in Egypt
Can you name any others?
Can you think of any engineering disasters?
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Kansas City Hyatt Regency
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in U.S.S.R.
Repetitive Stress injuries (aka Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)

26. The Final State (B) Cannot Be Fully Known!

28. Unforeseen Consequences
Increased salinity of the Nile by 10%
Led to collapse of sardine industry
Caused Coastal Erosion
Displaced 100,000 Nubians
Drastically altering their way of life
BUT provides ½ of Egypt’s electrical needs
1. Was this change good or bad?

29. Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems:
Change: the situation requires a change.
Best: the best change is desired...
Resources: using the available resources.
Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete and sometimes inconsistent

30. Best Best for whom? Optimization theory
Westerners are conditioned to accept Plato’s notion of the Ideal
A new concept of “best”
Optimization theory
The optimum compromise
Apollo Program
Leapfrog learning
Political vs. Economic tradeoffs
1. What is the best car? Depends upon your perspective

31. Television Example: Best
Consider a television with only one knob:
Increased knob setting results in sharper picture
Increased knob setting also results in worse sound.

32. Television Example: Best
Assuming Picture and Sound are Equally Weighted

33. Television Example: Best
With Picture is half as important as Sound (for a person with hearing problems)

34. What is the Best?
“In essence, the engineer creates what he thinks an informed society should want based on his knowledge of what an uninformed society thinks it wants.”
Discussion of the Method, Billy Koen
Bridge building example.

35. Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems:
Change: the situation requires a change.
Best: the best change is desired...
Resources: using the available resources.
Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete and sometimes inconsistent

36. Available Resources Tangible Resources Intangible Resources
Money available for project
Time to complete project
Raw materials like steel, concrete, silicon
Computer resources
Number and education of engineers
Intangible Resources
Past experience with similar projects
Engineer’s interests, passions, etc.
What resources does an engineer have if asked to make a “back of the envelope” calculation and provide an answer in less than 5 minutes?

37. Time as a Resource
Problem: estimate number of ping-pong balls that can fill the room in
60 seconds
2 days
Unlimited time
Each time limit defines a new engineering problem because the time resource is different
Each solution would be valid from an engineering point of view because it was done within the time constraints imposed.

38. Four Key Elements of Engineering Problems:
Change: the situation requires a change.
Best: the best change is desired...
Resources: using the available resources.
Uncertainty: knowledge about the situation is incomplete and sometimes inconsistent

39. Uncertainty
Engineers are asked to find a solution to a problem while lacking complete information
In Change: both the starting and ending points (A & B) are not fully known
Resources: intangible resources cannot be quantified, yet they affect the outcome
Best: the best design is not always clear, best for whom?

40. What is an Engineer? An Engineer is not defined by her product
Although, her discipline is
Electrical Engineer
Computer Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
An Engineer is defined by her method
Finding the best change, using available resources in an environment of uncertainty
Engineering degree is great training for…
Business, Medicine, Law, Politics, Development