Studying Engineering: A Roadmap to a Rewarding Career

363 Pages·2019·43.612 MB·English

by  Raymond Landis, Steffen Peuker, Jennifer Mott

Studying Engineering
A Road Map to a Rewarding Career
Fifth Edition
by
Raymond B. Landis, Dean Emeritus
CollegeofEngineering,ComputerScience,andTechnology
CaliforniaStateUniversity,LosAngeles
Jennifer Mott, Ph.D.
CollegeofEngineering
CaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity,SanLuisObispo
Steffen Peuker, Ph.D.
CollegeofEngineering
CaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity,SanLuisObispo
Publishedby:
Discovery Press
Atascadero,CA
www.discovery-press-books.com
Permissions and Copyrights
CoverdesignbyDaveMcNutt
ChaptertitleillustrationsbyBrianJefcoat
GraphicillustrationsbyKerryLampkin
Case study of University of Maryland Gamera human-powered helicopter project by permis-
sionofInderjitChopra,DirectoroftheAlfredGessowRotorcraftCenter
Franklin Chang-Diaz photo in Chapter 1 courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration
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StudyingEngineering: ARoadMaptoaRewardingCareer,FifthEdition
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ISBN978-0-9793487-2-3
Inquiriesandcommentsshouldbeaddressedto:
SteffenPeuker,Ph.D.
MechanicalEngineering
CaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity,SanLuisObispo
SanLuisObispo,California93407
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I M R
N EMORY OF AY

FOREWORD
WhenIwasasophomoreinhighschool,IdecidedthatIwantedtobeachemicalengineer
whenIgrewup. Icouldinventallsortsofreasonsforthisdecisionthatwouldmakemesound
likeanunusuallywiseandthoughtful15-year-old,buttheywouldallbelies.
Thetruthisatthetimetherewasagreatjobmarketforengineers,andstoriesofredcarpets
and multiple job offers and outlandishly high starting salaries were laid on us regularly by
teachers and counselors—and in my case, by my parents. Just about every boy who could get
a “B” or better in math and science courses decided that he was born to be an engineer, and
I saw no reason to buck the trend. Why chemical engineering? Because—sadly, this is also
the truth—I had gotten a chemistry set for my birthday, and I thought pouring one liquid into
anotherandhavingitturngreenwasseriouslycool.
Like most of my engineering-bound classmates, I knew nothing about what engineers ac-
tuallydidforaliving,andwhenIenrolledinchemicalengineeringattheCityCollegeofNew
York two years later, I still knew nothing. There was a freshman orientation course, but it
was just the old “Sleep 101” parade of unenthusiastic professors delivering dreary 40-minute
sermons about civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and so forth. It’s a wonder that this
coursedidn’tdrivemorestudentsawayfromengineeringthanitmotivated. Perhapsitdid.
My ignorance persisted for pretty much the next three years as I worked through the math
andphysicsandchemistryandthermoandtransportandcircuitsyouhavetoknowtograduate
inengineeringbutconstituteonlyasmallfractionofwhatengineersactuallydo. Itwasn’tuntil
I got into the unit operations lab in my fourth year and then spent a summer in industry that
I started to get a clue about what engineering is really about—figuring out why things aren’t
working the way they’re supposed to and fixing them, and designing and building other things
thatworkbetterorworkjustaswellbutcostless.
AndwhatengineersdidforalivingwasonlythetipoftheicebergofwhatIdidn’tknowas
a freshman. In high school I rarely cracked a textbook and still came out with nearly straight
“A’s”, but it only took one college physics exam to let me know that the game had changed. I
also left high school thinking I was a great writer, but the “D+” on my first English paper set
me straight about that too. Plus, I didn’t know how to take effective notes, summarize long
reading assignments, prepare for and take tests, or strike a good balance between school and
therestofmylife. Icouldgoonbutyougettheidea.
I eventually figured it out, of course. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have graduated and gone on to
become an engineering professor and the author of this foreword. Unfortunately, many of my
classmates never did get it, and most of them were gone by the end of the second year. And I
knowtheyhadtheabilitytosucceed.
I don’t think engineering school should be an academic obstacle course designed to weed
out students who have the ability to succeed but lack basic study skills. If something is impor-
tantforstudentstoknow,there’snothingwrongwithgivingthemsomeguidanceinfiguringit
out. We do that routinely with math and science and control and design. Why not do it with
studyingandlearning?
6
That’s where Studying Engineering come in. The book is a compendium of everything I
wish someone had told me during my freshman year of college. If I could have read it then,
even if I had only absorbed a fraction of the wisdom it contains, I would have been spared the
majorheadacheofhavingtolearnitthehardway. Andifthebookhadbeenusedinafirst-year
engineeringcoursetaughtbyaknowledgeableandsupportiveinstructor,thenextfouryearsof
my life would have been far less stressful, and many of my talented classmates who dropped
outasfreshmenandsophomoreswouldinsteadhavegraduatedwithme.
Virtually everything students need to know to succeed in engineering school is detailed in
Studying Engineering. Using a conversational tone and numerous real-world examples and
anecdotes, Professor Landis paints a vivid picture of the vast range of things engineers do, the
world-changingthingstheyhavedoneinthepast,andthechallengestoproblem-solvingability
andcreativitythatengineersroutinelyface. Healsointroducesstudentstothelearningprocess
– how it works, when and why it goes wrong, and how to avoid the pitfalls that have ensnared
generationsofengineeringstudents(includingthoseunfortunateclassmatesofmine).
Moreover, Studying Engineering introduces its readers to themselves and to one another,
providing insights into different ways people approach learning tasks and respond to instruc-
tion. Students who take this material to heart will gain a better understanding of their own
strengths and weaknesses, learning ways to capitalize on the former while overcoming the lat-
ter. Theirnewknowledgewillalsoimprovetheirabilitytocommunicatewiththeirclassmates,
teammates, and professors. These insights and skills will serve them well throughout college
andtheirsubsequentprofessionalcareers,whetherornottheyremaininengineering.
If you are an engineering educator who teaches first-year students, I invite you to think
about the things you wish someone had told you when you were a freshman and then use
Studying Engineering to help convey those messages. If you are a student, I encourage you
to pay close attention to the book because it will teach you how to get the most out of your
engineering education. If you’re going to succeed and excel in engineering school and down
the road as an engineering professional, you’ll need to learn these things sooner or later. My
adviceistodoitsooner.
RichardM.Felder
HoechstCelaneseProfessorEmeritusofChemicalEngineering
NorthCarolinaStateUniversity
Raleigh,NorthCarolina
Contents
Preface x
Prologue: WhatThisBookHastoOfferandHowtoGetIt 1
PotentialforMakingaDifference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
HowtoRealizeYourMaximumPotentialfromthisBook . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
AdditionalWaystoGettheMostfromthisBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
StudentTestimonial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter1. KeystoSuccessinEngineering 7
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 YouCanDoIt! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
PoorlyPreparedStudentsHaveSucceeded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
HighlyQualifiedStudentsHaveFailed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WhatMakestheDifference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.2 Whatis“Success”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
GoalSetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
StrengtheningYourCommitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.3 KeystoSuccessinEngineeringStudy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Effort—WorkHard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Approach—Workefficiently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Attitude—Thinkpositively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
SummaryoftheSuccessProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.4 ModelsforViewingYourEducation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
AttributesModel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
EmploymentModel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
StudentInvolvementModel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1.5 StructureYourLifeSituation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
LivingArrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Part-TimeWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
InfluenceofFamilyandFriends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter2. TheEngineeringProfession 37
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.1 WhatisEngineering? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
ii TableofContents
LearningMoreaboutEngineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.2 TheEngineeringDesignProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
YourSmartPhoneasanExample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
StepsintheEngineeringDesignProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
HowThingsWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.3 CaseStudy: Human-PoweredHelicopter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Step1—CustomerNeedorBusinessOpportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Step2—ProblemDefinition/SpecificationsandConstraints . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Step3—DataandInformationCollection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Step4—DevelopmentofAlternativeDesigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Step5—EvaluationofDesigns/SelectionofOptimalDesign . . . . . . . . . . 47
Step6—ImplementationofOptimalDesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Step7—TestandEvaluationofGameraI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Step8—Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
TheNeedsforEngineeringDesignareBoundless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.4 RewardsandOpportunitiesofandEngineeringCareer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
JobSatisfaction—AnOverreachingIssue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
VariedOpportunitiesandJobFlexibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
ChallengingWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
IntellectualDevelopmentandLifelongLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
SocialImpact—MakeaDifferenceandChangetheWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
FinancialSecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Prestige . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
ProfessionalWorkEnvironment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
UnderstandHowThingsWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
CreativeThinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Self-Esteem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2.5 EngineeringPast—GreatestEngineeringAchievementsofthe20th Century . . 63
2.6 EngineeringDisciplines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.7 EngineeringJobFunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
StudyingEngineering iii
Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Entrepreneur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
2.8 EmploymentOpportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
OrganizationofIndustryintheUnitedStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
ManufacturingSubsectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
ServiceSubsectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.9 ImportantFieldsfortheFuture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
FutureDirections—GrandChallengesforEngineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.10 Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
2.11 EngineeringasaProfession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
ProfessionalRegistration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
ProfessionalSocieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Chapter3. UnderstandingtheTeaching/LearningProcess 91
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.1 WhatisLearning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
CognitiveLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
PsychomotorLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
AffectiveLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
3.2 HowDoWeLearn? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
ReceivingNewKnowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
ProcessingNewKnowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
IndexofLearningStylesQuestionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
3.3 Metacognition: KeytoImproveYourLearningProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
3.4 LearningisaReinforcementProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
3.5 UnderstandingtheTeachingPartoftheTeaching/LearningProcess . . . . . . . 102
TeachingStyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
3.6 PitfallstoAvoid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
3.7 Don’tBeHungUpontheIdeaofSeekingHelp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
iv TableofContents
3.8 AcademicSuccessSkillsSurvey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Chapter4. MakingtheMostOutofHowYouAreTaught 118
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
4.1 EarlyCoursePreparation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
AcquiringTextbooksandOtherMaterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
UsingtheCourseSyllabus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
4.2 PreparingforLectures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
4.3 DuringYourLectures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
SitNeartheFront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
“BeHereNow” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
ListeningSkills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Note-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
AskingQuestionsinClass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
4.4 MakingEffectiveUseofYourProfessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
ImportantRolesforYourProfessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
TakeResponsibilityforWinningOverYourProfessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
UnderstandingWhatYourProfessorsDo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
CommunicatingWithProfessorsByEmailandTextMessaging . . . . . . . . . 135
4.5 UtilizingTutorsandOtherAcademicServices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Recitations/Problem-SolvingSessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
OtherImportantAcademicResources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Chapter5. MakingtheLearningProcessWorkForYou 142
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
5.1 SkillsforLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
ReadingforComprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
ProblemSolving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
ApplyingLearningTechniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
5.2 OrganizingYourLearningProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150