What if engineering disappeared for a day
These engineered structures allow us to translate space, communicate across vast distances and extend the limits of our bodies. A decline in the sciences is a serious threat to our global society and the sciences are in decline: The Royal Society reports that scientific doctoral degrees have fallen by 8 percent in proportion to total PhDs awarded in the past decade.
Meanwhile, the U. Previous generations had oceans to cross, continents to traverse and an atmosphere to escape. Since the earliest civilizations, people around the globe have been reeled in by the great unknown, so there has been a constant excitement, urgency and determination to explore pervading our race since its earliest beginnings. Explorers have fueled advances in engineering perhaps more profoundly than any other group, from the wheel to the space shuttle.
Engineering has long been driven by the simple urge to know what else is out there: beyond the next mountain or across the sea. So, to rescue engineering, we must now define new common frontiers and mobilize a widespread sentiment that exploring them is both necessary and admirable. Where should we look to rescue engineering? All these endeavors require as much engineering as they do guts and each time someone proves that the impossible is indeed possible, they open up a new world of human potential — one that extends both the mental and physical limitations that stifle innovation.
This is why the ongoing Bloodhound SSC project is so important. Engineers are currently at work on a car they hope to drive faster than 1, mph, shattering the current land speed record and inspiring a new generation to redefine the limits of engineering achievement.
The attempt is scheduled to take place in late , and could very well create a new era of automotive innovation; it is innovation like this that rescues engineering. When governments fail to support the sciences, as so many today are, it is the duty of private investors to fuel innovation and revive engineering. Elon Musk and Richard Branson are two shining examples of how entrepreneurs can revive a world of engineering and change it. Branson and Musk are at the forefront of private space exploration, with plans to start commercial flights to space in the near future.
Elon is also the genius behind Tesla Motors, which is redefining the automobile industry by creating the most sustainable and stylish electric vehicles on the road. We need more entrepreneurs like these to keep the world of engineering running. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides a brilliant example of how this can be accomplished.
The result was a major step forward in the science of sanitation and new hope for a brighter future. Most importantly, to avoid a world without engineering, we must continue to inspire innovation. Currently, in the U. There is great progress in our world helping to increase this percentage — Jaguar Land Rover, for example, launched their apprentice campaign which is in search of new recruits and state they want to build on the number of female engineers.
Their brand-new initiative takes this into account and is targeted at girls that are between the ages of 10 and I believe more encouragement like this is needed and will revive engineering for women of all ages. For now, we can embrace what engineering is and the innovation that it brings.
Beginning the Workday You finally arrive at the office -- hungry, tired, thirsty, and dirty -- only to find that without computer engineers, you have no computer.
In fact, to be completely accurate, you really have no place to work -- your tall office building remains standing thanks to the design of a structural engineer. Unless you have a vegetable garden nearby, you're out of luck. Restaurants would be left without stoves and ovens, and prepackaged foods would be without packages. The Work Environment What work environment?
Without engineers, there would be no heat, air conditioning, photocopier machines, conference calls, printers, e-mail, or World Wide Web. Quitting Time The workday is over, and you need to stop and do a few errands. Of course, you can't pick up your dry cleaning, since engineers developed dry cleaning machines. As a matter of fact, since engineers play a big role in textile manufacturing, you have no clothes.
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