Illuminating engineering

Abstract

Engineering is a difficult profession to explain to the average person, much less student, and is probably one of the most frequently misunderstood. The session described in this paper was developed to put engineering in common terms for the lay person, as well as provide an interesting and fun way to explore different concentration areas of the profession. The demonstration has been given to children as young as six years old, to parents of incoming engineering freshman and to emeritus engineers for the purpose of highlighting how the profession has changed. Little adaptation is needed, surprisingly enough, for these diverse audiences. Many of the demonstrations involve basic science as a way of illustrating the application of science to the solution of engineering problems. The session is heavily dependent on audience participation, making use of active learning. A sense of humor is also a necessary component of the presentation; it seems to help the audience become receptive to the ideas that are being presented. For the purposes of the demonstration the working definition of engineering is as a creative profession that uses math and science as tools to solve problems. The wide range of potential work areas is hinted at, as is the essential integrated nature of the various engineering disciplines.