Prompt #1

What is engineering?

What do engineers do?

How many types of engineering are there?

What is the difference between science and engineering?

What academic training is needed to become an engineer?

Where can you get more information about engineers?

Picture source: Engineer

After reading through Thinking Like An Engineer, an introductory textbook for engineering at Michigan State University I have found out new things and answers to some of the preceding questions. The question "What is engineering?", is answered on page three, and it says "engineering is the application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources in nature are made useful to people." "What do engineers do?" is answered on page two by saying, "engineers take abstract ideas and build tangible products from them." The next two questions aren't necessarily answered directly in the book, but for "How many types of engineering are there?" the book doesn't say exactly how many, but it gives a big list of basic types of engineering, on page eight, such as aerospace, biomedical, biosystems, civil chemical, materials, electrical, computer, environmental, industrial, and mechanical. "What is the difference between science and engineering?" isn't directly answered, though the book does say, "engineering is the application of science", it doesn't say the difference, though it says science is definitely used in engineering. The book doesn't say anything about what training is needed to become an engineer, or how many years of school is needed. The book does say that you can find more information about engineering, on page twenty three there is a list of websites in which you can do different research on engineering. Overall the textbook was a very good resource and answered five out of six questions asked.

Picture source: Engineering

-Alex Brown

Sources:

Stephan, Elizabeth A., David R. Bowman, William J. Park, Benjamin L. Sill, and Matthew W. Ohland. Thinking Like An Engineer An Active Learning Approach. Custom Edition For Michigan State University ed. New York: Pearson Education, 2011. Print. Pearson.