Weird and Wacky Engineering
Can you Define Yourself?
Naomi Price
4/12/2012 4:55 PM EDT
On March 2, Alan Alda asked scientists to answer the question – “What is a flame?” – in a way that an 11-year-old would find intelligible and maybe even fun. By April 2, 822 entries had streamed in.
The germ for this contest came from when Alda, as a curious 11 year old, asked his teacher, “What is a flame?” Her reply, “It’s oxidation” was understandably less than inspiring to the young lad. As we all know, Alda grew up to, among many other things, entertain us for 11 years as Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H. What many people don’t know is that he grew up to also have a passion for explaining science to children.
When Mara Cruz, Online Art Director on UBM Electronics and a contributor to Innovation Generation, told me about The Flame Challenge, our first reaction was, “Why can’t we do the same thing for engineering?” And a new contest was born.
We know there are plenty of budding engineers out there eager to learn. Often the adults they meet inspire them, but sometimes adults – with our too-large words and obtuse ways – inadvertently turn kids off. The goal of the "Define Yourself" contest is to counteract that by challenging our readers to explain engineering terms to kids in a way that conveys to them your passion for the field.
So now, we’d like to challenge you the readers of EE Life to define “Engineer.” After verifying the answers for accuracy, we’ll take the best definitions and hand them over to the student readers of Innovation Generation (EE Times's science, technology, engineering, and math education site). Our precocious bunch of budding engineers will vote on the definition that they find the most understanding and inspirational.
Enter your definition for “Engineer” into the comments field, below.
The germ for this contest came from when Alda, as a curious 11 year old, asked his teacher, “What is a flame?” Her reply, “It’s oxidation” was understandably less than inspiring to the young lad. As we all know, Alda grew up to, among many other things, entertain us for 11 years as Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H. What many people don’t know is that he grew up to also have a passion for explaining science to children.
When Mara Cruz, Online Art Director on UBM Electronics and a contributor to Innovation Generation, told me about The Flame Challenge, our first reaction was, “Why can’t we do the same thing for engineering?” And a new contest was born.
We know there are plenty of budding engineers out there eager to learn. Often the adults they meet inspire them, but sometimes adults – with our too-large words and obtuse ways – inadvertently turn kids off. The goal of the "Define Yourself" contest is to counteract that by challenging our readers to explain engineering terms to kids in a way that conveys to them your passion for the field.
So now, we’d like to challenge you the readers of EE Life to define “Engineer.” After verifying the answers for accuracy, we’ll take the best definitions and hand them over to the student readers of Innovation Generation (EE Times's science, technology, engineering, and math education site). Our precocious bunch of budding engineers will vote on the definition that they find the most understanding and inspirational.
Enter your definition for “Engineer” into the comments field, below.
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Naomi Price
4/12/2012 5:52 PM EDT
Oh, and did you notice the pic used in the top carousel? It came from something Max posted: http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4370815/The--Well-Endowed--Array
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Brian Fuller2
4/13/2012 12:15 PM EDT
"Someone who solves technical problems using materials, software code and electronics. See also: 'Magician.'"
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Duane Benson
4/13/2012 12:26 PM EDT
Engineers explore, learn and create.
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franchzilla
4/13/2012 12:33 PM EDT
Engineer is a socially awkward species that thinks that solving problem is fun (an unusual definition of fun that involves a lot of thinking and sleepless nights trying to find a good answer).
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Haldor
4/13/2012 2:49 PM EDT
I always claim that my job is solving hard problems. If the problems are easy to solve they rarely make it to me.
Many times I end up designing something that didn't exist before to solve a problem, but to be honest I prefer to solve problems using what we already have if possible.
And sometimes the problem is not really solvable with technology. In that case the best solution is often to figure out some way to make what is happening not cause problems any more.
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Dennis.Kahler
4/13/2012 2:51 PM EDT
An engineer is someone who takes your toys apart and improves them. My dad took made my Hot Wheels Sizzler charger plug into the wall instead of using 4 D batteries.
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WKetel
4/13/2012 5:40 PM EDT
Good Engineers are creative people who solve problems of all kinds through the use and application of assorted forms of technology.
The problems can range from "My cell phone can't take pictures" to "Our well is not providing us with enough water". The fact is that electronics is only a small part of engineering, and that computers are only a small part of electronic engineering. I am one of the few who wears many different hats.
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FlyByPC
4/14/2012 10:52 AM EDT
An Engineer is someone who uses science and mathematics to solve problems (and often, have a lot of fun in the process.)
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EVVJSK
4/20/2012 3:40 PM EDT
Have to say that "An Engineer is someone who uses science and mathematics to solve problems" sums it up (the fun can be a bonus,but not necessarily required ;-)
If I had to put a qualifier on it or modify it in any way it would be to add "sometimes through trial and error" so as to set a child expectations that it is not always easy !
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SarahCurry
4/14/2012 1:28 PM EDT
The answer that inspired me to become an engineer, some 15 years ago :
"Scientists imagine the things that could be; engineers turn those things into reality"
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Geoff Thomas
4/16/2012 4:12 AM EDT
I agree with Sarah Curry, but would like to expand the definition of engineers to include self taught, innately intuitive/creative, and any others who do that "turn those things into reality". Thing.
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sudo
4/16/2012 7:29 PM EDT
While a lot of the other entries are funny and/or descriptive, so far the one above from SarahCurry is the only one that is both succinct and understandable for an 11 year old.
In a way, I'm slightly disappointed. Engineers are supposed to be good at reading and understanding specifications, especially a not too complicated one!! ;-)
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seaEE
4/14/2012 5:32 PM EDT
An engineer is someone how takes a concept and from it produces a useful reality.
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abraxalito
4/16/2012 12:35 PM EDT
I've always loved Henry Ford's - 'An engineer is one who can do for $1 what any fool can do for $2'. A passion for creating optimized solutions is at the heart of an engineer.
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MarkBudnik
4/17/2012 9:46 AM EDT
I have used this quote for years to explain engineering to students, but I believe it is originally attributed to Arthur Wellington in his book, The Economic Theory of the Location of Railroads: "It would be well if engineering were less generally thought and even defined as the art of constructing. In a certain important sense it is rather the art of not constructing; or to define it rudely but not inaptly, it is the art of doing that well one dollar, which any bungler can do with two after a fashion."
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David Ashton
4/17/2012 4:55 PM EDT
I think 11-year-olds would better understand Henry Ford's version? Even if you put the missing "with" back before "one dollar"...?
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Frank Eory
4/17/2012 5:07 PM EDT
Einstein had a similar thought, which I wish all engineers followed religiously:
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
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krwada
4/16/2012 6:48 PM EDT
To Quote Freeman Dyson:
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima donnas in engineering."
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collin
4/19/2012 9:59 AM EDT
In my opinion, Engineer is a person who should solve the problems which brings in the projects with wide extention, such as products and any other issues in reality.
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Naomi Price
4/19/2012 1:51 PM EDT
Some terrific responses...surprisingly, no one has mentioned education yet...
We have five classes signed up as judges already! I think our student judges may be more towards late middle-school / high-school aged.
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snakinator
4/19/2012 6:16 PM EDT
An engineer is someone who takes the creativity of an artist, the knowledge of a scientist, the imagination of a writer, and the stamina of an athlete and turns science fiction into reality.
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Spenser Hsu
4/20/2012 3:21 PM EDT
Engineer - Someone who solves love problems using science theory.
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Jim.Knodel
4/20/2012 5:32 PM EDT
An engineer makes things possible.
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Mohammed Hamed
4/21/2012 11:27 PM EDT
Engineering is creating complex systems that are occasionally useful, so that they can have a lot of problems, so we can feel good about ourselves fixing them all often after many nights of sweat and tears.
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zeeglen
4/22/2012 12:59 AM EDT
An engineer is one who solves problems, turns amazing concepts into reality, makes managers and stockholders rich, and gets laid off when the project is finished.
"Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be engineers". Better to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, politician, or cowboy. Of these, only the doctor or cowboy might find the job as rewarding and enjoyable as engineering.
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cdhmanning
4/23/2012 12:26 AM EDT
Engineering is the art of compromise.
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RWatkins
4/23/2012 11:33 AM EDT
An engineer designs an optimal solution to a problem using available parts, processes, and materials. Sometimes this includes invention of new parts, processes, or materials.
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ArthurH
4/27/2012 2:29 AM EDT
Engineers simplify old stuffs so they can create new complex things. (Maxwell equation - KVL&KCL - logic gates - computers - internet - facebook)
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Denis.Giri
5/15/2012 5:10 AM EDT
Scientists think things up and test ideas & algorithms,
Engineers transform those thoughts into specifications, plans and blueprints,
And Technicians & Workers use the blueprints to make stuff.
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joebryan
6/7/2012 1:50 PM EDT
Engineers are people who figure out how to take intellectual ideas and turn them into real things.
Good engineers solve existing problems. Great engineers imagine problems that have yet to occur, and make sure they don't happen.
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Gruntmaster5000
6/16/2012 12:37 AM EDT
The professor looks at a glass of water and says something like "its 48.31415% full of H20". The scientist says something like "that glass is 48% full of water".
The logistics engineer says "the glass is about half full -- but in truth its about twice as big as it needs to be". And the design engineer says "if that glass contained twice as much liquid, and that liquid was beer, it would be perfect".
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