Engineering - Math & Science in Society Class Summary 4/14/14

with Ed Insel

Careers in Engineering

We wrapped up our work on solar energy by studying tracking systems that keep solar panels pointed at the sun. I also explained the “grid” that delivers electricity from a dam, solar array, coal-fueled plants, or nuclear reactor via high-tension lines to local substations, neighborhood transformers, and the electrical panel in our homes.

The students then paired up and reviewed two papers on the various types of engineering and what they do. They summarized their fields and briefed their classmates on field descriptions and the kinds of projects on which they work.

End of Semester Project

We discussed the end-of-semester project. Each student will do an individual project and show their work during the last class of the semester. Their Engineering Journal will show the work they’ve done on the topics we’ve covered. The project must be related to engineering, and some ideas are:

• Research a specific topic, formulate a hypothesis, and test it (or explain how you would).
  
• Find a problem, propose ways to fix it, choose the solution you feel to be best, and explain why you chose that solution over the other alternatives.
  
• Analyze an existing product and propose ways that it could be improved.
  
• Build a working machine – explain what it does and how it works.
  
• Find a complex shape and make a detailed mechanical drawing of it.
  
• Identify a large project and develop a schedule for it using PERT charts, incl. timelines.
  
• Show several ways in which a set of experimental data can be analyzed and shown.
  
• Design a building or other structure and build a scale model of it.
  
• Lay out the things a person must do to become an engineer.
  
• Other ideas? Discuss them with me first!
  

My point is not to drive them into Engineering but rather to impress upon them that if they even think they might want to have a career in this field they must continue challenging themselves in math and science. If you fall behind it is very difficult to catch up.

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Homework for Next Session

We do not have class next week, but I will be sending students a series of brief articles on specific areas of technology. They should read them and email back to me their short answers to the questions at the end of each paper.

The next Current Events team for our class on 28 April should choose a current event and be prepared to explain: 1) the event they chose and 2) the role that science plays in it.

Happy Easter!

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