Problem Solving for New Engineers : What Every Engineering Manager Wants You to Know

286 Pages·2017·21.201 MB·English

by  Melisa Buie

“Dr. Buie’s Problem Solving for New Engineers presents a terrific introduc-
tion into the realistic experimental workspace and data analysis for new
engineers and scientists. This well-written one-stop overview of experiment
planning, execution, and data reduction will be a beneficial stepping-off
point to anyone entering into the laboratory for the first time, as well as
experienced experimenters reviewing what might go (or went!) wrong.”
John Paff
Engineering Technology Manager, Spectra-Mat, Inc.
“Finally, a book that cultivates the rich landscape between human creativity
and ingenuity, which motivates the scientist and engineer, and the rigors of
applied experimental practice. Looking back over many years of engineer-
ing research development and manufacturing activities, I am ever surprised
how common problem-solving skills and experimental methodologies are
infrequently cultivated alongside the prodigious evolution of technical
knowledge and our means to generate data and simulate results. A thought-
ful and approachable problem-solving primer has long been needed for new
engineers, which combines core experimental principles used in engineer-
ing, science, and applied statistics. In academic settings, such subjects are
still taught as parts of course work across disparate disciplines. But in con-
temporary industry, their combination becomes a mandatory core skill set
and is key to success in the technical quality and communication of any
engineer’s creative endeavor.
In Buie’s book, we have a contemporary amalgamation of applied experi-
mental principles and methods presented in an approachable and motivat-
ing format. Dr. Buie draws from history, case studies, and real examples that
breathe life into what might otherwise become a dry subject. Her passion
for experimental investigation and its teaching is strongly evident as she
traverses a subject matter that might take years of academic and industrial
practice for an engineer to integrate and master.”
Len Mahoney, PhD
Unit Process Engineer, Avago Technologies
“Problem Solving for New Engineers offers a way to shape learning gained
in school and bridge the gap to becoming a savvy, strategic problem solver,
reducing the “groping-in-the-dark” phase of mastering a discipline. This
book enables the wisdom of mastery by providing key understandings
and methods that are at the heart of an experimental discovery mindset.
Approaches to moving fascination and wonder into realized outcomes are
based in a context of inquiry, exploration, and discovery that refine disci-
plined problem-solving by happily traveling the unknown—one experiment
at a time.”
Diana Hagerty
Project Manager at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
“Melisa Buie is not only creative in her approach but also utterly aware of
the challenges we face as engineers and scientists in practice. As I was going
through the pages, I realized that the book mirrors my own experience. I
wish something like this has been available when I was starting out.”
Saman Choubak, PhD
Senior Research and Development Engineer at PepsiCo
“Problem Solving for New Engineers, written by Dr. Melisa Buie, serves the
fresh new engineers with plenty of methods required for successful experi-
mentation and process development in modern companies, with focus on,
but not limited to, nature sciences.
The problem I observe so frequently with new engineers coming from the
university—from how to apply the knowledge about how experiments were
performed by others to an efficient setup of our own experiments—is dis-
cussed at different levels, and guidance is provided every step of the way,
from a collection of the requirements to evaluation and qualification of the
new process.
Personally, I most appreciate the balance between the overview of meth-
ods in a thorough explanation, rather free of equations, which will not let
you skip the rest of any chapter, and a fair comparison of the one-factor-at-
a-time experimentation that all of us learned at university and statistical
design of the experiment.
The text invites you to experiment on your own and irradiates the pleasure
of investigation and development itself. The author’s knowledge of science
history converts the scientific topic to an easy-to-read lecture, which you
will also enjoy as a bedtime story.”
Pavel Nesladek, PhD
Member of Technical Staff, Advanced Technology Mask Center
“I wish I had this book when I was a college student! I might have decided
to become an engineer or a scientist. Melisa Buie brings her background
in industry and academia together in a balanced and effective way. This is
not your usual dry textbook. I laughed out loud in places! It’s a must-have
“how-to” reference book that is focused on important engineering and sci-
entific concepts, communicating experiments and research effectively, and
being a successful engineer or scientist in academia or private industry. The
material is presented in an exciting, real, and sometimes humorous way by
using stories, sharing life experiences, and revisiting discoveries of the great
scientists throughout history. As someone who has been responsible for
recruiting new engineers fresh out of college, reading this book should be a
prerequisite for being hired.”
Noël Kreidler
Owner, Kreidler Solutions, Talent Acquisition and Human Resources
“In today’s fast-paced technology industry, being able to efficiently attack
issues and clearly share learning is critical. As Dr. Buie points out, many
engineers entering the workforce have a strong science background, but
their real-life problem-solving skills are not as developed. This book is a
wonderful overview of problem-solving strategies, experiment design, and
data analysis needed to succeed in a world driven by constant discovery.
I especially appreciate the sections on graphing, as poorly communicated
learning within cross-functional teams can lead to wasted time and effort
down the road. This text should be required reading for all newly hired
engineers and a welcome reference for those of us who have worked in this
industry for many years.”
Jeremiah Pender, PhD
Senior Engineering Development Manager, Applied Materials, Inc.
http://taylorandfrancis.com
Problem Solving
for New Engineers
What Every Engineering Manager
Wants You to Know
http://taylorandfrancis.com
Problem Solving
for New Engineers
What Every Engineering Manager
Wants You to Know
Melisa Buie
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2018 by Melisa Buie
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Buie, Melisa, author.
Title: Problem solving for new engineers : what every engineering manager wants you
to know / Melisa Buie.
Description: Boca Raton : Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical
references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003837 | ISBN 9781138197787 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Engineering--Vocational guidance.
Classification: LCC TA157 .B835 2017 | DDC 658.4/0302462--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003837
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“If I have seen further it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton, 1676
For my son, Benjamin Clay Alexander-Buie,
and my parents, John and Mary Buie.
Giants may be a myth to some, but in my eyes and my heart, these three
people are giants. I have learned so much from them, more than I write.