purchase textbooks.Many students sell them after the course is completed.If that book contains useful information related to your career,it is foolish to sell it.Your textbook should become personalized references with appropriate underlining and notes in the margins that allow you to quickly regain the knowledge years after when you need it.Once you graduate,you should continue purchasing handbooks and specialized books related to your field.Recall that you will be employed for your knowledge,and books are the most ready source of that knowledge. Dependability.Many industries operate with deadlines.As a student,you also have many deadlines for homework,reports,tests and so forth.If you hand homework and reports in late, you are developing bad habits that will not serve you well in industry. Honesty.As much as technical skills are valued in industry,honesty is valued more.An employee who cannot be trusted is of no use to a company. Organization.Many engineering projects are extremely complex.Think of all the details that bad to be coordinated to construct your engineering building.It is composed of thousands of components (beams,ducting,electrical wiring,windows,lights,computer networks,doors,etc.). Because they interact,all those components had to be designed in a coordinated fashion.They had to be ordered from vendors and delivered to the construction site sequentially when they were required.The activities of the contractors had to coordinate to install each item when it arrived.The engineers had to be organized to construct the building on time and within budget. Common sense.There are many commonsense aspects of engineering that cannot be taught in the classroom.A lack of common sense can be disastrous.For example,a library was recently built that required pilings to support it on soft ground.(A piling is a vertical rod,generally made from concrete that goes deep into the ground to support the building that rests on it).Their engineers very carefully and meticulously designed their pilings to support the weight of the building,as they had done many times before.Although the pilings were sufficient to hold the building,the engineers neglected the weight of books in the library.The pilings were insufficient to carry this additional load,so the library is now slowly sinking into the ground. Curiosity.Engineers must constantly learn and attempt to understand the world.A successful engineer is always asking,why? Involvement in the community.Engineers benefit themselves and their community by being involved with clubs and organizations (Kiwanis,Rotary,etc.).These organizations provided useful community services and also serve as networks for business contacts. Creativity.From their undergraduate studies,it is easy for engineering students to get a false impression that engineering is not creative.Most courses emphasize analysis,in which a problem has already been defined and the "correct"answer is being sought.Although analysis is extremely important in engineering,most engineers also employ synthesis,the act of creatively combining smaller parts to form a whole.Synthesis is essential to design,which usually starts with a loosely defined problem for which there are many possible solutions.The creative engineering challenge is to find the best solution to satisfy the project goals(low cost,reliability, functionality,etc.).Many of the technical challenge facing society can be met only with creativity. For if the solutions were obvious,the problems would already be solved
purchase textbooks. Many students sell them after the course is completed. If that book contains useful information related to your career, it is foolish to sell it. Your textbook should become personalized references with appropriate underlining and notes in the margins that allow you to quickly regain the knowledge years after when you need it. Once you graduate, you should continue purchasing handbooks and specialized books related to your field. Recall that you will be employed for your knowledge, and books are the most ready source of that knowledge. · Dependability. Many industries operate with deadlines. As a student, you also have many deadlines for homework, reports, tests and so forth. If you hand homework and reports in late, you are developing bad habits that will not serve you well in industry. · Honesty. As much as technical skills are valued in industry, honesty is valued more. An employee who cannot be trusted is of no use to a company. ·Organization. Many engineering projects are extremely complex. Think of all the details that bad to be coordinated to construct your engineering building. It is composed of thousands of components (beams, ducting, electrical wiring, windows, lights, computer networks, doors, etc.). Because they interact, all those components had to be designed in a coordinated fashion. They had to be ordered from vendors and delivered to the construction site sequentially when they were required. The activities of the contractors had to coordinate to install each item when it arrived. The engineers had to be organized to construct the building on time and within budget. ·Common sense. There are many commonsense aspects of engineering that cannot be taught in the classroom. A lack of common sense can be disastrous. For example, a library was recently built that required pilings to support it on soft ground. (A piling is a vertical rod, generally made from concrete that goes deep into the ground to support the building that rests on it). Their engineers very carefully and meticulously designed their pilings to support the weight of the building, as they had done many times before. Although the pilings were sufficient to hold the building, the engineers neglected the weight of books in the library. The pilings were insufficient to carry this additional load, so the library is now slowly sinking into the ground. ·Curiosity. Engineers must constantly learn and attempt to understand the world. A successful engineer is always asking, why? ·Involvement in the community. Engineers benefit themselves and their community by being involved with clubs and organizations (Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.). These organizations provided useful community services and also serve as networks for business contacts. ·Creativity. From their undergraduate studies, it is easy for engineering students to get a false impression that engineering is not creative. Most courses emphasize analysis, in which a problem has already been defined and the “correct” answer is being sought. Although analysis is extremely important in engineering, most engineers also employ synthesis, the act of creatively combining smaller parts to form a whole. Synthesis is essential to design, which usually starts with a loosely defined problem for which there are many possible solutions. The creative engineering challenge is to find the best solution to satisfy the project goals (low cost, reliability, functionality, etc.). Many of the technical challenge facing society can be met only with creativity. For if the solutions were obvious, the problems would already be solved
1.11 CREATIVITY Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein If the above quotation is correct,you should expect your engineering education to start with creativity 101.Although many professors do feel that creativity is important in engineering education,creativity per se is not taught.Why is this? Some professors feel that creativity is a talent students are born with and cannot be taught. Although each of us has different creative abilities-just as we have different abilities to rum the 50 yard dash-each of us is creative.Often,all the student needs is to be in an environment in which creativity is expected and fostered. Other professors feel that because creativity is hard to grade,it should not be taught.Although it is important to evaluate students,not everything a student does must be subjected to grading. The students'education should be placed above the students'evaluation. Other professors would argue that we do not completely understand the creative process,so how could we teach it?Although it is true we do not completely understand creativity,we know enough to foster its development. Rarely is creativity directly addressed in the engineering classroom.Instead,the primary activity of engineering education is the transfer of knowledge to future generations that was painstakingly gained by past generations.(Given the vast amount of knowledge,this is a Herculean task.)Further,engineering education emphasizes the proper manipulation of knowledge to correctly solve problems.Both these activities support analysis,not synthesis.The "analysis muscles"of an engineering student tend to be well developed and toned.In contrast, their "synthesis muscles"tend to be flabby due to lack of use.Both analysis and synthesis are part of the creative process;engineers cannot be productively creative without possessing and manipulating knowledge.But it is important to realize that if you wish to tone your "synthesis muscles,"it may require activities outside the engineering classroom. Table 1.3 lists some creative professions,of which engineering is one.Although the goals of authors,artists,and composers are many,most have the desire to communicate.However,the constraints placed upon their communication are not severe.The author e.e.cummings is well known for not following grammatical conventions.We have all been to art galleries in which a blob passes for art.The musician John Cage composed a musical piece entitled 4'33"in which the audience listens to random ambient noise (e.g.,the air handling system,coughs,etc.)for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. The goals of engineers differ from those of the other creative professions (Table 1.3).To achieve these goals,we are constrained by physical laws and economics.Unlike other creative professions,we are not free to ignore our constraints.What success would an aerospace engineer achieve by ignoring gravity?Because we must work within constraints to achieve our goals,engineers must exhibit tremendous creativity. Of those engineering goals listed in Table 1.3,one of the most important is simplicity. Generally,a simple design tends to satisfy the other goals as well.The engineers'desire to achieve simplicity is known as the KISS principle:"Keep It Simple,Stupid." Although the creative process is not completely understood,we present here our own ideas about the origins of creativity.People can crudely be classified into organized thinkers
1.11 CREATIVITY Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein If the above quotation is correct, you should expect your engineering education to start with creativity 101. Although many professors do feel that creativity is important in engineering education, creativity per se is not taught. Why is this? ·Some professors feel that creativity is a talent students are born with and cannot be taught. Although each of us has different creative abilities—just as we have different abilities to rum the 50 yard dash—each of us is creative. Often, all the student needs is to be in an environment in which creativity is expected and fostered. ·Other professors feel that because creativity is hard to grade, it should not be taught. Although it is important to evaluate students, not everything a student does must be subjected to grading. The students’ education should be placed above the students’ evaluation. ·Other professors would argue that we do not completely understand the creative process, so how could we teach it? Although it is true we do not completely understand creativity, we know enough to foster its development. Rarely is creativity directly addressed in the engineering classroom. Instead, the primary activity of engineering education is the transfer of knowledge to future generations that was painstakingly gained by past generations. (Given the vast amount of knowledge, this is a Herculean task.) Further, engineering education emphasizes the proper manipulation of knowledge to correctly solve problems. Both these activities support analysis, not synthesis. The “analysis muscles” of an engineering student tend to be well developed and toned. In contrast, their “synthesis muscles” tend to be flabby due to lack of use. Both analysis and synthesis are part of the creative process; engineers cannot be productively creative without possessing and manipulating knowledge. But it is important to realize that if you wish to tone your “synthesis muscles,” it may require activities outside the engineering classroom. Table 1.3 lists some creative professions, of which engineering is one. Although the goals of authors, artists, and composers are many, most have the desire to communicate. However, the constraints placed upon their communication are not severe. The author e.e. cummings is well known for not following grammatical conventions. We have all been to art galleries in which a blob passes for art. The musician John Cage composed a musical piece entitled 4’33’’ in which the audience listens to random ambient noise (e.g., the air handling system, coughs, etc.) for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. The goals of engineers differ from those of the other creative professions (Table 1.3). To achieve these goals, we are constrained by physical laws and economics. Unlike other creative professions, we are not free to ignore our constraints. What success would an aerospace engineer achieve by ignoring gravity? Because we must work within constraints to achieve our goals, engineers must exhibit tremendous creativity. Of those engineering goals listed in Table 1.3, one of the most important is simplicity. Generally, a simple design tends to satisfy the other goals as well. The engineers’ desire to achieve simplicity is known as the KISS principle:”Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Although the creative process is not completely understood, we present here our own ideas about the origins of creativity. People can crudely be classified into organized thinkers
disorganized thinkers,and creative thinkers.Imagine we tell each of these individuals that "paper manufacture involves removing lignin(the natural binding agent)from wood,to release cellulose fibers that are then formed into paper sheets."Figures 1.4 through 1.6 show how each thinker might store the information. The organized thinker has a well-compartmentalized mind.Facts are stored in unique places, so they are easily retrieved when need.The papermaking fact is stored under "organic chemistry, because lignin and cellulose are organic chemicals. The disorganized thinker has no structure.Although the information may be stored in multiple places,his mind is so disorganized that the information is hard to retrieve when needed. The disorganized thinker who needed to recall information about papermaking would not have a clue where to find it. The creative thinker is a combination of organized and disorganized thinkers.The creative mind is ordered and structured,but information is stored in multiple places so that when the information is needed,there is a higher probability of finding it.When creative people learn,they attempt to make many connections,so the information is stored in different places and is linked in a variety of ways.In the papermaking example,they might store the information under "organic chemistry"because they are organized,but also under "biochemistry"(because lignin and cellulose are made by living organisms)and under "art prints"(because high-quality prints must be printed on "acid-free"paper,which uses special chemistry to remove the lignin). When an engineer tries to solve a problem,she works at both the conscious and subconscious level (Figure 1.7).The subconscious seeks information that solves a qualitative model of the problem.As long as it finds no solution,the subconscious mind keeps searching the information data banks.Here,we see the advantage of creative thinkers.With information stored in multiple places and connected in useful ways,there is a greater probability that the solution to the qualitative model will be found.When the subconscious finds a solution,it emerges into consciousness.You have certainly experienced this.Perhaps you went to bed with a problem on your mind,and when you woke up,the solution seemingly "popped"into your head.In actuality, the subconscious worked on the problem while you were sleeping,and the solution emerged into your consciousness when you awoke.For engineers,generally what emerges from the subconscious is a potential solution,The actual solution won't be known until the potential solution is analyzed using a quantitative model.If analysis proves the solution,then the engineer has cause for celebration;she has solved the problem. Most of your engineering education will focus on analysis,the final step in the problem-solving process.However,unless your subconscious is trained,you won't have good potential solutions to analyze.Notice that the subconscious requires a qualitative model.A good engineer develops a "feeling"for numbers and processes and often does not have to feed mathematical formulas to get answers.Developing a feeling for numbers will also help your analysis skills,as it provides an essential check on your calculated answers
disorganized thinkers, and creative thinkers. Imagine we tell each of these individuals that “paper manufacture involves removing lignin (the natural binding agent) from wood, to release cellulose fibers that are then formed into paper sheets.” Figures 1.4 through 1.6 show how each thinker might store the information. The organized thinker has a well-compartmentalized mind. Facts are stored in unique places, so they are easily retrieved when need. The papermaking fact is stored under “organic chemistry,” because lignin and cellulose are organic chemicals. The disorganized thinker has no structure. Although the information may be stored in multiple places, his mind is so disorganized that the information is hard to retrieve when needed. The disorganized thinker who needed to recall information about papermaking would not have a clue where to find it. The creative thinker is a combination of organized and disorganized thinkers. The creative mind is ordered and structured, but information is stored in multiple places so that when the information is needed, there is a higher probability of finding it. When creative people learn, they attempt to make many connections, so the information is stored in different places and is linked in a variety of ways. In the papermaking example, they might store the information under “organic chemistry” because they are organized, but also under “biochemistry” (because lignin and cellulose are made by living organisms) and under “art prints” (because high-quality prints must be printed on “acid-free” paper, which uses special chemistry to remove the lignin). When an engineer tries to solve a problem, she works at both the conscious and subconscious level (Figure 1.7). The subconscious seeks information that solves a qualitative model of the problem. As long as it finds no solution, the subconscious mind keeps searching the information data banks. Here, we see the advantage of creative thinkers. With information stored in multiple places and connected in useful ways, there is a greater probability that the solution to the qualitative model will be found. When the subconscious finds a solution, it emerges into consciousness. You have certainly experienced this. Perhaps you went to bed with a problem on your mind, and when you woke up, the solution seemingly “popped” into your head. In actuality, the subconscious worked on the problem while you were sleeping, and the solution emerged into your consciousness when you awoke. For engineers, generally what emerges from the subconscious is a potential solution, The actual solution won’t be known until the potential solution is analyzed using a quantitative model. If analysis proves the solution, then the engineer has cause for celebration; she has solved the problem. Most of your engineering education will focus on analysis, the final step in the problem-solving process. However, unless your subconscious is trained, you won’t have good potential solutions to analyze. Notice that the subconscious requires a qualitative model. A good engineer develops a “feeling” for numbers and processes and often does not have to feed mathematical formulas to get answers. Developing a feeling for numbers will also help your analysis skills, as it provides an essential check on your calculated answers