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美音10：Engineers Do, and How They Learn
2014-02-24
The World of Engineering: Successes and Challenges
Think about the great engineering successes of the 20th century. What would you include? We could start with airplanes. How about radio and television broadcasts or computers?
In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering asked a group of scientists, engineers and technology experts to identify the biggest engineering challenges for the 21st century. This group identified 14 big challenges or issues. They divided these issues into four subject areas: sustainability, health, reducing threats and joy of living.
The Joy of Living and Engineering
Joy of living? What does that have to do with engineering? Rick Miller is President of the Olin College of Engineering. Mr. Miller says part of engineering today is about making life better. For example, engineers can help provide clean water for more people. Or they can improve medicines. Engineering can help us understand how the human brain works, and how every person can learn best. All these efforts are part of improving the quality of life. In other words, they help to increase the joy of living.
How Engineering Helps Make the World a Better Place
Experts say engineering can help the world become safer and more efficient in the 21st century. They say engineers could design ways to prevent terrorists from using nuclear weapons. Or they could stop computer hackers from stealing information on the Internet.
Engineers can make it easier to use energy from the sun, or find new sources of energy.
Rick Miller says engineers have to work together to solve many challenges. The issues are too large and complex for any one group of engineers -- or one country -- to solve alone. Mr. Miller says that when engineers from around the world cooperate, they can save the planet! But he says before engineers can start solving the world`s problems they need to learn how to think creatively. His school --FranklinW.OlinCollege-- was recently recognized for developing engineering leaders.
How Students Learn to Become Engineers
Olin Collegeis a small engineering school in the state ofMassachusetts. Its students learn through creative projects. Mr. Miller says, for example, a student might design an insect such as a grasshopper. In five weeks, students have to create the design, build a model, and then compete to see whose "grasshopper" jumps the highest.
Olin College students also identify people they would like to help. Some students have invented ways to help older adults suffering from memory loss. Others have created designs to help servers in coffee shops do their jobs better.
Mr. Miller says he wants his engineering students to work at being engineers -- just like art students practice making art.
Learning How to Use Engineering to Improve Lives
Olin College is not the only school that teaches students how to think about engineering challenges.PennsylvaniaStateUniversityoffers what it calls the Humanitarian Engineering Social Entrepreneurship program -- in other words, students use engineering to improve people`s lives. In one project, students developed and tested low cost greenhouses inKenya. Greenhouses are used for growing plants. These enclosed areas give farmers a longer growing season.
Other college engineering programs are giving students a chance to create products and launch businesses before they finish their education. For example, engineering students atRiceUniversityinTexashave designed 58 health care products. The university says the products are now used to care for 45,000 patients in 21 countries.
